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Retro Atari Classics

EMAIL PRINT ds

3.6 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 17 critic reviews
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Based on 6 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Atari

Developer: Taniko

Genre(s): Compilation, Action

Players: 4

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: March 15, 2005

Summary

Retro Atari Classics features 10 original Atari games, including Pong, Missile Command, Asteroids, Breakout, Centipede, Tempest, Warlords, Gravitar, Lunar Lander and Sprint. Each title is playable in its original form as well as in the all new "Tagged" mode, featuring brand new looks from some of today's most popular graffiti artists, including REAS, Delta and Obey Giant. The game takes advantage of all the technical innovations the Nintendo DS brings to gaming including touch screen functionality for tighter game controls, up-to-four player wireless multiplayer, dual screen gameplay for larger game environments and the ability to play head-to-head against another player on the same Nintendo DS in classic arcade fashion. [Atari]

Also On The Web: GameSpot Hands-On

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Game Informer

Those with good stylus support (particularly "Centipede" and "Missle Command") are an absolute blast. [May 2005, p.128]

Play Magazine

Chances are, however, that you'll be bored senseless within an hour. [May 2005, p.72]

3DAvenue

The graffiti probably could have had a bit more work done to it but they probably wanted to retain the same character and feel of the original games.

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Pelaaja (Finland)

This collection shows, that old and simple games have retained their playability. Games that pushed the limits of the hardware at their time, like "Gravitar," are ironically now the least playable. [May 2005, p.89]

Nintendo Power

Touch control is spotty for certain games, but the Control Pad is a reliable backup. [May 2005, p.91]

Game Chronicles

While this game is not destined for a New Mexico landfill, it is also not destined to be a centerpiece in your DS collection. At least we’ve learned that when Atari falls, they always seem to come back. Hopefully next time they will hit the mark.

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IGN

Ten "okay, kind of accurate" conversions of arcade games add up to a barely average package on the Nintendo DS.

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GameSpy

Atari, for some reason, decided to employ the touch screen for ALL the games on its compilation. For some games, it works; for others -- it's a clunky, useless interface that will have you cursing your DS hardware in no time.

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Nintendo Insider

The few games even available aren’t faithfully recreated, are mostly on the dull side, and feature remix styles that will mostly make you want to puke.

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GameBiz

If you're dying to relive the classics, buy the actual Atari system and all the games - it can hardly set you back more than $20. At least you'll play the original, and won't have to face the travesty of the remixed modes.

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GameSpot

The sort of game that's unpleasing to every possible audience. The hardcore retro fan base will scoff at the way these games have been shoddily reprogrammed. Fans of the graffiti artists will wonder why all the artwork is so poorly used.

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Eurogamer

Your veritable cast iron "mixed bag" of timeless gems and pointless curios in which some work well on the DS, some don't and as long as you can deny all knowledge of seeing the Remix mode retro gamers won't be totally offended.

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Cheat Code Central

What game would include a version of Pong as part of its compilation? That has to tell you something. I can live with Breakout - but Pong? That's digging to the bottom of the barrel.

RewiredMind

An average package by anyone’s standards, especially given that most people’s mobile phones can play a mean version of most of the games on the cartridge for a similar cost per title.

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Modojo

I'm a huge retro fan, and it disappoints me to see something with a good idea from the past ruined by so many little things.

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1UP

Given a choice between these broken versions of classics or simply not having these games on DS at all, I think in the end I'd rather have not had them. At least then there'd have been hope that someone could have done them justice, someday.

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PALGN

An outright travesty.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 3.6 (out of 10) based on 6 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Dukjin I. gave it a0:
0 Absolute 0, well deserved. I can't believe critics rated this anywhere close to 50. If you look at the review list, you'll notice all the REPUTABLE reviewers put it in the red, low scores. Given that there are ports of these games out there, I figured, "how bad can it be?". None of these games appear to be emulations of the originals in any way. They are each shoddily written games that sort of look like the original visually... until you play them. Then you find that the controls are bad, the movement doesn't match up... it's all incredibly annoying, because these are LICENSED! Why can't they just put the original code in? (and the remixes are even worse) I bought this for $10, and I want my money back. I only bought it because I figured if even ONE of the games was good, I'd enjoy it... DEFENDER, TEMPEST... CENTIPEDE... but they ALL look like the original, and play HORRIBLE (This is SHOVELWARE. Do not buy at any price. I would not take it for free. Categorically inferior to any PC emulator version. Horrible controls for several of the games (tempest is unplayable) ) Publisher should be ashamed.

A. W. gave it a3:
Right, I'm trying to think of a polite way to describe this, but I'm having a hard time. I love retro games, and I adore MAME, but this compilation... No. I hate it. The remixes are dire, every time you lose a ball in arkanoid you're told "You Suck!" - actually no, if anyone sucks that'll be the developers, testers and graphicians ;) However, I could live with the nastiness of the remixes, if it weren't for the damage they've done on the originals as well... Breakout is a prime example - the play area is split across both screens, sounds good in theory, right? Wrong! Why? Well, the playfield alignment assumes there's no gap between the two screens... I've got news guys - there is a gap! This means that the ball suddenly seems to jump when it's halfway up or down the screen. Did anyone even playtest this on a real DS?!?

AB gave it a3:
The idea of having portable classic Atari games is great. The idea of having only ten ridiculously translated, nearly unplayable portable Atari games with corny graphics is not.

Tyler Q. gave it an8:
The games just as fun as they ever were...some of them suffer from poorly inplemented/translatd touch screen..aslo would make things easier if you could reconfigure the buttons. all and all this is probaby my most fun ds game.

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Retro Atari Classics

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