Atari has partnered with Plaion to recreate its classic entry in the console landscape. The Atari 2600+ will play games from both the 2600 and 7800 consoles.

The Atari 2600+ is based on the classic wood-grained, four-switch model of the console, which has become the most recognizable look for it. It comes with a reproduction CX40 controller and supports USB power and HDMI. Also, the Atari logo lights up when it’s on. It comes packed in with a 10-in-1 cartridge that has a selection of classic games.

https://youtu.be/SgAcNwG5vCo

The store page also says that it has “been lovingly recreated to the same specifications as the original,” which is kind of vague. I mostly want to know whether the hardware is similar to the original, if it uses FPGA, or if it’s software emulation. It sounds like the latter since it touts a Rockchip 3128 SOC microprocessor. Most games are compatible, as seen in this list. The Atari 2600+’s HDMI is certainly tantalizing since the hardware had previously only supported RF-out. I had actually modified my personal Atari 2600 to support composite out. Modern TVs, even late-era CRTs, tend to hate RF signals.

I wish more companies would do this. Being a retro gamer progressively requires more soldering skills to maintain and modify consoles to work on modern setups. Would I buy an official NES from Nintendo that supports HDMI? Absolutely yes. On the other hand, would I buy a reproduction Atari Jaguar? Yeah, actually, I totally would. The fact that Atari has even gotten into producing new titles for their old consoles is just more tempting.

The Atari 2600+ is available for preorder now for $129.99 USD. The console is expected to ship November 2023.

The post Atari 2600+ is an official recreation of the classic console appeared first on Destructoid.

Quantum probably isn’t the first game that comes to mind when you think of the golden years of the arcade. The 1982 vector cabinet, designed by Betty Ryan, has maybe a less exciting concept than Asteroids or Centipede. In fact, the first time I played it was part of the Atari 50 collection.

Atari and Sneakybox’s Recharged line of titles aren’t leaving anything by the side of the road, however, as Quantum: Recharged is the newest release. Surprisingly, it’s low-key one of my favorites. I’ve never been a massive fan of score-chasing arcade titles, and that hasn’t changed with the Recharged games. I prefer games with a bit of progression to them, and there’s more of that in titles like Gravitar: Recharged. However, the simple and fast design of Quantum really sucked me in.

[caption id="attachment_397197" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Quantum: Recharged (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5 [Reviewed], Switch)
Developer: SneakyBox
Publisher: Atari
Released: August 17, 2023
MSRP: $9.99

I need to stress that Quantum: Recharged is a rather small game. There’s no ending screen, there isn’t a tonne of modes, and your only real long-term goal is to climb the leaderboards. It’s at its best in short bursts. Even better, if you already own some of the Recharged games, it can be fun to sort of visit each of them in a row, like you might at an actual arcade. Just don’t expect it to sponge up your entire afternoon unless it really, really clicks hard for you.

Quantum Recharged is a rather simple game. You control a small… thing. Your goal is to create “dead zones” on the playing field to eliminate other… things. You do this by drawing an enclosed loop. Also, don’t touch anything that didn’t come out of you, because you’ll die.

The original Quantum required you to enclose an enemy in your loop, but for Recharged, dead zones stay on screen for a short while, and anything that crosses into one is eliminated. This means that you don’t have to enclose an enemy. You can simply anticipate your foe’s movements and drop a trap.

Your life bar can be filled to withstand up to three hits. There are a variety of enemies that move and attack in different ways. The goal of the game is to survive while building up your score. And that’s all there really is to it.

https://youtu.be/Tm3zhWvCOWk

Retro-pop

There’s a mission mode, but it seems that Sneakybox couldn’t really think of much else in terms of objectives beyond “defeat all the enemies.” However, it’s the closest thing to the progression we really get (beyond achievements), and there’s a separate leaderboard for your accumulated mission score. Even if it isn’t really much of a new way to play Quantum: Recharged, it’s not without its value.

However, there was something about the core gameplay that I really enjoyed. As I said, I don’t typically get too into score-rush games, but the Recharged titles are a decent take on the formula. Between the rippling neon visuals and the synthetic soundtrack (composed by Megan McDuffee of River City Girls fame), there was a lot keeping me glued. I kept learning new strategies and techniques in each run that made me want to try again immediately.

[caption id="attachment_397198" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Climbing the leaderboards

The PR person for Atari figured it would take me 2 hours to get deep enough into Quantum: Recharged to form a review. However, I wound up playing quite a while after it. I ended up chasing the high score on the sparsely populated pre-release leaderboards. Right now, I’m kind of itching to check if anyone has topped my record in the hours since the release day.

Quantum: Recharged didn’t set my world on fire, nor do I think it was really expected to. It’s a revival of an old formula intended to sit alongside the rest of the Recharged series. If you’ve already been following the series, you probably already know you’ll enjoy it. Otherwise, you can skip over it and not really miss much, but it’s definitely worth trying out. You might find yourself getting sucked in, at least for a little while.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Quantum: Recharged appeared first on Destructoid.

Burning retrograde

Atari has announced that the latest of their property revivals will be coming from the makers of Cris Tales, Dreams Uncorporated. This time, it’s Lunar Lander: Beyond, which will take the classic gravity arcade game in some new directions.

Okay, so here’s something fun. Watch the reveal trailer for Lunar Lander: Beyond, and then try to guess the synopsis I got in the press release. Ready?

https://youtu.be/thOL8-qZ28Q

Looks cool, right? Okay, here’s the synopsis.

“As a newly appointed captain of the Pegasus Corporation, you must guide a vibrant crew of intrepid explorers, eclectic advisors, and state-of-the-art landers through a series of demanding missions. Brace yourself as you soar through the cosmos, delivering crucial cargo, extracting valuable resources, and conducting daring rescues across a celestial tapestry of enigmatic moons and captivating planets. When mysterious portals appear you will find you are on a collision course with sinister truths that lie unseen behind the universe.”

Totally different vibes. You can sort of see how they might both be talking about the same thing, but the trailer is like, “Everything is fucked. How will you survive?” Meanwhile, the brief synopsis basically says, “You’re a delivery boy in the unknowable expanse of space.”

Lunar Legacy

To be serious, though, 1979’s Lunar Lander is a great arcade game. It’s a simple concept that managed to pack a tonne of depth, something rare for video games at the time. The concept has been explored in a tonne of different ways since then, not just under the Lunar Lander name but also through the games it inspired.

However, because the “fight against gravity” gameplay has never really fallen out of fashion, I have to wonder what Lunar Lander: Beyond will do to stand out. The trailer is stylish, but it doesn’t really tell us anything. I guess what I’m saying is that, personally, I’m not convinced, but I’m looking forward to seeing more.

Lunar Lander: Beyond will launch in the first half of 2024. It is coming to Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

The post Atari announces Lunar Lander: Beyond from Cris Tales developer appeared first on Destructoid.

Have you played Polymega today?

Atari has announced a new partnership with Playmaji Inc, the creators of the Polymega console platform. The strategy of this partnership is to create hardware and software integration between the Polymega and the Atari VCS. According to the press release, “the Atari VCS will add support for the Polymega App and the Polymega Remix add-on. This will effectively provide all of the functionality of a Polymega console to Atari VCS owners.”

As someone heavily invested in retro games, it surprises me that I haven’t heard of the Polymega. It’s a modular console that supports all manner of retro consoles. The base unit has disc support for the PS1, Sega Saturn, Sega CD, TurboGrafx-CD, and NEOGEO CD. However, there are modules that allow you to play cartridge games for N64, SNES, NES, Sega Genesis, and Turbografx-16. The system uses “top-tier emulation,” which is a pretty broad term. The 90% compatibility gives me pause, but on the plus side, you can side-load fanmade patches that can give you HD graphics or translations. It might not be for someone like me who owns most of these consoles, but for the retro gamer who just wants a consolidated and flexible platform, I can see the appeal.

On the other hand, just the base unit isn’t cheap.

https://youtu.be/Pucot56iRiw

Game preserves

Anyway, that’s sort of beside the point. This partnership must have been what Atari CEO Wade Rosen was hinting at when I recently spoke with him. Atari is pushing further into production of actual Atari 2600 cartridges, and the company wants to expand into the retro market. Rosen believes the retro market has the potential to grow further, and I’d love to see that happen.

“A new cartridge module will be developed that will add Atari 2600 and Atari 7800 compatibility to the Polymega console,” the press release goes on to say. “The addition of this cartridge module will make Atari’s 2600 and 7800 games more accessible to retro enthusiasts and expand the market for Atari’s line of collectible game cartridges.”

As part of the partnership, Atari has also “completed a minority investment into Playmaji.”

I love to see growth in the retro industry, and I’ve been watching Atari’s movements into game preservation closely. I’m not sure the Polymega would really benefit a hardware tinkerer like me, but it will be a boon for any intermediate looking to expand into the hobby. It will also create further incentives for companies to produce more legacy cartridges like iam8bit's recent Garbage Pail Kids: Mad Mike and the Quest for Stale Gum and First Press Games' Blazing Rangers.

The post Atari partners with Playmaji to create Polymega console modules appeared first on Destructoid.

Plug it in, change the world

Atari has announced two new titles getting refreshed as part of their ongoing efforts, Quantum: Recharged and Haunted House. Neither has a stated release window, but both will be dropping on all consoles, PC, and the Atari VCS.

Quantum: Recharged is the next in Atari’s Recharged line of game revivals. These have included Yars: Recharged and Gravitar: Recharged. This time, they’re focusing on Quantum, which is a bit of an obscure title, but it was included in the Atari 50 collection. It’s a 1982 arcade title that uses vector graphics. You would use a trackball to try and engulf dots and other shapes. The closest I can come to a comparison is Qix, but I feel like that isn’t all that sufficient.

