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[jgkspsx]

IN THIS CORNER, THE SYGYGICAL SUPERSTAR, ATARI! AND IN THAT CORNER, THE FILLY OF FORGOTTENABOUTNESS, INTELLIVISION!

What are these?

Compilations of classic Atari and Intellivision games. The Inty collection is your standard Blue Sky Rangers compilation; the Atari compilation combines arcade and 2600 games as they are wont to these days.

So is there more of that remixing BS going on?
No, thank God.

What's on them?
On AGH V1:
ARCADE:
Asteroids, Battlezone, Centipede, Gravitar, Lunar Lander, Missile Command, Pong, Space Duel, Tempest

2600
ADVENTURE: Adventure, Haunted House, Swordquest Earthworld/Fireworld/Waterworld

ARCADE: Asteroids, Battlezone, Centipede, Dodge ’Em, Gravitar, Human Cannonball, Missile Command, Sky Diver, Starship, Tempest

BATTLE: Air-Sea Battle, Outlaw, Slot Racers, Surround, Submarine Commander, Stellar Track

SPORTS: Basketball, Bowling, Championship Soccer, Football, Home Run, Miniature Golf, Realsports Baseball/Boxing/Football/Tennis/Volleyball, Sprint Master

PUZZLE/STRATEGY/CASINO/WHATEVAR: 3D Tic-Tac-Toe, Atari Video Cube, Flag Capture, Fun with Numbers, Hangman, Math Gran Prix, Slot Machine, Video Checkers

On IL!DS (thanks to Rayderism from GameFAQs):
Asterisked items were not released in the 80s.

ARCADE
Blow Out, Brickout*, Buzz Bombers, Frog Bog, Hard Hat, Hover Force, Night Stalker, Pinball, Shark! Shark!, Sharp Shot, Snafu, Space Cadet*, Thin Ice, Thunder Castle, Vectron

SPACE
Astrosmash, Space Armada, Space Battle, Space Hawk, Space Spartans, Star Strike

BATTLE
Armor Battle, Bomb Squad, B-17 Bomber, Crown of Kings (AD&D Cloudy Mountain), Minotaur (aka AD&D Treasure of Tarmin), Sea Battle, Sub Hunt, Tower of Doom

GAMING
Checkers, Las Vegas Poker & Blackjack, Las Vegas Roulette, Learning Fun 1 & 2, Reversi, Royal Dealer, Takeover

SPORTS
Auto Racing, Baseball, Basketball, Body Slam: Super Pro Wrestling, Bowling, Boxing, Chip Shot: Super Pro Golf, Deep Pockets: Super Pro Pool & Billiards*, Football, Hockey, Horse Racing, MotoCross, Mountain Madness: Super Pro Skiing, Skiing, Slam Dunk: Super Pro Basketball, Slap Shot: Super Pro Hockey, Spiker: Super Pro Volleyball, Stadium Mud Buggies, Super Pro Decathalon, Super Pro Football, World Championship Baseball

Some are two-player only, since there's no 1P mode.

How much do they cost?
AGHv1 is $30 (as will be V2, coming March 2011).

IL!DS is $15(!)-$20.

How do I get them?
AGHv1 shouldn't be hard to find.

IL!DS, though, has really limited distribution. Apparently, Beach Audio on Amazon Marketplace is the only reliable place to get them at the moment.

How is the emulation?
Undetermined.

There are some game-killing flaws with IL!DS, most notably on Minotaur, where items are cut off the screen on (at least) DS Lites.

What's special about these?
Well, IL!DS uses the DS touchscreen to simulate the controller covers, like everyone has always wanted.

AGHv1 includes the special US Military version of Battlezone, which is pretty awesome. It also uses the touchscreen well (allegedly) on the trackball games.

Both games claim to do multiplayer very well. AGHv1 does single-system multiplayer on a bunch of 2600 games, which is awesome*.

Bonus stuff?
Lots! I think.

AGHv1 has manuals, photos, a trivia game, and the U.S. Army version of Battletank.

The IL!DS release has nothing! I mean, some exclusive unreleased games, I guess...

