Finding my uncle's old Atari is a big part of what got me into retro gaming, so I'm always happy to talk about a system that I think goes underdiscussed in retro spaces. There are definitely some games that have aged less gracefully than others, but theres also a lot of fun to be had with the system.

RIVER RAID

First up is my #1 favorite Atari game. The systems are pretty simple, shoot obstacles and don't run out of fuel but the game keeps throwing enough in your way to give a feeling of danger. The sounds are perfect and I still play this game a few times a month.

Yar's Revenge

Break through the bad guys shell and blow them to hell. Another game with a great feeling of danger, and I love firing off the larger beam when you get one. Look up a guide if you've never played this one, it can be a bit obtuse to a first time player.

Stampede

The first Atari game I ever played, and I still play from time to time. It may look simple, but having to decide when to dodge, when to bump a horse, and when to lasso makes for a fun gameplay loop. If you enjoy Tapper you might enjoy this game.

Frog Pond

This one is best with a buddy - you each compete to see who can eat the most flies. Suprisingly competitive, the alignment/aiming is skillful and there arent enough flies to go around.

Human Cannonball!

Yeeting this little dude across the sky is so fun whether he makes it or not. Missing this game is what inspired me to make this post. Its way more fun than the simple graphics would imply.

HALL OF SHAME

There are a lot of arcade ports on the Atari, some good like Missile Command, and some not so good. Which takes me to the worst game of the system

Pac-Man

If you love this game I'm sorry but its terrible. All the dots are squares, pac is hard to control, and the sound is subpar. I think its worse than ET with or without the fan patch. I can't imagine a huge pacman fan plugging this in and being anything but disapointed.

So those are my faves. What Atari games do you like/dislike? Have you played the system or never bothered? Is Atari Pacman your favorite game of all time? Let me know!

And the results are super satisfying.

Took a minute to find as the lyrics apparently aren't on google and the band isn't on Spotify. Song is cracking me up name dropping John Travolta and Dr. Phil. Not a bad demo either with 6 tracks. I do wish I'd noticed it was a demo when I grabbed it from the dollar bin.

Dont get me wrong I love atari and intellivision games the comparison is just hilarious to me.

Stumbled across this today and I think its awesome! No affiliation between this gameclub and that one, just similar names.

I love little comments like this, it adds so much personality to what could be a simple list of options.

Someone posted this on Mastadon today and I love it! Reminds me of the desire cycle of Magic cards.

I spend a lot of my free time watching gaming videos on youtube. Most of these would fall into the 'essay' style. Who are your favourite videogame subs on youtube?

Game Makers Toolkit - Game development and how and why games do the things they do

Girlfriend Reviews - Comedy, reviews etc etc

VaatiVidya - Fromsoft stuff; Lore, mechanics etc etc

New Frame Plus - The art, animation and style of games

People Make Games - Video Game documentaries

What about you?

Found Mandalore gaming from recommendations for more content like Game Dungeon. Love this dude and how he sits

Spent the first hour installing it to the console, now I've got another 90 minute download to perform.

I recently beat the Legend of Tianding and I really enjoyed the way it used comics in place of the standard cutscenes.

It's a nice reward for all the punching people you've been doing and gives the game a cool cinematic feel.

Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance of the Slayer also includes in game comics portraying the events of the story

These are not used in place of cutscenes and are actually from their other game Hypnospace: Outlaws but it is fun to have them here.

Max Payne did this as well but I honestly wasn't a big fan of them

And of course you have the classic Comix Zone but that's not quite the same as there is no non-comic gameplay to cut away from.

Are you a fan of this style? Any favorite games that use this? I'm surprised its not more common but I could see it losing its charm if it was done all the time.

Maybe it's a boss fight, or the conclusion of an amazing cutscene. Maybe it's the moment a game 'clicked' with you, or the moment you and the game combined for a moment you'll never forget.

Maybe you've heard this one before, but somehow I'm learning about this for the first time today and I think the story is pretty dang charming. What starts as a journalist interviewing a Twin Galaxies ref for a story results in his wife breaking the world record for Tetris DX.

Okay so I'll be honest, I'm mainly posting this because I want to talk about the somewhat surprising inclusion of Sekiro footage in this trailer.

The game was published by Activision internationally..

Maybe it's nothing, maybe it's something?

A lot of my retro collection has been neglected but a friend gave me a CRT and its inspired me to get everything setup and displayed again. Everything except project plus was easy but last night I finally had everything configured.

A Cohost post from user PhormTheGenie. I haven't played Rescue on Fractalus myself, but I've definitely heard people talk about the big twist.

Sourced from @gamemagprintads@botsin.space

Found on Mastadon, this is back before the game was as big as it is now