Atari Vault
| Atari Vault | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Code Mystics |
| Publisher(s) | Atari |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux |
| Release | Microsoft Windows
|
Atari Vault is a collection of one hundred video games that Atari had produced for arcade cabinets and its Atari 2600 home console system, dating from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The collection was developed by Code Mystics, who had helmed similar collections of Atari games to other platforms, to work on Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux via the Steam client. The games, where possible, have been updated to include modern-day features such as local and online multiplayer and online leaderboards.
Games and updates
The games included in the collection include Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, Tempest, and Warlords.[1][2] The collection includes a mix of arcade and Atari 2600 titles, including several titles released in both formats.[3] The list of games also includes a number of titles that had been in development for the Atari 2600 but never were formally released as Atari 2600 but were found and distributed later in other Atari game collections such as the Atari Flashback.
The full list of games included is:
| Game | Original System | Year of Release |
|---|---|---|
| 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe | Atari 2600 | 1979 |
| Adventure | Atari 2600 | 1979 |
| Air-Sea Battle | Atari 2600 | 1977 |
| Asteroids | Atari 2600 | 1981 |
| Asteroids | Arcade | 1979 |
| Asteroids Deluxe | Arcade | 1981 |
| Backgammon | Atari 2600 | 1979 |
| Basic Math | Atari 2600 | 1977 |
| Basketball | Atari 2600 | 1978 |
| Black Widow | Arcade | 1982 |
| Blackjack | Atari 2600 | 1977 |
| Bowling | Atari 2600 | 1979 |
| Brain Games | Atari 2600 | 1978 |
| Breakout | Atari 2600 | 1978 |
| Canyon Bomber | Atari 2600 | 1978 |
| Casino | Atari 2600 | 1978 |
| Centipede | Atari 2600 | 1982 |
| Centipede | Arcade | 1980 |
| Championship Soccer[a] | Atari 2600 | 1980 |
| Checkers | Atari 2600 | 1980 |
| Chess | Atari 2600 | 1979 |
| Circus Atari | Atari 2600 | 1980 |
| Codebreaker | Atari 2600 | 1978 |
| Combat | Atari 2600 | 1977 |
| Combat 2 | Atari 2600 | —[b] |
| Concentration | Atari 2600 | 1978 |
| Crystal Castles | Atari 2600 | 1983 |
| Crystal Castles | Arcade | 1983 |
| Demons to Diamonds | Atari 2600 | 1982 |
| Desert Falcon | Atari 2600 | 1987 |
| Dodge 'Em | Atari 2600 | 1980 |
| Double Dunk | Atari 2600 | 1989 |
| Fatal Run | Atari 2600 | 1990 |
| Flag Capture | Atari 2600 | 1978 |
| Football | Atari 2600 | 1978 |
| Golf | Atari 2600 | 1980 |
| Gravitar | Atari 2600 | 1983 |
| Gravitar | Arcade | 1982 |
| Hangman | Atari 2600 | 1978 |
| Haunted House | Atari 2600 | 1982 |
| Homerun | Atari 2600 | 1978 |
| Human Cannonball | Atari 2600 | 1979 |
| Liberator | Arcade | 1982 |
| Lunar Lander | Arcade | 1979 |
| Major Havoc | Arcade | 1983 |
| Maze Craze | Atari 2600 | 1978 |
| Millipede | Atari 2600 | 1984 |
| Millipede | Arcade | 1982 |
| Miniature Golf | Atari 2600 | 1979 |
| Missile Command | Atari 2600 | 1981 |
| Missile Command | Arcade | 1980 |
| Night Driver | Atari 2600 | 1978 |
| Off the Wall | Atari 2600 | 1989 |
| Outlaw (video game) | Atari 2600 | 1978 |
| Pong | Arcade | 1972 |
| Quadrun | Atari 2600 | 1983 |
| Race | Atari 2600 | 1977 |
| Radar Lock | Atari 2600 | 1989 |
| RealSports Baseball | Atari 2600 | 1982 |
| RealSports Basketball | Atari 2600 | —[c] |
| RealSports Boxing | Atari 2600 | 1987 |
| RealSports Football | Atari 2600 | 1982 |
| RealSports Soccer | Atari 2600 | 1983 |
| RealSports Tennis | Atari 2600 | 1983 |
| RealSports Volleyball | Atari 2600 | 1982 |
| Red Baron | Arcade | 1980 |
| Return to Haunted House | Atari 2600 | —[d] |
| Save Mary | Atari 2600 | —[e] |
| Secret Quest | Atari 2600 | 1989 |
| Sentinel | Atari 2600 | 1990 |
