Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Expanded Edition is adding 39 new games to the interactive documentary

[Atariboy]

They're talking about things like their timeline looking at the first console war. So I would think it would be appropriate to include playable Intellivision versions of something that appeared on both the 2600 and Intellivision, like Night Stalker/Dark Cavern. Same with their deep dive into Berzerk and Stern Electronics. Seems safe to assume that arcade Berzerk will be playable alongside the Atari ports. The steelbook even comes with a mini Berzerk arcade marquee. 

Edited June 25 by Atariboy

[roots.genoa]

3 hours ago, GoldLeader said:

I just wanted to read an article...Without way more Ads than article,...Does it have to be that hard?  I don't mind a couple of ads thrown in the mix if they're on the sides or unobtrusive,  But Detructoid needs to Die!

I don't have ads or popups on Destructoid. Because I have plugins like Privacy Badger and uBlock Origin installed. It also removes ads from video streaming btw, on YouTube or Prime Video. 🙂

[SearsRoebuck]

Yeah having just bought everything M network related, I imagine they will add all of those that aren't arcade ports.  

[Metal Ghost]

This is such great news. Definitely will end up being a must buy DLC for me (and I really almost never purchase DLC). Absolutely can’t wait. As long as they keep publishing new content in the form of timelines….I’m in.
 

Personally, I’m not interested in just getting new games by themselves for Atari 50. But wrap them up inside historical context. Yep….I’ll pay for that!

 

Well, I’d take new games too, but you get the point 😅

[+GoldLeader]

8 hours ago, roots.genoa said:

I don't have ads or popups on Destructoid. Because I have plugins like Privacy Badger and uBlock Origin installed. It also removes ads from video streaming btw, on YouTube or Prime Video. 🙂

 

I know...I shouldn't have done it.  But so many other sites don't bend you over as you let your guard down!   I'm sure other, nicer,  more reputable sites also have the story...

[CPUWIZ]

14 hours ago, GoldLeader said:

 

I thank you for this!

 

At first I tried to read that fucky Detructiod site and it was the most annoying thing I've seen in a long while, and represents everything wrong with the world, humanity, and the internet as we know it.  First it begs you to turn off your Adblocker (Do NOT Comply),  then if you do,  it barrages you with everything you've grown to hate;  Pop-Ups (Forgot those even existed), videos, ads Everywhere!! It tries to turn on notifications...Just a total F-ing Shitshow!  (Never Again!)

 

I just wanted to read an article...Without way more Ads than article,...Does it have to be that hard?  I don't mind a couple of ads thrown in the mix if they're on the sides or unobtrusive,  But Detructoid needs to Die!

 

Maybe Powerhubs gets paid for the ads?    I don't click on destructoid links, period, so I appreciate the link as well.

[roots.genoa]

I just noticed something. The press release mentions 39 new titles, but the graphic of the Switch steelbook edition mentions "140+ classic games" (instead of 103+12+39=154) so I suspect the 39 titles actually include the 12 that were added for free last December...

[Giles N]

17 minutes ago, roots.genoa said:

 

I just noticed something. The press release mentions 39 new titles, but the graphic of the Switch steelbook edition mentions "140+ classic games" (instead of 103+12+39=154) so I suspect the 39 titles actually include the 12 that were added for free last December...

 

Well, I don’t use the timelines so much, I just go straight into the line-up of games sorted by consoles/system.

 

The press release says:

 

«The Wider World of Atari timeline, which includes 19 playable games and eight video segments, takes a series of deep dives into stories from Atari history, showing how Atari continued to influence creators and fans over the decades.  New interviews, vintage ads, historical artifacts, and more have all been researched and presented with Digital Eclipse’s signature style. Highlights from the new timeline include a deep dive into Stern Electronics' robot-blasting Berzerk;

unusual and underappreciated innovations

and hidden gems from the late 1980s;

a spotlight on the artist Evelyn Seto, who helped create the iconic “Fuji” Atari logo; Pong creator Al Alcorn explaining the birth of Breakout; and  

an  exploration  of  the  fan base’s  role  in  discovering unreleased  prototypes,

creating  “homebrew”  games,  and preserving  Atari  history.»

 

So, it calls the ‘the wider world timeline’ also for ‘the new timeline’

 

It may of course be that they will take titles from the previous update and put under this ‘new timeline’, but it was nothing in the press release text itself that made me think so.

 

Is the 12+ Holiday update necessary to install now, to use play the Atari 50th…? 
 

Can it be that there will be an overlap of titles of the early console wars segment with the new time-line?

 

 

 

 

Edited June 26 by Giles N

[Giles N]

16 hours ago, GoldLeader said:

 

I just realized I may need to buy a Nintendo* to play my Atari games....Hmmmm...Did anyone think it would ever come to this?  

