32 in 1 (Atari 2600 / Atari 7800 review)

Developer: Atari Corporation
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1988

32 in 1 is a compilation of Atari 2600 games that was only released in PAL territories.

+ Ensures there's something for everyone by including titles in multiple genres, such as action, puzzle and board games. 

+ Robust sports list available, including Skiing which is a real highlight with its multiple layouts and ultra-precise controls.

+ Fun multiplayer action, with games such as Air Sea Battle and Freeway Chicken offering engaging high score battles.

- Having to power cycle the console to load the next game is cumbersome, especially when you want the last title in the list!

- Popular Atari games such as Asteroids and Centipede are absent, making this a muted showcase of the 2600 library.

- Blackjack is a peculiar inclusion given its Paddle Controller requirement, and NFL Football has a ton of flicker.

- Has duplicate titles with weird graphical hacks, and Fishing even introduces collision detection issues with your line.

Midnight Mutants (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: Radioactive Software
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1990

Midnight Mutants is an action-adventure game that's exclusive to the Atari 7800.

+ Does a respectable job of guiding you via the comprehensive manual and in-game hints you receive from Grampa.

+ Game's scope is impressive with plenty of interesting areas to explore and an array of upgradeable items to hunt down.

+ Great dichotomy of initially leaving you defenceless before allowing you to power-up to battle remarkably large bosses.

+ From the opening cinematic, the presentation is top-notch and the atmosphere brilliantly evokes a campy horror vibe.

- Has a seriously irritating habit of placing you on top of an enemy when entering a new area, resulting in unfair damage.

- Respawning bats are annoying and some foes can withstand a barrage of hits, even when you have the Mega Blaster.

- Isometric viewpoint conflicts with the standard four-way controls, leading to inaccuracy when judging spatial distance.

Ms. Pac-Man (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: General Computer Corporation
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1987

Ms. Pac-Man is a maze game that was originally released in the Arcade in 1982 as the sequel to Pac-Man (1980, Arcade).

+ Eight difficulty settings are available to cater to your skill level and the cute cut-scenes provide an adorable back story.

+ While the original game only had one maze, this sequel has four well-designed layouts to keep you invested longer term.

+ Ghosts have unique behaviours and speeds, and their A.I. is incredible as you can actively watch them trying to flank you.

+ Bonus fruits return, but this time with the treacherous twist of bouncing around the playfield to raise the suspense.

+ Extra tunnels have been introduced to the mazes, which is a brilliant idea that gives you multiple ways to escape foes.

+ While the Atari 5200 version (1983) only gave you three lives, this port affords you five to extend play sessions.

- Controls can get stuck on maze corners, and there's little reason to upgrade from the four-year-old Atari 5200 game.

Tomcat: The F-14 Fighter Simulator (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: Absolute Entertainment
Publisher: Absolute Entertainment
Released: 1989

Tomcat: The F-14 Fighter Simulator is an aerial combat game that was also released on the Atari 2600 (1989).

+ Good graphics with cool flight deck details, and the secondary landing / incoming missile displays add to the immersion.

+ Take-off is uncomplicated, and the animation of the deck officer waving you along is a nice presentational touch.

- Cumbersome controls aren't suited to a home console, as the game forces you to use the hardware's buttons / switches.

- Action is mind-numbingly boring and there's plenty of time to have a snooze while waiting for a bogey to appear.

- Dogfighting is the weakest part of the game, as skittish enemies can magically warp a few pixels ahead to avoid you.

- Missile lock-on should be a fun, effective part of the action, but the tracking time is very short and often unreliable.

- Landing is painfully difficult, mainly due to the minuscule 10° altitude safety range that you need to stay within.

Fatal Run (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: Sculptured Software
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1990

Fatal Run is a vehicular combat game that was also released on the Atari 2600 (1990).

+ Combat is reminiscent of RoadBlasters (1987, Arcade) but with added rear weapons, and the password option is terrific.

+ Shops offer a robust selection of upgrades, repairs and weapons that provide a multitude of ways to tackle each stage.

+ Between stage cut-scenes have neat parallax scrolling, and keeping civilians alive to earn currency is an addicting hook.

- Gameplay is repetitive and the driving is mundane, as there's long stretches where you're waiting for foes to appear.

- If the HUD didn't display your speed, you'd likely have no idea if you're currently running a Basic or Turbo engine.

