Atari Flashback Classics

Genre: Compilation / Arcade

Players: 1-4 Competitive (Local), 2 Competitive / Co-Op (Local / Online), Online Spectating, Online Leaderboards

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Review:

Atari Flashback is the name of a series of “microconsole”-style devices that first released in 2004, with the latest of these devices (as of this writing) released in 2022. Not directly related to these devices, but apparently deigning to use a similar naming scheme, Atari released three “Volumes” of Atari Flashback Compilations on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (two in 2016, and one in 2018) containing numerous classic Atari games. In 2018, the contents of these Compilations were (for the most part) collected together and released as one package on PlayStation Vita and Nintendo Switch, simply titled Atari Flashback Classics.

To be clear, this package contains 102 games originally released on the Atari 2600 console from 1977 to 1991 (eight years after the Atari crash!), 16 games originally released on the Atari 5200 console in 1982 and 1983, and 32 games originally released in arcades from 1972 to 1983, coming in at a total of 150 games. I should note that this is not a comprehensive collection of the games Atari released during this time period, but while it’s not a complete collection of Atari games, it is undeniably a sizable one.

And now… because I love you so much… I am going to review each and every game in this collection. All 150 games. And just typing those words, I am already starting to regret this. Here goes…

Here is what I thought of each of the games in this collection:

Arcade Games:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Score
Asteroids	Arcade / 2D Space Shooter	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	C+
tl;dr This is a solid Arcade classic that’s a bit repetitive by today’s standards, but still a fun time-waster.
Asteroids Deluxe	Arcade / 2D Space Shooter	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	C+
tl;dr This follow-up to Asteroids adds a few small improvements, but it’s mostly the same core experience, which is to say it’s good, albeit somewhat repetitive.
Avalanche	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	C-
tl;dr This is a simple Arcade game about catching falling rocks before they hit the ground. Unfortunately, the gamepad controls aren’t really sufficient for the sort of precision this gameplay requires, and the touchscreen ends up being too small for players to easily see all the rocks falling toward the end of a level and to ensure that they hit the platform players use to catch them.
Baseball	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	C
tl;dr This is an extremely primitive Baseball game, but it’s still enjoyable.
Basketball	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	C
tl;dr An extremely primitive take on a one-on-one Basketball game, but it’s still enjoyable in short bursts… which works out well enough, since a single game will be over in a minute or so.
Black Widow	2-Stick Shooter	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	B-
tl;dr This game has nothing to do with the Marvel Comics character. Rather, this is an early example of a 2-Stick Shooter, and a pretty good one. It’s not especially deep or novel by today’s standards, but its’ still perfectly playable.
Canyon Bomber	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	C
tl;dr A simple Arcade game with not much to ti. More fun played competitively against another player.
Centipede	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	B-
tl;dr This classic Arcade game with Shmup elements is still considered a classic for a reason – it’s still really enjoyable even to this day.
Crystal Castles	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	C+
tl;dr It’s awkward to control without the original game’s trackball (and honestly it was awkward to control even in the original, but it’s still an enjoyable Isometric take on the Maze Game.
Destroyer	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	C
tl;dr By today’s standards, this would make for a decent little minigame in some other bigger game. As-is, it’s an okay time-waster, but not much more than that.
Dominos	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C
tl;dr This is an extremely simple, no-frills take on competitive Snake/Tron Bikes. Perfectly competent, but not much more than that.
Fire Truck	Top-Down Racing	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	F
tl;dr Sometimes going by the name Smokey Joe, this Top-Down Racing Game is a pain to control, with the controls sometimes being unresponsive, and sometimes overturning. As a result, this game is nearly unplayable.
Football	Arcade	2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr This take on Football is both overly simple and paradoxically too confusing. Skip it.
Gravitar	Arcade / 2D Space Shooter	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	D+
tl;dr This game combines the basic mechanics of games like Asteroids and Space War with wonky gravity, and the result… doesn’t really work as it’s far too difficult to control your ship.
Liberator	Arcade / Shooting Gallery Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	C
tl;dr This game takes Missile Command’s game mechanics and reworks them into a different sort of Shooting Gallery game. It’s not as good as Missile Command, but it’s still enjoyable in short sessions.
Lunar Lander	Arcade / Simulation	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	C-
tl;dr A historical landmark of a game, but it’s far too difficult to change your momentum. More interesting as a piece of history than as a game.
Major Havoc	Arcade / Misc.	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	D
tl;dr This game is a mash-up of three different types of gameplay, including absolutely terrible Platformer gameplay, an Arcade Brick Breaker that’s little more than an afterthought, and a Shmup that’s okay, but the way your limited shots leave you vulnerable is frustrating. Overall, I would have much rather seen them perfect one style of gameplay than give us three incomplete or outright terrible ones.
Maze Invaders	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	B-
tl;dr A surprisingly good, albeit frenetic, take on the Maze Game genre.
Millipede	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	B-
tl;dr This follow-up to Centipede has exploding targets and a few other additions, but mostly this is a pretty similar game, meaning it’s pretty good!
Missile Command	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	B-
tl;dr This game about aiming and timing explosive defenses to fend off missiles raining down is a classic that still works well today, though it’s a bit repetitive.
Monte Carlo	Top-Down Racing	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	C-
tl;dr This is a decent Top-Down Racing game aside from the collision mechanics, which leave a lot to be desired.
Pong	Sports (Pong)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C
tl;dr While not technically the first videogame ever made (that honor likely goes to the awkwardly-named Cathode-Ray Tube Amusement Device), Pong is the game that springs to mind for most people when they think of the first videogame ever made. It still more or less works by today’s standards, but is pretty simple and not especially exciting by today’s standards.
Pool Shark	Arcade / Sports (Pool)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	D
tl;dr This absurd take on Pool has you moving the cue ball around trying to knock the other balls into pockets. The physics are bizarre, and the core concept is silly. Even if you’re not expecting anything resembling a realistic game of Pool, you’ll likely lose interest in this soon after starting it.
Red Baron	Combat Flight Sim	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	C+
tl;dr This Vector-Based Combat Flight Sim is far ahead of its time. The only issue is that the framerates are too slow, but even so, I think fans of the genre will get a kick out of this early entry in the genre.
Sky Diver	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	C
tl;dr A decent but simple game with a focus on competitive play.
Soccer	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	B-
tl;dr A very simple Soccer game, but a decent one, as long as you don’t mind the monochrome visuals (and dumb goalies).
Space Duel	Arcade / 2D Space Shooter	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	B
tl;dr This game combines elements of Asteroids and Space War, and the result is a solid game, particularly in multiplayer.
Sprint 2	Top-Down Racing	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	C-
tl;dr A decent early entry into this genre, though the unwieldy turning can make this overly difficult.
Super Breakout	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	D
tl;dr Just as with the other versions of the game, this version of the classic has poor hit detection. Plus, the paddle size is abysmally small.
Super Bug	Top-Down Racing	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	D+
tl;dr The camera being so close to the action combined with the somewhat unwieldy turning make this an overly difficult and unsatisfying Racing Game.
Tempest	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	C
tl;dr This game’s well-based Action-focused gameplay is iconic, but it’s a bit awkward to control and overly-difficult.
Warlords	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), Online Leaderboards	D
tl;dr This game is a classic with a fun competitive spin on the Arcade Brick Breaker, but the controls in this version simply do not work properly.

