Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration - (in VCS Store)

[zzip]

12 minutes ago, MrMaddog said:

 

TBH, it seems the requirements are very high for an emulation collection...maybe for the reimagined games?

That's like 14-year old hardware,  how is it 'very high'?

[roots.genoa]

3 hours ago, Flojomojo said:

It's about Atari, not about third parties

I agree, but with the exception of Epyx games on the Lynx. Epyx basically created the Lynx, so it would be like having a PC Engine compilation without Hudson games, just the ones published by NEC.

[Flojomojo]

7 hours ago, MrMaddog said:

Sigh, sounds like Atari has no problem with people downloading ROMz for games that got delisted like Sega did with their all the Sonic games for the Mega Drive Collection.

Sure seems that way.
 

5 hours ago, roots.genoa said:

I agree, but with the exception of Epyx games on the Lynx. Epyx basically created the Lynx, so it would be like having a PC Engine compilation without Hudson games, just the ones published by NEC.

At the time I was buying and playing Atari Lynx games, I didn’t know that they licensed the many arcade ports of titles from Atari Games. This collection helped me realize how Atari was already a shell of its former self. I would have enjoyed seeing Epyx games too, though. 

 

I’ve read that if you have the physical version of Atari 50 and play it offline without patching it, Lynx Warbirds is included in the collection. The update actively removes it, even though the game title appeared in pre-release press about the collection. We can assume there was a rights issue because the emulator looks to be solid. It’s disappointing but it’s no reason not to get and enjoy the game. 

[roots.genoa]

That update was very long by the way, as if there was a lot to remove for one game. 😔

[DavidD]

6 hours ago, Flojomojo said:

I’ve read that if you have the physical version of Atari 50 and play it offline without patching it, Lynx Warbirds is included in the collection. The update actively removes it, even though the game title appeared in pre-release press about the collection. We can assume there was a rights issue because the emulator looks to be solid. It’s disappointing but it’s no reason not to get and enjoy the game. 

I was wondering about that after reading someone else saying that Warbirds was playable when they first installed the game...

 

Might have to try to get a physical copy after all!

[+Stephen]

Is anyone having random slowdown issues with this?  It happens when watching videos, and playing games (Breakout and Pong).  I am running Steam on Windows 11 64-bit.  My hardware "should" be up to the task of emulating Pong, as it's a core i9-12990, 64GB of RAM and a GeForce 3080 vid card.

[Mr_Horizon]

I have just ordered it for the Switch! 

 

I had previously bought Atari Flashback Classics but was disappointed with the strange menu navigation and controls. So far I hear great things about the new collection.

 

[Flojomojo]

1 hour ago, Mr_Horizon said:

I have just ordered it for the Switch! 

 

I had previously bought Atari Flashback Classics but was disappointed with the strange menu navigation and controls. So far I hear great things about the new collection.

There's obviously a fair amount of overlap, but there are a few things that the Flashback collection has, that 50 is lacking:

- some 2600 games, mostly skippable, but it's fun to play Mattel Astroblast with touchscreen controls

- vertical mode, which makes the tall arcade games much more fun

- the option to turn off sprite flicker in games like 2600 Asteroids

[Mockduck]

I wish I'd heard that thing about Warbirds prior to updating. I did try on behalf of someone in Discord to pop the cart in and play it before updating, and I can confirm that in general the collection seemed to play and play decently without being updated straight from the cart, although I don't know what the update exactly did. I wasn't looking for Warbirds, though. 

[Atari_Falcon]

When will this finally be available on the VCS?

 

Best regards,

 

Chris 

 

[jbrodack]

5 hours ago, Mr_Horizon said:

I have just ordered it for the Switch! 

 

I had previously bought Atari Flashback Classics but was disappointed with the strange menu navigation and controls. So far I hear great things about the new collection.

 

It's a very good collection overall.  There's stuff missing of course but it's probably the best overview of what Atari has done that's been released in a collection. Vector games were given care with the visuals.  Bezels looks really nice.  Led lights on cabinets are recreated and very old games like arcade pong and breakout were entirely recreated.  Jaguar emulation runs well on switch which was an initial worry of mine.  The timeline format is very cool with lots of supplemental material. 

[Atarick]

3 hours ago, Atari_Falcon said:

When will this finally be available on the VCS?

 

Best regards,

 

Chris 

 

Here here. This is getting ridiculous. Better make it a 50% discount. 

[DavidD]

10 hours ago, Mockduck said:

I wish I'd heard that thing about Warbirds prior to updating. I did try on behalf of someone in Discord to pop the cart in and play it before updating, and I can confirm that in general the collection seemed to play and play decently without being updated straight from the cart, although I don't know what the update exactly did. I wasn't looking for Warbirds, though. 

I'm starting to wonder if the update was entirely to remove Warbirds.

 

Does Warbirds have video interviews?  That would explain the large update, possibly...