- Slippery physics make careful manoeuvring between lanes an unnatural task, almost like you're skating on ice.

- Roadside scenery is barren and there's some weird scaling issues where cars and hazards float above the track!

Joust (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: General Computer Corporation
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1987

Joust is an action game that was first released in the Arcade in 1982 before being ported to the Atari 5200 a year later.

+ Action is fast and fluid with an impressive physics engine, and there's various wave types to keep things interesting.

+ Having to collect eggs before they re-hatch creates tension, as does quickly eliminating buzzards to avoid Pterodactyls.

+ Shrewdly, you can override the respawn animation after a death to get back into the action at the most opportune time.

+ Improved controls vs. the 5200 thanks to digital inputs that negate drifting from the former's non self-centring analog stick.

- However, the NES game (1988) does trump it with its multiple button layout that allows you to flap at normal or fast speed.

- Animation is noticeably choppier than the Atari 5200 version and the ability to pinball off surfaces isn't as prominent.

- Aside from a minor graphical spruce-up, there's not much reason to buy this over the four-year-old Atari 5200 port.

Rampage (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: Activision
Publisher: Activision
Released: 1989

Rampage is an action game that was first released in the Arcade in 1986.

+ Has a whopping 132 stages and your constantly depleting life bar gives the game an edgy survival element.

+ Includes all three monsters from the Arcade, and recognising what items harm or heal you requires quick thinking.

+ Unlike the NES version (1988), continues are limited which is more of an incentive to try and beat your high score.

- Gameplay is mind-numbingly repetitive and there's barely anything new that gets introduced to keep you engrossed.

- Offers very little in the way of scenic variety and without different things to see you never feel like you're progressing.

- Controls can sometimes be unresponsive when bashing buildings, and the hit detection is spotty when punching choppers.

- Graphics and textures aren't as detailed as the NES version, and it's harder to distinguish items from one another.

F-18 Hornet (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: Imagineering
Publisher: Absolute Entertainment
Released: 1988

F-18 Hornet is a combat flight simulator that was also released on the Commodore 64 (1988).

+ Take-off is commendably straightforward and you can instantly select any of the four missions from the main menu.

+ Short missions have that 'just one more go' factor, and daring manoeuvres are incentivised with bonus points.

+ Polygon graphics are excellent with a consistent frame-rate, and managing to land the plane is endlessly thrilling.

- Forces you to memorise entire stage layouts from the manual, which negates spontaneity and skill-based reactions.

- Combat is wonky with an unreliable lock-on that's hit-and-miss, and the arc to your missiles never feels natural.

- Limited draw distance makes it tough to spot the exact placement of upcoming enemies and landing strips.

- Convoluted controls, as you need to use the console's Difficulty Switch and Select button alongside the joystick.

Ninja Golf (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: BlueSky Software
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1990

Ninja Golf is a beat-em-up / sports title that's exclusive to the Atari 7800 console.

+ Course design is brilliant and tasks you with deciphering whether the shortest route will ultimately lead to more peril.

+ On-screen map is super handy for planning your route, as well as showing your proximity in relation to the ball.

+ Beat-em-up sections are very reminiscent of Kung-Fu Master (1989, Atari 7800), with combat having a rhythmic flow.

+ Good range of enemies (some unique to each playing surface) and the neat parallax scrolling doesn't affect performance.

+ Plenty of items available to give you a fighting chance, and the limited shurikens are helpful for long-range attacks.

- Golfing aspect is rather basic and it's a shame that putting wasn't included to increase the drama at the end of each hole.

- Bosses are repetitive with easily exploitable attack patterns, and the lack of in-game music lessens the atmosphere.

Touchdown Football (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: Imagineering
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1988

Touchdown Football is a sports game that was released on numerous platforms including Atari 8-bit computers (1986).

+ Includes a two-player mode with a great feature of being able to hide your play call by holding down the fire button.

+ Impressive amount of plays on both sides of the ball, including line shifts and audibles at the line of scrimmage.

- However, in actuality the passing game is weak as it's difficult to judge the intended location of your throws.

- Running game only involves the Quarterback and it's almost impossible to gain any noteworthy yardage.

- On Defense, the CPU gives you a nanosecond to choose a formation, which negates much of the strategic gameplay.

- Useless teammates rarely do their blocking job, while letting Wide Receivers speed by them with little resistance.

