For the 50th Anniversary of Atari, the company announced a limited edition series of ten re-issues of classic Atari VCS cartridges, each with new packaging, new artwork, and assorted bonus items packed in. After opening & reviewing all ten of these carts, GenXGrownUp is happy to announce the Atari XP Awards – the best and worst of these titles across eight categories. Watch along and see if you agree with our choices. Plus, we run down our dream lineup of ten games if we were to choose!
Gravitar is a color vector graphics multidirectional shooter arcade video game released by Atari, Inc. in 1982. Using the same “rotate-and-thrust” controls as Asteroids and Space Duel, the game was known for its high level of difficulty. It was the first of over twenty games (including the 1983 Star Wars) Mike Hally designed and produced for Atari. The main programmer was Rich Adam and the cabinet art was designed by Brad Chaboya. Over 5,427 cabinets were produced. An Atari 2600 version by Dan Hitchens was published by Atari in 1983.
Asteroids is a space-themed multidirectional shooter arcade video game designed by Lyle Rains and Ed Logg released in November 1979 by Atari, Inc. The player controls a single spaceship in an asteroid field which is periodically traversed by flying saucers. The object of the game is to shoot and destroy the asteroids and saucers, while not colliding with either, or being hit by the saucers’ counter-fire. The game becomes harder as the number of asteroids increases.
Centipede is a 1980 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. Designed by Dona Bailey and Ed Logg, it was one of the most commercially successful games from the golden age of arcade video games and one of the first with a significant female player base. The primary objective is to shoot all the segments of a centipede that winds down the playing field. An arcade sequel, Millipede, followed in 1982.
Centipede was ported to Atari’s own Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, and Atari 8-bit family.
Come along for a tour of this eighth of the Atari XP set of ten, Centipede!
Yars’ Revenge is a classic video game that was originally released for the Atari 2600 in 1982. It was developed by Howard Scott Warshaw and published by Atari, Inc. The game is named after its main character, Yar, an insect-like creature.
In the game, players control Yar as they navigate a vibrant, abstract, and colorful universe to seek revenge on the evil Qotile, a mysterious enemy that destroyed Yar’s home planet. The Qotile is represented as a shield at the top of the screen. The objective is to breach the shield and fire a Zorlon Cannon at the Qotile.
The gameplay involves avoiding and shooting various obstacles, including enemy missiles and a dangerous shield-destroying “Swirl” that pursues Yar. Players must strategically plan their attacks to succeed in penetrating the Qotile’s shield while avoiding enemy fire.
Yars’ Revenge was well-received and became one of the most popular games for the Atari 2600. It is remembered as a classic example of early video gaming and is often praised for its innovative and unique gameplay mechanics. Over the years, the game has been re-released on various platforms and is still celebrated among retro gaming enthusiasts.
Come along for a tour of this seventh of the Atari XP set of ten, Yars’ Revenge!
Haunted House is a 1982 adventure video game programmed by James Andreasen for the Atari Video Computer System (later renamed Atari 2600) and published by Atari. The player controls an avatar shaped like a pair of eyes who explores a mansion seeking out parts of an urn to return to the entrance. The game world is populated by roaming enemies including vampire bats, tarantulas, and a ghost. Haunted House was among the first games to use player-controlled scrolling between large portions of the visual space. In this case, we’re looking at the Atari XP re-release of Haunted House for the Atari VCS.
Crystal Castles is an arcade game released by Atari, Inc. in 1983. The player controls Bentley Bear who has to collect gems located throughout trimetric-projected rendered castles while avoiding enemies, some of whom are after the gems as well. Crystal Castles is one of the first arcade action games with an ending, instead of continuing indefinitely, looping, or ending in a kill screen, and to contain advance warp zones. In this case, we’re looking at the Atari XP re-release of Crystal Castles for the Atari VCS.
Super Breakout, released in 1978, is a thrilling brick-breaking game that captivated gamers of the Atari era. With simple yet addictive gameplay, it challenges players to break through walls of colorful bricks using a paddle and a bouncing ball. Watch as we demonstrate our skills, smashing bricks and striving for high scores. In this case, we’re looking at the Atari XP re-release of Super Breakout for the Atari VCS.
Warlords is a port of the 1980 Atari classic, and a faithful port at that. Programmed by Carla Meninsky, this title was a great seller for Atari and helped to cement the legacy of the Atari VCS.
Come along for a tour of this third of the Atari XP set of ten, Warlords!
Missile Command is a port of the 1980 Atari classic, and a faithful port at that. Programmed by Rob Fulop, this title was a great seller for Atari and helped to cement the legacy of the Atari VCS.
Come along for a tour of this second of the Atari XP set of ten, Missile Command!
This classic Atari 2600 title is the first ever action-adventure game, spawning an entire genre. The developer, Warren Robinett, famously hid his name inside a secret room – which became the first ever Easter Egg to be released in a console game.
Adventure was introduced to a new generation of fans by the character James Halliday in the novel Ready Player One, who says “finding Robinett’s Easter Egg for the first time was one of the coolest videogaming experiences of my life.”
Come along for a tour of this first of the Atari XP set of ten, Adventure!
“You have to grow older, but you don’t have to grow up.”
GenXGrownUp are Generation X’ers who spent their childhood immersed in the music, movies, games, and pop culture of the late 70s & 80s. All of that stuff has shaped who they are today as adults. So all of those nostalgic things are still very much a part of how they live their lives & see the world in the 21st century. On this channel, they share the views, toys, & ideas of today through the lens of back then.
Let’s introduce them here with a classic: “You must try to destroy the Enemy; Sark and the MCP (Master Control Program) by making the Enemy Light Cycle crash and by destroying Sark’s Rings and finally by penetrating the MCP Barrier and destroying the MCP.” So says the manual to Tomytronic’s 1981 Tron Handheld video game. This particular copy of the unit is in outstanding condition, especially considering it being more than forty years old!
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