Deciphering the Atari 50th Anniversary Collection Game List

[Atariboy]

I suspect Centipede was never on the list.

 

The reveal trailer included a few seconds of a cross-platform commercial advertising both the 2600 and 5200 versions of Centipede, showing some 5200 gameplay. But at the same time we had a shot (I forget where) of the 5200 category on the game select menu where Centipede would've been located, with nothing listed between Bounty Bob and Millipede.

 

So I've been listing it as a possible inclusion, but was noting that there was conflicting information on if it's here. I suspect they just used it since it was a cool clip that fit the trailer well.

Edited September 12, 2022 by Atariboy

[Atariboy]

I just noticed the changed spelling for Cloak & Dagger. Was wondering how a movie tie-in made the cut, lol.

 

I wish they'd do a few more such edits. An awful lot of their problematic games could be easily cleared with a few title edits. Heck, many of the 2600 games like Galaxian and Defender only need the artwork edited with a new title since they lack in-game title screens and are far enough removed from the original source material to not pose an issue today.

Edited September 13, 2022 by Atariboy

[Atariboy]

Just to correct my silly mistake, I was double checking the leaked final game list and it looks like I'm responsible for the "Cloak & Dakker" misspelling. Oops...

 

Did they really pay up for a movie license for this?

[+x=usr(1536)]

3 minutes ago, Atariboy said:

Did they really pay up for a movie license for this?

That likely depends on how attentive Universal's lawyers are.

[Atariboy]

I apparently did a pretty poor job of editing my list with the newly announced additions. I left off 3 games.

 

For arcade games, I left off Fire Truck. I wonder if the bell sound effect will work properly this time around (it sounds nice on the real cabinet, but doesn't sound much like a bell on the Code Mystics collections).

 

I also slipped up and didn't include Saboteur and Secret Quest for the 2600.

 

Lastly, I didn't denote arcade Breakout as new. While an iconic game, it's never actually appeared before in arcade form on a compilation thanks to being a discrete logic game like Pong. Presumably they've made a port or maybe even written a simulator for it.

Edited September 13, 2022 by Atariboy

[Cousin Vinnie]

Happy with a few of the additions, surprised at the Jaguar list growing. Thanks a lot Atariboy, I'll update the website soon. 

 

Still... SO MANY Atari games that have fallen to the wayside. Some of the best games are separated from the herd forever it seems. 

Edited September 13, 2022 by Cousin Vinnie

[sirlynxalot]

On 9/2/2022 at 9:07 PM, Cousin Vinnie said:

So... strange omissions, strange inclusions. Some exciting stuff, some blah stuff. Too many repeats. 

 

APB, Paperboy, Star Wars, Crystal Castles, Battlezone, Pitfighter, Tetris, Klax, Black Widow, Quantum, Gauntlet, Xybots, Roadblasters, Vindicators, Road Runner, Lunar Lander, Rampart, Area 51, Kangaroo, San Francisco Rush, Primal Rage, Marble Madness, Midnight Mutants, Alien Brigade, Rescue on Fractalus, Planet Smashers, Desert Falcon, Pole Position I & II, Asteroids Deluxe, Dreadnaught Factor, Alien vs. Predator, Counter Measure... so many games omitted that would help paint a more complete picture of the good stuff Atari was really about. Still... pretty stoked over what this thing is gonna bring. CANT WAIT!

 

 

A lot of those arcade games you mentioned were made by Atari Games, which was operating as a completely separate company with separate owners after Warner sold the game console side of the business to Jack Tramiel in 1983 or 1984.  I guess its all "Atari" to the consumer, but from the mid 80s on, the arcade stuff like Marble Madness, Road Blasters, Paperboy, etc. were being developed and published by a completely separate company that also confusingly called itself Atari and used the Atari logo.  My understanding is that the current Atari SA folks are basically the inheritors of the game console division IP and have never owned any of these mid 80s to 1990s arcade games, so bringing those in could involve significant licensing outlays.

