role-playing

OK, classic gamers, if you've been holding off on getting that Gameboy Advance, you're running out of excuses! Atari Arcade Advance is a near-perfect gaming experience for those of us that used pump quarters into arcade machines back in the early 80's. All the translations are faithful, and the trivia game is pretty fun. I especially love being able to take TEMPEST with me anywhere! The only minor complaint I have is with the controls. The Gameboy's directional keypad makes trackball games like MISSILE COMMAND and CENTIPEDE a bit problematic. But you'll get used to it, and there's really no reason not to add this to your collection.

Atari Anniversary Advanced is definitely the best Atari reproduction that you will ever see. It contains several of the great classics including Asteroids, Battzone, Centipede, Missile Command, Super Breakout and Tempest all reproduced to the maximum capabilities of the Game Boy Advance sysyem. Plus, there is a trivia game where they ask you multiple choice questions about the history of Atari, about it's classic games, and the Atari game on Game Boy Advance. Plus, you can choose how you want all of these games to be displayed, vertically or horizontally.

Remember when video games were in the arcades, and you had a pocket full of quarters? When Chuck E. Cheese was your favorite restaurant, and Aladdin's Castle was a place to hang out not a locale in a Disney flick? If you do this game is for you! In it you will find faithful reproductions of Asteroids, Battlezone, Centipede, Missile Command, Super Breakout, and Tempest. No updates, no "arrangements", just straight up video games from the early 80s.

Most people have noticed the controls are an issue, and I agree they do hinder you sometimes. Missle Command and Centipede were designed for a track ball, and Super Breakout really needs a paddle. Using the directional pad takes some getting used to. I ended up playing this more on my GameBoy Player for the GameCube which made them a little easier.

But fans of these now primitive games/then innovative will be glad to see them again in any form. The games are simple and immediately playable and addictive. I am a fan of the retro games, and this package has some great ones. I love being able to play ASTEROIDS just as it was in the arcades - a bunch of white lines on a black screen with just a bass line going the whole time! Even the Atari 2600 improved on it with color!

You have to see this for what it is - the dawn of video games. Its nostalgia, a living museum where you can go back to a time when video games were mainly in arcades. You won't see dazzling graphics or complicated missions to complete. Mainly geometric shapes firing dots at each other. :-) But for some reason I love the games for being simple. Just shoot and stay alive as long as you can. And no tokens!