Review: ATARI 50 is a Fantastic Interactive Documentary on an Important Chapter of Gaming
Atari recently released Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration from developer Digital Eclipse. This is a game available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4/5, and Xbox (affiliate link). It was made to show fans 50 years of the video game company with video footage, archived images, games, and more. Atari was kind enough to send me a digital copy for the Nintendo Switch and you can find my thoughts below. If you want a copy, you can purchase Atari 50 from the digital storefront for your platform of choice (GOG and Steam on PC) or physical copies through your favorite retailers including GameStop (affiliate link).
A romp through Atari’s enduring past and a peek into the creative minds that created the publisher’s legacy, Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration invites you to explore the golden age of video games through a new lens. Featuring an interface that operates like an interactive library and told through a linear timeline, you’ll watch Atari grow from a small Silicon Valley startup to the iconic brand it quickly grew to become. Play over 100 classic titles that defined eras from platforms like arcade coin-op, 2600, 5200, 7800, Atari 8-bit computers, Lynx, and Jaguar, watch never-before-seen programmer interviews and commentaries, explore early game concepts, and enjoy a handful of reimagined fan-favorites lovingly created by developer Digital Eclipse.
I want to explore a small part of my history to provide some context. When I was growing up, I remember we had an Atari and an NES. I’m about 85% sure the Atari console we had was an Atari 2600, but I could be wrong. While I was still really young, both of those consoles became unusable for some reason or another. I didn’t have another console until about 2005-ish when I bought a used N64. Many of my older siblings have fond memories of those two very early consoles which paints a pretty picture for me. I remember playing the Atari and NES in general, but I don’t have specific memories regarding them. Atari 50 lets me reconnect with this small part of my history.
That being said, I jumped in and went to just start playing some of the games included in the Atari 50 collection. The few games I tried played alright, but it wasn’t all that satisfying. I was hoping it would click more for me, but it just felt like a standard collection of old games. That being, it was a very clean collection with some fun background music. The games also allow you to adjust the aspect ratio, filters, and borders to your liking which is always nice. They also have instruction manuals included!
The trick to Atari 50 is that there’s more to it than just being a collection of old games. Where Atari 50 really shines is in its museum exhibit. Now, they don’t call it an exhibit, but it really does feel like an amazingly curated museum exhibit for the history of Atari. It is laid out in a fantastic manner to give you an easily digestible form. The video segments are informative, the art and flyers and cards are included in such high quality, and it’s really interesting to experience the games in this manner as opposed to just pulling up the library and picking whatever tickles your fancy. You learn about the history of Pong and then you play Pong and it gives you a bit of a better appreciation for it. Then, as you continue it is almost like you feel the evolution of the company and the games. It also will introduce you to games you probably never experienced because they were on platforms that were huge failures like the Atari Jaguar.
If you’re wanting to go back and play classic Atari games, Atari 50 does that and it does it well. It even revamps some classics with a modern twist. I would highly recommend waiting for a huge sale though. However, if you’re wanting to learn about the history of Atari and the birth of video games as we know them, Atari 50 shines! If you want an interactive museum experience, Atari 50 is phenomenal. The MSRP is $39.99 (on sale at many retailers at the time of this writing). In my opinion, you’re not buying the games or even the experience of playing the games. You’re paying for a wonderfully crafted museum exhibit experience in the comfort of your home.