[Emehr]

20 hours ago, Mockduck said:

I wish I'd heard that thing about Warbirds prior to updating. I did try on behalf of someone in Discord to pop the cart in and play it before updating, and I can confirm that in general the collection seemed to play and play decently without being updated straight from the cart, although I don't know what the update exactly did. I wasn't looking for Warbirds, though. 

So I'm not crazy. I have it for the Switch and swore I saw Warbirds in the games list (my update was running in the background). Then I heard Warbirds wasn't in the collection and was like "Whaaa?". Went back in, it was *poof* gone like Kaiser Soze. Thought I was having a false memory.

 

I love Warbirds and if I didn't have it on my Lynx and MiSTer I guess I'd be more bothered by its absence. Still, would've loved to see some extra content for it.

[MrTrust]

On 11/16/2022 at 10:13 PM, Flojomojo said:

At the time I was buying and playing Atari Lynx games, I didn’t know that they licensed the many arcade ports of titles from Atari Games. This collection helped me realize how Atari was already a shell of its former self. I would have enjoyed seeing Epyx games too, though. 

 

Malibu Bikini Volleyball.

 

I would agree with this point if there weren't so many pointless and borderline embarrassing inclusions.  Is there any logical reason to include Malibu Bikini Volleyball in a curated historical collection other than they were free and clear with the rights?  Basic Math?  Miner 2049'er for the 2600?  A third party port that was considered inferior even in its day?  Doesn't make sense.

 

On 11/16/2022 at 10:13 PM, Flojomojo said:

At the time I was buying and playing Atari Lynx games, I didn’t know that they licensed the many arcade ports of titles from Atari Games. This collection helped me realize how Atari was already a shell of its former self. I would have enjoyed seeing Epyx games too, though. 

 

This is the main problem.  The best stuff on this thing is all to do with the coin-ops, and that's what integrates the best with the historical material and the 2600 selection dovetails pretty nicely alongside it.  Then, 1984 happens, and it's a void as far as the eye can see, with the occasional Scrapyard Dog or Trevor McFur.

 

Yes, we all know what happened with Atari in '84 and beyond, but Atari Games was just as much a continuation of the early years as Atari, Inc. was, maybe even more so, so if you really wanted to tell an accurate story of what Atari is and was, you would have to include those games, or at least some of them, in some form.  They could have done such a thing, and here's hoping the collection is massively successful and someone gets incentivized to make that happen, but it is somewhat disappointing that literally no effort was made to get any of that included, and yet we have A800 Food Fight on here, taking up space for no discernable reason.

 

[Flyindrew]

16 minutes ago, MrTrust said:

 

Malibu Bikini Volleyball.

 

I would agree with this point if there weren't so many pointless and borderline embarrassing inclusions.  Is there any logical reason to include Malibu Bikini Volleyball in a curated historical collection other than they were free and clear with the rights?  Basic Math?  Miner 2049'er for the 2600?  A third party port that was considered inferior even in its day?  Doesn't make sense.

 

 

This is the main problem.  The best stuff on this thing is all to do with the coin-ops, and that's what integrates the best with the historical material and the 2600 selection dovetails pretty nicely alongside it.  Then, 1984 happens, and it's a void as far as the eye can see, with the occasional Scrapyard Dog or Trevor McFur.

 

Yes, we all know what happened with Atari in '84 and beyond, but Atari Games was just as much a continuation of the early years as Atari, Inc. was, maybe even more so, so if you really wanted to tell an accurate story of what Atari is and was, you would have to include those games, or at least some of them, in some form.  They could have done such a thing, and here's hoping the collection is massively successful and someone gets incentivized to make that happen, but it is somewhat disappointing that literally no effort was made to get any of that included, and yet we have A800 Food Fight on here, taking up space for no discernable reason.

 

I agree. My personal favorite era of Atari was from 1985-1990. Being an XE owner, I would have loved to have seen Star Raiders 2 or Blue Max "represent" the XE era on Atari 50.

[Flojomojo]

The Atari personal computer line was always a bit baffling to me. The timeline as laid out by the Atari 50 museum helped me understand a bit more, but bringing back the old 8-bit line not once but twice (first 5200, then XE) is incredible. It’s amazing to think this company could have distributed the Famicom in North America but figured they’d go it alone. 

[roots.genoa]

1 hour ago, Flojomojo said:

The Atari personal computer line was always a bit baffling to me. The timeline as laid out by the Atari 50 museum helped me understand a bit more, but bringing back the old 8-bit line not once but twice (first 5200, then XE) is incredible. It’s amazing to think this company could have distributed the Famicom in North America but figured they’d go it alone. 

the XE was mostly for Eastern Europe though (and it may be related to Jack Tramiel's origins). Don't forget PCs were expensive in the 80s and they only started to become popular in Europe in the mid-90s.

[jbrodack]

4 hours ago, MrTrust said:

we have A800 Food Fight on here, taking up space for no discernable reason.

 

That version is so janky. 7800 version is much better. 