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Atari 2600 Games:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Score
3-D Tic-Tac-Toe	Board Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C-
tl;dr The controls in this expanded version of the classic pen-and-paper game are a bit stiff, and on harder difficulty levels the AI takes far too long, but otherwise this is a decent time-waster.
Adventure	Action-RPG	1 w/ Online Spectating	D+
tl;dr A beloved classic, but one that has aged poorly. This is about as basic as you can get in this genre. While this game is a major historical landmark in videogames, the frustrating 1-item system and loose gameplay are far too frustrating by today’s standards.
Adventure II	Action-RPG	1 w/ Online Spectating	D
tl;dr Very similar to Adventure, which is to say it’s not nearly as iconic as Adventure, but it has all the same problems.
Air Raiders	Combat Flight Sim	1 w/ Online Spectating	C-
tl;dr A very rudimentary Combat Flight Sim with some competent faux 3D given the limitations of the hardware. It’s extremely basic and repetitive by today’s standards, but still enjoyable as a time-killer.
Air-Sea Battle	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C
tl;dr This is a decent multiplayer time-waster, but it’s not deep or varied enough that you’re likely to play it for long.
Aquaventure	Arcade	1 w/ Online Spectating	C-
tl;dr Previously unreleased, this is a decent Arcade-style game, save for problems with poor hit detection.
Armor Ambush	Arcade	2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr Stiff, awkward controls and simple ,shallow gameplay make this game of tanks vs. tanks far less fun than it should be.
Asteroids	Arcade / 2D Space Shooter	1-2 Co-Op (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr The home version of one of the absolute classics of the era, but it’s marred by sluggish movement and instant deaths when new levels cause asteroids to appear right on top of you.
Astroblast	Arcade / Shmup	1 w/ Online Spectating	D
tl;dr This game’s gamepad controls are severely lacking, but the touchscreen controls work surprisingly well. Unfortunately, this game is far too repetitive, and even if you are happy with the controls, it will get old very quickly.
Atari Video Cube	Puzzle	1 w/ Online Spectating	C
tl;dr This game plays sorta’ like an alternate take on the Rubik’s Cube style of Puzzle game. It’s a tad frustrating that there aren’t any indicators of what’s on the sides bordering where you are, but aside from that, this is a decent Puzzle game.
Backgammon	Board Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr This take on the classic Board Game suffers from clunky controls, and the game overall does a poor job indicating how the table flows.
basic math	Educational	1 w/ Online Spectating	F
tl;dr This is not a game, it’s just rudimentary math problems, delivered in the most boring manner possible. It’s “games” like this that gave “Edutainment” titles a bad name.
Basketball	Sports (Basketball)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C
tl;dr This is a very rudimentary version of the sport, but a decent time-waster.
Blackjack	Card Game	1-3 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr A bland version of the classic Card Game, and one where you can only bet 1-25. No thank you.
Bowling	Sports (Bowling)	1-2 Competitive (Local Alternating, Online Alternating)	D
tl;dr A very rudimentary take on the sport with very little nuance or personality.
Brain Games	Compilation / Puzzle / Educational	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C-
tl;dr This is a combination of Simon, Flash Cards, and Spot the Difference. Not bad, but nothing truly exceptional.
Breakout	Arcade Brick Breaker	1-4 Competitive (Local Alternating, Online Alternating)	C-
tl;dr The original Arcade-style Brick Breaker doesn’t work quite as well without its analog paddle, but the touchscreen controls are at least decent. Otherwise, this is a pretty basic entry in the genre by today’s standards.
Canyon Bomber	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr This 1v1 competitive Arcade Game doesn’t have much nuance, and will get old pretty quickly.
Casino	Compilation / Card Game	1-4 Competitive (Local, Online)	C-
tl;dr This Compilation includes a few different versions of Blackjack and Poker, all of them bland and boring.
Centipede	Arcade	1 w/ Online Spectating	C+
tl;dr This fast-paced shooter is still pretty unique and enjoyable today, although the controls are somewhat unwieldy.
Championship Soccer	Sports (Soccer)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr The gameplay here is wrecked by passing being automatic and controlled by the same directional input as movement. Additionally, gameplay is slow and the players maintain a bizarre constant formation together.
Circus Atari	Arcade Brick Breaker	1-2 Competitive (Local Alternating, Online Alternating)	D+
tl;dr This is an interesting attempt at doing something unique in this genre, but neither the standard controls or touchscreen controls work very well here.
Codebreaker	Compilation / Board Game / Puizzle	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C-
tl;dr This game includes takes on Mastermind and Nim. Both games are decently represented here, but the presentation is really bland.
Combat	Arcade	2 Competitive (Local, Online)	B-
tl;dr The controls here are a little stiff and unwieldy, but otherwise this is a solid 2-player competitive game.
Combat Two	Arcade	2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C-
tl;dr The controls are better in this sequel, and the ability to place your own obstacles is compelling, but the core gameplay just doesn’t work as well as the original Combat.
Concentration	Card Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr This is a rudimentary version of the classic card game, but the terrible sound makes it agonizing to play.
Crystal Castles	Arcade	1 w/ Online Spectating	C-
tl;dr It’s probably a sign of just how old I am that this is one of my first videogames as a kid. It hasn’t aged well – while it’s an interesting take on the Pac-Man formula, and the theming is wonderfully imaginative, it’s far too difficult to move your character exactly where you need to be.