 

When Atari’s recent software releases makes people buy new hardware* to get to play them on, they are definitly on the right track…

 

—

 

* new, in a relative way… ahem…

 

[Will Switch 2 see a late ‘24 release, or will it be ‘25?  Ok, anyway, newer than the NES… get-it]

 

16 hours ago, GoldLeader said:

just wanted to read an article...Without way more Ads than article,...Does it have to be that hard?  I don't mind a couple of ads thrown in the mix if they're on the sides or unobtrusive,  But Detructoid

…but, - Goldleader -, how then can the site push the destruct-buttons in the minds of their readers…? 

If they granted such wishes and request as yours, their bigger existential mission-objective would be lost … 

 

16 hours ago, GoldLeader said:

tried to read that fucky Detructiod site and it was the most annoying thing I've seen in a long while, and represents everything wrong with the world, humanity, and the internet as we know it.  First it begs you to turn off your Adblocker (Do NOT Comply),  then if you do,  it barrages you with everything you've grown to hate;  Pop-Ups (Forgot those even existed), videos, ads Everywhere!! It tries to turn on notifications...Just a total F-ing Shitshow! 

You know, I’ve tried to use song-lyric Apps set up akin to the above description, - while trying to focus and concentrate on voice-training and, voice use …while speed-reading lyrics simultaneously…

 

Can you believe me if I say it was sort-of tripping me over the edge…?
 

—

 

Just have to throw this in for those who may think having Ads all-over AA is a sure-thing to secure Atari something of value…

 

No, forget it; I just needed the opportunity to dump 10+ years of bad-Apps ‘n sites-frustration …like  get it out.

 

Edited June 26 by Giles N

[H.E.R.O.]

Atari should cut a deal with Activision to bring in the Activision & Imagic libraries. There's been no Activision Anthology for over a decade and both libraries are very important in the history of the 2600.

 

Will it happen? Probably not. Can't hurt to ask them.

[roots.genoa]

2 hours ago, Giles N said:

Is the 12+ Holiday update necessary to install now, to use play the Atari 50th…?

Of course not, but it would make sense for it to be included in the new release without having to download it first, though.

2 hours ago, Giles N said:

Can it be that there will be an overlap of titles of the early console wars segment with the new time-line?

I thought about that, yes. Frankly, I'm hoping I'm wrong and that there will be 39 NEW games. That being said, I'm cautiously optimistic about these games; the timeline about the 2600/Intellivision war will clearly bring M Network games and I'm not too excited about that. I'm way more interested in the new interviews, especially Al Alcorn's one regarding Breakout, since I'm tired of hearing the same crap about Jobs/Wozniak designing the game.

16 minutes ago, H.E.R.O. said:

Atari should cut a deal with Activision to bring in the Activision & Imagic libraries. There's been no Activision Anthology for over a decade and both libraries are very important in the history of the 2600.

I definitely agree. It would really make the compilation more comprehensive regarding 2600 games. And for arcade games, they obviously need to try to license Atari Games' catalogue from Warner (or better, buy it back).

[Sean_1970]

Looking forward to this!

 

Of course what I’d really love to see is Atari put out some kind of trackball/spinner/paddle USB all-in-one controller to properly play the old arcade games. I find the breakout games to be pretty much unplayable with a PS Dualsense touchpad or analogue stick; Missile Command is pretty much pants as well.

[Giles N]

4 hours ago, roots.genoa said:

I just noticed something. The press release mentions 39 new titles, but the graphic of the Switch steelbook edition mentions "140+ classic games" (instead of 103+12+39=154) so I suspect the 39 titles actually include the 12 that were added for free last December...

Part II

—-

 

Eurogamer writes; 

 

«Atari hasn't yet detailed the full list of 39 games included in Atari 50's Expanded Edition (which will be available in addition to 103 base game titles and 12 retro games added in a free update last year), but expect more details in the run up to its release.»

[MrBeefy]

Yeah 39 sounds sig ificant until you realize 24 of them are Pong variants. 😝

[leech]

Ooh, what would be sweet is an update to the Arcade1Up to add a bunch more games!  Mainly because I have one standing in my living room with a fake skeleton standing in front of it...

[leech]

19 hours ago, roots.genoa said:

I don't have ads or popups on Destructoid. Because I have plugins like Privacy Badger and uBlock Origin installed. It also removes ads from video streaming btw, on YouTube or Prime Video. 🙂

I honestly do not know how people actually use the internet without at least uBlock Origin.  Google's attempts at killing it off as a thing will make me never use Chrome/Chromium.  I recently installed a new set up and went to one website before installing ublock Origin in Firefox... then noped out of that nonsense and installed it right away.  The modern web isn't even usable with how many ads are inserted throughout a simple page.