Quantum: Recharged updates the arcade title to give it a little more meat on its bones. On top of the revised neon visuals, there will be challenge and arcade modes, and new power-ups to shake things up. There will also be co-op and a soundtrack by River City Girls’ Megan McDuffie, who has done the tracks for previous games in the Recharged series.

If you haven’t played any of the previous Recharged games, they’re pretty agreeable little updates to classic Atari arcade titles. They retain the arcade gameplay but layer on some new visuals and features to make them more playable today.

[caption id="attachment_388744" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Atari[/caption]

Hanging a new chandelier

Following that is Haunted House, which is a reimagining of Atari’s 1981 Haunted House. You may be thinking, “Didn’t we already get a remake of Haunted House?” Yeah, a couple of times, and we try not to speak of them.

This Haunted House is focusing more on stealth and roguelite elements. You’ll be able to unlock more playable characters as you progress, and it promises lots of Easter Egg nods to Atari’s golden era.

[caption id="attachment_388743" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Atari[/caption]

All this is part of Atari’s current strategy of paying homage to their heritage. The Recharged series has been well received, and Haunted House could use a win after 2010’s Haunted House, and 2014’s absolutely dismal Haunted House: Cryptic Graves. While I’d love to see more ambitious re-imaginings of some of these games, Atari is probably making a better move by building goodwill and connections through smaller projects. And the Recharged series is actually really good. Here’s hoping we get a Berzerk: Recharged sometime in the future.

Quantum: Recharged and Haunted House are coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and Atari VCS sometime soon.

The post Atari reveals upcoming revivals Quantum: Recharged and Haunted House appeared first on Destructoid.

Have you played Atari today?

Atari is a company that has almost always been mired in problems. Before the Atari VCS (2600) console even launched, founder Nolan Bushnell sold the business to Warner Communications, which fired him shortly thereafter. It’s traded hands throughout the years, eventually landing with Infogrames in 2000, who gradually rebranded to the Atari name before nearly becoming bankrupt in 2013. They restructured, sold off a number of assets, and managed to come out of bankruptcy.

Say what you will about the Atari Lynx and Jaguar platforms, but nothing is as bad as post-bankruptcy protection Atari. They oversaw such tragic releases as Haunted House: Cryptic Graves and Asteroids: Outpost. Atari’s business model also shifted heavily toward micro-monetized mobile games.

In 2021, when no one was looking, Wade Rosen took the helm of Atari as CEO. While there is much still to be seen as to whether he can gain back the goodwill of video game hobbyists, this is, perhaps, the first time in a long time that one can be optimistic about the direction of the company. Rosen was gracious enough to quench my curiosity by answering a few questions for Destructoid, and he’s joined by Larry Kuperman of Nightdive Studios, a recent acquisition by Atari.

[caption id="attachment_386595" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Atari[/caption]

The new face of Atari

“When I took on the role of CEO, one of my primary objectives was to establish a clear strategy for the business; one that would provide a solid base for our long-term success and one that would be true to our legacy,” Rosen explained. “Part of the transition we undertook involved exiting businesses that we did not think were core or made sense going forward. One of the areas we decided to exit was the casino business, and we have successfully unwound all of our casino-related partnerships.”

“Our business now has four focus areas: software, hardware, licensing, and web3. Atari is and will remain, a video game company, so our efforts across those four business areas are all to support that core gaming identity. We made a conscious decision to start making premium games again, and we have made continual progress towards that goal. We have published 12 new titles in the last 18 months, we have announced another four, and we have many more under development.”

Web3 is something of a nebulous concept of a future direction for the internet based around blockchain. It’s, um, not particularly well-loved by the video game community, to say the least. This is something that Rosen acknowledges.

“We can’t predict exactly how our web3 business will evolve,” Rosen explained, “but we have built a very smart team that has prioritized development in the areas of gaming, utility, and, most of all, community. We have strong partnerships in place with platforms such as The Sandbox, where we launched a massive, immersive brand experience. Most recently, the team launched a beta version of the Atari Club, which is designed as a community centered around all things Atari. The goal is to make the community accessible and inclusive to all of our fans. So after its initial rollout with our web3 audience, it will be expanded so that all of our fans can contribute, collect, and collaborate around our brand initiatives.”

“We know web3 remains controversial, especially within the gaming industry, but we think the underlying technology has long-term potential for companies that focus on the long-term benefits it can provide and do their best to sidestep short-term hype.”

[caption id="attachment_375703" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Atari[/caption]

Merchandising! Merchandising!

The announcement of Atari-themed hotels in 2020 raised some eyebrows. Since then, news has been quiet about that project. But while Atari may have backed out of the casino business, they're still moving forward with hotels.

“Our licensing business remains quite strong, and our goal is to enter only high-quality partnerships that can contribute to our brand awareness and satisfy our fans in a meaningful way. The Atari Hotel partnership you mentioned is one of those licensing deals, and we believe it has strong potential. By its nature, it has a very, very long timetable, and it will be many years before we see its impact.”

“We also have partnerships with LEGO, Cariuma, New Wave Toys, and several other high-quality brands, and we are exploring opportunities in media, including television and film. Like many large, successful pop-culture brands, we expect licensing to remain an integral part of our mix going forward.”

Licensing seems like something the Atari brand has never been far from. I think I owned an Atari t-shirt before ever even touching a 2600. However, their most recent moves seem more like they’re aimed at video game hobbyists rather than just brand nostalgia. The New Wave Toys partnership, for example, involves the creation of Replicade cabinets. These are playable miniaturized versions of classic arcade cabinets, and Missile Command has recently received the treatment.

[caption id="attachment_386593" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via MobyGames[/caption]

Back to the past

What fascinates me most about Atari’s recent movements, however, is their focus on game preservation. Last year, they purchased the game database, MobyGames. Meanwhile, their Atari 50 compilation has been acclaimed as one of the best classic game collections ever released.

“Preservation, and more specifically, innovation in retro gaming, is a priority for Atari,” Rosen said. “This is a topic I’m personally very passionate about. Video game history is a part of our DNA, and leveraging retro IP in interesting and futuristic ways is core to our business. There is so much amazing classic content, and giving fans a way to access not only the original content, but new content that iterates and expands upon the original, is what you can expect from us in the coming years.”

However, Atari isn’t unique in this approach. Game storefront GOG began as an effort to make old PC games available to modern platforms. I wonder about the profitability of this effort. MobyGames, specifically, has traded hands a few times over the years. Its previous owners, Simon Carless and Jeremiah Freyholtz were quite open with the community about the difficulties of managing the database and had to turn to Patreon to supplement income for development. So, I had to wonder what drove the choice for Atari to focus on preservation.

Rosen told me, “There is a huge community of retro game fans that seems to be growing every day. I believe it absolutely is a viable business and one that has significant growth potential. The beauty of retro is that it’s constantly being created and recreated. The PS3 is starting to be considered retro, and each year that passes, more modern games are being reclassified. In that sense, it is always growing, and the way people consume and access the content is ever-changing.”

[caption id="attachment_386580" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Atari[/caption]

The business of back catalog

Moreover, a number of companies are extremely leery about keeping their back catalogs available. Electronic Arts is one of the companies I point to as an example of one of the worst. They have games like The Sims or Black and White that are considered to be of historical importance, but despite having their own digital storefront, EA refuses to make these games available.

Usually, when larger publishers choose to release older games, they will often do so in a rather token way. Numerous old PC games are just bundled with DOSbox, and some Windows games aren’t updated to support modern hardware.

“I can’t speak to the decisions that other companies make as I don’t have any insight into their thought process. I can say that, for a while, re-releasing titles 'as-is' kind of worked,” Rosen explained. “It was a way for companies to make their back catalog widely available, and it scratched an itch for players. But studios like Nightdive have raised the bar, using their proprietary KEX engine to rebuild and improve the original games and add modern features, significantly improving the graphics, improving and expanding input control, and adding deep platform support, including social integration."

"Player expectations have changed, and what we are seeing is that companies that do have important game IP are turning to studios like Nightdive to bring them back to market in a way that players value. Based on the dedicated fanbase that Nightdive has built, that’s a significant advantage over more barebones releases.”

That’s actually a rather sober way to look at the approach. I may want every game to get the source port treatment, but that’s not always feasible. At the end of the day, as long as it runs well with minimal effort for setup on my part, that’s sufficient. Bonus points if it wasn’t originally released in English.

[caption id="attachment_386578" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Raising the bar

Nightdive wasn’t alone when it comes to raising the bar for modern re-releases, though. It's important to note that M2 and Digital Eclipse have been at it since the ‘90s, being responsible for many moves from arcade to console or handheld.

Wade Rosen goes on to say, “I think talented studios like M2 and Digital Eclipse are starting to get the recognition they deserve for their incredible work. Digital Eclipse, who we worked with to create Atari 50: the Anniversary Celebration, was recognized and praised by both players and industry professionals for their efforts.”

Nightdive is something special, however. Most of all, they seem to be better known among gamers themselves, whereas M2 and Digital Eclipse are more known to those more deeply intimate with the hobby.

Rosen explained, “Nightdive starts by working with retro titles that have an incredibly strong fan base and following. They’re games that resonate with players in a visceral way. Nightdive has also developed a style of remastering content that is unique and recognizable. For Nightdive, the goal is always to recapture the experience that people had when the game was new and "state of the art." The challenge is to create a game that is pleasing to new fans, while recapturing the original experience for older fans, and to remaster a game so that it ‘plays the way you remember it playing.’ That creates a unique experience where fans can look at a game and almost immediately know ‘that came from Nightdive.'”

Larry Kuperman, Director of Business Development at Nightdive added, “Nightdive has always drawn our talent from the modding and support communities. Samuel Villarreal, also known as ‘Kaiser’ in the Doom community, was a legend even before he joined Nightdive as our Lead Engine Developer. The same was true of a number of our other developers. That is one reason. And our founder at Nightdive, Stephen Kick, continues to maintain an active presence on social media, as I do to a lesser extent."