- Lack of difficulty options hurts the solo experience, and there's no time-outs to stop the clock for a final play.

Summer Games (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: Epyx
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1987

Summer Games is a sports title that was released on numerous platforms including the Sega Master System (1991).

+ Supports up to eight contestants in multiplayer, and allows you to tailor the specific event(s) you want to compete in.

+ Controls for each event are a nice mix of joystick waggling, timing-based reactions and restrained inputs for variety's sake.

+ 4x400m Relay is a superb game of strategy as you try to monitor energy levels while sprinting against a CPU pacer.

+ Gymnastics is similar to Ski Jump in Winter Games (1987, Atari 7800) and the complex mid-air jostling is rewarding.

+ Platform Diving has a neat risk-reward element, as you can perform an easy dive or gamble using complex rotations.

- Both swimming events lack a CPU pacer and the intensity is lessened without a fellow competitor to race against.

- As with Winter Games, CPU contestants aren't displayed on the leaderboard so winning doesn't feel as impactful.

RealSports Baseball (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: Atari Corporation
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1988

RealSports Baseball is a sports game that was also released on the Atari 2600 (1982) and Atari 5200 (1983).

+ Good pitch selection available, and easier double plays than the 5200 version as fielders all have cannons for arms.

+ Pace of play has been massively sped up, which allows you to complete a full nine inning game much quicker.

- Batting is awful due to your lethargic swing speed, and when fielding it's difficult to accurately judge the location of fly balls.

- No skill level customisation options, and the brutal CPU often throws you out at first after a hit near the warning track.

- No longer an option to change innings length, no quick pitches and the endearing voice clips have been omitted.

- Having to activate teammates after a play and manually throw the ball back to the pitcher is slow and cumbersome.

- Graphics show no substantial improvements from the Atari 5200 version, which is odd considering the five-year gap.

Motor Psycho (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: Bluesky Software
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1990

Motor Psycho is a racing game that's exclusive to the Atari 7800.

+ Fans of Pole Position (1982, Arcade) will find enjoyment thanks to the familiar gameplay premise and scoring system.

+ Four race tracks are well designed and the impressive draw distance allows you to see long stretches of upcoming road.

+ Ability to jump crazy heights offers risk-reward, as you accumulate more points in the air than on the ground.

+ Controls are excellent, particularly when downshifting on tight corners, and you can even customise how your bike turns.

- Frame-rate is shaky in areas with lots of bikers, which isn't great in a precision-based racer where every move matters.

- Takes an age to return to the road after a crash, and the awful intro music sounds like a toddler's first song.

- Graphics do little to impress, with colour clashing and sparsely detailed scenery that create a drab backdrop.

Pole Position II (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: General Computer Corporation
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1987

Pole Position II is a racing game that was first released in the Arcade in 1983.

+ Unlike the original Pole Position (1983, Atari 5200), the race tracks feel distinct in their layouts, with varied scenic backdrops. 

+ Responsive controls, decent speed and the inclusion of puddles on the tracks adds unpredictability to the racing action.

+ Changing low gear from d-pad up to down is clever and allows you to quickly emergency downshift around a tight corner.

+ Scoring system provides a great incentive to keep you playing, even if you're struggling to fully complete the races.

- Questionable collision detection, and CPU opponents often clog three-deep on tough corners, leaving you no room.

- No longer an option to select your chosen number of laps, which is disappointing for players who want extended races.

- Overly smooth graphics look smeared in Vaseline, and the SFX have a weird habit of cutting out when driving on kerbs.

Super Huey UH-IX (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: Atari Corporation
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1989

Super Huey UH-IX is a combat flight simulator that was originally released on the Commodore 64 in 1985.

+ Arcade mode is a brilliant idea, as it allows less patient gamers to avoid take-off and get straight into the action.

+ Flight School is another neat addition, as it slowly teaches you the basics to alleviate an otherwise steep learning curve.

+ Respectable frame-rate, and despite only having two buttons the controls work well and quickly become second nature.

- Reality mode contains only a single mission that can be beaten in a couple of minutes by simply avoiding all enemies.

- Opponents have an infuriating tendency to spawn out of thin air, causing you damage despite having no time to prepare.

- Speed is lacking and unless you look at your speedometer you'll have no clue as to whether you're at 20 mph or 80 mph.

