Atari Anniversary Edition

"So close....and yet so far. Not what I hoped for, alas."

Even though this nice little collection of classic games is nicely packaged, comes with a great Atari sticker, started at just $15 and includes some great selections, I must give it a big thumbs down. Main reason? You really, really need a Paddle controller for most of the games on the disc - they're nearly unplayable without, even though the sounds, graphics and all the other goodies are perfectly intact in these highly accurate translations.

Don't get me wrong - there is some fun to be had here, no doubt. Asteroids, Asteroids Deluxe and Battlezone barely suffer in the translation at all - and those games rock. But I guess for me, I was drawn to the collection with the dream of playing Crystal Castles, Missile Command, Warlords, Centi- and Millipede just like in old days. And without a Paddle or Track-Ball controller, these games totally and completely bite it. And Pong and Super Break-out? Nearly worthless without a paddle.

So as the title says, so close and yet so far. I tried, oh did I try. For hours, trying to ''get used to'' using a directional pad to control your little thingie in Warlords. Got some enjoyment out of the game...but it's just not what it's supposed to be. Crystal Castles...is just a horrible mess, control wise, from start to end. I would have thought this of all of them wouldn't have any trouble, but oh does it ever, it's just a nightmare. Missile Command comparatively does fairly passably with judicious use of the Analog Stick...but it sure isn't a track ball, and once you get to the higher stages, you're hosed.

And sure, the disc might be worth it to you if you're an Asteroids/ BattleZone junkie...but you might want to rent it first. Even though we remember the old classics fondly, a lot of them (these two in particular) are proving to be surprisingly short-lived. I'd like to look at this as a positive comment on how videogames have evolved, rather than a negative about the old games we grew up on, but who knows. The long and short of it is that there's really not much more than a few minutes of quality entertainment to be had from Asteroids or Battlezone, and I think this will go for big time fans of the originals, to their dismay.

What to do? Possibly, try the PC version with a track-ball. That'd add some of the games to the thumbs up list, I would surely think. Sadly, Warlords and Breakout are just sooo Paddle-dependent that you're probably going to have to get an arcade or old Atari 2600 version to play something that's worth the time.

Nice try, no dice. (Dreamcast Paddle/ TrackBall controller, anyone???)

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 03/30/02, Updated 03/30/02