Atari 2600

"The system that brought us home gaming is in my mind the best of them all."

Some of you are bound to think I'm crazy, and that's your right. These would probably be people who are young enough not to have grown up playing the Atari 2600, or they would be people who just fell out of love with this marvelous machine. There are also bound to be those who will wonder how I can even put a rating to such a great system. At age twenty-four I can definitely say I'm old enough to have grown up with the Atari, and indeed some of my earliest and fondest childhood memories come from playing the Atari. Well, about six or seven years ago I was overcome by a wave of homesickness for the good old days and decided I wanted an Atari. My first strategy was to look in the newspaper to see if someone wouldn't have an Atari they were willing to give up, then possibly go looking at thrift shops to see if I could find one. However, I was spared the need to do either of these things by my sister's then boyfriend, who had gotten a working Atari from some friend of his. Having no real need for it he sold it to me along with the complete library of games and controllers for four dollars. Only problem was that some of the games he had required paddles, which at the time I didn't have. But I'm digressing.
Design 10-10. The Atari's design looms large in my mind as one of the coolest ever. I have one of the woodgrained ones with the..well...woodgrained surface. I used to love to touch it as a kid and even today I'll go up to where this holy machine sits and just run my hand along its top.
Controllers 10-10. The Atari joystick is probably one of the most recognizeable if not the most recognizeable video game icon. There are actually several different types of joystick, as well as a keyboard, a driving controller and a flight controller (this last I've never seen). But one of my favorite controllers (once I got the hang of using it), is the paddle. These come as a connected pair, two per connector. For about six years now I've been searching for someplace to buy a set and, a few months ago I finally found a web site that sells them. Admittedly they're a bit expensive, but when you take into account the fact that these people completely rebuild the controllers and test them before making them available, the somewhat high prices can be overlooked. Besides, they're not exactly in abundance anymore.
Cartridges 10-10. Atari cartridges, like the controllers, are another very recognizeable gaming icon. The instant my hand found one lying on my sister's kitchen table a few years ago my mind flooded with memories of the many times I held these relics in my hands (yes, I'm probably obsessed). To relieve the monotony of the fact that all Atari games are pretty much the same as far as programming, different companies gave their cartridges slightly different shapes. I used to love this as a child and still enjoy it today.
Game library 10-10. The Atari's game library, though made up in part of Arcade ports, is still one of the most extensive I've ever encountered. I can't say I've ever encountered anything quite as impressive with today's gaming consoles. The only problem was that E.T. was probably a very bad move.
Sound 10-10. Even after I had gone for quite a number of years without being exposed to the Atari and its classic games, I still instantly recognized the sounds of my favorite games and, in some cases would dream about them at night. Asteroids, Adventure, Combat, I could go on and on for hours naming off the games whose sound stuck with me. It may not be the best in terms of quality, but it's definitely the best in terms of memorability.
Overall 10-10. I was most overjoyed to get my hands on the Atari that I now own and that still continues to offer me hours of entertainment. Granted I don't play it as often as I do my other consoles, but there are times where even the Game Cube can't quite compare to a little mindless Atari fun. So if you find a working Atari somewhere at a reasonable price, do yourself a favor and buy it, particularly if you grew up with it the way I did.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/18/03, Updated 11/09/04