ATARI SHOWCASE

Played on the Atari 2600+ Get yours here: https://atari.com/products/atari-2600-plus Pac-Man is a 1982 video game for the Atari 2600 as a port of Namco's popular 1980 arcade game. The player controls Pac-Man, who attempts to eat all of the wafers in a maze while avoiding four ghosts that pursue him. Pac-Man was programmed by Tod Frye and took six months to complete and remains the best-selling Atari 2600 game of all time, selling over 8 million copies. Despite its commercial success, the game was panned by critics for its poor graphics and sound, as well as for bearing little resemblance to the original arcade game. Follow on X: https://x.com/Seven_of_7_

Played on the Atari 2600+ Get yours here: https://atari.com/products/atari-2600-plus Space Invaders is a 1980 video game for the Atari 2600 as a port of Taito's hit 1978 arcade game. The game plays similar to its arcade counterpart, as the player operates a laser cannon to shoot incoming alien enemies from outer space. The 2600 version has unique graphics and offers gameplay variations including a two-player mode and options that allow for invisible enemies, moving shields, and for enemies' shots to zig-zag. The Atari 2600 version of Space Invaders was designed and developed by Rick Maurer. Impressed with the Space Invaders arcade game, he began developing an Atari 2600 version during his time at Atari. The company staff showed little interest in the game until then-Atari president and CEO Ray Kassar saw how well Space Invaders was doing in arcades; Kassar obtained the rights to the game for the Atari 2600 and had Maurer complete his code. Space Invaders was one of Atari's biggest hits in 1980. It became one of the best-selling games for the Atari 2600, and has been described as the video game industry's first killer app. When Maurer was only compensated with an $11,000 bonus for the success of the game, he left the company and never developed another Atari 2600 game. The success of Space Invaders led to Atari seeking out games from other arcade companies. Follow on X: https://x.com/Seven_of_7_

Played on the Atari 2600+ Get yours here: https://atari.com/products/atari-2600-plus Yars' Revenge is a 1982 video game developed by Howard Scott Warshaw for the Atari 2600. Set in the Razak solar system, it focuses on the conflict between the Yars, a fly-like humanoid alien race, and the Qotile, who have destroyed their habitable planets. The player controls a Yar tasked with destroying the Qotile's energy shield, and finishing off the enemy with the Zorlon cannon. Initially tasked with developing a port of the arcade game Star Castle, Warshaw developed it at first focusing on graphics and taking in feedback from co-workers to develop its gameplay. He was also responsible for the backstory of the game, which was adapted as a comic book that was included with the game. Howard Scott Warshaw felt coming up with a name was difficult. He felt an action word would be appropriate for an action game and opted for "Revenge". This was followed by a character name, and he chose the then CEO of Atari Ray Kassar and spelled his name backwards feeling "Yar" was an appropriate science fiction styled name. He then wrote a 10-page story called The Yarian Revenge of Razak IV. A comic titled Yars' Revenge: The Qotile Ultimatum was included with the game based on Warshaw's story treatment. Within the comic release, Warshaw was credited as the game's programmer, making him the first Atari programmer to have his name publicly credited and printed within a release. Yars' Revenge became the best-selling original game for the Atari 2600. Follow on X: https://x.com/Seven_of_7_

Played on the Atari 2600+ Get yours here: https://atari.com/products/atari-2600-plus Berzerk, originally an arcade game by Stern Electronics in 1980, was later ported to the Atari 2600 in August of 1982 by Dan Hitchens. The Atari 2600 version is a single-player, multi-screen action game where the player navigates a maze filled with robots and electrified walls, attempting to survive and score points. It's known for its frantic pace, challenging gameplay, and distinctive sound and visual elements on the Atari 2600. Follow on X: https://x.com/Seven_of_7_

Played on the Atari 2600+ Get yours here: https://atari.com/products/atari-2600-plus Adventure is a 1980 video game by Warren Robinett for the Atari 2600. The player controls a square avatar whose quest is to explore an open-ended environment to find a magical chalice and return it to the Golden Castle. The game world is populated by roaming enemies: three dragons that can eat the avatar and a bat that randomly steals and moves items around the game world. Adventure introduced new elements to console games, including enemies that continue to move when offscreen. Robinett spent approximately a year designing and coding the game while overcoming a variety of technical limitations of the console's hardware, as well as difficulties with Atari management. As a result of conflicts with Atari's management which denied giving public credit for programmers, Robinett programmed a secret room within the game that contained his name; this room was only found by players after the game was shipped and Robinett had left Atari. While not the first such Easter egg, Robinett's secret room pioneered this idea within video games and other forms of media, and it since has become a part of popular culture. Follow on X: https://x.com/Seven_of_7_

Played on the Atari 2600+ Get yours here: https://atari.com/products/atari-2600-plus The Atari 2600 version of Asteroids was released in 1981 and is a port of the popular 1979 arcade game where players pilot a spaceship to destroy drifting asteroids. Using a joystick to control movement and a fire button for torpedoes, players must break large asteroids into smaller fragments, with the goal of surviving as long as possible against increasingly challenging waves. The 2600 port was a major hit for the console, selling over three million copies. Programmers Brad Stewart and Bob Smith were unable to fit the Atari VCS port into a 4 KB cartridge. It became the first game for the console to use bank switching, a technique that increases ROM size from 4 KB to 8 KB. Follow on X: https://x.com/Seven_of_7_

Played on the Atari 2600+ Get yours here: https://atari.com/products/atari-2600-plus Missile Command is a 1980 arcade game by Atari and was ported to the Atari 2600 in 1981 by Rob Fulop. Missile Command sold around 2.5 million copies for the Atari 2600 and as a bonus, Atari gave Rob Fulop a coupon for a free turkey, which motivated him to leave the company and co-found competing developer Imagic. Follow on X: https://x.com/Seven_of_7_

Played on the Atari 2600+ Get yours here: https://atari.com/products/atari-2600-plus Defender for the Atari 2600 is a video game that was released by Atari in 1982. It is an adaptation of the 1981 arcade game developed by Williams Electronics. The Atari 2600 version was programed by Bob Polaro and Alan J. Murphy and was praised for its audio-visuals. It was a best-seller, but it has notable differences from the arcade original due to the limitations of the hardware. Follow on X: https://x.com/Seven_of_7_

Played on the Atari 2600+ Get yours here: https://atari.com/products/atari-2600-plus Warlords is a video game released in 1981 for the Atari 2600 and programmed by Carla Meninsky. The objective is to destroy the other players' castles while protecting your own. The last player with a surviving warlord is the winner. The first player to win five rounds wins the war. Follow on X: https://x.com/Seven_of_7_

Played on the Atari 2600+ Get yours here: https://atari.com/products/atari-2600-plus Superman is a video game programmed by John Dunn for the Atari 2600 and released in 1979 by Atari. The player controls Superman, whose quest is to explore an open-ended environment to find three pieces of a bridge that was destroyed by Lex Luthor, capture Luthor and his criminal gang, and return to the Daily Planet building. The game world is populated by antagonists such as a helicopter that re-arranges the bridge pieces and roving kryptonite satellites that cause Superman to revert into Clark Kent. Follow on X: https://x.com/Seven_of_7_