Atari 2600: How it all began...
Written: Aug 19 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Large amount of software; solid joystick; first home versions of arcade games
Cons: Functional (at best) graphics and sound
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| offspringer's Full Review: Atari 2600 |
The Atari 2600 was the first truly successful home video game system to hit the marketplace. The system gained popularity as arcade games such as Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Missile Command, Asteroids, and others were coming into prominence, predominantly with the younger crowd. The Atari 2600 system gave game players their first opportunity to save their quarters and have a similar arcade experience at home. Recession-wracked Americans welcomed the Atari 2600 as a relief from their daily worries and the system developed into a rather large phenomenon during the later 70's and early 80's. Unfortunately, due to lackluster game quality later on in the system's life span and an overall decline in interest, gamers wound up abandoning the Atari 2600 and going back to arcades, where newer technology was prevalent.
The Atari 2600 console accepted game cartridges, and there were switches on the unit to affect difficulty, the number of players, and different game modes. The system accepted one ot two joystick controllers or paddle controllers. The joystick controllers were armed with one fire button, and the paddle controllers had two. A lot of the system's early software was of the generic variety, including such titles as Combat (which was a pack-in game) and Air-Sea Battle; however, the system built momentum after the release of Space Invaders. More arcade conversions would follow, including Asteroids, Berzerk, Missile Command, and others. Arcade conversions weren't all that the Atari 2600 could boast, as other games like Adventure, Superman, and Haunted House sprang up to add variety to the system's software.
The Atari 2600 also began the era of the third-party developer. New publishers sprang up with newer titles to add to the system's repertoire. Activision was probably the most widely recognized of these developers, bringing home such hits as Keystone Kapers, Megamania, Saucer Attack, and Pitfall!, a timed adventure that tested your exploration and dexterity skills. Imagic brought us titles like Atlantis and Cosmic Ark. Parker Brothers brought home a version of Konami's Frogger. Even Mattel, who was Atari's main competition, produced some decent games, including some sports games and a game based on "Tron", the popular Disney movie. Atari seemed to be flying high with all of this software support, and when Pac-Man made his long-awaited home debut, it seemed as though Atari was set for some smooth sailing; however, this would not be the case, even with Pac-Man's success.
With so many developers trying to cash in on Atari's popularity, a glut of games was evident. Games were everywhere, and the Atari 2600 began to lose some of its novelty status. Interest in the Atari 2600 began to wane as gamers were again attracted to arcades and newer technologies therein which the Atari 2600 console simply could not match. The glut of games became so large that Atari allegedly buried thousands of copies of their games that retailers couldn't sell somewhere in Arizona, including copies of ET and Raiders of the Lost Ark. When Atari finally gave up on the Atari 2600, many retailers considered it the end of the home video gaming fad and the home video gaming market seemed doomed. Atari would later release newer consoles, like the 5200 and the 7800, but would never experience the success they had with the 2600.
The Atari 2600 stands as the pioneer of home video gaming in earnest. For the first time, eager gamers were able to have a pseudo-arcade experience in the comfort of their own homes. At the time, however, gaming was more of a fad than a part of pop culture and America's attention would soon turn elsewhere. Although retailers had given up on home video gaming, the emergence of the Nintendo Entertainment System in late 1985 would change that line of thinking for good. The Atari 2600's place in video gaming history was sealed as it the system truly pioneered home video gaming, even if it has matured from the fad that it was over 20 years ago.
Recommended:
Yes
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Member: Peter Skerritt, Jr.
Location: West Springfield, MA
Reviews written: 141
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I am an avid video game player with 30 years of gaming experience.
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