Dark Cavern (Night Stalker)	Arcade	1 w/ Online Spectating	C
tl;dr A surprisingly interesting take on the Pac-Man formula. Unfortunately, it gets repetitive far too quickly.
Demons to Diamonds	Arcade	1-2 Co-Op (Local, Online)	C
tl;dr This is a pretty decent and somewhat unique Arcade-style game with Shmup elements that’s vaguely similar to Space Invaders. The one issue is the controls – traditional gamepad controls are pretty bad and the touchscreen controls are at best passable.
Desert Falcon	Isometric Shmup	1-2 (Local Alternating, Online Alternating)	D
tl;dr Visually impressive for the time, this game’s isometric view and poor hit detection makes avoiding enemies and lining up shots into a crapshoot.
Dodge ‘Em	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online), 2 (Local Alternating, Online Alternating)	C-
tl;dr This is a fun concept of going through a simple Maze Game level while trying to avoid an enemy going the opposite direction trying to collide with you. Unfortunately, the controls ruin this concept, as the game is far too finicky in when it will let you change “lanes”
Double Dunk	Sports (Basketball)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr This Basketball game is clunky, has confusing gameplay, and simply is not fun.
Fatal Run	Racing / Action	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C
tl;dr This faux 3D Racing Game features some solid gameplay, but is too repetitive.
Flag Capture	Puzzle	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Alternating, Online, Online Alternating)	C-
tl;dr This game has players moving through a grid while using hints to find a hidden flag. It works, but isn’t especially compelling or thoughtful.
Football	Sports (Football)	2 Competitive (Local, Local Alternating, Online, Online Alternating)	D+
tl;dr At times, this Football game seems almost halfway-decent, but sometimes the controls just do not seem to work how they should. Skip it.
Frog Pond	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C-
tl;dr A decent Arcade-style game about catching flying bugs with a frog’s diagonal tongue. It’s a bit repetitive, and wow the sound in this game is annoying.
Frogs and Flies	Arcade	2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C+
tl;dr Another game about catching bugs as frogs? This one fares better, with cleaner visuals, no annoying sound, and decent multiplayer.
Golf	Sports (Golf)	1-2 Competitive (Local Alternating, Online Alternating)	D
tl;dr Lining up your shot in this game is painfully convoluted and difficult. Don’t bother.
Gravitar	Arcade / Space Shooter	1 w/ Online Spectating	D+
tl;dr This game combines the basic mechanics of games like Asteroids and Space War with wonky gravity, and the result… doesn’t really work as it’s far too difficult to control your ship.
Hangman	Puzzle	1-2 Competitive (Local Alternating, Online Alternating)	D
tl;dr This version of the classic Word Puzzle game works perfectly fine, but it is also largely pointless – it can be easily replaced by countless mobile apps, or even a friend with a pen and a piece of paper.
Haunted House	Misc.	1 w/ Online Spectating	D
tl;dr This game has players running around a repetitive “house” looking for objects to pick up while avoiding enemies. It’s repetitive and not at all compelling.
Holey Moley	Arcade	1 w/ Online Spectating	C-
tl;dr This is just Whack-a-Mole, and it would be a decent version of this repetitive game if it wasn’t backed by annoying repetitive music.
Home Run	Sports (Baseball)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C-
tl;dr This is a very basic, rudimentary version of Baseball that reduces the sport to just the batter and pitcher. It sorta’ works, but is highly limited.
Human Canonball	Misc.	1-2 Competitive (Local Alternating, Online Alternating)	D
tl;dr Players must guess what angle to fire the titular human cannonball to land on a target, based on a given speed. Unfortunately, the visual indicators of the angle and speed are inadequate to determine what you need, so this ends up being little more than a crapshoot.
International Soccer	Arcade	2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C-
tl;dr This is almost a pretty good, basic Soccer game. The one problem? The inability to swap to the player of your choosing.
Maze Craze	Puzzle	1 w/ Online Spectating	D
tl;dr This is little more than guiding your character through a maze. Nothing particularly compelling.
Millipede	Arcade	1 w/ Online Spectating	B-
tl;dr This sequel to Centipede adds more enemies, exploding obstacles, and stages that gradually scroll. This is a solid improvement over the prior game, and still fun even by today’s standards.
Miniature Golf	Sports (Miniature Golf)	1-2 Competitive (Local Alternating, Online Alternating)	C
tl;dr This is an extremely simple take on the sport, but not a terrible one. However, this isn’t likely to be much more than a time-waster.
Missile Command	Arcade	1-2 (Local Alternating, Online Alternating)	B-
tl;dr This game about aiming and timing explosive defenses to fend off missiles raining down is a classic that still works well today, though it’s a bit repetitive.
MotoRodeo	2D Stunt Racing	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C-
tl;dr This is a decent early take on the genre, though it’s not especially clear how you’re meant to tackle all of the obstacles. By today’s standards it’s nothing really worth playing.
Night Driver	Racing	1 w/ Online Spectating	D-
tl;dr This is a very early attempt at a faux 3D Racing Game, and it is very difficult to make out where the track is supposed to be, and especially difficult to react in time. At this point, the only thing this game is good for is to see how far we’ve come since it was released.
Off the Wall	Arcade Brick Breaker	1 w/ Online Spectating	D+
tl;dr This would be a decent early take on the Arcade Brick Breaker genre if the game’s physics and hit detection weren’t so abysmally terrible. As is, it’s simply not worth playing.
Outlaw	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C-
tl;dr The gameplay here largely boils down to just timing your shots. This game is pretty pointless in single-player and only mildly entertaining in multiplayer.
Pong Sports	Sports (Pong)	1-4 Team Competitive (Local, Online)	C+
