Mindfield Posted October 24, 2001 Share Posted October 24, 2001 I was on my way to work this morning when a thought occurred to me. Is it just possible, Atari's historic lack of advertising aside, that the 5200, 7800, Lynx and Jaguar failed because Atari had no "signature" title or franchise? Consider Nintendo. They have Mario and Pokemon. Sega had Sonic. It could even be said that to a lesser degree, NEC had Bonk. Atari had ... um ... Atari had ... well, Atari didn't have anything really, did they? No cutesy, cuddly, merchandisable, franchisable stuffed toy or lunch box material. Nothing to tie a familiar and recognizable character to the Fuji. Now sure, the VCS was without a doubt the granddaddy of all video game systems and left all competition trembling in its wake. But those were different times. Times when Atari ruled the home video game planet. Times when Atari set the rules of engagement by which their opposition fought and ultimately lost. After the crash though, the slate was wiped clean and Nintendo and Sega both took the van in the video game arena. And they set the rules, then. And the rules were: Make it cute, cuddly, merchandisable and franchisable. Thus were born the twin legacies of the Italian plumber and the blue hedgehog. Characters that ultimately tied their very images to their creators. Thought of Mario and Nintendo were simultaneous and automatic. Ditto for Sega: See Sonic, see Sega. But Atari didn't have that. Perhaps in the beginning of their life the ubiquitous Fuji was as recognizable a symbol as the Coca Cola logo. But a logo alone is hardly exposure enough. Nintendo and Sega knew that. Did Atari not? Or did they just completely fail to come up with a character that worked on a long term basis? And in the end, could this have been one of the various reasons Atari ultimately died at the hands of those they could have otherwise held dominance over as they once did over their predecessors? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanJr Posted October 24, 2001 Share Posted October 24, 2001 You know what's funny. I have ALWAYS associated Pac-Man with Atari. If I see an image of the little yellow beast, I immediately think of Atari. Perhaos the lack of a flagship is Atari's greatest asset. Often flagships can dig you into a hole and keep you there despite your best efforts to get back out. Atari is the system for ALL characters and ALL games, from Spider-man and Mario to Frogger (another character I always equate with Atari) and Indian Jones. Atari is for everyone. That's why I love it. Did lack of a flagship icon hurt Atari, possibly. But it was most likely those damn Trammiels..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmi Posted October 24, 2001 Share Posted October 24, 2001 I agree with the Pac-Man association along with Pitfall everytime i see the name pitfall i think of the 2600 game. and merchindise(sp?) i wish they had made more shirts and various other things that was widely visable , like nintendo did in the late 80's there stuff was everywhere you looked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanJr Posted October 24, 2001 Share Posted October 24, 2001 I'm wearing an Atari T-shirt right now! Atari merchandise is back, baby! Whoo-hoo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmi Posted October 24, 2001 Share Posted October 24, 2001 since ive been coming here to atariage i went looking for a symbol in black of the atari logo and i have it as my wall paper now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanJr Posted October 24, 2001 Share Posted October 24, 2001 OOOOOOOO! I want one! I want one! Where did you get? I want one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmi Posted October 24, 2001 Share Posted October 24, 2001 LOL to tell you the truth i havent a clue i had to have gone to atleast 50 different sites and on those site hit there link to links to links so its hard to tell If i come across it i will let you know As i didnt save it first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanJr Posted October 24, 2001 Share Posted October 24, 2001 thanks, it will make me very happy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted October 24, 2001 Share Posted October 24, 2001 I've seen Atari shirts of all kinds for sale both online and in brick & mortar stores. I'm ashamed to admit that I don't yet have one. Heck, one of my co-workers was wearing one today at work! But that shouldn't really be too surprising considering I work at a game company. I think we need to start selling Atari shirts here at AtariAge to help defray our operating costs. But I'm not too sure how keen Infogrames would be on that. I don't think anyone's really gone after anyone making money on the Atari name and logo yet, but with Infogrames starting up an Atari division who knows. ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmi Posted October 24, 2001 Share Posted October 24, 2001 Stan i just E-mailed the atari logo to you i got your e-mail from your profile Enjoy!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanJr Posted October 24, 2001 Share Posted October 24, 2001 Thanks, Lemmi, you are the coolest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malix Posted October 24, 2001 Share Posted October 24, 2001 Pitfall=Atari That is what I associate with Atari. And for some reason I associate Zelda with the NES more than Mario. Guess I am just weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osbo Posted October 24, 2001 Share Posted October 24, 2001 atari was the second brand name after coca cola in the 80's just to let you know... OsBo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ze_ro Posted October 24, 2001 Share Posted October 24, 2001 Well, there's always the Atari Force. Atari never really did enough to push them as far as being a mascot though. I think the only reason that Donkey Kong, Mario, Sonic, Bonk and the rest actually became mascots was because their respective game was so damn good! Sega didn't start with Sonic... the Genesis didn't launch with Sonic... yet this is what people remember about it. Sega noticed they had a winner on their hands, and ran with it. As for Atari though... not many of their games really had any characters that had enough attitude to make them appealing I think. --Zero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parcel Posted October 24, 2001 Share Posted October 24, 2001 I always thought of Atari when I saw Pac Man as well. Combat