My Classic Piece of Plastic
Written: Jun 05 '01 (Updated Jun 12 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Classic games. Classic graphics.
Cons: Only used ones can be found which can mean bad quality. Be careful when purchasing.
The Bottom Line: If you owned one as a child, relive the memories and find one. If you never owned one as a child, go buy one and make the memories.
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| Girl_Goddess's Full Review: Atari 2600 |
My Background with Video Games
I am now the proud owner of an Atari 2600. I never had one as a child, though I was blessed with Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn, Playstation, and a Nintendo64. As you can tell, console games are no stranger to me. I love to play video games, although I don't get to play as often as I like anymore. But back to my Atari...
How the Atari Found Me
My aunt decided she was going to open up a thrift and gift shop. In the process she went to various yard sales and cleaned out her stash of old stuff. Somewhere in her travels she acquired, not one, not two, but three Atari 2600's. One of which was given to me. :) Along with a shoebox full of video games.
The Challenge...
When Atari's came out way back before I was born TV's were simple. They didn't have those three colour coded holes to hook up modern consoles to, so of course I got my Atari home only to find out it wasn't compatible with my TV. So my father and I made a trip to the local Hyatt and bought about five dollars worth of cables and F-connecters in our attempt to make it work. Once arriving home we discovered the "TV-Computer" switch that had come with the Atari was busted... So back into town we went and managed to find the exact switch we needed. Then we drove back home, hooked it all up, only to discover that Stampede and Pac Man were hideously fuzzy. Instead of going to buy more cords we just rehooked up everything we had and gave it a good shake and Voila! I was in business. So with a clear picture of my goal I began playing...
Games
There is a surprisingly wide range of games available for the Atari 2600 including both single and two player games, games using the joysticks, games using the paddles, war games, space invader games, racing games, and games I can't categorize for the life of me. Currently favourites are Stampede and Moon Patrol. Any soul lucky enough to have an Atari should own both these games.
Controllers
The Atari is equipped to handle two different styles of controllers: paddles and joysticks. I have not been able to play a game using the paddles yet because the set I have is broken. The one major con to this gaming system is that everything I have found for it is old and used which makes it a bit hard to find something in good working order. The good news is I was able to find four or five joysticks, and all but one work fine. I do have one complaint about the joysticks though (there's always a catch isn't there?). The joysticks aren't shaped very well. After about thirty minutes of play, especially in Stampede, my hand and thumb become extremely sore. But for an avid gamer it's definitely worth it.
Graphics
The graphics are basic and simple, exactly what you'd expect from a seventies' console. Many games use bright colours to distinguish between things, though some games are easier on the eyes than others. I will admit that the Tetris game I have for my TI-83 calculator has better graphics than most of my Atari games do.
Sound
No fancy music here. Just catchy annoying beeping riffs that play over and over and over again. There's really much to say about it honestly. Once you've heard one you've pretty much heard them all. Though I do have to say that I am partial to the sounds in Moon Patrol and find myself wandering humming it sometimes.
Overall, I love my Atari and wouldn't trade it for the world. I spend more time playing with my Atari 2600 than I do with my N64 or Playstation. Call me old fashioned or nostalgic but I like the old corny games. I'll take Pac Man over Crash Bandicoot anyday.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Girl_Goddess
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Member: Tracey
Location: Maryland
Reviews written: 35
Trusted by: 25 members
About Me:
I'm supposed to sum up my entire existence in only fifteen words?
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