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Dungeon MasterPosted on Mon, March 03 2014, by Gregory D. George |  |
 | Few games are as beloved as the classic Dungeon Master for the Atari ST. And for good reason - It was a revolutionary game that is TONS of fun! I was introduced to Dungeon Master in the strangest of places: Summer School back in 1988! My school actually had several Atari STs set up in the room where my class was held (Geometry, I wanted to go actually!) Turns out the teacher and one of the other students were hooked on it, and even had maps all printed up to get them through the game! (Yes, still have my copy of the maps!)So needless to say, it was this game that really piqued my interest in the Atari ST computer. Sure, I... [Read More] Make the first comment! |
Harbor EscapePosted on Mon, February 24 2014, by Jacob Heller |  |
 | So it looks like "hacking" video games goes back further than we thought! If you couldn't find a copy of River Raid in your town, this might quench that thirst. (Although those side walls really freak me out.) In 1982 Activision released River Raid, one of the highest selling games for the 2600, and a title which is recognized as one of the best games for the system. In 1983 Panda Computer Games released Harbor Escape, a title showcasing their take on the scrolling shooter formula made popular by River Raid. In Harbor Escape, the player assumes the role of a nuclear submarine commander who has succeeded in dropping off several commandos in Russian territory. The... [Read More] 1 Comment |
Star Wars: The Arcade GamePosted on Tue, February 18 2014, by Gregory D. George | |
 | You've played this one... Well, certainly the arcade version. The 2600 game is uncommon in terms of collectability so you may not have played this home conversion. Does it stack up to the arcade game? Years ago when Star Wars was still considered good (and not watered down by the horrible prequels) the only way to get your Star Wars fix in video game form was to play Star Wars the arcade game by Atari. I remember playing that game in the sit-down cabinet as well as the stand-up model.The control was one of the most unique I had ever seen being a hybrid between a steering-wheel and a dual-joystick. You would tilt upwards, downwards, tur... [Read More] 1 Comment |
Stellar TrackPosted on Fri, February 14 2014, by Darryl Brundage | |
 | Are you ready for the most exciting game on the 2600? Well, this isn't exactly it. If you like strategy to go with your blasting action, you'll probably like Stellar Track! Stellar Track was a game that I didn't think got its fair shake, not being very well-liked by gamers in general, as most of them wanted more action in this turn-based (! Yes, not a lot of those kinds of games for the 2600!) sci-fi game. Granted, I'll admit that there are elements that make it terribly unfair, and some of it's overly complicated, but this is a good, thinking man's strategy game, although some luck (the Force?) is also needed to win as well. As per the usual st... [Read More] Make the first comment! |
Sky DiverPosted on Mon, June 08 2009, by Darryl Brundage | |
 | Now you too can jump out of an airplane and not get killed! But I wonder how those poor video skydivers feel when they go SPLAT!? Due to a certain company named "Atari" making a hit arcade game back in the day, chances were pretty good a certain company named "Atari" would bring the game to their home console(s), and Sky Diver was no exception. Of course, the home version of Skydiver (one word for the arcade game, but two for the home version...for some reason) was simplified, and improved a bit, being less difficult than it's arcade cousin. True, there was no spelling... [Read More] Make the first comment! |
Championship RallyPosted on Thu, May 14 2009, by Bruce Clarke |  |
 | Not often do you get to cover a homebrew game for the Lynx! If you're looking for that top-down racing action missing on Atari's portable wonder, look no further than Championship Rally! I own an Atari Lynx model II with about 30 games. I recently ordered a copy of Championship Rally from Carl Forhan's Songbird Productions. The cost was $42.95 US plus shipping and handling. As I live in Canada, the shipping was fairly high - $12. The package arrived after about 12 days (it had to pass through Canada Customs so there was a delay). This cartridge is a sleek black PCB board with a single small chip on it. Although it's obviously... [Read More] Make the first comment! |
Pressure CookerPosted on Mon, April 27 2009, by Jess LaFleur | |
 | Well, this might be a first. A review of a review. Sort of. More like a revisiting. Anyway, if you haven't played Pressure Cooker in awhile, you're a big fat loser. It was not long ago that I came across what seems like an ancient piece of writing that I inscribed so many years ago. Pressure Cooker, was my first review for The Atari Times and while we are soon quickly approaching nine years since the article was published, it was only recently re-published to the front page of the Atari Times. Frankly, a lot has changed in nine years since I first played this game. In fact, I was so proud of the accomplishm... [Read More] Make the first comment! |
One Big Pixel?!Posted on Mon, April 13 2009, by Steve Spatucci |  |
 | It's been over 30 years since the Atari VCS was introduced. Back then, we youngsters actually had to use our imaginations when playing games. And did we like it? HECK YES. None of this drivel in video games today where everything is so stylized. So, I bring you think reminiscing of what it was once like. When I was a young lad, my grandmother would wax nostalgic about the dawn of radio - the big invention of her time. She would talk about how much she and her family anticipated the weekly shows, how the neighborhood would discuss the events that took place in those early radio serials, and how exciting it was to be informed of national news via radio waves, and not the medium which she considered to be old-... [Read More] Make the first comment! |
Star RaidersPosted on Mon, March 30 2009, by Troy Wilkins |  |
 | One of the all-time greatest games ever! How many games can say they started a whole GENRE of games? Ok, I'm sure some smart-alec will say that Star Raiders was not the first, but it certainly was the BEST. Star Raiders was one of the first games written for the Atari 8-bit line of computers, written by Doug Neubauer, who also happened to be the designer of the Atari computer's POKEY chip, so he really knew the hardware he was working on! There are some games that have not stood the test of time well. Star Raiders is NOT one of them! Even after close enough to 30 years it still holds up well. When you first start the game up,... [Read More] 1 Comment |
Super BreakoutPosted on Mon, March 23 2009, by Darryl Brundage | |
 | What does outer space and breaking bricks have in common? Nothing! That's why Atari put an astronaut on the box art for Super Breakout! But it doesn't matter. This version of the game is miles better than the original! As the saying goes, you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, especially when it came to Super Breakout, having a silly box and label cover of an astronaut facing a wall of colors in outer space. C'mon, this is BREAKOUT, not something futuristic, with the technology to push your 2600 to the limit or anything! (And I won't go into the silly scenario of the astronaut in his space shuttle in the instructions' intro either [you're welcome!].) I ... [Read More] 1 Comment |