"We think it is important to have that direct connection with our fans.”

[caption id="attachment_386587" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Curation through source porting

Moreover, I appreciate Nightdive for introducing me to games I had previously missed. I had never heard of Strife until they released Strife: Veteran Edition, and I may have never played PowerSlave without PowerSlave: Exhumed. More than just a developer, I appreciate Nightdive for their curation.

I’m not alone, as Rosen put it more eloquently, “I personally came to Nightdive through their work on System Shock 2. Once I was done exploring the Von Braun it was a short jump to all of their other titles (Strife: Veteran Edition was also my first time playing Strife). If you like one of their games, you’re probably going to like the others. That kind of discoverability is part of the Nightdive magic: their releases have a broad, multigenerational appeal.”

Larry Kuperman responded, “I can’t tell you how often we hear similar stories. ‘I didn’t even know a certain game had ever existed until you brought it back.’ It really is inspiring to hear those things.”

“Interestingly enough, Strife: Veteran Edition was really important in the history of Nightdive. It was the first game that we were able to substantially improve, as opposed to our prior ‘just make it work on modern systems’ approach. Remember that this was very early in Nightdive’s growth. In order to improve on the original, we brought on James Haley, another member of the Doom community.”

I feel a bit of kinship here. I often say I got into writing about video games as a way of sharing my passion for the hobby. Though I haven't made any of the games I talk about, I love sharing them as though they’re a part of me. Kuperman’s explanation of it kind of makes it sound like what Nightdive tries to do. They’re sharing the games they’re passionate about by repackaging them.

https://youtu.be/VHIpL5Mz1JY

The retro boom

Another direction that Atari has been heading has been back into the realm of physical hardware. In 2021, they released the Atari VCS, which was an attempt at a modern console. The VCS started development in 2018 before Wade Rosen was CEO of the company. We didn’t really talk about this, but according to Axios, the platform has struggled to find its place. However, they’ve also recently started reproducing actual Atari 2600 cartridges as part of their Atari XP line-up.

I asked if there were plans to further develop such cartridges, specifically asking if there was any chance of new games being released in the format. Rosen told me, “Our Atari XP cartridge business started off small and experimental, and the reception has been quite positive. There is a demand for the simplicity and skill-gating of retro hardware and software. As a result, we’re exploring ways to bring more cartridges to market, and to make it easier to play those cartridges. Stay tuned.”

This was before they announced that they’d be releasing Mr. Run and Jump on a 2600 cartridge. However, the “easier to play those cartridges” comment is still curious. In the previously mentioned Axios interview, he also teased that they might be releasing new hardware. This sounds to me like we may be seeing a new console capable of playing 2600 games, which excites me greatly.

[caption id="attachment_386575" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Mobygames[/caption]

Going forward with retro

Atari has also been making moves toward acquiring the back catalogs of other publishers. Mostly, these have been titles that are adjacent to Atari, including ones that the company even previously owned.

I asked Rosen what games were even worth preserving. He told me, “All games are worth preserving. I think the differentiation comes in the degree of restoration. Will all games have the same level of details, or get as robust a restoration? Will all games be interpreted in new games? No. There isn’t enough time, development capacity, or probably interest to touch every game from the past 50 years and optimize them for modern hardware. But I think there should be legal ways to at least access all of the games from the past. Today we’re seeing companies focus on games and franchises that were popular, or somehow novel, because those have the most commercial potential. But as time goes on I believe there will be more opportunity to explore the deep cuts of the last 50 years, and I welcome that.”

I pushed a bit further, asking what games he’d like to see re-released. “I could answer this question all day, but I’ll limit myself to some of the games in our catalog. No doubt we will do something with Berzerk and Frenzy. Those games are just too seminal not to explore. Bubsy and Mr. Nutz are both franchises that have some creative depth and would be fun to work with. When the right concept comes along, we won’t hesitate to revisit Adventure. And the Yars universe, it has so many branches. We expanded that gameplay with Yars: Recharged, and going forward we’d like to advance that story and world. And then, of course, there’s Centipede, Asteroids, and Missile Command. That’s the best part about this job, there’s so much here to work with.”

“I think it would be a shame for Bubsy not to have some sort of collection to celebrate his colorful history (both the highs and the very lows).”

[caption id="attachment_386586" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Mobygames[/caption]

Hope to dream

If I can make a wish, it’s that Atari gets a hold of the back catalog of Midway and (the separate company) Atari Games. If I’m not mistaken, Warner Bros. currently have those rights, and outside of Mortal Kombat, have been doing nothing with them. Rampage, Ramparts, Smash TV; are all languishing in WB's assets. It’s disgusting.

I never really expected that there’d be a day when I’d start rooting for Atari. As I said in the opening, the company has been troubled for almost its entire existence, and some pretty heinous things have gone on under the name. However, it doesn’t sound like Wade Rosen is trying to ignore that. Rather than pretend that Atari has always been a monolithic and prestigious brand, he’s instead attempting to regain the goodwill of gamers.

Moreover, his goals seem to align with what’s important to me. I can understand why Nightdive decided to get on board. There’s absolutely a chance that none of this will pay off and Atari will again trade hands and go searching for money elsewhere, but I’m hoping that doesn’t happen.

That’s not to say that Atari under Wade Rosen is absolutely perfect. There’s still a lot to be proven and a lot of grievances I still have. However, anything is better than Asteroids: Outpost.

The post Atari CEO Wade Rosen talks preservation, Web3, and the future of retro appeared first on Destructoid.

Me and my big mouth

Atari has announced that they are publishing a version of their upcoming retro-pop indie game, Mr. Run and Jump, on an actual Atari 2600 cartridge. Pre-orders open July 31, and it’s expected to ship 3-4 months after that.

When I recently covered Mr. Run and Jump’s announcement, I mentioned that it originally started as a homebrew project before being expanded to a modern game. In that article, I opined that I’d rather play the original version. I’m getting my wish here, and I’m almost embarrassed about it. Obviously, Atari had this planned before I opened my big mouth, but I’m not used to having a demand actually met.

Mr. Run and Jump is largely how it sounds. It’s a speedy little platformer, and while that may sound routine, it wasn’t a genre that was widely covered on the hardware. There were games like Pitfall and Donkey Kong, but what we largely consider to be a “modern” platformer wasn’t popularized until after the 2600’s heyday.

To be clear, a separate version of Mr. Run and Jump is also coming to PC and consoles. That version is a more modernized take on the formula. The titles are obviously related, but not the same game.

[caption id="attachment_386523" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Atari[/caption]

Exciting times

The store page for Mr. Run and Jump states that this is “the first cartridge launch for a new Atari title since 1990!” That’s only technically true if you take it at its very literal meaning. However, it’s still an exciting development. Atari has been producing 2600 titles under its Atari XP range, and I’ve often wondered if they’d start creating new games for the system. There have been hints that they plan on producing new cartridge-capable hardware, but nothing solid yet. Homebrew developers have proven that there’s a market for nouveau-retro titles. If Atari manages to tap into this successfully, they will be the first legacy publisher to have done so.

The early 8-bit era of games is pretty far from my favorite. I need something more than just chasing a high score to keep me engaged. On the other hand, I love nouveau-retro productions. Seeing Atari taking tentative steps into this market is legitimately exciting to me, and I don’t think I’m going to be able to resist plopping money down on Mr. Run and Jump.

The Mr. Run and Jump cartridge is going to be open for pre-orders on July 31. The store page warns that once that pre-order window closes, you’re locked in, as the cartridges are being made on demand. If you miss it, the press release says “additional distribution will be announced at a later date.”

The cartridge will run for $59.99 USD and will come with a box and manual. Further, they state that the cartridges are “all new parts and materials, with beveled edges to prevent pin damage, strong gold-plated connectors, and identical power draw to the originals.”

The post Atari is publishing Mr. Run and Jump on a physical 2600 cartridge appeared first on Destructoid.

Dash and leap

Atari is showing off their upcoming platformer, Mr. Run and Jump, which is set to launch this year on PC and consoles.

Mr. Run and Jump allegedly started its life as a homebrew experiment for the Atari 2600 at Graphite Lab, a frequent partner of Atari’s. Afterwards, the publisher liked what they saw and commissioned a more modernized take on it. It appears to be a fast-paced, die-and-retry platformer with neon visuals. In other words, its name does a pretty good job of summing it up! There is definitely some running and jumping going on here. Perhaps even some hopping, but no bopping. Bopping looks fatal.

https://youtu.be/VHIpL5Mz1JY

I’ll be honest here, I’d be more interested in seeing the homebrew original in action. That’s not a sleight against Mr. Run and Jump, I guess I just think that a game made in the constraints of an old console is more fascinating than a 2D platformer made on modern hardware. I'm also not a huge fan of the die-and-retry genre, and that includes classic examples such as Celeste and Super Meat Boy. Just not my jam.

That said, I dig the style on display here. The neon visuals fit in with what Atari seems to have been going for recently, which is sort of a modernized re-interpretation of what could be pushed in the primordial days of consoles. It also looks to be in a similar vein as Graphite Labs' previous game, Kombinera. I never played it, but it was very well-received.

Mr. Run and Jump is looking to drop this year on PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Atari VCS (the modern one).

The post Atari to deliver retro-pop with Mr. Run and Jump this year appeared first on Destructoid.

Huh?

Does your gamer cave have a very specific aesthetic centered around the golden age of arcades? Then Atari has your exact needs in mind with a range of printed circuit boards based on three of their classic titles. These titles are Black Widow (1982), Gravitar (1982), and Major Havoc (1983).

