Customer Reviews

Atari Paddle Controller with 13 TV Games

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I thought this paddle edition of the Jakks retro Atari games was an improvement over their joystick edition. It's easier to control the game options thanks to a lot of interactivity on-screen that lets you know difficulty settings and such. And this one includes arcade versions of Pong and Warlords to boot! I found the control pretty easy to use, though not as great as I remember Atari paddles working (but I was so much younger then, and possibly better eye-hand coordination). This is a great collection of Atari games including Night Driver, Street Racer, Video Olympics (Pong), Warlords (Atari and arcade versions!), Steeple Chase, Circus Atari (also found on the joystick one), Demons to Diamonds, Breakout, Super Breakout, Casino, and Canyon Bomber. Nice mix of driving, tennis, arcade shooters, and breakout style games (pretty much what you want from a paddle!).

There is a two-player edition available that makes Pong a better game. But the computer is not unbeatable, and there are several settings to all of the games that make them what they always were - simple to play classics. I've enjoyed every edition of the TV GAMES so far (Atari, Activision and Namco -- no, I don't have Spongebob or Blue's Clues). The nice thing is they are portable and load quickly. I like not having to unpack and fire up my video game console every time I want a quick diversion. Overall this is a great addition to my growing collection of retro games.

I am a fan of Jakks' Namco TV games, but they messed up with this one. The point of having a paddle (knob) controller is to have smooth control over your position on screen. With this unit, the paddle does not move smoothly on screen; it jumps from position to position as you turn the knob. Circus Atari was actually a much better game than what you get here; in this version you only get 8 discrete positions to play from, a limitation which often prevents you from achieving anything.

The other games don't suffer quite as much from this deficiency in Jakks' design, so there is still some fun to be had. You get many options for each game, such as difficulty and play variations. You even get arcade versions of Pong and Warlords.

Overall, this little unit worth having even though it is not as good as the original games. In what were originally two-player games, the computer's skill level is set very nicely. But I probably would have been happier if I had waited to get Jakks' other paddle TV game, which does let you play against another person.

I actually have the 2 player version, which I'd recommend over the 1 player if you can find it. (Reason being that a number of the games - Warlords and Street Racer in particular, need 2 people competition to be real fun.)

The controller itself is sized like the real thing. The main controller has the batteries, and, as such, is a bit bigger/heavier/longer on the end, but the grip and paddle at the button end feels the same as my old one in the basement does. Unlike another reviewer, mine had smooth motion with no stops or jerkiness.

But, the best thing about this is the game selection and the addition of the Arcade Warlords. Here we go with a game by game breakdown...

* Super Breakout
Great game. They hadn't figured out all of the tricks that Arkanoid eventually added, but there are enough neat variations here to be a lot of fun. We used to play the "advancing bricks" version a lot as kids.

* Casino
Throwaway game that works on 1 button.

* Warlords
The classic party game. Still is fun on 1 player, but really needs competition for the most enjoyment.

* Steeple Chase
Although I appreciate the historical significance, Steeple Chase is just bad.

* Nightdriver
Well, it's not Pole Position (which was joystick based for the 2600). But, it was all we had. Would have been great to get Indy 500 on here, but that was a racing controller game.

* Breakout
Good, but pretty much stick with Super Breakout, which was the better game.

* Canyon Bomber
A classic 1 button game. Much more fun than Steeplechase, but unnecessary in this collection.

* Demon to Demand
That should be Demons to Diamonds. And, for the life of me, I can't figure out how the heck to play this. I believe this was supposed to be a kids title when Atari originally released it.

* Video Olympics
Again, a game for competition between 2 players. Fun with 2, but just 87 variations of Pong if it's by yourself.

* Pong (Arcade and Atari)
Fun with 2. But, 1 player? Not as fun.

* Arcade Warlords
The "wow" bonus of this game. 2600 warlords was fun, but limited AI made it odd for 1 person. Arcade warlords was simply one of the best games ever. It's really enjoyable to play 1 player.

* Circus Atari
One of my favorite games of all time. Love it. One of the most faithful arcade conversions on the Atari.

* Streetracer
Lots of people dog this game. And, for a 1 player game, it's kind of ludicrous and boring. HOWEVER, when you play against a person (like my rat bastard little brother!), it's a ton of fun.

So, that's about it. I refuse to reduce my rating of this game because of the lame games on it. Because, honestly, the good games on it are MORE than worth the price.

Finally, get the 2 player version if you can find it. The 1 player is fun, but finding a partner makes these games a blast.

I was really suprised when I saw the games look just like the ones I played about 25 years ago! The paddle controller was very smooth and persise. The total controller was a little bulkey, but it does house everything including the batteries. Hookup was easy. All-in-all, I think it is a hit!

atari type games and excellent--it arrived fast and in perfect shape and the person i mailed it to(a birthday gift)said she loves it.i recommend the seller very highly and the product is obviously more than just decent,as the person i sent it to loves video games and is a bit picky/.i say buy the product if you love video games and especially the old atari type games

Really have enjoyed this game. Its great to have the old paddle to use. Its been a lot of fun to play.

This 13 in 1 paddle controller brings back memories of the good old days.Remember the atari 2600? Most people probably don't know the impact the atari 2600 had.It was the system of the early days.Well now it's back with this great pasddle.The games are copied so exactly.Anyone whose played with original paddles will know exactly what i mean.Games include:Breakout,Super breakout,circus atari,warlords and video olympics just to name a few.In alot of ways they play better now then they ever did.I strongly recommend this is for younger gamers who didn't get a chance to experience the beginning of the video age!!

The exact one I bought has 2 paddles, but have the same games on it, so I'll review it here. It's just plainly better to play these games with a paddle controller instead of a Playstation controller (I own the Atari Anthology disc for PS2). This brings back the great memories of the Atari 2600 system without the lunky system & game carts. If you loved the paddle games, then this will be loads of fun!

The negatives:
(1) The 2 Arcade-original games, Pong & Warlords, are just a waste. Pong just goes until someone loses the ball once (doesn't keep score). Arcade Warlords, although better graphics, pales in comparison to the playability of the Atari 2600 version, which thankfully is also on this unit.
(2) The sound on certain games aren't the same as the originals. On Super Breakout, instead of a random sound choice each time you reset the game, you always get just the one sound set :(

However, looking past these shortcomings, this is an excellent product that will have you playing for hours.

The toy and the seller are both excellent. I just thought I would have had more fun with the old games. They were a little too old :)

I sent this to a friend of mine (Age 46) for her 9 year old daughter.The daughter played with it alittle until her Mom got it...The Mom plays it more then the daughter!It would Not hold the attention of a "Tween" girl or boy but the games were challenging.