Post by dschult3 on Jun 30, 2022 16:46:33 GMT
Atari just turned 50 years old! What are your memories of the brand?
When I was a kid, Atari and Nintendo were both rather big. My earliest memory of video gaming was of the Atari 2600. A friend had one, and his Dad was addicted to Dig Dug. As I watched him play, I was fascinated with the idea that I could control the TV. My family didn't own a color TV at the time, so watching him play on a color TV was even cooler. Pops picked up a used Atari when everyone else was getting a Nintendo, and we got 4 joysticks and 40+ games for barely any money. I absolutely loved Pitfall I and II, Battlezone, Combat, Enduro, and Freeway. We had 2 copies of that abomination of a port known as Pac Man. At the arcade, known as Alladin's Castle, Atari games were everywhere. A favorite of mine was Pole Position, because the cabinet allowed you to sit behind a steering wheel with pedals and a gear shifter. I never had many quarters, so I used to sit there and pretend I was playing while the demo screen was on. My love for video gaming had begun.
In the late 80s and early 90s, Atari had moved on to computing. My family couldn't afford a computer until the mid 1990s, so Atari faded a bit in our lives during that decade. I ended up getting a Pong clone and a 5200 that never worked, but that was about it in the late 80s. In the early 90s, my Mom picked up a Lynx II for my brothers for their birthday. (They are twins.) Unfortunately, the Lynx was getting its ass handed to it by the Gameboy, so there wasn't much life left in it. We thought it was an amazing console. The Lynx is in my house now, and my kids still play with it. scipioafricanus has his old Lynx I here too, and the range of games is great, even though only 77 games were originally released.
The final gasp of breath the old Atari had was with the Jaguar and the Atari Falcon 030. I really wanted the Falcon, but that was way out of my price range. The Jaguar was a bit tempting, but I got caught up in the console wars with barely any money. I couldn't justify getting a Jaguar, when I absolutely loved my Super Nintendo, and I was eagerly awaiting the ULTRA 64. I played the Jaguar every time I went to the mall, since they had consoles ready to play at EB Games and a few other places. I was wowed by the 3D graphics, but I was promised so much more from the systems that were soon to be released, so I never bit. Eventually, I had a chance to buy one for $25 as they were discontinued from KB Toy Store, and I passed like an idiot. Maybe I wasn't an idiot, since money was hard to come by, but I really didn't understand why I should own multiple consoles at the time, and I really didn't have the room for it.
And that was it for Atari. Until my son was born. I wanted my son to have an appreciation for gaming both new and old, so he has been raised with it. Since his sister has come into the world, I have had her play Atari games as well. Even though the games are 40 years old, they still have a ton of fun as we battle it out on a system that is older than their Dad. How cool is that?
When I was a kid, Atari and Nintendo were both rather big. My earliest memory of video gaming was of the Atari 2600. A friend had one, and his Dad was addicted to Dig Dug. As I watched him play, I was fascinated with the idea that I could control the TV. My family didn't own a color TV at the time, so watching him play on a color TV was even cooler. Pops picked up a used Atari when everyone else was getting a Nintendo, and we got 4 joysticks and 40+ games for barely any money. I absolutely loved Pitfall I and II, Battlezone, Combat, Enduro, and Freeway. We had 2 copies of that abomination of a port known as Pac Man. At the arcade, known as Alladin's Castle, Atari games were everywhere. A favorite of mine was Pole Position, because the cabinet allowed you to sit behind a steering wheel with pedals and a gear shifter. I never had many quarters, so I used to sit there and pretend I was playing while the demo screen was on. My love for video gaming had begun.
In the late 80s and early 90s, Atari had moved on to computing. My family couldn't afford a computer until the mid 1990s, so Atari faded a bit in our lives during that decade. I ended up getting a Pong clone and a 5200 that never worked, but that was about it in the late 80s. In the early 90s, my Mom picked up a Lynx II for my brothers for their birthday. (They are twins.) Unfortunately, the Lynx was getting its ass handed to it by the Gameboy, so there wasn't much life left in it. We thought it was an amazing console. The Lynx is in my house now, and my kids still play with it. scipioafricanus has his old Lynx I here too, and the range of games is great, even though only 77 games were originally released.
The final gasp of breath the old Atari had was with the Jaguar and the Atari Falcon 030. I really wanted the Falcon, but that was way out of my price range. The Jaguar was a bit tempting, but I got caught up in the console wars with barely any money. I couldn't justify getting a Jaguar, when I absolutely loved my Super Nintendo, and I was eagerly awaiting the ULTRA 64. I played the Jaguar every time I went to the mall, since they had consoles ready to play at EB Games and a few other places. I was wowed by the 3D graphics, but I was promised so much more from the systems that were soon to be released, so I never bit. Eventually, I had a chance to buy one for $25 as they were discontinued from KB Toy Store, and I passed like an idiot. Maybe I wasn't an idiot, since money was hard to come by, but I really didn't understand why I should own multiple consoles at the time, and I really didn't have the room for it.
And that was it for Atari. Until my son was born. I wanted my son to have an appreciation for gaming both new and old, so he has been raised with it. Since his sister has come into the world, I have had her play Atari games as well. Even though the games are 40 years old, they still have a ton of fun as we battle it out on a system that is older than their Dad. How cool is that?
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