Have you played them?
Uh, no. I was hoping that's what you guys are for.

What's the critical reception like?
Well, reviewers are much tougher than they were in the 90s. Actually, maybe not; this has always been a genre for the aficionados. So far, there are no formal reviews of IL!DS. The reviews of the Atari compilation mostly focus on its price point and the quality of the games included. IGN points out that the vector games come out poorly at DS resolution.

Atari's Greatest Hits Volume 1:
IGN - 6.0
Die Hard Game Fan (blog) - Mediocre

IL!DS:
Got nuffin'.

How about videos?
Here's IL!DS. (And don't miss this!)

And here's AGHv1. (What's that? The game screen extends into the plastic of a real DSi? It's bullshotvideo for Atari games? :lol)

WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?
Because I like real blips and bloops and squares that really stand for something. Also, "space" was a whole genre back then!

* well, as awesome as the games included get.

 

[jgkspsx]

After the insanity of the XBLA Game Room ($5 for Liberator??? You'd have to pay me to take it!), it's a relief to see people recognize that some games aren't worth buying on their own.

The INTV compilation selection is pretty satisfying, but the number of games that are multi-only is pretty painful. It's also a shame that they couldn't have stripped the license from the Tron games as they did with the AD&D ones.

The Atari compilation is bizarre. The arcade games are well-chosen, IMO, but there are a lot of really, really crap 2600 games on there.

So far, my high water marks for early 8-bit compilations are the old Digital Eclipse PS1 discs (well, the first four) and the amazing Activision Anthology for GBA (one of my most played games ever, due in part to the incredible quality of the Activision library). Neither of these looks likely to dislodge those, but I'll still probably pick them both up.

 

[LakeEarth]

I can play NightStalker for an hour, until the invisible, safe-zone destroying robot comes out. Funny thing is that if you get over 9 total men, the game can only display 1 digit so it starts using symbols (you have / men left).

 

[Narag]

Intellivision so tempting.

 

[Brak]

Why do Atari compilations never have Combat? blargh :/

 

[DaBargainHunta]

Nice thread, OP.

I care about these, but I'm sickened to the point of nausea that they're actually splitting up the Atari games into two compilations when everything can damn well fit onto one DS card. Come the fuck on!

On a different note entirely, I've never owned or played an Intellivision. Do those games hold up if there's no nostalgia factor fueling my enjoyment?

 

[jgkspsx]

Why do Atari compilations never have Combat? blargh :/

Because you can't play them by yourself? (But then, Air Sea Battle and Outlaw? Go figure.)

 

[jgkspsx]

EDIT: Gah, sorry about double post.

I care about these, but I'm sickened to the point of nausea that they're actually splitting up the Atari games into two compilations when everything can damn well fit onto one DS card. Come the fuck on!

At this point, I'm just happy that people are releasing compilations instead of nickel-and-diming us on downloadable games (see: G&W DS).

On a different note entirely, I've never owned or played an Intellivision. Do they games hold up if there's no nostalgia factor fueling my enjoyment?

I own an Intellivision and a lot of games, but have never been able to play it :lol

I've bought compilations before, but not having the controller overlay made playing them a huge pain. I'm really excited for the DS version, since it might be the first time these games tried to be really playable.

Here's an interesting thing: BSR tried to release IL!DS on DSiWare, but Nintendo wouldn't let them release an emulated collection. I guess it's good that they didn't, but by the same token they will not make much money on this. Seems like a shame.

 

[DiscoJer]

I think Air Sea Battle had a few solo games. Shooting gallery, for instance.

But anyway, these sort of things to me really stink as cart based games, since it's not something I want to leave in it, but would be awesome for digital downloads for when you have a few minutes to kill.

I really hope Nintendo comes out with a thing for back catalog DS titles for the 3DS (like Sony has with PSN/PSP). Between stuff like this and a lot of the casual games the DS gets it could really clean up, I think.

edit: Woops, maybe Nintendo won't allow this.

 

[DaBargainHunta]

At this point, I'm just happy that people are releasing compilations instead of nickel-and-diming us on downloadable games (see: G&W DS).

Good point.