tl;dr This game has numerous variants of Pong, though it is still ultimately just pong. The gamepad controls are pretty bad, but the touchscreen controls work great. If you can play with someone else in handheld mode with each player taking a side of the touchscreen, this can be fun.
Quadrun	Arcade	1 w/ Online Spectating	C-
tl;dr This game’s odd concept that has you shooting enemies and then catching your shot is at least unique, but it’s tedious and not very fun.
Race	Top-Down Racing	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D+
tl;dr This would be a decent Top-Down Racing game if the turning controls weren’t so difficult.
Radar Lock	Arcade / Combat Flight Simulator	1-2 Co-Op (Local, Online)	C
tl;dr This faux 3D Combat Flight Sim, a precursor to games like Afterburner, was ahead of its time in many ways. Unfortunately, one issue keeps it from succeeding – the game gives no indication how you’re meant to land after finishing a mission.
Realsports Baseball	Sports (Baseball)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr This Baseball game is ruined by pitching and batting controls that just do not make sense.
Realsports Basketball	Sports (Basketball)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr This game is ruined by limited, unclear controls.
Realsports Boxing	Sports (Boxing)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D-
tl;dr This is graphically pretty good for an Atari 2600 game, but the gameplay is terrible., jumping from wild movement around the ring to button-mashing up-close. Don’t bother.
Realsports Football	Sports (Football)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D-
tl;dr This football game is ruined by terrible passing controls. Also, I’m not sure why a missed pass suddenly means that offense and defense swap. Odd. In any case, this game is not worth your time.
Realsports Soccer	Sports (Soccer)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D-
tl;dr This Soccer game features atrocious hit detection, and having the same button for shooting, passing, and swapping your player is a terrible idea.
Realsports Tennis	Sports (Tennis)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C-
tl;dr This is mostly a decent, though extremely simple, take on Tennis. The only real issue is the inability to aim your shots.
Realsports Volleyball	Sports (Volleyball)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	F
tl;dr Movement in this game simply does not work right – your players will sometimes act as if blocked by an invisible wall. As a result, this game feels broken. Do not play it.
Return to Haunted House	Misc.	1 w/ Online Spectating	D
tl;dr Once again, the unclear gameplay makes it difficult to enjoy this one. Don’t bother.
Saboteur	Arcade	1 w/ Online Spectating	C
tl;dr This previously unreleased game has three phases that play completely differently. The game has an interesting experimental feel to it, but nothing here is especially compelling. Still may be worth a look to see a previously lost piece of history.
Save Mary	Puzzle	1 w/ Online Spectating	C+
tl;dr This surprisingly clever Puzzle game was previously unreleased. In this game, players drop down blocks for a girl to jump on so she can climb away from rising water. It would work better if it were clearer how your drops line up, but even as-is this is pretty decent.
Sea Battle	Arcade / Strategy	2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr This game mixes Arcade-style battles with Real-Time Strategy unit deployment, which was really ahead of its time. However, the controls are so stiff and the game does such a poor job indicating what’s going on that this game is far too difficult to play.
Secret Quest	Action-RPG	1 w/ Online Spectating	C
tl;dr This game seems like an extremely rudimentary take on the same sort of gameplay as the Zelda franchise. It’s sloppy and repetitive, but not terrible.
Sentinel	Arcade	1 w/ Online Spectating	C
tl;dr This Arcade-style Shooting Gallery Game has some issues with hit detection and its difficulty curve, but is otherwise decent. Just be sure to play using the D-Pad and not the analog stick, as the latter controls pretty poorly here.
Sky Diver	Arcade	2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C+
tl;dr This game of competitive skydiving can be fun once you figure out how to play it (press down to open your parachute).
Slot Machine	Misc.	1-2 (Local Alternating, Online Alternating)	F
tl;dr Slot machines are already pretty abysmal as interactive games, and the graphics and sound limitations of the Atari 2600 only make this worse. An absolute waste of time.
Slot Racers	Arcade	2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D+
tl;dr This Competitive Maze Game would be more fun if the controls worked consistently. You’re evidently supposed to be able to control both your own movement and your shots, but the latter only seems to work some of the time.
Space Attack	Arcade	1 w/ Online Spectating	D+
tl;dr This game uses extremely light Strategy elements to complicate otherwise simple and easy gameplay. The result muddles what little fun this has to offer.
Space War	Arcade / 2D Space Shooter	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	B
tl;dr This classic game’s 2-Player gameplay is extremely simple, yet manages to be a surprisingly compelling contest of skill between players that still works pretty well today. The single-player gameplay, by comparison, is an okay time-waster, but clearly not the main attraction here.
Sprint Master	Top-Down Racing	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C-
tl;dr A decent early entry into this genre, though the small courses and somewhat unwieldy turning can make this overly difficult.
Star Raiders	Combat Flight Simulator	1 w/ Online Spectating	D
tl;dr This game attempts faux 3D space combat, but it feels like none of your hits land and all enemy shots hit you no matter how much you try to dodge. This one isn’t worth your time.
Star Ship	Combat Flight Simulator	1-2 Co-Op (Local Alternating, Online Alternating)	D+
tl;dr Another faux 3D Space Shooter. This one is functionally competent, but movement and shooting are slow as molasses, and the gameplay is mindless. Skip it.