So, if you’re like me and that sort of comes close to matching what you’re looking for, you may wonder what these offer. No, these aren’t actually games. You can’t hook them into an old cabinet to replace your decades-old antique. These are just unpopulated circuit boards. They’re supposedly very authentic but slightly more modern, but that’s it.

Weirdly, the product listing describes them as “non-functional” while also saying, “can be used to replace damaged original boards by using the original parts from these boards.” So, like, I guess if you want to painstakingly transplant all the chips and resistors from a real board, then this would work? Maybe. They apparently follow the exact schematics of the originals. I don't know why you'd do that. I'm just reaching for a function here.

[caption id="attachment_375703" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Atari[/caption]

Pricey silicon

They’re apparently supposed to be used as wall decoration, and one side is printed with the marquee and a brief history of the game itself. That’s kind of a neat thing to hang on the wall. I personally have a marquee from an old Centipede bootleg.

However, they’re asking for $245 USD. That isn’t unreasonable for this sort of thing, but it’s just such a specific niche. I’m trying to think of the target demographic for these, and I can only think of retired Boomers who have a few arcade cabinets tucked away next to the TV they use specifically to watch sports.

Personally, I’d probably just buy a broken PCB from a game that I like and commission an artist to paint on it for that money. Old PCBs aren’t hard to come by if you know where to look. Once these things broke, they’d go in a box for spare parts or just straight up land in the trash.

If this is your sort of thing – and I’m not judging here – they’re available starting today from Atari’s website.

The post Atari releases replica PCBs for Black Widow, Gravitar, and Major Havoc appeared first on Destructoid.

Continue?

A lot of people may remember Advance Wars series as a flash in the pan, popping out of nowhere on the Gameboy Advance and then dying out a few years later on the DS. But in Japan, the Wars series was one of Nintendo's longest running, prolific franchises, starting on the Famicom before spreading its military might to the Gameboy, Super Famicom, GameCube, and the Wii.

For folks who had been following the franchise for the 20 years up to its abrupt conclusion, hearing that Intelligent Systems had no "clear idea" on the future of the franchise felt like the end of an era. Likewise, for longtime fans, this month's Advance Wars: Re-Boot Camp remakes from WayForward has a lot more weight to it when you know how much strife this series has been through.

The thing is though, when Days of Ruin capped off the Advance Wars series (or ruined it, depending on who you ask), there wasn't a big announcement or moment of closure that came with it. When new games are shown for the first time, marketing makes a big deal of it it. When old games power down for the last time, they often just fade away, like a former best friend that you used to go shoe shopping with, but haven't seen for years. The longer you go without texting or calling them, the weird it feels to hit them up out of the blue, so you just don't.

But what if you did call that friend again, a decade or more after you last planned to, and actually took that trip to Skechers. Would the shoes still fit? Will your time apart prove to have made you more or less compatible pals? Here are a few games I'd love to see call again, just so we could find out.

Pitfall!

Before Mario reinvented the genre with his Super game from 1986, the biggest name in side-scrolling platformers was undoubtedly Pitfall Harry. In fact, many credit 1981's Pitfall! on the Atari 260 for being the first game to popularize the genre on home consoles, and its sequel can be seen as one of the progenitor of the kind of massive, interconnected map design that makes the Metroidvania genre what it is today. The Activision classic even got its own cartoon show.

Even after Mario stole Harry's thunder, Pitfall! hung in there for years, with later games on the SNES, Genesis, PS1, PS2, Gameboy Advance, Xbox, Wii, and as recently 2012, an autorunner for mobile. If Indiana Jones can make a comeback in 2023, there's no reason Harry couldn't do the same.

[caption id="attachment_373969" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image credit Lucky Kat and Sony Pictures[/caption]

Q*bert

Birdo may be the most well-known snorkel-nosed creature in gaming today, but for a time, that title undoubtedly belonged to 1982's Q*Bert. And it's not like he's a total unknown today, though that's got more to do with his appearances in films like Wreck-It Ralph and Pixels than any of his modern games. The latter movie even implies that Josh Gad had sex with him and, apparently, got him pregnant.

Thankfully, Q*Bert's actual games managed to procreate in a much more dignified fashion, seeing a new release every 5-10 years all the way up until (you guessed it) a mobile reboot in 2019. But it's been far too long since this foul-mouthed little weirdo hopped onto computers and consoles.

[caption id="attachment_373976" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image credit Koei Tecmo[/caption]

Rygar

Fun fact, in the original Japanese version of Rygar, the main character is only known as "The Legendary Warrior", while the last boss, a giant lion man, is named Ligar, which was mistranslated to Rygar in the localization process. If the series had managed to stick around, I'm sure that trivia would be as well knows as Super Mario 2's start as Doki Doki Panic, or how Pac-Man would have been called Puckman if Namco wasn't afraid that sassy vandals would turn that "P" into an "F".

But instead, Rygar has largely forgotten in recent years, despite a hugely successful arcade game in 1986, its multiple ports, a reimaging on the NES in 1987, a PS2 reboot in 2006, and enhance port of that reboot for Wii in 2009. If Kratos can become gaming's most critically acclaimed cranky dad, I see no reason why Rygar couldn't become a tired Greek action man of similar adoration in the near future.

California Games

Ninja Gaiden

The Ninja Gaiden series actually started in arcades before becoming one of the first action games on the NES to wow players with amazing cinema-style cutscenes. After a brief pause through the N64/PS1/Saturn era, it returned in a big way on the Xbox with a self-titled reboot, headed by Team Ninja, which scored a DS spin-off and a couple of direct sequels.

The reboot trilogy was recently rereleased for modern platforms in 2021, but there hasn't been an all-new game in the franchise since Ninja Gaiden Z: Yaiba, the ill-fated spin-off from 2014. If I had my druthers, the team behind Katana Zero would acquire the rights and bring Ryu back for another comeback attack, but that's probably just a pipe dream.

[caption id="attachment_373973" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image credit Hudson/NEC[/caption]

Bonk

In Japan, Bonk was called PC Genjin (Japanese translation: "PC-Caveman"), and he was the mascot for the PC Engine, the most popular home console in his home country throughout 1988. Beating both Nintendo and Sega at the same time was no small feat, and Bonk is one of the few cartoon mascots to pull it off. Sadly for him, the PC Engine failed to become an international hit when it launched worldwide in 1989 under the still-hard-to-type Turbografx-16 brand.

But still, Bonk managed to outlive the console he was born on, with sequels, spin-offs, and ports for Gameboy, NES, SNES, PS2, GameCube, and mobile. I'm one of the few who got to play his 2010 Wii title, Brink of Extinction, before it was canceled. Little did I know that was the last I'd see of the little guy until his original games were released on the Turbografx-16 Mini in 2020. I am 100% confident that in the right hands, people all over the world (but especially in Japan) would eat up a new Bonk game like it was a six-foot-tall hunk of meat.

[caption id="attachment_373974" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image credit Capcom[/caption]

Final Fight

There was a time when every major arcade in the nation was home to a Final Fight machine. While the Renegade and Double Dragon games were among the first belt-scrolling beat 'em ups ever made, 1989's Final Fight was the franchise that brought it to the next level. Its large, well-animated characters, multiple playable characters and special moves, and general level of depth stand up even today.

There were two SNES sequels that continued the original story, the Saturday Night Slam Masters spin-offs, a Japan-only fighting game for the Saturn, and a reboot for the PS2 in 2012. But the only Final Fight representation we've seen since is in classic rereleases, like 2010's Double Impact port, and in the rosters of newer Street Fighter titles. With Streets of Rage, River City, and even the Ninja Turtles making modern hits from their classic beat 'em up formula, there's no reason that Final Fight couldn't make a comeback with an all-new title.

[caption id="attachment_373975" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image credit Capcom[/caption]

Breath of Fire

If I'm being real, this whole list could have been filled with Capcom games. While Konami abandoned the Castlevania, Metal Gear, and Silent Hill franchises for a little while, as of 2023, they have announced and unannounced plans for all three of them. Capcom, on the other hand, let Bionic Commando, Strider, Darkstalkers, Viewtiful Joe, Mega Man X, and maybe most egregiously, the Breath of Fire series just burn out with no remorse.

We've at least seen cameos from all the games on that list in various Capcom releases over the years... except for Breath of Fire. For whatever reason, Capcom doesn't want anything to do with their one ubiquitous RPG series anymore. Breath of Fire VI was a Japan-only Windows/mobile title released in 2016. Before that, the last globally released game in the series was Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter for the PS2 in 2002. The series just celebrated its 30th anniversary, with copious fan art and other remembrances getting loads of praise across social media.

One can imagine that an Octopath Traveller-style Breath of Fire VII for consoles would be similarly well received.

[caption id="attachment_373977" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image credit Sony Computer Entertainment[/caption]

Ape Escape

Sony's abandonment of Ape Escape speaks to their larger rejection of all their sillier mascots. In the PS1 era, the PlayStation's top first-party tiles were games like Jumping Flash, PaRappa the Rapper, and Ape Escape, the rambunctious action platformer about using dual analog controls to catch apes with various gadgets. For my money, it's one of the best games of the generation, and holds up better than Super Mario 64 or Banjo Kazooie.

The series lived on with sequels on the PS2, spin-offs for the PSP, and PS3, and crossovers in the likes of Metal Gear Solid, Ratchet & Clank, and most recently, the PS5 exclusive Astro's Playroom. That latter title is the exact kind of B-Budget title that I think AAA developers should make more of, and taking Ape Escape back to consoles with a similarly themed title would be sure to be a worthy investment by Sony Entertainment Group.

[caption id="attachment_373978" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image credit Nintendo[/caption]

Rhythm Heaven

I was the first to break the news that the Rhythm Heaven series had "died", and while Nintendo later debunked that claim, the timeline speaks for itself. The last all-new Rhythm Heaven title, Rhythm Heaven Fever, was released in 2011, and the last official title in the franchise — the mostly greatest hits title Rhythm Heaven Megamix — was released on 3DS in 2015. Eight years without news isn't forever by industry standards, but it's a long time for this particular franchise, which used to see new games every two to four years.

