Atari Classics Evolved

by Atari

Product Features

• 11 Classic Atari Games in their original and evolved designs
• Over 50 unlockable Atari 2600 titles
• Battle it out via wireless multiplayer in "Warlords" and "Battlezone"

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000TPTCSC
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4 x 0.6 inches ; 3.2 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: December 18, 2007
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,334 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #38 in Video Games > Sony PSP > All Games
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com

As we live in a world where video games look as real as live television, who would have thought that it all originated from Pong? Classic games like Pong, Centipede, and Battlezone began a video gaming revolution. Atari, the video game pioneer, is bringing back these and 8 other 2-dimensional classic games, giving it an updated look for the 21st Century and introducing a new way to play them.

No need to dust off your Atari 2600. These classic games are now available for you to take everywhere you go on the PSP© (Playstation©Portable) system. Whether you’re looking for that classic, retro experience, or you’re looking for new-age graphics, each game will be playable in both classic and evolved forms to satisfy your itch. As an added bonus, you’ll be able to unlock over 50 Atari 2600 titles giving you non-stop gaming action.

Asteroids - Shoot down flying saucers before they shoot you. Asteroids was originally released in 1979 and was quickly a hit in the United States, becoming Atari’s best-selling game of all time.

Asteroids Deluxe - Asteroids Deluxe was produced in 1980 as the sequel to Asteroids.

Battlezone - Drive your tank around the battlefield, fire your gun and destroy the enemy tanks. Battlezone was released in 1980 and is widely considered to be the first "virtual reality" game.

Centipede - The Centipede is attacking and you must destroy all the segments before it reaches the bottom of the garden and takes you out! Centipede was released in 1980.

Lunar Lander - The first carbon-conscious game! Land you craft on the craggy moonscape, but try to use as little fuel as you can. Lunar Lander was released in 1979. Though it never equaled the success of Asteroids, it has always retained a strong and loyal fan-base.

Millipede - Released in 1982 as a sequel to Centipede. Shoot the garden nasties and watch out for the Millipede!

Missile Command - Defend the cities and don’t let the nukes take out your missile stations. Released in 1980, Missile Command was a huge hit, often providing more revenue than contemporary machines until the mid-1990s.

Pong - Well, what can we say about this classic that you don’t already know? Pong was released in 1972 and is the oldest game of the collection. It’s a classic that never grows old.

Super Breakout - Move the bat and deflect the ball. Released in 1978, Super Breakout was microprocessor-based arcade game, as opposed to the discreet logic used in the original Breakout.

Tempest - Destroy the baddies as they make their way toward you. Tempest, released in 1981, was the first game to allow you to choose your starting level (a system Atari dubbed "SkillStep"). This feature increased the maximum starting level, depending on your performance in the previous game, essentially allowing you to continue — a feature that became a standard in later video games.

Warlords - It’s like Breakout, but with four players. Defend your base and destroy the others. Warlords was released in 1980.

Atari 2600 (Unlockable) - To unlock Atari 2600 games, you must earn all four awards for each of the main games.

Product Description

Features include:

•11 Classic Atari Games in their original and evolved designs
•Over 50 unlockable Atari 2600 titles
•Battle it out via wireless multiplayer in "Warlords" and "Battlezone"

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great games -- frustrating unlockables, February 5, 2008

By 

Howard D. Fisher "kahohito" (Pennsylvania, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Atari Classics Evolved (Video Game)

The idea for this game is fantastic. Take a bunch of classic arcade games we've all played a million times before and update them with newly improved, "evolved," graphics. And they rock! The graphics are great, the sound effects are sufficiently retro without sounding silly, and the games retained their same heart. Overall, a really fun PSP game.

Having said that, however, there are two distinct problems. First, if you have XBox Live Arcade, you'll recognize all these games as the same ports that have been trickling onto XBLA for the past year or so. This UMD is a much better deal, though, getting them all in one package instead of $5-$10 each through XBLA. However, the PSP controls are just a little too wonky for the games that require more precision, such as Missile Command or Battlezone, especially when you compare them to the X360 controls (which, granted, weren't that precise to begin with, but they are better).

Second, the game makes a big deal about containing over 50 Atari 2600 games available to be unlocked. However, instead of unlocking them a few at a time as you make incremental progress through the new-and-improved games, the developers decided to make them ALL unlockable once you achieve EVERY goal in EACH evolved game. So basically, the unlockable Atari 2600 games are an all-or-nothing deal. Stuck on the last achievement? Tough! You'll NEVER play ANY of the 2600 games until you get that last achievement. And that makes getting any of the achievements that much less of an accomplishment than it should be.

If the unlockable games had NOT been included in this package, it would be a sweet deal all on its own. If you want to play these classic games, get this UMD. Just be prepared to be playing ONLY these 12 games until you unlock all 48 achievements.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The classics should have been unlocked from the start, April 15, 2009

By 

Mark Twain "Sr" (Sherwood, WI) - See all my reviews

= Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Atari Classics Evolved (Video Game)

I bought this game to play the 2600 classics. That's really the only reason I bought it. I think their reskins of the classics are bad. To make matters worse, they make you play them in ridiculous amounts to unlock the 2600 classic games, which is probably why everyone is buying this to begin with. I had to go through the dicey process of downloading the one and only save game where someone had gone through the nightmare of unlocking the 2600 games. So if you buy this, go to GameFaqs and download the save game where someone did all the tedious work for you.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really good retro game pack, December 20, 2007

By 

Mark (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Atari Classics Evolved (Video Game)

I have the Atari collection for the Nintendo DS and boy, was that a disappointment. I wish I could have gotten my money back. This on the other hand is so much better (and cheaper) that I was not expecting it to be this good. The 11 games come in two versions, classic and Modern (evolved). The controls take getting used to since games like Millipede and Centipede had a control ball, this you have to use joystick or direction buttons. There is also unlockable versions of Atari 2600 games too, over 50 according to the box but I haven't gotten there yet. Highly recommended games. Remember back in the 80s when these were top? An arcade game cost a few thousand and you get all these for $20 with better graphics (but not better controls).