And in the case of G&W DS, they're a pain in the ass to get (tied to Club Nintendo bullshit), which makes matters even worse.

 

[jgkspsx]

I really hope Nintendo comes out with a thing for back catalog DS titles for the 3DS (like Sony has with PSN/PSP). Between stuff like this and a lot of the casual games the DS gets it could really clean up, I think.

edit: Woops, maybe Nintendo won't allow this.

I think Nintendo doesn't want any competition with Virtual Consoles present and future. Deflating the acceptable price and all that. But really, 2600 games should mostly sell for 50 cents.

And in the case of G&W DS, they're a pain in the ass to get (tied to Club Nintendo bullshit), which makes matters even worse.

Oh, I meant the DSiWare ones at $2 each. I'll buy one or two of the best at that price, but no more. (The DSi menu's lack of "paging" or "categories" hurts too.)

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

I have fond memories of the intellivision. I fear buying this would destroy those memories.

it would be much more tempting if they'd managed to get the Tron games on there. I used to love Deadly Discs! or whatever it was called

 

[Drkirby]

I don't know, I played a lot of Atari games a few months back and they are just to old for me to enjoy at this point. Very few games are enjoyable to someone who has never played them before IMO.

 

[Hours Left]

I really wanted to get the Intellivision compilation, but going by the impressions I've read there are a lot of bugs and control snafus.

I'm pretty sure I'll be picking up the Atari volumes though.

 

[oracrest]

Mama raised us on a 2600.


I look forward to playing through Adventure. That's one I never played back when. It was all Demon Attack and Pitfall, Tutankhamun, and a smattering if others. Thanks for the heads up OP, I didn't know it was coming out.

 

[speculawyer]

Honestly, the 2600 was a shit system. It is amazing what some programmers got that thing to do but it was utterly underpowered. The 'Combat' game pack-in was probably one of the best games for it.

The 8-bit arcade games of the time are still classics though. (Space invaders, Asteroid, Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, etc.)

 

[Big One]

I never played 2600 games till recently and loved Pitfall tbh, still very playable and kind of a precursor to games like Metroid. Too bad it isn't on this collection, though.

 

[jgkspsx]

I never played 2600 games till recently and loved Pitfall tbh, still very playable and kind of a precursor to games like Metroid. Too bad it isn't on this collection, though.

At least a dozen of the Activision 2600 games still stand up, gameplay-wise, to lots of arcade-style games today. Comparatively few of Atari's own 2600 games do, though - their real focus was the arcade. The best programmers all went to Activision.

 

[Rainier]

No Burgertime?


Will probably still pick up the Intellivision one though.

 

[speculawyer]

At least a dozen of the Activision 2600 games still stand up, gameplay-wise, to lots of arcade-style games today. Comparatively few of Atari's own 2600 games do, though - their real focus was the arcade. The best programmers all went to Activision.

Yeah, Activision certainly did make that dead horse dance.


It is kinda amazing that the Atari 2600 splinter-group Activision eventually became the industry behemoth whereas the label 'Atari' has been linked to string successive failures by different companies that buy the 'Atari' trademark and then crash & burn. OK . . . Activision did go through one bankruptcy.

 

[jgkspsx]

No Burgertime?

Will probably still pick up the Intellivision one though.

Burgertime is owned by Data East, who have released it on arcade compilations. But, yeah, doesn't help us :\

So many of the first-party Atari games were licensed (Defender, Berserk, Superman). Then there were the third-party Star Wars games, too.

And many of Inty's iconic games were third party or licensed - BurgerTime, Diner, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Lock'n'Chase, Pac Man, Pole Position, Popeye, the Activision games, etc.

 

[vazel]

I've been interested in an atari collection. What do you mean by extras out the wazoo? Does the Atari collection have the documentary from the psx collection?

Edit: nvm if I want an atari collection it looks like Atari Anthology for PC/PS2 is better.

 

[jgkspsx]

What do you mean by extras out the wazoo? Does the Atari collection have the documentary from the psx collection?

They've got manuals, photos, a trivia game, and the U.S. Army version of Battletank. I'm not aware of anything else.

The IL!DS release has videos and lots more.

