Evercade Jewels #6

Title: Atari Collection 2

Where is it: available at all good game retailers

What is it? A collection of Atari games republished for the Evercade

So this had started life as a review of Basketbrawl, where I mentioned that, yes it's playable, but also shallow. I was going to commend the graphics and the art direction and even the sound (which is so retro that it hurts), but ultimately, it doesn't stand up to other games on different Evercade cartridges and I was going to give it 5 or 6 out of 10. But then I had an epiphany of sorts. These are Atari games, designed for the least capable of consoles, and because of that they're mainly shallow affairs. But this is countered by the sheer volume of games on here. There're 20.

Now some of you reading probably think, 'big deal, 20 old games,' but then this package is not aimed at you. They're aimed at people who remember playing these the first time round, to whom the simple pixels on display are evocative of a time when gaming was in its infancy. And there're even new old games in this package; games that have been designed in the modern day for the old consoles that fans of Atari get a kick out of.

Also, calling an Atari game shallow is almost the same as calling water wet. They're products of their time, and are the very definition of twitch gaming and should be celebrated as the forebears of gaming as we know it.

Now I'm not suggesting that I turn a blind eye to a games flaws because they're Atari, just that I should review them in the context that they're presented. Now, if there was just Basketbrawl on here, or centipede, then this cartridge would be in trouble, but the fact is there are 20 games on here. Yes, they're shallow, but they're entertaining also, almost like Warioware in the present day. And the other elephant in the room is the price. Whatever language you speak, £14.99 is cheap for a collection like this, especially today when games regularly sell for £59.99. No the Atari Collection 2 doesn't compare, but it's not supposed to. You're not going to get an experience like The Last Of Us, just old fashioned good honest fun, and for £14.99 you can't really ask for more.

Highlights of the package include Basketbrawl, Planet Smashers and Desert Falcon. Fans of Atari will be thrilled with the collection, whereas new players will find a fun but shallow twitch gaming masterclass.

7/10