2023/2/23: Nintendo Switch: Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration

[VideoGameCritic]

Scotland - my initial reaction to your post about Flashback was "whoops I must have screwed up". However, looking back at the review I think I can explain the discrepancy.

First, in Flashback all the games were pretty much just thrown out there in a slapdash manner. Atari 50 provides the context needed, especially for those not familiar with the games.

Also, I'm pretty sure Atari 50 offers some adjustment options with regards to the paddle games.

Finally, Flashback did a awkward job of trying to shoehorn in keypad games like Realsports Baseball (Atari 5200), which kind of did the games a disservice.

I feel like Atari 50 only included the games that could be satisfactorily experienced with a modern controller.

That said, considering the massive content maybe I should give that Flashback a C.

What do you guys think?

[SpiceWare]

Thanks so much for the info on Mike Mika's post. Analog paddle controllers were just wonderful in the day, and its hard to replicate with today's touchy thumb sticks.

You're welcome!

I didn't see anything about dead-zone in regards to the Xbox adapter, so maybe that's a Switch only issue.

I plan to pick up Atari 50 for my PS5, but haven't done so yet - been a little overwhelmed by all the games included with my Playstation Plus subscription. Since getting my PS5 last month I've played Ratchet & Clank (2016), Stray, and, just started in on Horizon Zero Dawn - all included with my subscription. Have also played Astro's Playground and am just about finished with Challenge Mode in Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart, just leveling up my weapons to 10 in the arena before the final battle.

[Atariboy]

Question: I see the Critic gave the 2018 Atari Flashback Classics compilation a C-, mostly due to, again, poor controls, while this one gets an A. It seems an odd disparity given both sets have the same control issue. If we entertain that 3D printers offer a partial solution for a game that got an A, is that C- too harsh?

Scotland - my initial reaction to your post about Flashback was "whoops I must have screwed up". However, looking back at the review I think I can explain the discrepancy.

Also, I'm pretty sure Atari 50 offers some adjustment options with regards to the paddle games.

Finally, Flashback did a awkward job of trying to shoehorn in keypad games like Realsports Baseball (Atari 5200), which kind of did the games a disservice.

I feel like Atari 50 only included the games that could be satisfactorily experienced with a modern controller.

While I agree that Code Mystics didn't implement the 5200 keypad as well as they could've, I'd argue that this latest collection is actually a step backwards in the controls department in a few ways.

For instance the overhead racing games that used a free-spinning wheel played well in the Flashback Classics collection. You simply pointed the analog stick towards the direction where you wanted to drive to and the emulator interpreted that input and translated it to the appropriate steering wheel position. A transformative move that I'm surprised took compilation developers so many years to dream up.

Yet in Atari 50 we're back to turning an invisible free-spinning arcade wheel left or right with the analog stick just like compilations from decades ago in Fire Truck (and maybe Indy 500, which I've yet to unlock), severely affecting the playability of those games.

[VideoGameCritic]

Thanks for clearing this up Atariboy. I do vaguely remember having trouble playing Night Driver when I first got Atari 50, which was around Christmas. Took me so long to finish the review I may have forgotten that!

[travistouchdown]

They did a good job with this one, I was pleasantly surprised. Nice review!

[ThePixelatedGenocide]

I had issues with the controls in some of these games too, but in my case it was the keypad set-up in Star Raiders and Club Drive...not sure what I was doing wrong, but it kept switching on me at random and I would be stuck in reverse. That was before updates though, and I was half asleep because I couldn't wait to check it out.

I should probably give them another go.

That said, man, Tempest 2k was a revelation. All that shooter zen, combined with the Jaguar's CRY color palette, it was like everything I thought early arcades could do. It got to me in a way the PS1 and Saturn versions never did. If this had been the Jaguar's pack-in at launch, and they had been more focused on quality over quantity overall? Maybe it would have been remembered as Atari's redemption.

Also, Club Drive is so bad that I kept playing way longer than I expected to, which has never happened before. The frame rate boost helped - I can't imagine how ripped off you'd feel if you paid full price on original hardware.

Just those two games alone would have justified the purchase.

And that timeline...lack of ST game representation aside....I have never been more excited to see what retro game collection a publisher does next, save for maybe the original Namco Museum series. Also, looking it up let me know that Digital Eclipse is giving away the newest game in their DEArcade series if you sign up for their newsletter. (Retro inspired original titles. This one is a gravity flipping cat rescue.)

[VideoGameCritic]

I did not sample every game so it's possible there may have been some bugs and control issues I just didn't catch.

[JohanOberg]

I bought this on PS4, and you can control Breakout and others with the touchpad, which isn't perfect but it's better than D-pad or analogue sticks.

[BlasteroidAli]

https://www.ign.com/wikis/atari-50-anniversary-celebration-collection/Unlockable_Games

This article explains how you can unlock classics like Basic Math. I am sure when the critic sees this post he will unlock it and then upgrade the review score to an A++

[BlasteroidAli]

Even more thrilling news for Atari fans. The mega collection that is Atari 50 is releasing yet more goodies free of charge!!! 12 games drop tomorrow. Of course the critic will have to go online to get them but I think the chance of getting some classics like Basket Ball might tempt him to add these new classics to his collection.


I am hoping for Kasumi Ninja. Karateka on the 7800, A sequel to Jinx .. which I am calling Janx. Bentley Bear 7800. Iron Soldier and maybe Battlemorph. Where as it will probably be, 3 d tic tac toe, return to haunted house a proto for black widow where they were gonna make it a polygon shooter or may Asteroids online.
https://www.destructoid.com/atari-50-the-anniversary-celebration-is-getting-more-games-crammed-into-it/