 

[shawnlreed]

Both of these were day one purchases for me.

I am devastated by the lack of Triple Action on the Intellivision collection.
2 player Biplanes is the best thing the Intellivision ever did.

 

[Shig]

I am sick to my ass with Atari's revisionist history wherein the only home console they ever released was the 2600. There were many superior conversions of their games on 400/800/1200, 5200, and 7800, it really chafes my hide that they never show a damn lick of interest in acknowledging those.

 

[jgkspsx]

Both of these were day one purchases for me.

Impressions, man!

I am sick to my ass with Atari's revisionist history wherein the only home console they ever released was the 2600. There were many superior conversions of their games on 400/800/1200, 5200, and 7800, it really chafes my hide that they never show a damn lick of interest in acknowledging those.

Indeed. It's one thing if they're reusing emulators, but I think these guys emulated the 2600 from scratch again. Then again, the resources and documentation for Stella are everywhere.

 

[someguyinahat]

Swordquest Earthworld/Fireworld/Waterworld

I only played the first one, but didn't these games have no objective but to place objects in rooms in a specified order to gather clues from a book that almost certainly won't be supplied, to win a contest that's long over? Further, wasn't Waterworld only released via a fan club? How does that qualify it for a "greatest hit?"

You get these three, but you don't get Combat. Really? Sure Combat had no single-player but Swordquest has virtually no gameplay at all.

 

[jgkspsx]

I only played the first one, but didn't these games have no objective but to place objects in rooms in a specified order to gather clues from a book that almost certainly won't be supplied, to win a contest that's long over? Further, wasn't Waterworld only released via a fan club? How does that qualify it for a "greatest hit?"

You get these three, but you don't get Combat. Really? Sure Combat had no single-player but Swordquest has virtually no gameplay at all.

Yes, yes, I don't know, and yes. The manuals are supplied (so you might be able to figure out what's going on), but the comic books holding the clues aren't. (But, hey, the contest is over.) There are minigames throughout, though. (See angry nerd.)

Maybe they'll include Combat in volume 2. I suspect that's going to be mostly later Atari stuff: Crystal Castles, Marble Madness, Klax, etc.

 

[Jumpman Jr.]

No Super Breakout? I'll wait for Volume 2.

 

[POWERSPHERE]

I don't know, I played a lot of Atari games a few months back and they are just to old for me to enjoy at this point. Very few games are enjoyable to someone who has never played them before IMO.

That must pose a difficult problem when playing, oh, any game ever for the first time.

 

[jgkspsx]

To me, the most egregious inclusion is Slot Machine. I don't see any way that anybody can get fun out of that.

 

[Princess Skittles]

I am sick to my ass with Atari's revisionist history wherein the only home console they ever released was the 2600. There were many superior conversions of their games on 400/800/1200, 5200, and 7800, it really chafes my hide that they never show a damn lick of interest in acknowledging those.

Truf.

 

[discoalucard]

I am sick to my ass with Atari's revisionist history wherein the only home console they ever released was the 2600. There were many superior conversions of their games on 400/800/1200, 5200, and 7800, it really chafes my hide that they never show a damn lick of interest in acknowledging those.

Double agreed, but I think the marketing hacks believe these sell only based off nostalgia, and the 2600 has far more recognition than any of their other consoles/computers. It's not like these things take up much ROM space, they could easily slap on an entire library as a bonus.

 

[shuri]

The INTV was the superior console back in the days. The lineup was amazing, and they had quality control!

Face it, INTV>>>>>>>>>>>else

 

[Shiv47]

Burgertime is owned by Data East, who have released it on arcade compilations. But, yeah, doesn't help us :\

So many of the first-party Atari games were licensed (Defender, Berserk, Superman). Then there were the third-party Star Wars games, too.

And many of Inty's iconic games were third party or licensed - BurgerTime, Diner, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Lock'n'Chase, Pac Man, Pole Position, Popeye, the Activision games, etc.

God in heaven, did I love me some Lock'n'Chase back in the day, along with BurgerTime. Has Lock'n'Chase ever been released anywhere else? I played the shit out of some of the Imagic games as well; Beauty and the Beast, Microsurgeon, Dragonfire, Demon Attack. Too bad they couldn't include those on this cart instead of some of the shittier games they threw in.