Star Strike	On-Rails Shooter	1 w/ Online Spectating	C-
tl;dr This On-Rails Shooter attempts to create what is clearly a knockoff of the Star Wars Death Star trench scene. It only kinda’ works – you’ll be lucky if you get any shots off on enemies, but you can opt to instead simply avoid them until it’s time to bomb a vulnerable spot. Not great, but playable at least.
Steeplechase	Sports (Horse Racing)	1 w/ Online Spectating	D
tl;dr This is a dull take on the Sport that simply has you timing jumps to get across regularly-placed hurdles. You’ll grow bored of it within minutes.
Stellar Track	Simulation	1 w/ Online Spectating	D-
tl;dr This game attempts to simulate having players chart a course through space to fight enemy ships, but the game does a poor job indicating what to do or how to do it. On top of this, the game is tedious and dull.
Street Racer	Top-Down Racing	1-4 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr This game is all about managing your speed and dodging through gates. It’s monotonous and there’s little here to keep your interest for more than a minute or so.
Stunt Cycle	2D Stunt Racing	1-2 Competitive / Co-Op (Local, Online)	D-
tl;dr This game is just about controlling your speed for one jump. By today’s standards this is hopelessly archaic.
Submarine Commander	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local Alternating, Online Alternating)	D+
tl;dr This simple Action-focused game has little depth (ha) and will lose your interest within minutes.
Super Baseball	Sports (Baseball)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D-
tl;dr The timing for batting in this Baseball game feels off, and the movement of outfielders is so insanely fast that this game seems to heavily favor them. This feels like a broken take on the sport.
Super Breakout	Arcade Brick Breaker	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr The hit detection in this classic Arcade Brick Breaker is all kinds of broken. Skip it.
Super Challenge Baseball	Sports (Baseball)	2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D-
tl;dr Extremely awkward controls suck all of the fun out of this Baseball game.
Super Challenge Football	Sports (Football)	2 Competitive (Local, Online)	B-
tl;dr A surprisingly decent (though of course highly limited due to its platform) take on Football. It’s not going to win any awards by today’s standards, but it’s playable, which seems to be a rarity for Atari Sports games.
Super Football	Sports (Football)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr The controls for passing are terrible in this Football game, and overall this is just not a fun take on the sport.
Surround	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C-
tl;dr This competitive take on Snake/Tron Bikes works, but it’s slow and the controls are not especially responsive.
Swordfight	Arcade	2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr This game was undoubtedly intended to be strategic, but it ends up just being erratic and button-mashy. Skip it.
Swordquest: Earthworld	Action-RPG / Misc.	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D+
tl;dr This early attempt at a mixed-media game was highly-ambitious for its time, but the way that playing it absolutely requires that you keep both the instruction book and included comic on hand as reference to be able to play the game makes this far too tedious to be enjoyable by most players.
Swordquest: Fireworld	Action-RPG / Misc.	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D+
tl;dr As with Swordquest: Earthworld, this early attempt at a mixed-media game was highly-ambitious for its time, but the way that playing it absolutely requires that you keep both the instruction book and included comic on hand as reference to be able to play the game makes this far too tedious to be enjoyable by most players.
Swordquest: Waterworld	Action-RPG / Misc.	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D+
tl;dr As with Swordquest: Earthworld and Swordquest: Fireworld, this early attempt at a mixed-media game was highly-ambitious for its time, but the way that playing it absolutely requires that you keep both the instruction book and included comic on hand as reference to be able to play the game makes this far too tedious to be enjoyable by most players.
Tempest	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr A poor port of the vector-based Arcade classic. The blocky pixels in this version do a poor job of conveying the location of you and your enemies, and the hit detection seems off. If you want to play Tempest, this is not the version you want to play.
Video Checkers	Board Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr Not only is the presentation in this game of Checkers absolutely boring, but the controls are torturously bad. Skip it.
Video Chess	Board Game	1 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr A Chess game with no 2-Player mode? Even worse, the AI player can be abysmally slow – at the standard difficulty, it can take up to 15 seconds to move. At the highest difficulty, it can take up to 10 hours! I’m honestly shocked that this was considered acceptable, even back in the Atari era.
Video Pinball	Pinball	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr Both the physics and the table layout in this game are absolutely bizarre, in a way that only barely resembles actual Pinball. Skip it.
Warlords	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr This game is a classic with a fun competitive spin on the Arcade Brick Breaker, but the controls in this version simply do not work properly.
Wizard	Top-Down Action	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr This Top-Down Action game has bad controls and dull gameplay. Skip it.
Yars’ Return	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local Alternating, Online Alternating)	C+
tl;dr This sequel to Yars’ Revenge is a slight improvement over the original, but it mostly just more of the same.
Yars’ Revenge	Arcade	1-2 (Local Alternating, Online Alternating)	C+
tl;dr This is an interesting game that’s a little like a Shmup and has elements of an Arcade Brick-Breaker, but isn’t really either of those things. It can get a bit repetitive, but it’s enjoyable in short bursts.