There are multiple reasons why Rhythm Heaven may be gone for good, but there are just as many reasons why Nintendo should bring it back. The music producer who pitched the concept to Nintendo in the first place wants it to happen. Games inspired by Rhythm Heaven, like Melatonin, and the upcoming Rift of the Necrodancer, have been quick to find large and loyal audiences. Likewise, resale copies of past Rhythm Heaven games have recently soared in price. It's not uncommon to find copies of Fever going for $100-$150 on Amazon or eBay.

The series was huge in Japan but, despite Beyonce's endorsement, it never got big elsewhere. But in this age of memes and TikTok-length gameplay trailers spreading like wildfire, it could be that Rhythm Heaven's ascension to the top is yet to come.

The post 10 popular franchises that are due for a comeback appeared first on Destructoid.

Buying back the family estate

Atari has announced that they’ve acquired “100 PC and console titles from the 1980s and 1990s.” That’s not impressive, Atari. I own way more than that.

“This is a deep catalog that includes groundbreaking and award-winning titles from Accolade, Infogrames, and Microprose,” said Atari CEO Wade Rosen.

The full list of purchases hasn’t been disclosed, but the mentioned titles are, “Bubsy, Hardball, Demolition Racer series, as well as the 1942: Pacific Air War, F-117A, and F-14 air combat series.” This deal also results in Atari gaining the Accolade and GTI brands.

What? I suppose “re-acquired” might be more accurate here. For starters, the current iteration of Atari stems from Infogrames. In late 2000, Infogrames acquired Hasbro Interactive, who were then the holders of the Atari brand. They then proceeded to rebrand the company over to the Atari name until filing for bankruptcy protection in 2013. As part of their turnaround, they sold of a bunch of their assets to other companies. The lion’s share of what they’ve bought back appears to be what was acquired by Tommo, who had been trying to resurrect the Accolade brand.

This whole thing is a bit of a mess, but it seems to boil down to Atari trying to get its properties back, as well as any that are adjacent to the brand. They recently bought the rights to 12 games from Stern Interactive.

Preservatives

This all seems to indicate that Atari is driven toward the preservation of its back catalog and perhaps beyond. In 2021, Atari started the process of acquiring retro streaming service Antstream and the indispensable game database Mobygames, finalizing the deal in 2022. Most recently, they bought up Nightdive Studios, a prominent developer responsible for source-porting many classic titles, including PowerSlave and Doom 64.

While the company has investments in the Web3 space and has made many missteps over the past decade, its CEO, Wade Rosen, who stepped into power at the company in 2021, at least seems to have some commitment to moving the company away from mobile and free-to-play titles that marred its reputation in the past. I’m both skeptical and cynical, but recent activity from the company has me feeling… Ew, what is this? Optimism? Gross.

We’ll have to wait and see, but for now, we can at least expect to see ports of the games purchased in the deal; as Wade Rosen went on to say, “Many of these titles are a part of Atari history, and fans can look forward to seeing many of these games re-released in physical and digital formats, and in some cases, even ported to modern consoles.”

The post Atari re-acquires catalog of games from Accolade, Infogrames, and Microprose appeared first on Destructoid.

Diving for Atari gold

Atari has announced that it has entered into an agreement to purchase retro restoration developer Nightdive Studios. The chairman of Atari reportedly already owned a 13% minority stake in Nightdive, and the deal is for Atari to buy up 100% of the shares.

Nightdive Studios has long been a well-regarded developer of ports of older PC titles. Some of these endeavors have resulted in full source ports, as was the case in the move of Power Slave to their proprietary KEX Engine. Currently, Nightdive is working on a complete refurbishment of System Shock, which is slated for release May 30.

For Atari’s part, it has largely been pushing modernized versions of its legacy library with games like Yars: Recharged, which I haven’t played, but I can’t imagine it being much worse than 2011’s Yars Revenge reimagining. The company has been pretty shaky for years, though their reproduction of Atari games on authentic cartridges shows some respect for their properties, and the recent team-up with Digital Eclipse on the Atari 50 collection has yielded one of the best retro compilations in years. Maybe they’re turning a new leaf, and Nightdive will help steer them on a good path. Who knows?

I’m trying to be optimistic. I have a lot of respect for Nightdive and not much for Atari. It’s like seeing your sibling hook up with the guy who’s best known for pooping himself in gym class. I’m trying to be optimistic. Maybe Atari’s pooping days are behind them. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

I reached out to Larry Kuperman, Director of Business Development at Nightdive Studios. He commented, "A major factor in choosing to partner with Atari is that Nightdive will be able to continue our mission to bring back lost classics, but with greater resources available."

The post Atari enters agreement to purchase Nightdive Studios appeared first on Destructoid.

Have you built Atari today?

Following on from the creative success of its previous LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System kit, The LEGO Company has released pictures of its next blocktastic console throwback, the LEGO Atari 2600, which will launch on August 1 at the typically princely price of $239.99.

"The Atari 2600 was one of the most memorable gifts I got as a kid," writes LEGO designer Chris McVeigh in a press release. "This is why it’s been such an incredible experience to bring two icons together, Atari and Lego, in this awesome set. We hope that building this classic console takes you back to those halcyon days when a handful of pixels meant a world of adventure."

The LEGO Atari 2600 (Build number #10306) features a grand total of 2,532 bricks and consists of a replica of the 1977 home console, alongside its famous one-button joystick, a small stack of game cartridges (complete with stacking tower), and, as a neat touch, additional builds based on classic hits Asteroid, Centipede, and Adventure, the latter of which you might remember from the interminable third act of Steven Spielberg's disasterpiece, Ready Player One.

But that's not all, as flipping up the console body will reveal a cute little diorama of a 1980s video game fan enjoying some 2600 action in a retro-themed apartment. This is a really neatly nostalgic release from The LEGO Company, with the natural hard-edged design of the 2600 console, its cartridges, and even its graphics fitting suitably within LEGO's brick-based style. The finished console sits just under 13 inches wide, three inches tall, and nine inches deep.

Honestly, I'd take this over an Atari VCS any day.

The LEGO Atari 2600 set will be available to purchase on August 1.

The post LEGO Atari 2600 is the best Atari hardware released in decades appeared first on Destructoid.

Have you played Atari today?

Atari, (or at least the current iteration of Atari), has announced that it will be releasing an ambitious new compilation that hopes to capture the 50-year history of the legendary game developer. Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration will look back at Atari's five decades in gaming, dating all the way back to the birth of the industry itself.

We cannot think of a better way to celebrate our golden anniversary than to share the decades of fun, innovation, and talent with our fans worldwide through this truly remarkable collection," said Atari CEO Wade Rosen. "To say it’s an honor to bring this collection to life is an understatement. I speak for everyone at Atari when I say we are elated to share this new Atari experience with the world as our 50th-anniversary celebration."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQKwj_hi-Gc

The compilation contains over 90 titles pulled from the Atari catalog, including games released for the arcade market, the Atari 2600, the Atari Lynx, and even the ill-fated Atari Jaguar. More than just a game compilation, however, Atari 50 promises a fully interactive timeline, loaded with marketing materials, concept artwork, video interviews, archival footage, documentation, and other trivia tidbits pertaining to the company's legacy of hardware and software.

In addition, developer Digital Eclipse has crafted five new games for the collection: revamped editions of Atari classics Haunted House, Neo Breakout, Yars’ Revenge, Vctr Sctr, and the never-released Airworld. With Atari 50, it seems that the developer is looking to provide a truly playable museum of the studio, allowing older players to follow a chronological timeline of their youth, while teaching younger players not only about Atari, but also about the evolution of gaming as a whole.

While Atari's latter-day history is convoluted and, well, strange, there's no denying the company's impact on gaming history, particularly in its formative years. This new collection looks set to perfectly capture the highs and lows of one of the most recognizable gaming brands on the planet. I'm certainly more interested in this than I am in any hotel, even less so in your shitty blockchain projects.

Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration launches this winter on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.

The post Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration collates 90 titles from 2600, Jaguar, Lynx, and more appeared first on Destructoid.

Coming to PC, Nintendo Switch, and yes, Atari VCS

If you ask me, not enough creators are playing in the WarioWare-esque microgame space. We got a new game last year on Nintendo Switch, sure, but a big part of the fun is that initial discovery phase before you've got every zany "think fast!" task figured out. With that in mind, I may not be super into Atari, but the idea behind Atari Mania sounds great.

Atari Mania has 150+ microgames built on the brand's legacy, from Pong to Adventure to Yars' Revenge. The team says that we'll "never think of Bentley Bear the same way again."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QErw-mKwLg

In the game, you'll play as the Atari Vault caretaker, so there's a wider story element to bind the '70s- and '80s-inspired microgames together. There are "dead pixels" to stop.

As for the gameplay structure, it'll be a gauntlet of escalating microgames in a random order, culminating in boss battles. So you'll need to be quick and consistent to survive.

Beyond today's trailer, Atari Mania developer iLLOGIKA also confirmed collectibles like "vintage Atari art, posters, manuals, and fun facts," along with "fully playable versions of remastered Atari classics" that can be unlocked via challenges.

[caption id="attachment_330595" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{One of many microgames. Note the timer bar at the bottom.}[/caption]

For me, it's mostly going to come down to the individual microgames more than anything else — are they fun? Surprising? How deep are these cuts? That said, it's good to hear that there's more substance with collectibles, and the price seems reasonable enough.

Atari Mania will launch on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and Atari VCS this summer for $19.99.

The post Atari Mania is a retro-fueled microgame collection appeared first on Destructoid.

