Atari Brings Reto Games Online for Free
Atari has uploaded six classic arcade and 2600 games to play for free.
Since the "average gamer" is somewhat old and grumpy (according to a recent study), perhaps Atari's revamped website will bring back those cherished memories of yesteryear. How? By providing free-to-play versions of games released in the arcades and on the classic Atari 2600 console during the 1980s.
Thankfully, what fans won't see (so far) on Atari's Arcade page is the crappy remake of Pac-Man, or the console version of E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial (deemed the worst video game of all creation). Currently the company is offering four playable arcade hits: Asteroids, Battlezone, Crystal Castles, and Lunar Lander. The other two offerings were originally published on the Atari 2600: Adventure and Yar's Revenge, both awesome games for its 4-bit time.
Unfortunately, it seems that word travels quick: the Atari website is experiencing heavy traffic of sorts, thus timing out when trying to load. But once the site actually remains viewable, all six games play just as they did all those decades ago... but without the clunky joystick and the smell of stinky feet emanating from the arcade floor.
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Six, wow! I hope they have enough storage to upload more of these massive games!
This is cool, I remember playing some of those Atari games in the arcades, I even briefly owned the ET game, but back then you could take the games back to the store where you bought them, even if they were opened and they'd give you your money back!
Where is frogger! I want frogger!
4 bit? The 2600 was 8 bit.
The 2600 used a derivative of the 6502 called the 6507. As the previous person posted, it's 8-bit.
I loved playing Adventure. That Red Dragon was a beast.
Defender was a really cool console game. Arcades back then were so much fun. Now, you just have a punch of dweebs at home playing on their TVs. It's just not the same experience as going out, playing on consoles, having pool tables and ping pong tables nearby if you choose, and a snack bar.
The loss of the arcade was a dark day.
The loss of the arcade was a dark day.
Montreal, QC, Canada still has some arcades, they used to have a few on St. Catherines just east of the Montreal Forum where the Canadians used to play, now there is only the one not that far from the former Forum. So, arcades are still around, however not as much as they were in the heyday of the '80s.
4 bit? The 2600 was 8 bit.
The article was most likely written by someone who was born at the end of the '80s and has no idea what they are talking about!
Now, Kevin, I remember a study about gamers' average AGE, but it didn't say anything about their GRUMPINESS. Come on!
Montreal, QC, Canada still has some arcades, they used to have a few on St. Catherines just east of the Montreal Forum where the Canadians used to play, now there is only the one not that far from the former Forum. So, arcades are still around, however not as much as they were in the heyday of the '80s.
And they are expensive as hell.
$2 a token, and the game requires 2 token to start, and only 3 minutes you have to add more tokens???
I love arcades, but damn, so pricey.
And they are expensive as hell.$2 a token, and the game requires 2 token to start, and only 3 minutes you have to add more tokens???I love arcades, but damn, so pricey.
Don't know what you're talking about, the only games in that arcade that I would consider 'pricey', would be the ones you have to sit down for, ie: racing games. The other games in that arcade are usually between 1-3 tokens each.
Well, tbh, here in Mx arcades are dissappearing too, the big arcade places have 3 kinds of machines: The DDR style ones, the racing ones and the KOF ones lol
Well, tbh, here in Mx arcades are dissappearing too, the big arcade places have 3 kinds of machines: The DDR style ones, the racing ones and the KOF ones lol
We used to have a lot of arcades here in Toronto, but the 3 that were in the downtown core have been closed for years, I did find a cheap arcade in Pacific Mall, although it's really not worth mentioning; and I don't consider those few arcade games you find in movie theatres to even be considered an arcade.
I liked E.T...
If you couldn't play it, you had no skill and intelligence.
It was 4-bit color depth. As in 16 colors. The processor was 8-bit...
The entire ROM set for the 2600 is slightly over 10MB's lol
Would take me about 8 seconds to download the entire collection...
Some real classics too, maybe I will DL it just so I can finally try out Custer's Revenge... I actually owned a 2600 back then and I had a nice collection of like 20 games (swapped with friends all the time so some games I did not bother to buy) I remember having competitions to see who could roll the score over the most times on Asteroids lol For a piece of junk they did manage to make some fun games on it, a testament to the talent of the programmers of the day.
It was 4-bit color depth. As in 16 colors. The processor was 8-bit...
Nope. The TIA in the 2600 could do 128 colours in NTSC, 104 colours in PAL, and 8 in SECAM.
Intellivision veteran here sorry lamos
right, I have ROMs of every Atari game 2600 game ever made (hundreds)... there are a whole 6 online? Gee, don't get too carried away.
... So in the midst of this intense argument, NO one is going to comment on the "Reto" games?
Exact comment I came here to post. Nice QC 'round here.