.

Atari 5200 Games:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Score
Asteroids	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C+
tl;dr A much better port of the Arcade classic than the 2600 version. It’s a bit repetitive, but otherwise a fun time-waster.
Centipede	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C+
tl;dr This is a better-looking take on the Arcade classic than the 2600 version, but the hit detection can be a bit iffy at times.
Countermeasure	Top-Down Action	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr This tank Action game controls poorly, and is far too slow-paced. Skip it.
Final Legacy	Action / Strategy	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D+
tl;dr This naval combat game is confusing and neither the tracking down of enemies nor the fighting them is especially fun.
Micro-gammon	Board Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	N/A (F)
tl;dr I cannot figure out how to make the controls in this Backgammon game work. Even if I could, it doesn’t seem like an especially novel or interesting take on the game.
Millipede	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	B-
tl;dr The animation is a bit rough here, but otherwise this is a pretty good, albeit highly challenging and frenetic, take on the formula established in Centipede.
Miniature Golf	Sports (Miniature Golf)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr This is a visually-ugly take on the sport with awkward controls. Skip it.
Missile Command	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local Alternating, Online Alternating)	B-
tl;dr As with the 2600 version, this is a decent take on a classic that still works well today, although it is a tad repetitive.
Realsports Baseball	Sports (Baseball)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D+
tl;dr This is visually much-improved over any of the Atari 2600 Baseball games, but the controls are still terrible. Skip it.
Realsports Basketball	Sports (Basketball)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C
tl;dr A decent one-on-one Basketball game, though it’s a bit simple. This isn’t likely to thrill anyone, but it’s an okay time-waster.
Realsports Football	Arcade	2 Competitive (Local, Online)	B-
tl;dr This is a primitive, but decent, game of Football. It’s a bit slow-paced, but not bad at all.
Realsports Soccer	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C
tl;dr This is a slow-paced take on the sport, and the controls are pretty awkward. It’s not terrible, but it’s far from great.
Realsports Tennis	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr This Tennis game is ruined by your shots always being aimed at the center of the opponent’s court, ruining any potential strategy. Skip this one.
Star Raiders	Combat Flight Simulator	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr This faux 3D Space Flight Combat game is tedious, dull, and repetitive. Skip it.
Super Breakout	Arcade Brick Breaker	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	D
tl;dr Just as with the Atari 2600 version of the game, this version of the classic has poor hit detection.
Xari Arena	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	C
tl;dr This is an unusual defensive take on the Arcade Brick Breaker formula that’s not terrible, but feels somewhat shallow. It might make for a decent time-waster.