Circle back next week for Cities: Skylines

This week's free PC games are a modern take on arcade jams. The Epic Games Store is giving out Centipede: Recharged and Black Widow: Recharged through March 10, 2022.

From what I've seen (and admittedly experienced myself), these two Recharged versions have flown way under the radar — but they're worth a look if you're in the mood to tackle some tricky arcade challenges rather than just chasing down the usual high scores.

The vector-style art immediately stands out, though it's worth stressing that these games aren't exact recreations of Centipede and Black Widow with a fresh coat of paint. Expect gameplay changes, power-ups, and co-op, too. In the case of a lesser-known game like Black Widow — a twin-stick shooter that plays out on a spider web — you might not have as much of a frame of reference, for better or worse. It's best to go in with an open mind.

[caption id="attachment_282153" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{Centipede: Recharged}[/caption]

I like having access to the classics in their purest form as well as trying out updated versions with extras packed in. The prospect of "killing 40 enemies with bombs" in Centipede speaks to me, you know? It's tapping into that Geometry Wars mindset. When everything goes right, these sorts of goals can keep me hooked. When they're poorly implemented, these play-a-certain-way challenges can just end up being frustrating.

On top of arcade revivals, the Epic Store has another freebie on the side: the Epic Slayer Kit for Dauntless, a monster-slaying action-RPG. This is normally a $10 DLC purchase, and it comes with "three days of VIP club and a dash of currencies to accelerate your progress." In case that phrasing wasn't a dead giveaway, this is a free-to-play game. Boost away.

Next week, from March 10–17, we'll be able to claim Cities: Skylines for free. This city-builder has made the rounds many times over since 2015, but if it hasn't found its way into your PC game library, here's another chance. It's still getting expansions to this day!

The post Centipede: Recharged and Black Widow are free on the Epic Games Store appeared first on Destructoid.

There's a storm brewing...

One of the finest arcade shooters of all time, Atari's Tempest, will be getting another lease of life next month, when the hyper-kinetic Tempest 4000 comes blasting its way onto Nintendo Switch. Llamasoft's compelling sequel will be made available to download from the Nintendo eShop from March 22.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG0MInRPCoY

Tempest 4000 is the newest iteration of the legendary shmup series, first devised by Dave Theurer back in 1981. Much like Llamasoft's legendary 1994 release Tempest 2000, Tempest 4000 retains the series' iconic "into-the-screen" gameplay, while sprucing up the audio/visuals with a psychedelic palette of colors and a bass-boosting dance soundtrack. The trailer above — which asks you to "Feed Your Head to the Web" and "Eat Electric Death" — showcases the flashy new iteration in all of its day-glo glory.

For the uninitiated, Tempest sees the player control a somewhat creepy claw-like vessel around a series of strange geometric battlezones, tasked with blasters a variety of enemies as they snake their way up the infrastructure. From a design standpoint, Tempest was light years ahead of its time back in 1981, and has frantic, fast-based, precise gameplay that is as appealing today as it was over 40 years ago. If you're yet to check out Tempest 4000, maybe give this port a look when it arrives, March 22, on Nintendo Switch and the Atari VCS... Yes, that came out.

Tempest 4000 is available right now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC (via Steam).

The post The Claw Returns: Tempest 4000 hits Switch next month appeared first on Destructoid.

The game that lets families execute each other

I don’t have a great many video game-related stories to tell of my dad. He took the time to join in with the rest of the family back in the day, but he was (and basically still is) the primary breadwinner. So, I don’t have any stories of getting deep into co-op or trying to topple a game together, he just didn’t have as much time as my mother did to spend with my sister and me.

I still have some great memories with him, like when mom went out of town and we rented Super Dodge Ball back in the depths of my long-term storage. There was also the time that he was playing Super Pinball: Behind the Mask, and I caught a recording of his losing profanity on my Yak Bak. The swear drop stayed on that little device until time and a finite battery erased it.

But my favorite is his brief addiction to 1992's Rampart on the Super Nintendo. My parents had a TV in their room (which wasn’t common in the ‘90s), and he hooked the SNES up to it so he could play it at night. I’d find myself falling asleep to the sound of him furiously mashing buttons in the next room. He could never beat that Kraken. Well, all these years later, I beat the Kraken, so this one’s for you, dad.

Rampart was a 1991 Atari arcade game. In something that feels like a precursor to the tower defense genre, it was your goal to keep your castle walls maintained using blocks while also fending off invading ships. You kept going until your base was finally overrun, at which point it was time to feed the machine another quarter.

The multi-player was particularly interesting, however. Up to three players blast at each other’s castles, then try to repair before time runs out each turn. Whoever can’t put a complete wall up around the citadel loses. Only a few ports preserved the three-player mode, and the SNES version of Rampart was not one of them. It’s still pretty fun with two players, though.

Like many arcade games of the day, there were a lot of ports, and they’re definitely not all created equal. Konami, for example, did a version for Famicom that featured different time periods. The SNES version of Rampart, however, maybe the best one, even when removed from my obvious nostalgia for it. How? Mode-7. Everybody loves Mode-7, the SNES scaling technique that allowed it to create 3D-ish environments. We can’t be friends if you don’t.

It actually changes the main campaign completely. There’s still a “Normal” mode if you want to fight waves of dudes, but “Super” is where it’s at. It’s an extensive survival challenge that makes bizarre additions such as bosses and bonus rounds. Rather than just fighting waves of dudes, your goal is to wipe all the ships that circle your territory. You have to stay alive, expand your holds, and build up your armaments until you overcome the spawn rate and make the seas safe again.

Most essentially, you’re trying to make sure that none of the ships land, because that’s how you get ants. Don’t ask me, they might be battering rams, but they look like ants. These insects then swarm the nearest citadel, and if it isn’t walled up, will tear it down. They also get everywhere and make building hard, so prevention is the best extermination.

Unique to Super Rampart are bosses, which are unfortunately sparse, but an interesting way to switch things up and get creative with the game’s mechanics. They require you to employ different tactics than you would when just fighting against the ships. For example, the aforementioned Kraken hurls boulders at you, which then scatters rocks that you can’t build upon. There are four citadels, and you must constantly build new forts to keep yourself in the game.

There are also additions found in other ports of the game, like a 3x3 cannon and a propaganda balloon. These make more sense in multiplayer, where the super cannon spreads fire which can’t be built upon and the propaganda takes control of another player’s cannon.

They also increased the variety of blocks to build with, which is more of a curse than a blessing. Having giant pieces to quickly repair your walls with may sound brillo, but when you’re trying to patch small holes that have been plucked through, you’ll be cursing every time a massive block turns up. You’re better off just dropping them onto the map in a random spot until you get the one you need.

The Super mode in Rampart SNES has 15 levels, which feels like the magic number. There’s a password system to get you back to where you left off. The actual challenge of the stages have a rough incline of difficulty, but they sometimes get extremely hard out of nowhere, such as the case of the Kraken. It’s really not the most polished product, but I wouldn’t fault it for lack of content.

My mother and I spent a lot of time on the multi-player back in the day. We’d sometimes play somewhat peacefully and just build the biggest forts we could before inevitably betraying each other. There are a lot of techniques you can play with to finally topple your enemy. For example, cannons can only take a certain amount of damage before they turn into metal slags that cannot be removed or built over. Using these to create narrow chokepoints that necessitate a specific block type can frustrate another player.

Most versions of Rampart have this dark little aside after a winner is declared. Simply, one player executes the other. While this was commonly using a guillotine, in the SNES version, you make them walk the plank. I don’t know why, but my mother and I found this hilarious when I was a kid, but I think it also gradually traumatized me every time I actually considered the implications. The ‘90s sure were dark times.

Rampart is a fun game to begin with, and while the SNES port is hardly the most faithful, I feel it’s the version that best fits on consoles. Its campaign just presents a more consistent progression than the play-until-you-lose mentality of the arcade. More could have been done with it, but the developer could have also gotten away with a straight port, so the fact that they put in the extra effort is admirable.

It’s somewhat surprising that more wasn’t done with Rampart. While it was created by Atari Games and landed in Midway’s library before they went defunct and it went to Warner Bros. But they’ve really done nothing with Midway’s catalog in a long time, and that’s really unfortunate. Rampart isn’t the only game from them that could use a modern update. The SNES and Famicom versions are really the closest we’ve had to someone trying to build on the formula. You could argue that the tower defense genre has superseded it, but… You’d have a point.

For other retro titles you may have missed, click right here!

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I knew there must have been a reason to stay on Atari’s mailing list

The Atari 2600 (or VCS, as it was originally called, but since Atari released another VCS, we’ll call it the 2600) can’t claim to be my favorite console. Most of its games were incredibly inferior ports of arcade titles, but people were just amazed that they could bring the arcade experience to their TV. Never mind that it could barely manage Space Invaders, it was new at the time, and that was exciting. These days, however, I rarely start the old girl. Maybe for a game of Berzerk, Plaque Attack, or, I don’t know, Ocean City Defender, but those are all short-lived. I’m not exactly interested in pursuing the world’s high score for Atari 2600 Pengo.

Color me surprised that I’m actually interested in Atari’s new venture. Atari XP is an initiative to start producing new cartridges for the 2600. The first three games of their line are Yars’ Return, Saboteur, and Aquaventure, most of which are being released on cartridge for the first time.

Each Atari XP release comes in standard and limited editions. It sounds like the standard editions are simply a cartridge, whereas the limited editions come with “a newly manufactured, high-quality Atari 2600 cartridge made from special plastics, a premium poster, a printed instructional manual with bonus material, a collectible pin and collectible badge, a certificate of authenticity, and a digital copy of the game playable on the Atari VCS.” The limited editions are limited to 1,983 copies each, which is a cute nod to the year they would have been released in.