- Bare-bones graphics with only a few random objects scattered around, and the enemy vehicle animation is unimpressive.

Scrapyard Dog (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: BlueSky Software
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1990

Scrapyard Dog is a platformer that was also released on the Atari Lynx (1991).

+ Deeper gameplay than you might expect, as while exploration isn't necessary it is rewarded with mini-games / items.

+ Lots of opportunities to visit shops that arm you with Special Items that are useful against packs of enemies.

+ Action is more enjoyable when approached as a resource management game and stocking up on items as early as possible.

- Difficulty curve is terrible, as Stage 1-3's sewer demands pixel-perfect jumps to platforms that are located off-screen.

- Doesn't do enough to progress the core concept, as there's very little difference in enemies / hazards after the first world.

-  No bosses except an awful sliding puzzle for the finale, and there's frame-rate dips and jerky scrolling in later levels.

- Manual does an awful job of explaining (or even visually demonstrating) what the huge row of icons are in the HUD.

Ace of Aces (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: Nova Game Design
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1988

Ace of Aces is a combat flight simulator that was released on numerous formats including the Sega Master System (1991).

+ Having multiple plane viewpoints is spectacular and there's tons of nuance to staying alive, such as dousing onboard fires.

+ There's real intensity when flying below the clouds to bomb trains and U-boats, especially as you're so close to ground level.

+ Practice mode is great for teaching you the ropes and working on specific actions you'll end up using in real missions.

- Frame-rate is low and it's irritating having to constantly realign your altitude because of delayed button presses.

- No take-off or landing sequences does deter from the game's realistic feel, and there can be huge lulls in the action.

- Firing rockets is a nail-biting affair for all the wrong reasons, as the ultra-small hit boxes require immaculate precision.

- Pre-mission images are hard to decipher and don't have anywhere near as much clarity as the Sega Master System port.

Super Skateboardin (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: Absolute Entertainment
Publisher: Absolute Entertainment
Released: 1988

Super Skateboardin is a maze game that's exclusive to the Atari 7800. 

+ Map design is expertly crafted, with intricate item placement and distinctive areas that force you to memorise multiple paths.

+ Doors you've already skated through remain open as you navigate around, which is handy when looking for new routes.

+ Controls are excellent and there's some cool sprite animations when objects such as TVs and printers are activated.

+ Once you've switched off each item, it's a race back to the entrance against the clock, which can be moderately exciting.

- Only one layout that doesn't take long to memorise, and the eight-second musical loop will quickly give you a headache.

- Apart from falling off the rooftop, the game is devoid of danger and could have used enemies / hazards to spice things up.

- Skateboarding premise feels tacked on, as there's nothing of substance that relates to the extreme sport.

Robotron: 2084 (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: General Computer Corporation
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1986

Robotron: 2084 is a wave shooter that was first released in the Arcade in 1982.

+ Ferocity and speed of the gameplay is mesmerising and the difficulty is more forgiving than the Atari 5200 version (1983).

+ Throws an enormous amount of sprites and animations around the playfield, and there's never any flicker or slowdown.

+ Having only a second or two to survey the most urgent threat(s) prior to the wave commencing is endlessly gripping.

+ Deciding whether to rescue humans or deal with the onslaught of robots is a great hook that adds risk-reward.

+ Using two controllers to fire and strafe works brilliantly and gives you just the right amount of manoeuvrability.

- Doesn't play nearly as well with just a single controller, as you can't be as nimble when evading / shooting enemies.

- Unlike the Atari 5200 port, this doesn't have a playfield border and the transition screens / SFX aren't as impressive.

Karateka (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: Ibid, Inc.
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1988

Karateka is a martial arts game that was first released on the Apple II in 1984.

+ Does a good job of building a narrative for the game's proceedings, and there's some cut-scenes that advance the story.

- Button presses are egregiously delayed and it's pot-luck as to whether your inputs will register seconds later, if at all.

- Distance management and strategy isn't possible due to the horrifically designed control scheme that's overly convoluted.

- You only have a small number of moves, and having to press the opposite direction to execute punches is unintuitive.

- Unlike International Karate (1985, ZX Spectrum), you can't jump and most fights end up in mindless button mashing.

- Gameplay is painfully slow, the collision detection is suspect and the voice clips from the original have been omitted.

