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While many classic gaming compilations are rather stingy and only put out a handful of titles, Atari Anthology for the PS2 takes a different route, offering a more than 80 classic home and arcade games to choose from. The majority of these games are timeless classics that have withstood t he test of time. From simple yet addictive 2600 titles like Doge 'Em and Yars' Revenge to the more sophisticated arcade hits like Red Baron and Battlezone, there's something for every taste. The selection is broad and deep, and the games shine thanks to the excellent emulation that recreates the original games almost flawlessly. This outstanding pack is a great value that should please classic game fans.
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Even
though the gaming world has undergone several seismic events in the two decades
since their release, this collection of Atari's classic titles still maintains
its appeal after all these years. Featuring 18 classic arcade games and almost
70 classic 2600 titles, Atari Anthology for the PS2 is about as comprehensive an
overview of the classic games as one could expect. The games themselves offer a
nice variety of genre and style. As you'd expect, Atari's first video game and
the first commercially successful coin-op, Pong is included in all its glorious
simplicity. Other early classic titles such as Super Breakout show electronic
gaming in its earliest prime, with addictive gameplay more than compensating for
their now-primitive graphics. The compilation goes on to include some of the
biggest hits including Asteroids with it's beautifully streamlined play, ominous
bass soundtrack. It's sequel, Asteroids Deluxe offers more variety of enemies
and some new options such as hyperspace jumps, but the added complexity makes
for a more challenging game. Missile Command's cold-war era plot may seem a
little dated these days, but the frenetic later levels still offer plenty of
reflexive challenge of the type that seems sorely missing in today's cinematic
titles. Centipede and Millipede have likewise held up well, with the same
addictive mushroom blasting gameplay you remember. While shooting the mushrooms
and splitting up the centipede are still the main goals, mastering the art of
getting the spider before it crashes into you is what makes the gameplay remain
so vexing. Play Centipede first, since it lets you master the basics, and
further appreciate the additions in Millipede. The vector-based Battlezone
remains one of the most sophisticated games from the classic era. Its technical
excellence is apparent with its on-screen radar and tense atmosphere, making
this title feel strangely futuristic and far ahead of its time. The gameplay is
tightly wound anticipation, awaiting the moment other tanks materialize on the
field. With it's beautifully designed 3D approach, minimalist design and intense
action, Battlezone's sleek vector graphics still create one of gaming's best
military themed titles.
There
can be little argument that Battlezone is a timeless classic, many younger
players may not be aware of its spiritual companion Red Baron. Another 3D vector
based shooter, this title feels surprisingly similar, but has a unique approach.
The vector goodness continues with Space Duel, a sort of updated Asteroids with
color vectors, stylish geometric enemies and a unique dual-ship design that
gives the game a unique feel. Going back a little bit in time, the early vector
effort and more cerebral Lunar Lander might not make much of an impression these
days, but its challenging thrust and gravity gameplay is quite enjoyable, and
makes a nice precursor to both Major Havoc and Gravitar, which both had similar
physics themes in their underlying gameplay. Of these, Major Havoc is the more
accessible, sort of an odd mix of what would now be classified as platforming
with some shooting action. Gravitar is much more challenging than you probably
remember it, with multiple mini-games requiring a great deal of skill. It's not
the easiest game on the arcade portion of the disc, but it remains quite
challenging. Finally, Atari's classic Tempest is included, and is probably
responsible for more lost hours than any other game on this compilation.
Tempest's supercharged, electric gameplay remains some of the most intense and
addictive ever designed. It's simplicity is deceptive and the ever changing
playfields represent just one of the elements that make Tempest one of the
greatest shooting games ever devised. Atari's inclusion of the special Tempest
Tubes modification adds to this compliation's value. There are also a couple of
more obscure titles included such as the cult-favorite Black Widow, a kind of
vectorized Robotron and Liberator, a cool Missile Command variant that features
characters from the old DC Atari Force comics. The always charming Crystal
Castles also makes an appearance in Atari Anthology, with the game's advanced 3D
playfields, crisp visuals, great animation and disarming music giving it lasting
appeal. Overall, the arcade portion of AA is superb, offering almost completely
accurate and faithful emulations that definitely brings these classic games back
to life. The excellent selection gives players an excellent overview of Atari's
coin-op heritage with hits, classics and obscurities offered in abundance. There
are still a few more titles that haven't come out yet (Aladdin, anyone?) and
some of the earlier games (such as the original Sprint, some of the pong
variants and the classic trackball-based arcade Football) aren't included, but
the selection here is still satisfying.
