Page 42 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #8

Despite its promise of evolution, Atari
Classics Evolved can't help but feel a
bit stale. It contains the familiar lineup
of Atari arcade games -- Asteroids,
Missile Command, Centipede, etc. --
found in other compilations, with 11
games in total. Each game comes in its
original form along with an “evolved”
version that updates the graphics and
sound to about the level of a basic
online Flash game. In most cases, these
evolved versions are also easier to play
than the originals because the visuals
are better suited to the small screen.

None of the games is particularly well-
suited for portable play, though. The
analog stick is only passable as a
replacement for the trackball, spinner,
tank controls, and paddles of the
originals. Vertical-oriented games like
Centipede, Millipede and Super
Breakout are only playable by turning
the PSP upright, and there are no
options for scaling the display of any of
the games.

Ironically, the biggest selling point of
Atari Classics Evolved for many classic
gamers may be a bonus feature: the 50
unlockable Atari 2600 games contained
on the disc. However, in order to Asteroids
unlock these titles, you must achieve all Asteroids Deluxe
four “awards” in each of the 11 games.
Hiding away such a large amount of Battlezone
content in an all-or-nothing manner Centipede
may not be your cup of tea, so for those Lunar Lander
unable (or unwilling) to earn all of the Millipede
awards, you can download a save game Missile Command
that unlocks all of the Atari 2600
games. Regardless of how you unlock Pong
the games, though, having access to Super Breakout
favorites like Yars' Revenge, Adventure Tempest
and Haunted House greatly increase Warlords
the value of the collection as a whole.
50 Atari 2600 games

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