Before we get too excited about Atari XP, there are a few caveats. Firstly, the cartridges alone are being sold for $49.99. That might not seem that bad at first for a physical cartridge, but it’s not very impressive against the homebrew market. Also, it’s for the Atari 2600 hardware. My most generous estimate for how long I would personally play them is about an hour. The limited-edition sets are $149.99. That pin must be absolutely spectacular, especially since these games have been included on various versions of Atari Flashback consoles for yonks.

On the other hand, I see the appeal. These are as official as an Atari 2600 can get these days. It smacks of Atari trying to remain relevant by riding off past successes that the current ownership isn’t even responsible for. However, this is the sort of stuff I’d rather see from companies; some sort of consideration for authenticity. You can bet that I’d be the first in line if Nintendo decided to slap Zelda 3: The Dayjob of Link onto some NES-compatible plastic. I’m just having trouble swallowing that price tag. I can still get the Atari Flashback Classics collection for Switch and have all three games to play on a console that doesn’t connect to my TV through Coaxial or UHF.

So, in summary, I’m torn about Atari XP, but if you’re a purist and the Atari 2600 is your stomping grounds, this is pretty cool. If you're into it, the standard edition cartridges should get to you before Christmas. The limited editions are destined for the nebulous Q1 2022.

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The big bug is back

If you've been nostalgic for some Atari classics, one is coming back later this month with a new look. Centipede: Recharged reimagines the original with some futuristic graphics, and it arrives on Sept. 29 for consoles, PC, and the Atari VCS.

This version of Centipede has new visuals designed for 16:9 screens, rather than the older aspect ratios, and an original soundtrack from Megan McDuffee. On PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, the on-screen action will support 4K resolution at 120 frames per second, and on PC, there's support for up to 240Hz.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfrufZsi9ZE

Each level will be playable in local co-op with a friend, and if you're an Atari VCS owner, you get a few extras: some exclusive challenges and support for Atari's Wireless Classic Joystick.

It'd be easy to be a bit snarky here, but this looks pretty cool and I dig the refreshed visuals. Atari's previous revitalized classic, Missile Command: Recharged, seemed like it did enough to reignite some nostalgic arcade feelings, so maybe this is worth taking a look at if you're aching for another round of Centipede. Retro revivals have always run the gamut from excellent to not-quite-so-excellent, but Centipede: Recharged seems to have some cool ideas on how to refresh without overdoing it.

Centipede: Recharged is coming to Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC via Steam and Epic, and the Atari VCS on Sept. 29, 2021.

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The latest dice-roll decision for Atari

Atari, never a company to settle on one plan for too long, has decided to shake up its business strategies once again. The legendary video game developer has now announced its intention to reduce its presence in the mobile gaming and free-to-play market, to instead concentrate on premium PC and console gaming.

As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Atari's new direction was outlined in a statement by the company's newly appointed CEO, Wade J. Rosen: "Our intent with any gaming experience is to provide accessible and joyful moments of meaningful play," said Rosen. "That's the core of Atari and what binds our history with our future. To that end, we feel that premium gaming is better representative of this type of gaming experience and the Atari DNA."

Seemingly drawing a line under this intent, Atari is expected to either sell or shut down a variety of mobile gaming IPs from its portfolio, including titles such as Roller Coaster Tycoon Stories, Crystal Castles, Atari Combat: Tank Fury, and (checks notes), Ninja Golf. Atari hopes to have the first wave of titles from its new endeavor on the market by spring 2022.

This new direction is one of multiple business strategies laid out by Atari in recent years. The Atari brand has been licensed to an African casino project (which it is exiting), a chain of hotels (yet to be built), blockchain development and, most notably of all, the Atari VCS console, which finally launched this year after an extended period of development. Hopefully, Atari's new emphasis on console and PC gaming will help the studio finds a niche within gaming's ninth generation. It just requires a commitment to producing quality, desirable titles while remaining focused on the task at hand.

GamesIndustry.biz also notes that Atari is looking into TV show production... The more things change...

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Have you played Atari today?

It's finally happening. Four years on from its initial announcement, and two years late from its initial release date, the Atari VCS Console will finally be made available for retail this month. June 15 is the big day, and will see the open-source hardware available to purchase from retailers at a base price of $300 USD — complete with 100 40-year-old games from Atari's golden age. A $400 edition is also marketed, which includes a gamepad and a classic-style joystick.

It has been a long and turbulent road to release day. The originally titled "Ataribox" was announced in the summer of 2017, with a successful Indiegogo campaign raising an impressive three million dollars in crowdfunding. While these pointed to a positive outlook for the underdog hardware, backers quickly became flustered and concerned as the manufacturer became increasingly tight-lipped on the details.

Key facts about the newly renamed Atari VCS Console were not forthcoming, with backers left in the dark in regards to the unit's infrastructure and capabilities, as well as its repeatedly shifting release date. Crucially, not one single game was shown running on the console, which led to a pervading lack of confidence from members of the gaming community.

As the years rolled on, things got tougher on the development front when architect Rob Wyatt quit the project citing unpaid bills for both he and his consultancy firm's services. Additionally, one Feargal Mac – who claims responsibility for the original concept of a modern-era Atari console — filed suit against Atari, stating that the company reneged on an alleged deal to provide him a cut of the crowd-sourced funds. Then, not long after Atari began physically manufacturing the backer units, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, further hindering production and slowing down distribution. It's been a rough ride, is what I'm trying to say.

Still, it seems that the Atari VCS is now ready to go, despite continued confusion in the eyes of the public as to what the console/PC/open source platform is actually capable of. It's definitely been one of the strangest development stories in gaming's recent years. The console is finally ready to land into the hands of the public, so we'll see how it is received by video game fans and wannabee coders, at least those who can afford to splash the cash to check it out.

Now, about those hotels...

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Crowdfunded console woes continue

The still-unreleased Atari VCS console continues to hit new hurdles en route to realisation. Back in October, consultancy firm Tin Giant resigned from project development, citing six months' worth of unpaid invoices. Now it seems that the company is taking matters further by filing suit against Atari.

Tin Giant head Rob Wyatt, former Atari VCS Project Architect, filed suit in a Colorado federal court last week, claiming breach of contract to the tune of $261,720. The suit also cites defamation, with Wyatt alleging Atari attributed the Atari VCS' ongoing delay to Tin Giant's inability to complete its work.

The Tin Giant lawsuit is the latest in a long line of problems that have hit the beleaguered Atari VCS project since its initial announcement in summer 2017. Having raised $3 million on crowdfunding site Indiegogo, the then-titled "Ataribox" was initially expected to ship in June 2019. Images of the completed hardware were released by Atari in the wake of Wyatt's resignation but, to date, the public is yet to see a single game in action on the open-source console.

Atari has recently stated that the ongoing COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic will cause further delays, forcing the console to miss its most recent release date of March 2020. Atari notes that it will only ship out the VCS to Indiegogo backers once it has the parts and production capabilities to satisfy all backer orders simultaneously.

Xbox co-creator Rob Wyatt sues Atari [Venture Beat]

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E.T. phone the board of directors

I love podcasts. They're great pieces of (mostly) free entertainment I can put on at work to fill the silence of my office. One of my favorite podcasts is 99% Invisible, a podcast that burrows right into my little niche hole and delights me with informative oddities about design, architecture, and art.

Every so often there is a guest episode on the feed to bring something new to 99PI's massive listener base as well as send those listeners to a new podcast they might enjoy. This week, 99PI featured a Smithsonian-produced podcast that goes in-depth on some of the objects they have lying about in their vaults. The episode was titled "The Worst Video Game of All Time."

They speak of course about the infamous E.T. for Atari, a game so bad it is said to have brought about the end of its parent company and contributed to the economic crash of the video game industry in the second generation. As gaming enthusiasts, we all have heard of the story of E.T. and its pitfalls, but I personally had never taken the time to really dive into what contributed to its failure.

With news that Atari is possibly going to make hotels coming out this week, it's interesting to look back at the straw that broke their back nearly 40 years ago.

Ep. 15 | The Worst Video Game Ever? [Sidedoor Podcast]

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Have you stayed Atari today?

In a peculiar bit of news, Atari has revealed plans to enter the hospitality business, with the announcement of a number of branded "gaming hotels," to be built in eight U.S. cities.

Construction is expected to begin this year, and will see the "one-of-a-kind video game-themed destinations" pop up in Phoenix, AZ, followed by similar lodgings in Austin, TX, Chicago, IL, Denver, CO, Las Vegas, NV, San Francisco, CA, San Jose, CA, and Seattle, WA.

"We are thrilled to partner with GSD Group and True North Studio to build the first-ever Atari branded hotels across the United States. Together we’ll build a space that will be much more than just a place to stay," said Atari CEO Fred Chesnais in a statement. "Atari is an iconic global brand that resonates with people of all ages, countries, cultures and ethnic backgrounds and we cannot wait for our fans and their families to enjoy this new hotel concept."

Each hotel will feature game rooms, housing consoles as well as AR and VR setups, while Atari is hoping some of the bigger locations will be used as venues for tournaments and esports events. Alongside the gaming paraphernalia, the hotels will also include facilities such as meeting rooms, gyms, restaurants, bars and movie theatres, as well as a place to rest your weary head.

Because all of this sounds almost too sensible, Atari has released an artist's impression of a typical hotel, which literally has a ten-story neon Atari logo emblazoned on the side. You can find out more details on the Atari Hotel project over on the company's brand new website.

Meanwhile, Atari's much-beleaguered console, the Atari VCS, continues to grind its way to release, and is now tentatively expected to arrive in March. I wonder if they'll have one installed in every room.

Atari-branded hotels are coming to the U.S. [The Verge]

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Crowdfunded console nearing completion

The development process of the Atari VCS has been a long one, but bosses insist that the crowdfunded console/PC hybrid is on target to meet the most recently announced release date of March 2020. A new Q&A was published on Medium by Atari VCS CoO Michael Arzt, discussing the console's delays, communication problems, current state-of-play, and backer patience.