| Sky Diver | Atari 2600 | 1978 |
| Slot Machine | Atari 2600 | 1979 |
| Slot Racers | Atari 2600 | 1978 |
| Space Duel | Arcade | 1982 |
| Space War | Atari 2600 | 1978 |
| Sprint 2 | Arcade | 1976 |
| Sprint Master | Atari 2600 | 1988 |
| Star Raiders | Atari 2600 | 1982 |
| Star Ship | Atari 2600 | 1977 |
| Steeplechase | Atari 2600 | 1980 |
| Stellar Track | Atari 2600 | 1981 |
| Street Racer | Atari 2600 | 1977 |
| Stunt Cycle | Arcade | 1976 |
| Submarine Commander | Atari 2600 | 1982 |
| Super Baseball | Atari 2600 | 1988 |
| Super Breakout | Arcade | 1982 |
| Super Breakout | Atari 2600 | 1978 |
| Super Football | Atari 2600 | 1988 |
| Surround | Atari 2600 | 1977 |
| Sword Quest Earthworld | Atari 2600 | 1982 |
| Sword Quest Fireworld | Atari 2600 | 1983 |
| Sword Quest Waterworld | Atari 2600 | 1983 |
| Tempest | Atari 2600 | —[f] |
| Tempest | Arcade | 1981 |
| Video Cube | Atari 2600 | 1982 |
| Video Olympics | Atari 2600 | 1977 |
| Video Pinball | Atari 2600 | 1980 |
| Warlords | Atari 2600 | 1981 |
| Warlords | Arcade | 1980 |
| Yars' Revenge | Atari 2600 | 1982 |
Code Mystics handled the port, previously having developed the Atari Greatest Hits series for the Nintendo DS, a similar collection of games updated for a modern system.[4] For Atari Vault, they have worked to ensure that the games in this title would be considered the definitive modern versions, according to developer Matthew Labunka. They spent time to obtain fine details on the look and presentation, such as getting digital imagery of the arcade cabinet art to present alongside the game screen.[3] The updated versions will be running the original games' ROM image, wrapped into an emulator made in the Unity 5 game engine.[3] In addition to original settings that were normally available to arcade players, the player can access options that were limited to the arcade cabinet operator, such as difficulty and length of a single play session.[3] Art and related materials are also available for each game for the player to review.[3]
Where possible, the games have been updated to include both local and online multiplayer, and games use Steam-based score leaderboards. The games have been tuned to use the Steam controller, enabling precise controls for the games, particularly for games that used trackball input devices, like Centipede.[1] Code Mystics worked with Valve to fine-tune controller profiles for various games before release.[3]
Notes
- ^ Originally released as Pele's Soccer
- ^ The original game though announced in 1982 was cancelled, but its code had existed and was formally released on the Atari Flashback 2 console in 2005 and other collections since.
- ^ RealSports Basketball was developed but never released for the Atari 2600, though would be included in future Atari collections.
- ^ An unofficial sequel to Haunted House first included on the Atari Flashback
- ^ Save Mary was developed but never released for the Atari 2600, but would be included in Atari collections in the future.
- ^ Tempest had been in development for the Atari 2600 but was not released on the system; the unfinished port was discovered much later and completed, and released as part of other Atari game collections from 2013.
References
- ^ a b Kohler, Chris (January 21, 2016). "Steam's Atari Vault Package Brings Back 100 Classic Games". Wired. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
- ^ Petty, Jared (March 22, 2016). "ATARI VAULT REVEALS 100 GAME COLLECTION". IGN. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Muncy, Jake (February 3, 2016). "ATARI VAULT BRINGS BACK THE CLASSICS FOR THE UMPTEENTH TIME". Wired. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ Cork, Jeff (January 22, 2016). "Atari Bringing More Than 100 Classics To Steam In New Vault Collection". Game Informer. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
