Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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215 of 226 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Atari - compact and affordable!, September 4, 2003
Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars
This is a great toy/game for anybody who is an ATARI fan, or anybody you want to convert. It's so easy to hook up, extremely portable, and plays great! Some people have begrudged the absence of Pac-Man, but there is another NAMCO system that has that game on it - in it's arcade form! So check for that if you have to have Pac-Man. Here you get CENTIPEDE, ASTEROIDS, MISSILE COMMAND, CIRCUS ATARI, YAR'S REVENGE, BREAKOUT, GRAVITAR, REALSPORTS VOLLEYBALL, PONG, and ADVENTURE. All of them seem like the exact same games that were out in the late 70s early 80s. It's a lot of fun to see these games again. Hip, very hip!
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32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not perfect, but not far from it., November 22, 2003
Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:2.0 out of 5 stars
Open the box, plug it in, and play some of the greatest classic games of all time. They're not perfect reproductions, and they're not all joystick games, but who really cares? The games are a blast to play, and are still top of the industry in terms of sheer fun. The joystick, with batteries in, weighs and feels just right. My friends are all hardcore gamers, having spent years on XBox and Playstation, etc etc... and players are still visibly tilting the controller and falling into the old habits of "UH!" and "GAH!" and all those wonderful game sounds trying to make the paddle move a little faster or the blaster fire a little harder. This is great for anyone, but especially for people who remember the "old days". This is the golden age of gaming, reproduced as well as need be.Minor complaints: The sound and authenticity are a little off, and it takes a second to get used to having to hit buttons to advance title screens. Note: DO read the manual/pamphlet. Many of the games have extra play modes, and understanding them can add a lot of value to this toy. Also, there's no true two-player mode. Games that have two-player support only have the old "P1 goes until they lose, then P2 goes" system. There are some minor complaints to make, but this is the closest thing to Atari short of going out and finding an old system. Overall, 8/10. One point lost for minor sound complaints, and another for lack of true two-player elements. Maybe next holiday season there will be a double-joystick pack to make that possible...
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Retro Gaming Device, December 15, 2003
Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars Educational:2.0 out of 5 stars
This is an excellent toy. I bought it to introduce my 3-year-old to video games and he's really enjoyed it. While the games have very simple graphics, many are also simple enough for him to play. His favorites include "Moons" (what he calls Asteroids) and "Spider" (aka Centipede). Yar's Revenge, Gravitar, and the volleyball game are a bit beyond him for now. Adventure has provided the best educational experience so far: While I coach him, he's learning up, down, left, right, "kill the dragon," and "no, no, don't drop that key inside the wall...auuughhh!"The joystick is extremely sturdy. It's a little stiffer than the originals were, but it may loosen up over time. An A/C adapter would have been a nice option as batteries, especially rechargeables, don't last long. Documentation is sorely lacking: I had to look-up the manual of Yar's Revenge at atariage.com to remember how to play it. I recommend that site, or any of the websites devoted to old-school gaming, to find helpful information for these games, such as descriptions of the various level/difficulty settings. Many have commented on the difficulty of playing a few of these games with a joystick instead of a paddle controller. They have a point; however, Pong and Breakout weren't exactly challenging games to begin with, so playing with a joystick makes them tougher to master, and brings some fun back to playing them. If you have fond memories of the Atari VCS (2600), you'll be pleased with this device. It's not perfect, but it's likely to bring back a lot of warm memories - or nightmares, if you were always dropping that key inside the wall...auuughhh!
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