[leech]

4 hours ago, Sean_1970 said:

Looking forward to this!

 

Of course what I’d really love to see is Atari put out some kind of trackball/spinner/paddle USB all-in-one controller to properly play the old arcade games. I find the breakout games to be pretty much unplayable with a PS Dualsense touchpad or analogue stick; Missile Command is pretty much pants as well.

I have their Arcade stick that was sold through microcenter, it has everything except the spinner... which people have modded to add it. 

Ha, I have that exact same logitech keyboard!

Edited June 26 by leech

[+jeremiahjt]

5 hours ago, H.E.R.O. said:

Atari should cut a deal with Activision to bring in the Activision & Imagic libraries. There's been no Activision Anthology for over a decade and both libraries are very important in the history of the 2600.

 

Will it happen? Probably not. Can't hurt to ask them.

I always look the other way with licenses. If they do license Activision, or Imagic, stuff, eventually the license will run out. If they only put games they own on it, they never have to worry about licensing issues in the future.

[mr_me]

4 hours ago, roots.genoa said:

Of course not, but it would make sense for it to be included in the new release without having to download it first, though.

I thought about that, yes. Frankly, I'm hoping I'm wrong and that there will be 39 NEW games. That being said, I'm cautiously optimistic about these games; the timeline about the 2600/Intellivision war will clearly bring M Network games and I'm not too excited about that. I'm way more interested in the new interviews, especially Al Alcorn's one regarding Breakout, since I'm tired of hearing the same crap about Jobs/Wozniak designing the game.

...

I definitely agree. It would really make the compilation more comprehensive regarding 2600 games. And for arcade games, they obviously need to try to license Atari Games' catalogue from Warner (or better, buy it back).

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CKpR-Q1Hn2k

 

You can hear what Alcorn had to say about Breakout in his talk from 2002, linked above (13 minutes in).

 

5 hours ago, H.E.R.O. said:

Atari should cut a deal with Activision to bring in the Activision & Imagic libraries. There's been no Activision Anthology for over a decade and both libraries are very important in the history of the 2600.

 

Will it happen? Probably not. Can't hurt to ask them.

If Activision licensed their Atari 2600 games to Atgames than I don't see why they wouldn't with others. Atari SA may not be interested in paying royalties.

[+Intellivision Master]

23 hours ago, Mockduck said:

This is really cool, although I am kind of bummed that my original Steelbook Switch copy will now be an incomplete, inferior version. 

I too have the original Steelbook edition for Switch.  It was a surprise to see a newer Steelbook version coming out.  But I'm not going to upgrade.  I'll get the new DLC if it has a good list of games for a reasonable price. 

[Flyindrew]

23 hours ago, donjn said:

Whats holding them back from adding a "5200 pack" for $19.99?

Include the complete 5200 library (as much as they can anyways)

 

The 5200 is a great system with arcade quality ports. Sadly 95 percent of the titles Atari would have to pay licensing fees to obtain. The 5 percent of titles Atari can include would be Super Breakout, Star Raiders, Missile Command and the Realsports titles (baseball, football, tennis)

[leech]

39 minutes ago, Flyindrew said:

The 5200 is a great system with arcade quality ports. Sadly 95 percent of the titles Atari would have to pay licensing fees to obtain. The 5 percent of titles Atari can include would be Super Breakout, Star Raiders, Missile Command and the Realsports titles (baseball, football, tennis)

It is always interesting to see the percentage of third party support that Atari systems received.  The 7800 I think is the one that had the vast majority of the games coming from Atari, right?  Even the Lynx had a bit better 3rd party support.

[digdugnate]

2 hours ago, mr_me said:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CKpR-Q1Hn2k

 

You can hear what Alcorn had to say about Breakout in his talk from 2002, linked above (13 minutes in).

 

If Activision licensed their Atari 2600 games to Atgames than I don't see why they wouldn't with others. Atari SA may not be interested in paying royalties.

 

Oh look, Springfield's answer to a question no one asked.

[knievel1]

Anyone play this on Steam? 

I'd love to get it but would have to do the Windows side boot on my Mac.

This extra content might be the incentive I've needed to buy in.....

[Giles N]

1 hour ago, knievel1 said:

Anyone play this on Steam? 

If you mean the original ‘22 release, yes.

 

On my PC (Standard Microsoft PC-Tower type) it performs better than Switch (which I tend to believe have slightly slower performance).

(Scrapyard Dog 7800 actually feels tight, sharp, lag-less 60 frames per second).

 

—

I’ll throw in: The Recharged games on Steam can be set to 240 fps, - I dunno what thats called ‘overkill-smoothness?’

Edited June 26 by Giles N