A nostalgic letdown.
“Retro Atari Classics” contains ten of Atari’s best known games from days not many of the students on campus can remember. While games like Breakout, Asteroids, Missile Command, and Centipede still survive the test of time, the other games like Tempest and Sprint range from mediocre to just plain awful in the gaming scheme nowadays.
The biggest issue with “Retro Atari Classics” is the addition of touch screen capabilities that the Nintendo DS uses to play games. Simple games like Pong play very well when using the DS’ stylus. However playing a game that requires pinpoint accuracy, like Lunar Landing, is quite the frustrating experience. Thanks to the wonky controls, the touch screen is near useless when trying to enjoy these retro games.
Another huge gripe is the whole “remixed” version of the classic games. Hiring some graffiti taggers to redo some of the graphics and leaving the gameplay completely untouched is not remixing a game. That’s simply called a visual overhaul, and that’s exactly what these “remixed” games consist of.
Take the “remixed” version of Pong for example. Instead of the usual white line and white square that jumps back and forth between paddles, they “remixed” it using a yellow line and a more circular ball. Amazing isn’t it?
Besides the four or five really fun games included, there really isn’t much left to have fun with. A wireless multiplayer is included, but only three out of the ten games utilizes it. There aren’t even any extra games or secrets to unlock when gamers are burnt out with the original ten games.
The only reason to ever pick up and play this game is for the pure nostalgia that comes with playing some of the very games that made and matured the video game industry into what it is today. If it were not for these games, who knows what a lot of college students today would be doing instead of capping their friends in Halo 2 or burning rubber in Gran Turismo 4.
So unless given “Retro Atari Classics” as a gift or found abandoned on the side of the street, steer clear of spending hard-earned cash for this game.