Atari Game Reviews
Review Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection (PS5) - A True Look at What Could Possibly Go Wrong
When do the nine lives run out?
Like a cockroach continuing to return from sales situations that have killed many better series, Bubsy In: The Purrfect Collection packs all of the bobcat’s “classic” games into a bundle, including the various console versions for each release, and even a refurbished version for its worst game. Also included are...
Mini Review Golden Tee Arcade Classics (PS5) - Nostalgic Novelty Misses the Sweet Spot
All fore one
It’s perhaps a symbol of the current retro game boom that Golden Tee Arcade Classics exists at all. That’s not a slight, by the way – it’s just remarkable that these trackball titles, often nestled between claw machines in American sports bars and restaurants, now exist in fully playable form on a home console like the PS5. For...
Mini Review Missile Command Delta (PS5) - A Radically Different But Successful Series Reboot
Top bunker
Missile Command Delta is a big departure from the original game that Atari fans are familiar with, and while we're sure purists won't enjoy the drastic changes, this modern spin brings the concept forward in a refreshing and imaginative way. A group of adventurous teenagers plans to spend the night in a creepy, disused bunker, only to...
Mini Review NeoSprint (PS5) - Simple, Fun Racer Isn't Always a Smooth Ride
Bumper cars
Sprint is Atari's latest retro series to receive a modern coat of paint, and it's arrived in the form of NeoSprint. This fresh spin on the publisher's old school racing game comes out of the workshop with a pleasant look and feel and some neat new features, but there are still a few spots that needed a little more attention. This is an...
Mini Review Akka Arrh (PS5) - Next-Gen Port Brings a PSVR2 Mode to the Table and Little Else
If it ain't broke
If the visual insanity of Jeff Minter’s wild Akka Arrh slipped you by last year when it released, you’ve got a fresh opportunity. We rather enjoyed our time with the PS4 version when it launched, so we were more than happy to dive back into a next-gen port of the vibrant, exhilarating retro title. The core gameplay experience...
Mini Review Pixel Ripped 1978 (PSVR2) - Atari Adds Impressively to Newest Nostalgic Treat
A matter of time and place
Gaming heroine Dot is back for her third adventure, and this time, developer ARVORE has gone even further back in time than with Pixel Ripped 1989 or 1995. Now, we travel back to 1978 and bask in the glory of the era of Atari. Not only does the game deify and lampoon all manner of Atari projects, but with 1978, the title...
Mini Review Atari Mania (PS5) - WarioWare Inspired Microgame Compilation Isn't Quite Tight Enough
18-Volt would like it
After decades of mismanagement, Atari finally seems to get it. The company is greenlighting a lot of cool retro-themed projects lately, and microgame compilation Atari Mania is the latest in a growing line of great ideas. Inspired enormously by the likes of WarioWare and NES Remix, this minigame mash-up sees you overcoming...
Mini Review Akka Arrh (PS4) – A Psychedelic Curiosity from the Past
What a name
Akka Arrh is a contemporary re-imagining of a scrapped project dating back to the ‘80s. If that’s not an odd enough set-up to hook you, then maybe the rock-solid gameplay can do it instead. Developed by Llamasoft — the team behind the enigmatic Polybius — Akka Arrh is a unique wave shooter that tasks you with killing enemies...
Review Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration (PS5) - A Warts and All Celebration of an Industry Icon
Insert coin
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration may very well set the standard for retro compilations moving forwards, and not necessarily because of the content it includes. In truth, a significant number of the 100 or so releases included here are borderline impenetrable – appreciated inclusions, yes, but pretty much unplayable. It’s the way...
Mini Review Gravitar: Recharged (PS5) - Good Glow Up for Iconic 80s Atari Shooter
It pulls you in
For as infuriating as it is to play today, no one could label Atari’s 1982 intergalactic excursion Gravitar – also known as Lunar Battle – as unambitious. Utilising the same “rotate-and-thrust” control system as the iconic Asteroids, designer Mike Hally – making his debut – added real gameplay depth, allowing you to...
What's past is prologue
Back when Atari’s attorneys rocked up on Jeff Minter’s farm and issued one of his prize llamas with a cease and desist letter, it seemed unlikely that Tempest 4000 would ever release on consoles. The eccentric industry veteran had planned on porting the PS Vita’s agonisingly underappreciated TxK to the PlayStation 4,...
Review Section 8: Prejudice (PlayStation 3)
Section 8: Prejudice is potentially one of the most dense multiplayer experiences available on the PlayStation 3, which is staggering considering its budget price-point
If you're able to ignore the bland art direction and cliche sci-fi setting, there's a lot to get out of this downloadable first-person shooter. Over the past three-or-four years...
Review Ghostbusters: Sanctum Of Slime (PlayStation 3)
Ghostbusters: Sanctum Of Slime achieves exactly what it sets out to do, but the game is almost cynically unambitious
There's some fun to be had in multiplayer, but the game's biting repetition is evident online or off. "Great. The cemetery again?" points out our perceptive unnamed Ghostbuster. The statement's intended to draw comic relief...
Review The Undergarden (PlayStation 3)
The Undergarden tries hard to jump aboard the zen-gaming hype train, but ultimately settles for the soulless bandwagon
Imagine if PixelJunk Eden got steamy with thatgamecompany's flow and somehow managed to produce a throng of sprogs. One child would be good at sports, the other drawing. The third child would be the super-intelligent one, knowing...
Review Alone In The Dark: Inferno (PlayStation 3)
Sometimes games come along that truly innovate but for some reason collapse under the weight of their originality
Alone In The Dark: Inferno is one such example of brilliant ideas being released before fully developed. Alone In The Dark: Inferno is a vastly improved version of the XBOX 360 game. Improved camera and control make Inferno the...
Review Fahrenheit (PlayStation 2)
Hot stuff
Fahrenheit is a compellingly quirky Playstation 2 affair that we can guarantee plays nothing like any other game you've played. It's original, it's cinematic and while the plot takes a turn for the worse later on, remains refreshing right the way through. Playing through the tutorial to Fahrenheit gives you the instant sense that...
Review Ghostbusters: The Video Game (PlayStation 3)
Playing as an elusive silent protagonist only referred to as "Rookie", you fill the shoes of the fifth Ghostbuster, learning from the best and embarking on a campaign to save Manhattan from a ruthless army of undead reapers
Whilst we were initially concerned, playing as the fifth Ghostbuster gives you a snapshot view of the interaction between the...
Review The Chronicles Of Riddick: Assault On Dark Athena (PlayStation 3)
The Chronicles Of Riddick: Assault On Dark Athena is actually a package consisting of two games; the fresh Riddick chapter Assault On Dark Athena and the earlier XBOX-cult exclusive Escape From Butcher Bay
As it stands, that makes The Chronicles Of Riddick: Assault On Dark Athena a rather beefy package, including two complete 9-hour games and a...