I've heard that the original AD&D game doesn't have an arrow count display, which is retarded, but not a total killer. That was maybe my favorite game on Intellivision, so I'll be excited to play it again.

EDIT: I see that Lock'n Chase came out as a PSP Mini game. I'll have to give it a look.

 

[megashock5]

The INTV was the superior console back in the days. The lineup was amazing, and they had quality control!

Face it, INTV>>>>>>>>>>>else

Colecovision says hello

 

[Lard]

Was the Intellivision compilation on PS2 any good?

Also, no H.E.R.O. on the Atari compilation means no purchase for me.

 

[jgkspsx]

Was the Intellivision compilation on PS2 any good?

The overlay implementation was funky.

Also, no H.E.R.O. on the Atari compilation means no purchase for me.

Dude, that's Activision too. See what I mean?

 

[Wehrwolf]

Was the Intellivision compilation on PS2 any good?

On top of the funky overlay issue, it really needed to come with another person interested in Intellivision games to play the 2 player games with.

On a more serious note, the PS2 one didn't come with the AD&D games (which exist minus the AD&D license on some other versions of it, including apparently the DS version), which was a couple of my favorite games on the system.

However, it was only $20 new for a ton o' games, so I was glad to buy it. Take my word with a grain of salt, because I buy most retro collections (and not counting DS, I think I've bought like 3 versions of Intellivision lives already, as well as the computer only 'Invellision Rocks' sequel..)

 

[Johningame]

I have fond memories of the intellivision. I fear buying this would destroy those memories.

it would be much more tempting if they'd managed to get the Tron games on there. I used to love Deadly Discs! or whatever it was called

This.

I loved me some Tron Deadly Discs back in the day.

The other game I really want is the INTV version of Burger Time.

 

[Wehrwolf]

Too bad I can't connect the actual game consoles to my HDTV.. Darn progress.

 

[Leatherface]

Still waiting for my Vectrex compilation.... No I'm not.

 

[jgkspsx]

Still waiting for my Vectrex compilation.... No I'm not.

Do I know you? The Vectrex-fan world is so small...

I don't think anybody can make a commercial Vectrex compilation, since the games etc. are free to use as long as no profits are involved. Somebody should go talk to Jay, Tom, etc. and see if some exception can be made.

 

[Wehrwolf]

Do I know you? The Vectrex-fan world is so small...

Now this thread is what's going to turn up in the results for anyone doing searches for Vectrex... 'Hey! This isn't about Vectrex at all!!!'

 

[jgkspsx]

I ordered IL!DS from Beach Audio/Amazon. I'm going to try to pick up the Atari one in person.

Any impressions from anybody who has them?

Now this thread is what's going to turn up in the results for anyone doing searches for Vectrex... 'Hey! This isn't about Vectrex at all!!!'

 

[Agent X]

I don't have a DS system (but will probably get a 3DS when it comes out), so I cannot comment on these firsthand. However, I'll share some thoughts.

Personally speaking, of the two collections, I'd probably be inclined to get Intellivision Lives! first! To answer Lard's question:

Was the Intellivision compilation on PS2 any good?

It's very good.

However, I would guess that the DS version would be much better in this regard, primarily because of the ability to use the touch screen as the numeric keypad, and have a graphical representation of the overlay as well. This was the main problem with the console versions--games that relied on the numeric keypad either relied on alternate button assignments, or you could display the onscreen keypad and use a button and stick combination to access the keypad. The touch screen on the DS would effectively solve all of these problems.

Normally, I wouldn't say the DS is an ideal handheld for classic gaming (mainly because of screen resolution limitations), but if you're in the mood for Intellivision then I can't see it getting much better than this right now. Having a touch screen that can mimic the keypad (with overlays!), combined with actual physical joypad and button controls, make this a nearly perfect portable Intellivision. The only possible catch would be the digital joypad is limited to 8 directions, whereas the actual Intellivision controller could handle 16 directions. (Does this DS package use the touch screen for games that have 16-direction control?) Even without 16-directional support, I'd still guess this would be the go-to system if you want an Intellivision compilation.