 

Edited September 13, 2022 by sirlynxalot

[+jgkspsx]

2 minutes ago, sirlynxalot said:

My understanding is that the current Atari SA folks are basically the inheritors of the game console division IP and have never owned any of these mid 80s to 1990s arcade games, so bringing those in could involve significant licensing outlays.

From what I’ve heard Warner Bros just was not interested in licensing them. Somehow Arcade1Up got them to agree to fixed machines, and they included some in the Lego Worlds Minecraft-like, but they’re not available any other way right now.

[+DrVenkman]

3 hours ago, Atariboy said:

Lastly, I didn't denote arcade Breakout as new. While an iconic game, it's never actually appeared before in arcade form on a compilation thanks to being a discrete logic game like Pong. Presumably they've made a port or maybe even written a simulator for it.

Well, both Pong and Super Breakout (and Warlords, for that matter) are included in Code Mystics’ various compilations. 

 

[Atariboy]

I know, DrVenkman.

 

I've long been a follower of Atari arcade compilations. I've been buying and playing these ever since the original Digital Eclipse brought out Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 1 on the SNES/PS1/Saturn in the mid 1990's.

 

None of those three classics are marked in my list as being new to compilations. All three have been pillars of Atari arcade compilations since day 1, along with the likes of Tempest. 

 

But arcade Breakout has never been replicated commercially before for home use thanks to not using a microprocessor running software code. Hence why I corrected myself when I realized I had glossed over it originally and didn't denote it as a new addition.

Edited September 13, 2022 by Atariboy

[+DrVenkman]

On 9/13/2022 at 5:55 PM, Atariboy said:

I've been buying and playing these ever since the original Digital Eclipse brought out Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 1 on the SNES/PS1/Saturn in the mid 1990's.

I had Microsoft Arcade for my Windows 3.1 PC back in 1993. 😛 

 

At any rate, I quoted what you said in my reply. There's no technical reason why Breakout or any discrete-logic game couldn't be included except lack of time and/or money to code up a clone. As simple a game as Breakout is, it could probably be done in an afternoon by kid in a college CS class. 

 

[Atariboy]

lol

 

I agree entirely. Other than the lack of interest the only real hurdle of any sort of significance for many of these discrete logic classics is tracking down a working cabinet to serve as a reference in order to be able to make an accurate clone of it.

 

Not such a problem for Breakout since it was successful and fondly remembered and thus is better represented today than most, but the vast majority of these games are quite scarce these days and relatively few are in the hands of collectors in working order.

 

Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if one or two of the most uncommon discrete logic games from Atari/Kee Games that went past the prototype stage are down to single digit survivors for working examples of (or candidates that would be realistically able to to brought back to life).

Edited September 15, 2022 by Atariboy

[Atariboy]

Apparently Yoomp! made the cut after all.

 

I wonder if there are any other surprises. Digital Eclipse has talked about several things being hidden on here. Additional homebrews, perhaps?

[DavidD]

1 hour ago, Atariboy said:

Apparently Yoomp! made the cut after all.

 

I wonder if there are any other surprises. Digital Eclipse has talked about several things being hidden on here. Additional homebrews, perhaps?

I was hoping for more home computer stuff... I suppose Galahad and the Holy Grail isn't owned by Atari, though, just published by APX.

[zzip]

9 hours ago, DavidD said:

I was hoping for more home computer stuff... I suppose Galahad and the Holy Grail isn't owned by Atari, though, just published by APX.

I think the APX catalog was bought by Antic Magazine at some point,  not sure where it went after that.

[DavidD]

9 hours ago, zzip said:

I think the APX catalog was bought by Antic Magazine at some point,  not sure where it went after that.

...but I thought the APX catalog wasn't OWNED by Atari, just a publishing function.  I assumed Crockford still owned the rights to Galahad, for example... but I could be wrong.