Atari 50 is advertised as a retro game collection, but I think it's best described as an interactive documentary about Atari's game history. The collection contains 100+ games. While that sounds like a bonanza the truth is that most of these games have not aged well, although I'll list my favorites at the end of this log. But each one is accompanied by an encyclopedic blurb describing every game's history, development, game manual, box art etc. There are also video interviews with past Atari developers and from recognizable names in the gaming industry. While there is fun to be had here, Atari 50 is really about telling the story of Atari's early years (which by extension were also the first years of gaming) and the environment they were created in.

I think the thing that impresses me the most about Atari 50 is that it doesn't try to mask itself in nostalgia. It's here to educate you on gaming history, and that involves telling some harsh truths. The blurbs and interviews are very frank and honest about how many Atari games were rushed and not always great products. This contributed to the video game crash in the 80s that almost destroyed the industry. To see a brand reflect on both the good and bad parts of its history is increasingly rare and Atari 50 is all the better for it. I really recommend Atari 50, as unusual as it is. I can't remember the last time a game collection was packaged with such polish and TLC. I'd love to see this format done with other long running gaming publishers/developers like Namco or Konami or even Nintendo. Although that last one is probably a pipe dream (Get it?).

Games worth seeking out in Atari 50:
Black Widow, Centipede, Millipede, Food Fight and Quantum for arcades
RealSports Boxing and Aquaventure for the Atari 2600
Millipede for the Atari 5200
Dark Chambers and Ninja Golf for the Atari 7800
Ruiner Pinball for the Atari Jaguar
Neo Breakout, a new take on Breakout developed for Atari 50 by Digital Eclipse