New Collection of Classic Atari Games for 2024

04 Ago New Collection of Classic Atari Games for 2024

Atari and Digital Eclipse have announced an update to the Atari 50 video game compilation, set to release on October 25th. This update will add 39 extra games and two new timelines, bringing together over 140 classic games.

The video game company, founded in the 1970s and known for its Atari 2600 console, released a collection of over 90 playable titles in June 2022 to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

The Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration compilation also included six new games reimagining the company’s classics, available on Nintendo, Xbox, PlayStation consoles, as well as Steam, Epic Games Store, and Atari VCS.

Now, in collaboration with developer Digital Eclipse, Atari has announced an expansion of the collection titled Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration – Expanded Edition. This expanded edition adds 39 more games and two new timelines to the original version.

According to the company’s statement, this expansion features over 140 classic titles presented with “first-class emulation,” allowing users to “discover the brand that launched the modern video game industry.”

The expansion includes emulation of recently rescued games and prototypes that had never been released, as well as “other rare gems” created for seven hardware platforms: Arcade, Atari 800, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, Atari Jaguar, and Atari Lynx.

In addition to the video games, Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration – Expanded Edition will offer over 13 new exclusive interview segments with key figures in the video game industry, including programmers, artists, historians, and home game developers.

One of the new timelines included is the Atari’s Wide World timeline, featuring 19 games and eight video segments. This timeline aims to delve into the company’s history and its impact on creators and gamers “over the decades.”

For example, it includes an analysis of the game Berzerk by Stern Electronics, known for its “unusual innovations” from the late 80s. It also features profiles of artist Evelyn Seto, who helped create the iconic ‘Fuji’ logo for Atari, and Pong creator Al Alcorn.

Additionally, the expansion includes the First Console War timeline, which features 20 games and half a dozen video segments. This timeline focuses on the 45-year rivalry between Atari, with its 2600 console, and Mattel’s Intellivision, which recently ended with Atari’s acquisition of Intellivision.

This timeline includes a selection of M Network games, Atari sports games, and some “rare prototypes” for the Atari 2600 and 5200. It also features interviews with personalities such as former Intellivision game director Don Daglow and M Network programmer Jane Terjung.

The Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration – Expanded Edition will be available for purchase on October 25th and will be accessible for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch consoles.