While
the disc offers a decent selection of arcade games, it's absolutely jam packed
with Atari 2600 titles, making this the most comprehensive part of the pack.
Many of the early 2600 (or VCS) titles such as Combat, Air-Sea Battle, Canyon
Bomber and Outlaw seem really primitive, even by the standards of later 2600
releases. However, they're still loads of fun to play despite their limitations.
Two of these are the always fun Miniature Golf and the surprisingly addictive
racing title Dodge 'Em. Players can also rediscover the simple joys of games
like Sky Diver and Slot Machine, two favorites that remain as fun as they ever
were. Many 2600 have a kind of quaint charm that remains appealing today, making
them more than nostalgia pieces for a generation of gamers. Some of the earlier
titles such as Night Driver and Flag Capture still have a high degree of replay
value that lets them transcend their technical shortcomings. A good example of
ingenuity winning out over technology is Adventure, one of the earliest RPG
style games ever released, it was remarkable for its complexity, hidden secrets
and incredibly challenging gameplay. Another excellent "Adventure"
style game on the system is the under-rated Haunted House, with it's multiple
floors and complex puzzles making it a surprisingly challenging game. Later on,
Atari began to release some really solid arcade to home translations that
couldn't match the graphics of the original games but equaled them in gameplay.
Some of these, such as Warlords were probably more popular on the 2600 than they
were in the arcades, while others like Asteroids brought the gameplay experience
home in acceptable translations. Later on, the gap became a bit too large to
ignore, with later releases such as Battlezone and Crystal Castles offering
scant resemblance to their arcade releases. However, even these translations had
their moments, with Battlezone's cool scrambled screen showing a new level of
technical expertise on the system. Some of the 2600's original games, like the
immensely addictive Yars' Revenge have held up surprisingly well, and remain as
addictive and enjoyable now as when they came out more than 20 years ago.
During
its heyday, the 2600 offered something for everyone, including a variety of
video table games such as Video Chess, Video Checkers, Backgammon and several
gambling games such as Casino, Slot Machine and Blackjack. Other more
traditional gaming staples are represented on the console including the
memorable and addictive Video Pinball, Bowling, Atari Video Cube (based on the
infamous early 80's sensation Rubik's Cube), and the always popular 3D Tic-Tac-Toe.
There are also a few educational games on the compilation such as Fun with
Numbers and Demons to Diamonds and Math Grand Prix. Sports fans also have a nice
selection of titles here including early attempts like Football, Home Run,
Circus Atari, and Golf. Atari's Realsports line offered improved graphics with
Baseball, Football, Volleyball and Tennis offering surprisingly sophisticated
gameplay. Game collectors will also be happy to see some of the more obscure
titles in the 2600's library such as Radar Lock, Quadrun, Steeplechase, Stellar
Track, Submarine Commander included. Atari has also included some late releases
like Off The Wall, Sprintmaster, Desert Falcon and Double Dunk along with the
extremely rare SwordQuest: Waterworld on the disc. This is quite an enormous
selection of titles, covering a large swath of the 2600 library, but there are
some major omissions, largely due to licensing issues. This is why famous and
infamous 2600 releases like ET, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Pac Man, Ms. Pac Man,
Space Invaders and more haven't been included. It definitely leaves a large gap
in the library, but the games that have been included remain excellent. As far
as technical standards, the emulation of these 2600 games is excellent, with
many looking and sounding identical to their real counterparts. This has been a
problem with some recent comps, but not here. The games control well with the
PS2's standard dual shock controller, with the analog sticks making good
substitutes for the paddle controllers.
In
addition to standard ports of the games, players can unlock special enhanced or
different modes such as a trippy mode which blurs the graphics, double speed
modes, time attack modes and some where the games change randomly. Players can
also view historical information, such as fliers and catalogs in the game's
large archives, which cover almost every game. Finding and selecting the games
themselves is easy thanks to the sleek astrological interface, which allows you
to fly around and select the games from themed areas. Overall, Atari Anthology
is a solid release that should please classic fans with a wide selection of
titles that covers most of the major games on the platform. The emulation on
both the arcade and 2600 portions is excellent, and remains faithful to the
arcade originals. An almost identical compilation was released for the PC about
a year ago, and we're happy to report that Atari Anthology is just as good in
terms of emulation quality and selection. This is an excellent addition to any
PS2 library, and an essential purchase for classic gamers everywhere.