wouldve been a cool mascot, just give a tank arms and eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mos6507 Posted October 24, 2001 Share Posted October 24, 2001 I think part of what made Atari great is that there WAS NO FRANCHISE. NO MASCOT. That's what the classic game era was all about. Character isn't the issue. Atari didn't need Sonic. It didn't need to pander to a kiddie audience. It just had great classic games. No BS. No sequelitis. Just great games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubersaurus Posted October 24, 2001 Share Posted October 24, 2001 not all of em were that great. Alot of the atari 2600 games were pretty crappy. Like the infamous Chase the Chuckwagon, or Eli's ladder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanJr Posted October 25, 2001 Share Posted October 25, 2001 Sure, every system has their Night Driver, but Atari definitely has two things modern systems lack: originality and diveristy. Most modern systems are comprised of a core 3 game types: Sports/Fighter, Shooter, RPG. Atari had stuff like Circus Atari (which is a catagory all its own), Crystal Castles, Pitfall, Private Eye, etc. in addition to their sports and shooter titles. Atari has something for EVERYONE. I love Atari, Stan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Zeptari Posted October 25, 2001 Share Posted October 25, 2001 quote: Originally posted by osbo: atari was the second brand name after coca cola in the 80's just to let you know... OsBo Was this in a list somewhere? A most recognizable list for the 80's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Zeptari Posted October 25, 2001 Share Posted October 25, 2001 quote: Originally posted by Albert: I think we need to start selling Atari shirts here at AtariAge to help defray our operating costs. But I'm not too sure how keen Infogrames would be on that. I don't think anyone's really gone after anyone making money on the Atari name and logo yet, but with Infogrames starting up an Atari division who knows. ..Al But Sears sells Atari T-Shirts. How are they doing this? Because they did it before Infograms bought the Atari name? Just wondering... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhindle The Red Posted October 25, 2001 Share Posted October 25, 2001 quote: Originally posted by Albert: I think we need to start selling Atari shirts here at AtariAge to help defray our operating costs. But I'm not too sure how keen Infogrames would be on that. You could always sell AtariAge t-shirts. Just picture it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Night Phantom Posted October 25, 2001 Share Posted October 25, 2001 As I mentioned last night in another%20topic,%20shirts%20with%20the%20Atari%20name%20and%20logo%20are%20available%20from%20the%20Olympique Lyonnais online store, though they run a little expensive (especially when you add shipping to North America) and commemorate a soccer team most Atari fans know more or less nothing about. Pac-Man and Pitfall! have been mentioned in this discussion as signature Atari games, but note that Pac-Man was licensed from Namco and Pitfall! was from Activision. So, neither would be a good basis for Atari's corporate identity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubersaurus Posted October 25, 2001 Share Posted October 25, 2001 Pitfall- 2d platform game Circus Atari, crystal castles-arcade ports the same genres still exist today, you were obviously going at a very narrow view to simply list those ones. It's just back then, they were newer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d8thstar Posted October 25, 2001 Share Posted October 25, 2001 i have atari logo mats on my technics turntables... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindfield Posted October 25, 2001 Author Share Posted October 25, 2001 See, the thing is, those of us here today in this forum recognize and appreciate the fact that Atari's lack of any sort of mascot or flagship game was a part of its charm. But that is largely hindsight talking; the fact that we can both look back and appreciate Atari's rich history from a distance, and that we have so much newer, yet somehow lacking technology upon which to cultivate that appreciation. I have to wonder if these same things would have been said 15 or 20 years ago when we didn't have the benefit of advance knowledge. See, on the one hand, Atari's lack of a mascot or gaming franchise gave Atari a broader appeal; the fact is, Atari was so much more than games. Their home computer lines were excellent, and I used several of them for many wonderful years. Had they a mascot, they would have an indellible mark upon them that would have forever marked anything they made as childish or without merit in the more serious computing field. Nintendo and Sega were able to get away with it because that's all they really did was game machines. (Yes, Sega tried to enter the computer field with the SC 3000, but we're all rather familiar with how that went) On the other hand, I believe that having such a mascot is a good part of what ultimately brought Sega and Nintendo the success they enjoyed. Success, I might add, that saw them outlive Atari. I'm not saying bad management and poor business decisions weren't to blame for Atari's demise, of course; a profound lack of advertizing, alienating dealer networks, countless R&D projects funded with millions only to be scrapped, and a few bad eggs in the hot seats. (the Sons of Tramiel, and the autocratic Ray Kassar). But I think maybe their chances of survival might have been bolstered by the presence of some kind of mascot. As abhorably commercial as that might seem, perhaps pegging Atari as big sell-outs to some, I think maybe some kind of mascot or game franchise exclusive to Atari would have put the Atari name in more people's faces for longer periods of time, thus prolonging their exposure and ultimately even adding to their longevity -- even, dare I say, their continuing survival. Even if it was with the Tramiels, as I feel that, despite the buffoonery we all witnessed during their ignominous reign, I still felt they were a part of the "real" Atari, post-Warner era. After all, The XE, ST, Falcon, Jaguar, Lynx and 7800 all owe to the presence of the Tramiels in the big chair, which only served to prove their foresight and vision, if not their business acumen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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