[Flojomojo]

2 hours ago, roots.genoa said:

the XE was mostly for Eastern Europe though (and it may be related to Jack Tramiel's origins). Don't forget PCs were expensive in the 80s and they only started to become popular in Europe in the mid-90s.

I remember seeing the XEGS and n KB Toys (now-defunct USA toy store) and wondering what they were doing, since video games were so over after the crash. I had no idea back then that it was just a repackaged 1970s computer!

[stirrell]

3 hours ago, roots.genoa said:

the XE was mostly for Eastern Europe though (and it may be related to Jack Tramiel's origins). Don't forget PCs were expensive in the 80s and they only started to become popular in Europe in the mid-90s.

And it was a way to clear out their 8-bit inventory. From that perspective I guess it was fairly successful. But it really confused their game console line.

 

The XEGS should have been the strategy for the 5200, IMHO. It would have released with a large existing library and had better controllers.

[Atariboy]

The 7800 version of Food Fight does such a nice job of recreating the arcade game that I almost don't mind seeing it absent when the arcade version itself is also included.

 

That said it's a silly decision to leave off what's probably the top game in their pool of 7800 candidates that they had to select from. Perhaps they're envisioning it as future DLC.

[Mockduck]

21 hours ago, Atariboy said:

The 7800 version of Food Fight does such a nice job of recreating the arcade game that I almost don't mind seeing it absent when the arcade version itself is also included.

 

That said it's a silly decision to leave off what's probably the top game in their pool of 7800 candidates that they had to select from. Perhaps they're envisioning it as future DLC.

My theory is at one point it was/is going to go into the updated Food Fight game being made, or maybe not made, depending on how you interpret the lack of news and info on it. It is available separately on the VCS, which I guess could be a reason, but doesn't seem like it.

[Lostdragon]

On 11/18/2022 at 6:06 PM, Flyindrew said:

I agree. My personal favorite era of Atari was from 1985-1990. Being an XE owner, I would have loved to have seen Star Raiders 2 or Blue Max "represent" the XE era on Atari 50.

Couldn't agree more, I spent so long with A8 Blue Max, would of loved to of seen it on this, also the likes of:Alkeykat, Encounter, even things like Lone Raider. 

 

It seems strange they put both Miner 2049er and Bounty Bob Strikes Back on the compilation, one of two would of been ample representation for the era. 

 

Star Raiders 2 would of been a nice edition, i would of even been happy to see ST Star Raiders on here, as not played it in years. 

[Lostdragon]

On 11/18/2022 at 5:46 PM, MrTrust said:

 

Malibu Bikini Volleyball.

 

I would agree with this point if there weren't so many pointless and borderline embarrassing inclusions.  Is there any logical reason to include Malibu Bikini Volleyball in a curated historical collection other than they were free and clear with the rights?  Basic Math?  Miner 2049'er for the 2600?  A third party port that was considered inferior even in its day?  Doesn't make sense.

 

 

This is the main problem.  The best stuff on this thing is all to do with the coin-ops, and that's what integrates the best with the historical material and the 2600 selection dovetails pretty nicely alongside it.  Then, 1984 happens, and it's a void as far as the eye can see, with the occasional Scrapyard Dog or Trevor McFur.

 

Yes, we all know what happened with Atari in '84 and beyond, but Atari Games was just as much a continuation of the early years as Atari, Inc. was, maybe even more so, so if you really wanted to tell an accurate story of what Atari is and was, you would have to include those games, or at least some of them, in some form.  They could have done such a thing, and here's hoping the collection is massively successful and someone gets incentivized to make that happen, but it is somewhat disappointing that literally no effort was made to get any of that included, and yet we have A800 Food Fight on here, taking up space for no discernable reason.

 

Having spent some quality time at last with the collection, i am having real mixed feelings with it. 

 

It's great to play Lynx titles like Turbo Sub and Missile Command, i missed out on, at the time, but Malibu Bikini Volleyball was medicore back in the day and it was horrendous to find Warbirds was pulled at the last minute. 

 

 

Why do I need so many variations of the same games on here? 

 

I'm going to play the best versions. 

 

Yes, i had 2600 Crystal Castles as a kid at the time got a lot from it, but at that point, it was the only version I had ever played, knew no different, not going to play it now, it just holds nostalgia value. 

 

A8 Miner 2049'er or 2600 version? The 2600 version isn't going to get a look-in. 

 

A8 Food Fight when they've put the Arcade version in? again it's never going to be played. 

 

 

Crescent Galaxy, Club Drive and FFL, I didn't buy on the Jaguar at the time, having dabbled with them on the collection, no thank you. 

 

 

Scrapyard Dog, another I am not overly familiar with, but if I warm to it, I will be playing the superior version, same with Basket Brawl. 

 

I grew up with the A8, Lynx and Jaguar, know what they offered, can't help feel they are rather short changed at times by what's been included on here, Lynx especially..