Page 41 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #5

I ATARI Arcade Hits 1 themes from each
n the modern
ATARI Arcade Hits 1
game, complete
world of the
hyper-
sounds. Warms my
accelerated push with cheesy retro
of plenty-o- heart. Also on the
polygons, it’s nice to sit Review by Shaun Conlin CD-ROM are dozens of pic-
back with these six old tures, promotional ads and fly-
gems like long lost friends. Flawed ers, posters, and even box art from
and frivolous as they may be, some of the first home versions on the
they’re warmly welcome. Atari 2600 and 5200. Numerous video
Those looking for an authentic blast- clips of Atari founder Nolan Bushnell
from-the-past need look no further than are in there too. Watching the "Father
Atari Arcade Hits 1. Those wanting a of Video Games" reminisce about
wee history lesson or see just how far those pioneering days is a must-see for
gaming has come over the last decade any game fan of any age. It’s good
or two will be equally fulfilled by this stuff. Informative and somehow excit-
package deal from Hasbro Interactive. ing.
Six Atari coin-op games have been The instruction booklet also con-
ported into the PC packet, and the tains a "Retro Recap" for each game,
emulation is uncanny- as in very, very in case you weren’t really there. When
well done. a track-ball and though they play here Tempest first came out in 1980, for ex-
Being someone who enjoys visiting well enough with the mouse as to be ample, John Lennon and Jimmy Du-
his roots, I couldn’t boot up Atari’s As- considered excellent ports, they aren’t rante died, Ronald Reagan became the
teroids fast enough. Wow! I’ve never close enough to the original style of 40th president and yours truly started
seen vector beam so authentically rep- gameplay to be considered uncanny; the 8th grade (entered kindergarten
resented. On top of that, there’s even a instead, merely close imitations. You when Pong came out!). Ok, I’m not
mode that overlays the original cabinet can go out and purchase yourself a really mentioned in the booklet, but the
graphics around the edge of the track-ball peripheral, but I don’t think brief history lesson stuff is a very cool
screen, complete with the little blinking these two games alone make it worth touch.
LED buttons for 1-player and 2-player the effort or the money. I might have a There’s also a link for world-wide
start. A further optional enhancement prejudice on that count as I always high scores on each game where I’m
adds some spacey scenery to the sucked at Missile Command… sure I’ll see fogies like myself, and
background. Nothing too obtrusive, just The remaining three games, Pong, maybe even a few old friends if I can
a little more pleasant than the flat black Super Breakout, and Tempest are each remember their 3-character names…
vectorbeam screen. And I almost cack- brilliantly translated and warmly wel-
led with excitement when the old, two- come in this pack; Pong most of all as
tone “Doump Doomp” sound effect the Granddaddy of video games in all My Score:
came pulsing out of my Desktop Thea- its B&W, two-ping-sound glory (you can 8/10
tre subwoofer. Thanks Creative Labs. "enhance" Pong to color, but that
Staying true to genuineness, the seems sacrilegious). Each of these Shaun Conlin, The GameGeek
10th high score for Asteroids will cut off games, however, were originally played Syndicated Newspaper Games Colum-
one character for the otherwise 3- with a paddle and nothing short of pur- nist at www.gamegeek.ca
character name, a flaw they kept from chasing such a peripheral makes these and Associate Editor at The Electric
the original coin-op version. Cheeky. ports wholly worthwhile. It’s like driving Playground www.elecplay.com
Since a keyboard can be easily set a car with a typewriter instead of a
up to emulate the simple 5-button ac- steering wheel. Let’s face it, left and This column first appeared on The
tion for the original arcade hit, this ver- right on a keyboard or joystick only Electric Playground
sion of Asteroids is darn-near perfect in vaguely emulates clockwise and www.elecplay.com
its representation. Unfortunately, the counter-clockwise motion. One’s hand-
original Asteroids was slightly flawed, eye coordination is hampered by that
or at least un-polished, with its sluggish additional thought process, which really
ship control and random element cour- starts to foul up genuine reflex when
tesy of the stupid hyperspace button. the heat cranks up and timing is cru-
The sequel, Asteroids Deluxe, is my all cial. It breaks up the flow-control and
time favorite and the original Asteroids leaves very little room for finesse- es- Genre:
doesn’t even rank in my book, except pecially when trying to throw some Action
maybe as foot note kudos to an original English into Pong or Breakout. These Platform:
game that exemplified pure, raw, unre- games are so pure otherwise that the Win95/98
lenting gameplay. one flaw really glares. Developer:
I can only hope that an Asteroids A final, notable flaw can been found Digital Eclipse
Deluxe port comes out in a future pack- in Super Breakout, which has only 3 Publisher:
age… levels. Lame! Hasbro
The other five games found in Ar- All said and done, however, I’ll still Interactive
cade Hits are just as faithfully trans- recommend Atari’s Arcade Hits 1 sim- Players: 2
lated, save for one nagging issue: Con- ply for its long-lost-friends appeal. I Price: $10 US
trol. mean, the old sound effects alone are ESRB Rating:
Missile Command and Centipede, worth the purchase price, which is Everyone
for example, were originally played with thankfully cheap.
Also, the CD-ROM contains desktop

Classic Gamer Magazine December 2000 41