Ughhhh… what a slog this has been. As you can tell, the “wheat to chaff” ratio is pretty poor here. There are a lot of games here that are just not worth playing by today’s standards. Some of these games suffer because the gamepad and touchscreen are not a good replacement for the paddle and trackwheel input devices that many of these games used. Some of these games suffer because the processing and graphical capabilities of videogames at this time were simply not capable of displaying these concepts in an appealing or intelligible fashion. Some of these games suffer because limitations at the time meant that the games were highly simplistic by today’s standards. Some suffer because these games were still making their first steps into genres where the best practices for that sort of game hadn’t been understood yet. And some of these games are just plain bad.

Okay, so out of all of this mess, what is actually worth playing?

Well, firstly, most of the true classics still fondly remembered today still play well, in the multiple versions included here. Asteroids (except the Atari 2600 version) and Asteroids Deluxe, Centipede and Millipede, and Missile Command are all still great. On the Atari 2600, Combat and Space War are both fun 2-Player Competitive Arcade-style games. And among the Arcade games, Black Widow is a solid 2-Stick Shooter, Maze Invaders is a fun take on the Maze game, and Space Duel is yet another solid take on the Asteroids / Space War formula. And while there are a lot of Sports games in this package, only one per system was truly worth your time – Super Challenge Football on the Atari 2600, Realsports Football 5200 on the Atari 5200, and Soccer in the Arcade game selections.