Arzt notes that Indiegogo backers - all of whom expected to receive their pre-release consoles in 2020 - will have to wait a little longer, but that they will get their consoles before the general public. "Our Indiegogo backers are extremely important to us, and the entire team and I would like to thank our backers once again for their loyalty and continued support," said Arzt. "Backers will definitely receive their Atari VCS systems before the general public. We will also try to come up with some kind of bonus to reward our backers for their patience."

On the subject of communication between the developer and the public, Arzt notes "We understand that all of our stakeholders would like to know where things stand every day and want immediate answers to their individual posts and messages. I respectfully ask them to please understand that, as a public company, we must follow specific protocols that are in place."

"In addition, because we also must always consider the needs and wishes of our various partners, we do not always have full control over the pace or timing of our communications. We aim to make periodic updates to our community with complete transparency. If there was one thing I’d want people to always know, it’s that 'no news is good news' where the Atari VCS is concerned!"

The VCS has faced several hurdles since its initial announcement back in the summer of 2017. After having raised an eventual $3 million during the VCS' Indiegogo campaign, backers have been frustrated by the drip-feed of details on the console's software, infrastructure, capabilities, and release date. This is not to mention the key issue that the VCS, expected to launch in four months, has yet to be demonstrated running a single game.

Development was further troubled by one Feargal Mac - reportedly responsible for the original concept of a modern-era Atari console - who filed suit against the development team, claiming that Atari reneged on a deal to offer him a cut from the crowdfunding revenue. The latest blow came back in October, when architect Rob Wyatt quit the project, citing that his consultancy firm "haven't [been] paid invoices going back over six months".

Seeing photographs of completed units might help assuage some of the fears of those who put money into the project. But with four months to go, no clear public vision as to what the VCS is/isn't, and no video of the completed console/PC/open source box in operation, the Atari VCS still has a battle ahead in winning the hearts of the public, let alone those who're waiting on a return from their investment.

The Atari VCS launches in March 2020.

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More old school action coming your way

Natsume Atari has announced that their subsidiary Tengo Project has a third remake in the works, following on from Wild Guns: Reloaded and the recently released The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors.

There are currently no details whatsoever on what the next game would be, leaving only speculation and guesswork on our part. Given that the two previous remakes were of Natsume's own SNES releases, it's worth noting that the company also developed/produced Zennihon Pro Wrestling, Spanky's Quest and the Pocky & Rocky titles for Nintendo's 16-bit console. That said, this latest remake could be something else entirely from the publisher's back catalogue. For now, we'll have to wait and see.

The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors and Wild Guns: Reloaded are both available now on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.

A third Natsume Atari Tengo remake is in the works [Siliconera]

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But Atari says crowd-funded console is on track

A report from technology website The Register has revealed that the retro-themed Atari VCS console is suffering further issues in its development, with its latest dilemma being the resignation of project architect Rob Wyatt on October 4.

Wyatt claims that Atari "haven't paid invoices going back over six months" to his design consultancy, Tin Giant, noting that it's amazing that his team have been able to keep operating. "I was hoping to see the project through to the end and that it wouldn't come to this, but I have little choice other than to pursue other opportunities."

The resignation of Wyatt is the latest in a line of problems that the VCS has faced since its initial "Ataribox" announcement back in the summer of 2017. After the initial reveal, things went a little quiet for a while, before a successful Indiegogo campaign raised an eventual $3 million USD from backers, with the console originally expected to arrive in June of 2019.

Not helping matters is the fact that Feargal Mac, who first put forth the idea of a new VCS console to Atari, eventually sued the developer, claiming that they reneged on a deal to provide him a cut from the crowd-funding revenue. This is not to speak of disgruntled backers who were still waiting on concrete details pertaining to the Atari VCS, its infrastructure, and its official release, which had gone overdue. As it stands today, the Atari VCS is expected to launch in March 2020.

In response to The Register's article, Atari offered the following statement to Gamasutra:

"It is Atari's policy not to comment on an isolated matter under dispute, only to say that the Atari VCS project has always been a team effort and its success has never been and will never be dependent on any single individual or partner. We remain confident in the Atari VCS as the entire team works diligently to bring forth its vision according to plan, and we will continue to communicate accordingly over the coming weeks and months, including hands-on presentations to key media and partners planned for later this fall."

The Atari VCS team also added a post on Medium just yesterday, allowing supporters to see some of the technology present in the console's current build, as well as the materials used in its physical design. This post emphasises the concept of the VCS being "your machine", ultimately giving the impression - at least in its current state - that the VCS is an operating-system-free PC in a console-shaped box.

Despite this, The Register ominously opines from its findings that the Atari VCS will miss its March 2020 launch date, if it ever launches at all.

Game Over: Atari VCS Architect quits project [The Register]

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Revealed on the show floor of E3

[Update: Pre-orders are now open for The Star Wars Home Arcade Game.]

Just days after revealing it was creating arcade cabinets for classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Marvel games, Arcade1Up is back with one more huge announcement from the E3 show floor. Later this year, it will be releasing a new arcade cabinet featuring classic Atari Star Wars games. Included in the collection are:

• Star Wars
• Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
• Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

The Atari Star Wars cabinet is the only at-home arcade unit to include the original software of these three titles and features the unique X-Wing pilot controller. The unit will launch this November and will cost under $500. And what are you getting for all that cash? The best vector graphics money could buy in the 1980s.

Makes Cyberpunk look like crap, don't it?

Like other Arcade1Up cabinets, it is built to a smaller scale than the cabinets that originated in arcades decades ago. The cabinets can be used as is, making them the perfect height for chairs or stools, or you can pair it with a riser that elevates the unit high enough to use comfortably while standing.

Check out the images below for pictures of the new Atari Star Wars cabinet taken from the E3 show floor.

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Red Dead Redemption 0.5

Indie, roguelike, and pixel-art. These three buzzwords have been increasingly prevalent in recent years. After the immense success of The Binding of Isaac, everyone and their mother started to jump on the roguelike bandwagon. Edmund McMillen wasn't the first, but his game popularized the genre, for better or worse.

That isn't to say other titles copying Isaac are bad, though. FTL, Spelunky, Risk of Rain, Rogue Legacy, these are all fine examples of how to use the roguelike template to create a truly gripping experience. The mechanics of each game are strong enough to entice players back for another go, even if the level designs can rarely be memorized. They all have distinct art styles, too, so it's hard to confuse any of the titles with one another.

It's just that the genre (or sub-genre, if you will) has seen a deluge of developers throwing ideas at the wall that rarely stick. Roguelike brawlers, first-person shooters, racing games. Hell, battle royale titles are basically a modified take on a roguelike. Is there still anything left to be mined from the concept of procedural generation and permadeath?

Colt Canyon may not be reinventing the wheel, but it provides a unique enough spin on the genre that I may just need to keep an eye out for it.

The most distinguishing feature of Colt Canyon is its art style. While pixel art is technically correct, the graphics are fairly reminiscent of an Atari title. Characters are incredibly blocky and weapons are made up on individual pixels with a vague resemblance to anything real. The world is rendered in a sepia tone to capture the atmosphere of the wild west, but the limited color palette calls to mind the limitations of Atari's console. It could pass as a game from the 1980s, save for the blood that paints the floor when you shoot someone.

You play as a wandering cowboy that is looking to rescue his captured girlfriend. You'll travel across a randomly generated desert that is populated with bandits all around. These bandits may have ammunition, extra weapons, or some captured citizens. You'll need to stock up on ammo to have a chance at surviving, though you thankfully aren't tasked with keeping a hunger meter from depleting.

To combat these bandits, you'll move around in classic, twin-stick shooter style. The left stick moves your character, the right stick aims his gun. You'll start off with one of a few firearm choices (based on the class you pick) and you'll come across a variety of weapons as you kill enemies. I was particularly fond of the long barrel revolver, though a crossbow allowed me the chance to take out enemies without alerting their friends.

When you happen upon imprisoned citizens, you can free them and receive upgrades for your troubles. You'll be given choices as to what you'd like to improve, be it your max health, ammo capacity, or some random perk that could aid you (like bonus explosive range). You could opt to recruit the citizen and have them fight alongside you. This will necessitate handing over a weapon unless you plan on using citizens as human shields.

From there, the main goal is to keep proceeding toward the right-hand side of the screen. Levels are split up into segments of three, so you'll need to travel from 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3 before you hit level 2. If you feel like you've missed out on some cool guns or potential citizens, you can even go back and revisit past levels to stock up.

That's really it, too. There aren't a whole lot of layers going on with Colt Canyon. I can appreciate that, especially when most roguelikes try to complicate things with tons of randomized variables. It's nice to only have to keep track of a few things instead of worrying about a laundry list of stats and modifiers. I'm also fond of how combat is based a lot on player skill and reading environments, which sort of feeds into the Wild West setting of the game.

I had fun taking my knife and breaking boxes, scrounging for ammo, and raiding bandit camps. Your character's limited health makes gunfights feel tense, with camera positioning being key to staying alive. The minimalist sound design makes you feel like a man on a fool's errand, trekking across the harsh wilderness to save the one you love against impossible odds. Those moments when you find ammo can feel like immense victories thanks to how punishing mistakes can be.

But a lot of that is inherent to the roguelike genre. Colt Canyon is mainly a different flavor of roguelike for people that want that specific thing. I'm not exactly big into Westerns, but I am surprised there aren't more games going for this style after the success of Red Dead Redemption. Maybe this will be the perfect game for anyone wanting more of Rockstar's flavor of Americana.

Either way, it's got enough charm and uniqueness to linger in my mind. Maybe I'll tire of it after a few hours, but the game is also early into development. A lot could change from now until release (co-op was mentioned as a feature that will be present), so we'll just need to wait and see.

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