Hey there, gamers! I’m back again with yet another Throwback. It wasn’t originally my plan, but over spring break I had the privilege of experiencing the wonders of the old school Atari entertainment system. I had never played it before, but I was familiar with some of the titles. After a good three hours of taking turns with my friends and having fun, I realized that Atari is just as good of a party console as the Nintendo Wii, and is even more challenging.
So, let’s break this down, one by one, and if you’re an old fan of Atari, reminisce with me. Unfamiliar gamers, sit back and take a moment to appreciate the old school.
Once my good friend, Jennifer Zdanowski, suggested that my fellow Astronomy Club members and I break out the Atari, I was a little thrown off. I thought, “Atari? That old game system?” but alas, I can appreciate where my beloved video games originated from so I said, “Let’s do it!” She then handed me a square chunk of plastic with a stiff red joystick in the middle and a single red button in the corner. Once again I thought, “You gotta be kidding me.” But I graciously accepted the controller and turned on the system.
First up: Donkey Kong. I had heard rumors of this game before. It’s insanely repetitive and the barrels are completely unfair. Let’s just say, I didn’t get very far, but it was a great starter game because it boosted my determination levels through the roof. Needless to say, once my man Frogger came around, that’s when the party really started.
I’m sure most of you have played Frogger before, or at least a game like it. The objective is to get the little frog through traffic and across a river to its little cozy area. Surprisingly, it’s not that hard, and I say surprisingly because most Atari games will be the death of you. For example, Centipede...there’s not getting past that game. Anyway, Frogger was definitely a good one and caused some temporary feuding between me and a close friend. That’s what I call a good game.
Of course we played others such as Pitfall, Space Invaders, and Ms. Pacman, which I am proud to say I destroyed. It’s not the most impressive feat, but I’ve never made it seven levels into Ms. Pacman before…and on this system, those ghosts are FAST. So I will say that I’m proud of myself, but I’m sure it’s nothing compared to some of the pros I’ve seen. As for Space Invaders, for those of you who aren’t familiar with the title, it is very much like Galaga. You have to shoot the rows of aliens while they shoot at you; however, as you eliminate the pests, they move closer and closer to you and at a faster pace. Regardless, it’s pretty fun and relatively challenging.
The games went well enough, but I was completely distracted by the graphics. I was in pixel haven. However, given its time period, it’s actually rather impressive, especially in Pitfall. And in Ms. Pacman, the little white circles were little white rectangles. Rounded shapes ceased to exist in Atari-land.
Anyway, to sum it up, the Atari gaming console is awesome, and I had a lot of fun playing it with my friends. If you know someone who has one, I highly recommend you give it a shot just to see how things used to be. And if you have played it before, I hope you understand the experiences I had with these popular titles, and I hope you enjoyed them as well as I did. I’m sure it’s not the last time I’ll play Atari, I can tell you that.
Until next time, gamers, stay golden!