- Being a port of a four-year-old game, it's a real missed opportunity to not include a two-player head-to-head mode.

One-on-One Basketball (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: Man Development Corp.
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1987

One-on-One Basketball is a sports game that was originally released in 1983 on the Apple II.

+ Has a number of customisation options including difficulty level, scoring rules, as well as an excellent two-player mode.

+ Bird and Dr. J have different skill-sets and learning how to outwit opponents using their unique play styles is a blast.

+ Fatigue Bar persuades you to rely on strategy over brute force, and carefully using time-outs for recovery adds nuance.

+ Like Food Fight (1986, Atari 7800), the replay feature is phenomenal and the shattering backboard animation is amusing.

- Quick-tap button presses occasionally result in a shot instead of a spin, and the end of each match-up is anti-climactic.

- Far sides of the court can't be reached, which is problematic when an invisible wall stops you in your tracks.

- Presentation is dry, and the graphics are simple with nothing in the background despite the cheering crowd.

Desert Falcon (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: General Computer Corporation
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1987

Desert Falcon is an isometric shooter that was also released on the Atari 2600 (1987) and Atari 8-bit (1988).

+ Gameplay adopts a thinking man's approach and gives you freedom to be methodical or charge in all guns blazing.

+ Constant need to switch between the air and ground is engaging and adds creativity to the entire playfield.

+ Buildings can shrewdly be used to your advantage and it's deviously fun drawing an enemy into their path for a kill.

- Isometric viewpoint makes it difficult to line-up shots, resulting in incessant shifting on the vertical axis to make contact.

- Super Power mechanic is convoluted and having to obtain hieroglyphs in a certain order is needless busy work.

- Has some unfortunate slowdown that causes frame-rate tanking, screen tearing, as well as laggy music.

- Bonus collect-a-thon stages do little to entertain, and some of the graphical colour schemes are garish.

Galaga (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: General Computer Corporation
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1987

Galaga is a fixed shooter that was first released in the Arcade in 1981.

+ Unpredictable enemy patterns keep things interesting, and the two-player mode is an enjoyable scoring competition.

+ Gameplay displays an impressive amount of on-screen sprites with no flicker, and there's some catchy jingles.

+ Action is infinitely more fun when armed with a second ship, and the gamble to obtain it is a lucrative risk.

+ Challenge Stage is an excellent diversion and a great way to test your reactions / pattern recognition for bonus points.

- Speed is pedestrian compared to the NES port (1988) and the Expert setting is the only way to get the true experience.

- Action becomes very repetitive after a few attempts and the game does little to advance the initial concept.

- Later levels suffer from bizarre instances of extreme frame-rate drops when there's swarms of on-screen foes.

Dig Dug (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: General Computer Corporation
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1987

Dig Dug is an action game that was initially released in the Arcade in 1982.

+ Offers a wide variety of level arrangements to keep things interesting and the collectable vegetables add risk-reward.

+ Quickly diagnosing layouts and planning a method of attack during the pre-stage jingle is both entertaining and stressful.

+ Craftily, you earn more points by defeating foes lower down the screen, and luring them into falling rocks is fiendishly fun.

+ Excellent graphical overhaul compared to the Atari 5200 version (1983) with less flicker and more detailed sprites.

- Controls aren't tight enough and many times you'll lose a life due to overshooting your intended target by a small amount.

- Pressing the button to activate your pump isn't always responsive and rapid fire attempts feel like hard work.

- While the Atari 5200 port offered 12 different skill levels to begin your game, this version only offers a meagre two.

Ballblazer (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: Lucasfilm Games
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1988

Ballblazer is a sports game that was also released on the Atari 5200 in 1986.

+ Action is impressively fast-paced with no slowdown despite the split-screen, and the graphics fit the futuristic vibe.

+ Brilliant scoring system to keep the competition tense, ranging from 1-3 points depending on your distance from the goal.

+ Has some clever ways to outwit your foe, such as swerving the ball and using the boundary to your advantage.

+ Two-player mode is the highlight and shooting the winning goal when the posts are at their narrowest is euphoric.

+ POKEY chip sings with its bass-heavy tones and there's neat audio cues to signal when you can blast an opponent.

- Looks and plays almost exactly like the Atari 5200 version and it's fair to question this port's lack of enhancements.

- Camera alternates between two angles and it can be very disorientating when it suddenly moves to a side-view.