Atari's Next Steps

A few weeks back, we highlighted the release of a documentary called Atari: Game Over that digs into one of the biggest game-related urban legends ever: Did Atari really dump hundreds of thousands of copies of E.T.: The Game into a landfill? It turns out that, yes, they actually did do that, though that's not the only question answered by the film. Others, such as "why?!", come up as well, and they got us thinking: What about Atari itself? How has it changed since the days of E.T.? Quite a bit, it turns out, and here's a look at where the brand once known for some of the most groundbreaking games is right now.
Check out more after the jump...

What you know about Atari's stance in the gaming world all depends on whether or not you have kept up with them since the '80s. It almost feels like an understatement to say that a lot has changed, because, well, it has! Like, they haven't made a console since the '90s, which is when their Jaguar system failed miserably. Some will argue that something like the Atari Flashback is, in fact, a console, and they'd be right to an extent. However, it does not require the loading of cartridges like the old-school Atari and instead is like a mini-computer dedicated to playing the company's classic games.
In place of putting out new consoles, Atari has shifted its focus to releasing more installments in series such as RollerCoaster Tycoon, which is easily one of their most popular and successful. The company has also begun working on breaking into new territory to increase revenue.

In an interview HITC Tech, Atari CEO Fred Chesnais revealed that he believes the company's latest move is one that's a "natural extension of the business." It's a full-fledged jump into the realm of online casinos with options that allow users to revisit their favorite games of old while putting money on the line. While this may seem like an odd choice for Atari, the connection between video games and gambling is closer than you think. That's clear in browsing through the games available at the Betfair platform, where you can find pop culture icons all over the place along with to a game themed after classic arcade fighter Street Fighter II.
And despite the fact that Atari clearly has some competition in online gaming, such as the aforementioned platform, Chesnias is confident. He told HITC that the response so far has been positive and that it's "a long-term venture and we will introduce new games as we grow."
Now, with all that being said, Chesnais remains committed to the people who made the company what it was in the beginning—the gamers. In addition to launching a new online multiplayer battle arena gam called Minimum, Atari will soon release a mobile game called Pridefest that's aimed at the LGBTQ community. Also, you can fully expect more games in the RollerCoaster Tycoon series and, hopefully, new titles on their online arcade.

Revisiting Video Game Classics - Altered Beast (Sega Genesis) As Seen Through Fan Art

I recently picked up a multi-game disc for my Xbox 360 that features 40 classic Sega Genesis games, and I have been in nostalgic heaven! There are so many classics on here, so I decided to take some time out over the next few weeks to take a look back at some of the great games that laid the groundwork for the fantastic video games we have today. To do so, I will use fan art courtesy of Deviant Art to show how people with artistic talent remember the gems of the past. The first game I will look at comes from Sega, and has its origins in the arcades of old. Originally a coin op game, it was ported to a bunch of international systems but most famously here in the US to Sega Genesis. It was a pack in game, meaning you got it with the system... which means that it was one of the games that almost everyone who had a Genesis owned. The game followed the adventures of a resurrected Roman Centurion that is tasked by Zeus to rescue Athena from the evil demon Neff. While questing after Athena, the centurion can absorb spirit balls that allow him to transform into different monsters, a la Altered Beasts. Each board has a corresponding beast, with five in total (werewolf, dragon, bear, tiger and golden werewolf). Each monster had multiple special attacks, some much better than others. I spent many hours trying to master the five levels (only five levels.... wtf!) and capturing enough spirit balls to transform into all the different creatures. The bear was by far my favorite, but the dragon (that flew for Christs Sake) was definitely the most equip for battle. The game was short, sure, but it was always a fun time. When I popped the game into my Xbox 360, this was one of the titles that I immediately cued up. So in honor of this Genesis 16 bit classic, here are a few artist renderings of the characters from the game to pay homage to the greatness that it possessed. Enjoy the art after the jump, and always remember where you came from when it comes to video game culture....

First, here are the origins of the game:

Original Coin Op Machine

Genesis Original Packaging

 And here is the fan art courtesy of Deviant Art:

Altered Beast Collab by Brother Ostavia

Beasts Reunion by Orioto

Altered Babies by Bezzerro Bizzarro

Aletered Beasts 1st Boss by Doug SQ

Altered Beast Custom Dreamcast by UxmaL The Lux

Altered Beast Tribute by Dani Castro

Altered Beast by Fou Lo

Altered Beasts End Game Cover by Che Mon Ox

Altered Beast WIP by Patim

Altered Beast Solid by Reverse Blade

Altered Beast Tribute by Vandrell

    

The New Far Cry 3 Commercial Takes Us Back To The V/H/S Days Of the 80s....

I am a bit out of the look when it comes to the video game world, but I am not blind so I see the fantastic ads and game play footage that is constantly flooding mass media. Video games are big business... and the companies have to do something to stand out among the large groups of games getting released in order to score the consumers $60 bucks. So when my buddy Nunzio (an avid gamer and video game blogger himself) posted this Far Cry 3 game trailer on his Facebook account, I knew it had to be special. Now I preface this by saying that even though I have heard of the Far Cry franchise I personally have never played the game at all. But after watching this 3 minute trailer, I have to admit that this title might find its way into my X Box 360. The first person shooter channels the early 80s era of taping TV shows (with all the commercials) on a V/H/S and having Michael Biehn as the voice of the main character is a good way to gain my geek interest piqued. All in all, a great commercial whether or not you even play games like this. