Atari Anthology collects the games that invented a new industry! Take a step back in time to the earliest days of gaming, with faithful reproductions of classic Atari titles.

We were in hopes of being able to play old Atari games like we used to play with our kids. Not at all what we expected.

I snatched this collection up the first week it became available for the PS2 in 2004. The PC version had been out for some time by then. I could now relive my young adulthood. I was 22 when I got the Atari VCS in 1981. I still had a B&W TV in my bedroom, but I had a blast playing the seven games I had bought for it, including Space Invaders, Missile Command, Asteroids and Breakout. Six months later, I had a color TV and twice as many games, including Super Breakout, Maze Craze and Video Pinball.

The 18 arcade titles alone justify the purchase of this disc. Atari could've stopped there, but they added most of their 2600 library on here. Granted, there are duds with mediocre to bad graphics and game play. But the memories that this collection brings to all the Atari owners out there. Surround, Air Sea Battle, Sky Diver, Canyon Bomber, Dodge 'Em, Yars Revenge and all the rest. Plus you can unlock several modes for playing the 2600 games, trippy mode, double speed, time warp, time challenge and hot seat.

The only negative thing about this disc is that the PS2 controller does not work well for most of the paddle games or games where you're at an angle, like Crystal Castles. I agree with a couple of other reviewers in that maybe except for Pong and Breakout, they should've left out the paddle games and put a few of the 5200 or 7800 games on here instead. They could have also bumped up the arcade total to 20 by adding Kangaroo and Food Fight, but you can't have everything.

My favorite arcade titles are Centipede, Millipede, Tempest, Crystal Castles, Black Widow and Warlords. There's also a nine-part interview with Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, who discusses "Pong" among other things. If you had the Atari 2600, get this collection!! Nuff' said.

This PS2 disc contains 85 original Atari games with 67 being from the Atari 2600 and 18 direct from the arcades. The games are seperated into 9 categories. These are Action Games, Adventure Games, Arcade at Home, Arcade Originals, Casino Games, Mind Games, Racing Games, Space Games, and Sports Games. On the main menu when you press the 'bonus' button, you get to view a bunch of Atari flyers and promo items along with actual scans of the box, cartridge, manual, extras that originally came with the game.

You also get a nine-part interview segment with Atari founder Nolan Bushnell in which he discusses about the early days of gaming, the development and distribution of the game Pong, and various other aspects of early gaming history. Each game has an additional feature where you can play modified versions such as Trippy, Double Speed, Time Warp, Time Challenge, and Hot Seat. Some of these need to be unlocked. When you are in a game, you can press the help button which takes you straight to the intruction manual for that particular game.

Since this is called the 'Atari Anthology', I wish they had also included a small number of 5200 and 7800 games as well. I like the amount of games included, but there way too many 2600 games; a few could've been replaced by some 5200 and 7800 stuff. It was funny seeing some of the 2600 games that came out in 1988/89. As limited as the 2600 is, the programmers were able to squeeze in an animated intro screen and some quasi 2.5D graphics. Overall this is a nice package with the sheer amount of retrogaming and old Atari memorabilia.

Atari Anthology

If you and 50 million others grew up with Atari you will find this a must have for your game collection! The 18 arcade games are worth the price alone.All are reproduced faithfully.The common complaint is the "paddle games" it's true. The ps2 or any other controller just don't work.The exception being Tempest! The 2600/VCS games are perfectly emulated here as well.I am constantly amazed at what they could pack in to a 2-4 k cartridge! Later games have more memory but we are still talkin about K's! 85 games! Astroids to Yars Revenge! Plus all the variations will test your gaming skill to the limit! True gen y gamers may not "get it" but I'd challenge the best of them to a game of Astroids any day.Back in the day you didn't win you survived!
This is the perfect companion to Activison Anthology! Endless fun here don't pass it up!

I have waited YEARS for this to happen!!! Finally, after all the years, Playstation II has the one game that started it all! I still remember Christmas 1977, after watching several commercials for the Atari 2600, I received my very own that year for Christmas. I couldn't wait to play the games, and spent several hours, and then later years playing with it.
I remember going through ALL the transitions Atari made with the later 5200 and the 7200 and then the mini 2600 system. I also remember the comics that started coming in the newer games, and then so many other companys making the games, and then the CRASH! (1984)
I played my Atari even after it started to become out of style in the late 80's, and all through the Nintendo era back then. I even had a few Sega systems, and then moved to the Sony in the late 90's, and then a miracle, the Playstation II. I still have my old Atari 2600 with several games and controllers needed for it, but only because of the missing Atari games that the Anthology doesn't provide.
I do love the Atari Anthology, and I am very happy that finally after all these years, we have one game with one system that plays over 80 games. However, I feel that another Anthology needs to become available for all of us classic gamers. The first Anthology leaves off: Superman, Space Invaders, Jungle Hunt, Kangaroo, Vanguard, Dig Dug, Defender, Bezerk, Pac-Man and etc...
Yes, I know that Atari didn't design all of these games originally, but I think after all this time, Atari should have the rights to the cheap 8 bit graphics and the big companys can keep coming out with more compilations! In my opinion, somebody should initiate another Atari Anthology and give us old gamers EVERYTHING the Atari had to offer back in the day! However, if this doesn't happen, then this Atari Anthology is the best were going to get...