Atari Flashback Classics

Tue 18th Dec 2018

Nintendo Life said:

Quantity over quality has never been exhibited so perfectly as it is here. Having 150 games is undoubtedly impressive, but when the vast majority of them are barely decipherable, let alone playable, you’re probably only really left with around 15 titles that will hold your attention for more than a minute. While the contribution these games made to the evolution of gaming in its early days can’t be denied, many of them are stepping stones that we don’t need to walk over again. Had there been some sort of museum mode that helped give more context to each title’s place in the history of gaming that would’ve been much better, but as it is you’re left with a huge stack of games of which around 90 percent just won’t hold your attention, no matter how much of a retro fan you are.

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5/10

Tue 10th Jun 2025

JJtheTexan said:

You have to give Atari credit for the thoroughness of this package. With 150 included games, that comes to around 25 cents per game, which is what you would have paid to play the arcade titles back when they were shiny and new.

Therein lies the problem: aside from some of the truly classic arcade games like Asteroids, most Atari games from this era have aged quite poorly, both arcade and home console versions alike. Frankly, few are worth playing today, aside from trying them out for the sheer novelty.

Weep not, however; while this Flashback collection is fine and good, you can do a lot better with the more recent and far-better curated Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, which is also available on your Nintendo Switch / NS2 system. I recommend that hands-down over this earlier effort.

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7/10