Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration - Nintendo Switch

Awesome game, great selection of Atari titles from across the generations. Lots of fun bonus historical materials and footage as well! It's like a virtual Atari museum!

I am absolutely ecstatic about this game. I remember when Atari came out. How games have changed since then. This is a must have for Nintendo Switch (or any other console). I can’t put it down. So addicting but hours of fun!

Funny watching the kids try to figure out old games

First, the positives. I LOVE the "interactive documentary" concept. There are tons of interviews with people who worked on a lot of these games, especially for arcade and 2600 games, which is really interesting. There are also a lot of photos, old advertisements, art, and things like that. Placing the games in a timeline with all of these interviews and historical materials was a brilliant choice, but for those who only care about the games, there's an option to access them from a standard menu like most compilations. Speaking of the games, there are over one hundred, including a few reimagined/updated ones. There are arcade games, as well as games for the 2600, 5200, 7800, 400/800 computers, Lynx, and Jaguar. Even for those who don't really like Atari games that much, such as myself, it's really interesting to be able to play these games and understand them in a historical context. That being said, this does have its drawbacks. None of the included games have aged very well, and a supermajority of them just flat-out aren't fun. For the games that are somewhat fun, I can't really see most people getting more than five or ten minutes of enjoyment out of them. A lot of the games are also the same ones that have been released on multiple platforms ad nauseum for decades. Because of this, I just don't see very much replay value in this title. The $40 price tag does not help (although I got it for $30, and covered most of that with a gift card). In addition, a lot of games that are important from a historical perspective are not included, although most of those are owned by other companies, so it isn't too surprising. Also, they don't really touch on what's happened with Atari from the late '90s to the present day--which kind of makes sense, considering Atari is the publisher of this title, and it's frankly been a bit of a mess (although they seem to be getting it together a bit in 2023)--but considering that's half of the brand's life, it's like a big, gaping hole is there. Overall, this is a really interesting title, and is much more than a simple compilation. People who enjoy Atari games will love this, even at full price. People who enjoy documentaries and video game history, such as myself, will also really like this, provided they aren't paying $40 for it. Digital Eclipse--which was purchased by Atari a few days ago--has made another "interactive documentary" game I'd like to try (which is also less expensive), and apparently will be making more in the future, so I'm really interested in seeing what happens with this "genre" in the future.

A must have fir Atari fans. 50 years already? How time flies! Relive those early days when video games we new and all the rage. Play the games from the console that changed leisure time forever. The graphics are really good and the selection of games is fairly extensive, unfortunately a number of developers were not included such as Activision, so some of the favorite titles are not included. However the games that are included are some of the arcade, console and computer favorites. We’ll worth the price. If you are an “Atarian” you won’t be disappointed!

This collection is a fascinating look back at a history and games that I never experienced. Being born in the mid-80s, I didn't have a ton of experience with Atari growing up. We had an old 2600 that my Dad found at a thrift store that we messed around with a bit, but really we were Nintendo kids. That continued into the 90s, so I never had a 5600, 7200, Lynx, or an Atari computer. Being able to "walk" through the history of Atari and their games in this collection is really something special. The video interviews, period artwork, and write-ups paint a very vivid picture of the history, culture and inspiration behind these games. While not every game will keep your attention for very long, it's fascinating to experience each as you can see how development techniques, technology, and design progress throughout the decades. As a games collection, the value for the price is really great, and it keeps getting better as the developers have been adding more games to enjoy.

A fantastic collection for any fan of video game history. It almost acts more as a museum than it does a straight collection, and it definitely helps it. Most of Atari's catalog definitely feel kinda weird without the context they need, and this collection does that. All arcade games are done amazingly, the 2600 games feel more special here with the behind the scenes stories we get, and the fact that game from consoles like the Lynx and Jaguar are even here are great, plus the fact they made new titles for this collection is more than commendable. Can easily recommend this no matter what.

Do NOT buy this unless you have genuine nostalgia for these games! I don't understand why this is getting such high ratings (the over 90 scores), the games are *awful* unless you really, really like blocky graphics with primitive gameplay, or you have real special memories about a game and want to be transported back in time. Even then, you are probably already emulating the game...so why buy this? I bought this because I have real, real nostalgia for Tempest 2000 and Cybermorph, and I wanted to be able to play them on my Switch.. I also have a lot of nostalgia for many Atari Lynx games, but sadly, none of the Lynx games I really like are on here (I'm looking forward to the next Atari cash-grab when "Atari 51" is announced... /s). If you do have an old Atari game you'd like to play, I'd recommend making sure it is on the list, before you buy it. The games for the most part seem to run flawlessly, although as another reviewer noted, the music seems to cut out at a certain point in Tempest 2000. Hopefully, the dev's will put out a patch for that soon. In summary, if you have real nostalgia for any of the included games, it may be worth it to you. If you don't, I can't imagine anybody would want to play any of these old, blocky games.