Yeah, I still dig that Atari

Back around 1980, I felt like a jerk because most of my friends had an Atari VCS (later called the Atari 2600) and what did I get for Christmas?

One of those blasted Pong-like things from Radio Shack that was black and white, plugged into a television set and featured about seven games -- a lot of Pong variations and a shooting game in which the built-in gun attachment was used to blast at a square bouncing around the screen. Yes, I was certainly thrilled with that thing.

By the way, if you don't know what Pong is, read up on it right here. I insist. Really. If you don't know what Pong is, your knowledge of American pop culture is sadly incomplete.

So, there I was -- stuck with a blasted Pong thing while virtually all of my friends had an Atari 2600 (one fellow had a Magnavox Odyssey 2, but he was certainly in the minority). Smug bastards.

After listening to me gripe and moan about not having at Atari for a year, my folks did what parents tend to do -- they broke down and bought me an Atari 2600 so I'd shut up about it and they could get some peace and quiet. I've used that same advanced parenting technique on my kids over the years. Works like a charm.

Anyway, my first Atari came complete with the wonderfully awesome Combat (plane and tank battles for two players) and my parents through in an Asteroids cartridge, to boot. Over the years, I've collected over 200 games for that old Atari and still pull out the old system from time to time.

Why on earth would I do that when I've got consoles from every generation since the Atari around here? Eight-bit Nintendo Entertainment system? Got it and it's a coveted top loader, no less. Got a 16-bit Sega Genesis, 32-bit Playstation, a Nintendo 64 and both the Sega Dreamcast and Nintendo Game Cube from the 128-bit generation. We even bought a Nintendo Wii this year, but none of those newer consoles come close to the old Atari 2600.

At any rate, why? Because the old 2600 represents simple, "pick up and play" gaming at its finest. See that little photo at the top of this post? That's from Adventure, a game in which you are represented by a square block and your job is to run around slaying dragons with a sword that looks like an arrow symbol while trying to find an enchanted chalice.

I got that game because my mom said she'd buy it if I read a copy of C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters. Getting Atari games back then often required a bunch of work, see? I spent the summer of 1983 collecting a bunch of Kool-Aid points so I could get a free copy of M-Network's Kool-Aid Man (after drinking gallons of that sugary stuff, I've not been as enthusiastic about it since) and my parents could promise Atari games to encourage me to pay attention in school, do chores and whatever else I didn't want to do.

Yes, there were some bum games for that system such as the worst version of Pac-Man in the world and that horrible E.T. game that was so bad that it helped lead to the Atari's ruin. Most games, however, were simple and addictive and some great versions of the arcade hits of the day were ported to the Atari.

I may have gotten my first computer in1982 (a TRS-80 Color Computer) and my second one in 1983 (an IBM-PC complete with DOS 1.1), but I still loved that Atari and actually loved picking up games in for around $5 in 1985 and 1986. When I was in college, I had an Apple //e still spent a lot of time poking through flea markets and pawn shops for cheap Atari games and learned that there are few things more fun than Pele's Soccer, a room full of friends and plenty of beer.

Believe it or not, there are still people making games for the old Atari. Yes, the homebrew scene is very active and there are a lot of titles for sale at the AtariAge Store (that's a temporary link, but the full store should be back up soon -- AtariAge is a great resource for people interested in old Atari stuff, anyway).

For those wanting to rediscover (or discover) the joys of Atari, here's some advice. First of all, pick up an Atari 7800 if you can find it -- that one is backward compatible with the 2600 and some of the best arcade ports were made for it (Ms. Pac-Man, Food Fight and Galaga are particularly great). A good rule of thumb is that if a game is made by Activision, it's probably great. To steer clear of the rotten games, check for reviews on the Internet -- The Video Game Critic is a particularly great site, as is the Atari Times.

If you want to really geek it up, visit the forums on the aforementioned AtariAge as the folks over there can answer most questions you'll have. If anyone tries to convince you that the Atari Jaguar is a worthwhile purchase, however, don't listen. That system is a dog and most of the decent games for it were ported to the far superior Playstation 1, anyway.

By the way, a lot of those cheesy television and comic book ads for the 2600 were a hoot. Here's one for Activision's Megamania that features the Tubes. Ah, how I miss the 1980s. Enjoy!