For those counting, that’s 13 games (plus their variants)… out of 150. So I say again… ughhhh.

And please don’t take that “ughhhh” as me saying that this Compilation is terrible, just that I had to slog through so very much trash to get to the good stuff. Again, I played every game here. I should note that while I tried to get the multiplayer details right for everything, I did not test out most of these games in multiplayer, only those games that either required multiplayer or seemed like they would benefit greatly from multiplayer play. so I apologize if I made a mistake somewhere there.

I should note that each of the included games comes with options and some extras. Atari 2600 games come with a simulated version of the console allowing you to flick its switches to change game modes, options for button reassignment, display and volume options, as well as a scanned version of the original instruction manual (sometimes in pretty poor shape, and often in too low resolution to be read properly in handheld mode). Games that approximate paddle and trackball controls come with options for these control setups (nice to have, but ultimately still lacking). The Swordquest games come with scans of the included comics (necessary to play those games). The Atari 5200 games come with an on-screen HUD showing what each of the number pad buttons for the original game did (which often doesn’t help much to make this console’s control interface less-confusing), along with keypad display options, game options, audio and display options. Finally, Arcade games come with display and audio options, button assignment options, and operator settings options. And the game overall has an achievement system to unlock pieces of art created for this game. And all of this is wrapped together with menus that include some pretty catchy menu music.

Okay, so… taking allllll of that in… is this Compilation worth the $40 asking price? Well, if I look at this only in terms of the 13 games I felt were most worthwhile, that works out to a little over $3 per game. Since we’re talking about games that are, in some cases, over 50 years old, that price tag seems a bit iffy. Throw on top of that a bunch of options and roughly 140 games of middling or dubious quality, and… well, okay, maybe.

There’s one thing that’s hard to deny, playing Atari Flashback Classics – this is a Compilation that seems to be going for quantity over quality, and in that respect it does a pretty good job, even if it falls short of being completely comprehensive. 150 games is a huge number, even if most of those games are either garbage, or something you’ll try once for a few minutes and then never touch again. And for many of these games, this Compilation tries to give players every opportunity to play them at their best, even though this may not be possible given the limitations of either the original hardware or modern hardware.

Okay, so then what could have been improved in this release to make it better, since it’s certainly not lacking for quantity of content? Well, the easy answer is a lower price point, but if I wanted to dig deeper, I’d say that maybe the answer when it comes to many of these games isn’t to deliver a pixel-perfect port, but to improve upon the originals and deliver something improved that plays the way nostalgic players remember these games playing – smooth out the controls, add sensible in-game menus rather than making players navigate the awkward, frustrating old switch system, improve framerates and hit detection.

Purists may call this blasphemy, but I suppose if we’re making genie wishes for this game, we can always wish to include the original versions for those nitpickers. But for most players, I think they would far prefer to have these games in a playable state, even if that state isn’t completely faithful to the originals.

However, I don’t have an Atari genie, so when it comes to what this Compilation has to offer, is it ultimately worth getting? Conditionally, yes, I think it is. However, those conditions are that you need to be okay with playing games that look and often play extremely dated, you have to be okay with a lot of looking through scanned instruction manuals and looking at controls in menus to figure out how to play these games, and you have to be willing to sift through a lot of trash to get to the good stuff. That’s a lot of “ifs”, but if that all sounds good to you, I think you’ll find the huge amount of content and options here, as well as the select few true classics in among the garbage, makes up for this Compilation’s many shortcomings.

tl;dr – Atari Flashback Classics is a Compilation of 150 Atari games dating back over 50 years, with classic Arcade, Atari 2600, and Atari 5200 games. Most of these games are complete garbage and not worth playing, but a select few have managed to withstand the test of time. If only for these true classics, this is a Compilation that retro gamers will want to try.

Grade: C+

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