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Karateka

Posted on Mon, March 31 2014, by Colin Hodder
Have you really given this game a fair shake? Spent more than a few minutes playing it? Is it really THAT bad? Read the review and find out for yourself!


Karateka is a much loved fighting game on home computer systems. In it, you control a Karate guy (the Karateka probably) trying to punch and kick his way to the woman he loves. Along the way you have to kick a bunch of bad guys until they don't move anymore. Every time one of them stops moving, you run to the next one and kick him to death as well.A word of warning though: Although running gets you to the end faster, you have to be careful, as running (indeed standing u...

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Atari 7800 vs. Nintendo NES

Posted on Wed, March 19 2014, by Gregory D. George
There's no way this is a fair fight, right? Well, the 7800 actually did win some categories, read on to find out which ones!


The Atari 7800 was developed in 1983 and released in 1986 and it went on to become a world-wide mega-hit for Atari! Oh, wait? You're saying the 7800 wasn't a mega-hit? Yeah, you're right. I was hoping to slip that past you...It was the Nintendo Entertainment System that was a mega-hit and went on to sell bajillions of consoles and trillions of games back in the mid-80's. Yes, I'm e...

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The Activision Decathlon

Posted on Mon, March 10 2014, by Rob Adair
From the creative mind of David Crane comes a not-so-original concept originally made by Konami, given the Activision makeover, and results in a ten-event game that will really have your palms (and your forehead) sweating!


When Track & Field was released by Konami, it became a big hit due to the unique game control scheme where you repeatedly pressed buttons to gain speed or power, and then pressed a third button for a certain period of time to set the angle of your jump/throw/etc.  It was difficult but addicting all the same, and while the Atari 2600 did get a port (albeit in limited quantities) of the original game, there would be a similar game released by Activision...

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Dungeon Master

Posted 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...

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Harbor Escape

Posted 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...

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Star Wars: The Arcade Game

Posted 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...

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Stellar Track

Posted 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...

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Sky Diver

Posted 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...

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Championship Rally

Posted 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...

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Pressure Cooker

Posted 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...

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