I have mixed feelings about the Atari collection. First, it's $29.99, while most retro packs these days (on either DS or PSP) are $19.99 or lower. Even the PSP's Atari Classics Evolved (which I also had some complaints about--see my thoughts on it in this post) clocked in at $19.99 when it came out.

Second, it looks like Atari took (mostly) the same slate of arcade and Atari 2600 games that they've featured in various PC/PS2/Xbox/PSP compilations over the last few years, and decided to split it among two DS cartridges. This means you've got to fork out nearly $60 for a batch of games that sold for under $20 everywhere else.

I seriously have to question the value proposition here. Perhaps Atari's just milking the DS's expanded market for all its worth now...or maybe they see that there isn't much competition in retro gaming on the DS, and feel they can get away with a higher price since there aren't many other points of reference. There's no way that they're strapped for memory--all of the games on both volumes could probably fit into less than a megabyte, and surely less than two. Splitting the package into two "full priced" cartridges is just awfully egregious. Even though I've got numerous Atari compilations for many systems, I doubt I'd jump on this package if I do get a DS/3DS--at least not until it comes down to a bargain price.

On the bright side, the emulation is developed by former Digital Eclipse/Backbone people who have a great reputation for this kind of work (wished they provided the emulation for the Atari compilation on PSP as well--unfortunately, they didn't), and their interface seems to make good use of the DS touch screen. It appears to have some sort of trivia game as well, maybe something along the lines of what was included in Atari Anniversary Advance on GBA (developed by Digital Eclipse).

Finally, Shig's right on the money when it comes to Atari's ignoring all of their other home video games or computer games of the past. This would have been a good opportunity to include material from their other classic systems. Maybe Volume 2 will surprise us with some of these forgotten gems.

 

[jgkspsx]

I have mixed feelings about the Atari collection. First, it's $29.99, while most retro packs these days (on either DS or PSP) are $19.99 or lower. Even the PSP's Atari Classics Evolved (which I also had some complaints about--see my thoughts on it in this post) clocked in at $19.99 when it came out.

Second, it looks like Atari took (mostly) the same slate of arcade and Atari 2600 games that they've featured in various PC/PS2/Xbox/PSP compilations over the last few years, and decided to split it among two DS cartridges. This means you've got to fork out nearly $60 for a batch of games that sold for under $20 everywhere else.

I do agree with this. On the other hand, again, the DLC approach seems to be to charge $2-$6 for each game individually. (I'm still a bit shocked by XBLA Game Room

If there were, say, ten arcade games in there (Super Breakout, Black Widow, Major Havoc?) the value proposition would be clearer. Oh well.

 

[Pociask]

Thinking about getting Intellivision Lives for nostalgia alone. I cut my gaming teeth on Intellivision - Burger Time, Lock n' Chase, NBA Basketball, Frogger, Sea Battle, Bowling... of course the ones I would want the most are not on the collection. What a great age of gaming, though.

 

[shawnlreed]

So it turns out the list in the OP is not completely accurate, as Triple Action for the Intellivision is available for play, but only on Multiplayer mode (and for some reason, the hot air balloons will not take off).
Having played both of these games over the Thanksgiving holiday, I have decided the clear winner for most 2-player fun is Space Duel.

On a side note, the slide control using the stylus makes games like Pong and Lunar Lander much easier to play.
On the AtariAge forums, the programmer mentioned they were ironing out 4 player WiFi for the second collection, which can only mean one thing ... 4-player WARLORDS.
With the slider stylus controller, 4-player 2600 and Arcade Warlords will be godlike.

 

[jgkspsx]

ATARI COMP IS 20 on Amazon

I played through the INTV collection very seriously to write it up. Lots of stuff probably should have been skipped :/

Still, there's enough to justify the $15 price tag.

On the AtariAge forums, the programmer mentioned they were ironing out 4 player WiFi for the second collection, which can only mean one thing ... 4-player WARLORDS.
With the slider stylus controller, 4-player 2600 and Arcade Warlords will be godlike.