• Tag Archives Atari VCS

  • Spider Fighter (Atari 2600)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    ‘Spider Fighter’

    [2600] [USA] [MAGAZINE] [1983]

    • Electronic Games, March 1983 (Vol. 1, #3)

      • Scanned by Jason Scott, via The Internet Archive
      • Illustration by Graham Wilson

    Spider Fighter, released in 1982 for the Atari 2600 (VCS), is a pretty average game for that system. By Activision standards this means it is below average. The game could best be described as a cross between Space Invaders and Centipede and is pretty typical for its time.

    The goal in Spider Fighter is to kill various vermin in an effort to save your fruit crop. Your weapon is a can of insecticide. Graphics are decent and colorful for the Atari 2600 but the sound is mediocre and the game play is pretty derivative. Once you figure out your opponents patterns, it becomes pretty easy (and boring) also. It is by no means a terrible game by Atari 2600 standards but it just isn’t up to what you would have come to expect from Activision which generally produced outstanding games at the time.

    Spider Fighter showed up later on in 1998 for the PlayStation as part of “A Collection of Activision Classic Games for the Atari 2600”. This isn’t a great conversion though as many of the games in this collection were slow or laggy. Since then, there have been various editions of Activision Anthology published between 2002 and 2012 for various systems including Windows, Mac, PS2, Game Boy Advance, Android, iOS and PlayStation Portable. These are much better conversions (or emulations) and are worthwhile alternatives to tracking down and original cartridge.





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  • Inside Atari 1981 Atari Promotional Video

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Go inside Atari in this informative expose on the legendary video game company. From their humble roots in Sunnyvale California, to their rise to fame in the late 1970’s, Atari is the company that laid the foundation for the modern video game industry. This video is a rare look inside the company during the height of its fame and power. The video gives a brief overview of the rise of Atari, from their first hit with Pong to their acquisition by Warner Communications.

    This classic corporate promotional video explores the three divisions of Atari. Coin-Operated Arcade Games, the Computer Division, and the Home Video Game Console Division. This video was frequently shown to investors and at consumer electronic trade shows.

    The original Atari, Inc. founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney was a pioneer in arcade games, home video game consoles, and home computers. The company’s products, such as Pong and the Atari 2600, helped define the electronic entertainment industry from the 1970s to the mid-1980s.





    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwYSYwwpihI


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  • Sears Video Arcade (1977)

    Posted on by Azrael 1 Comment

    Atari 2600 clone, the Video Arcade Cartridge System, from the 1977 Sears Catalog.

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/157214283760/advertisingpics-atari-2600-clone-the-video






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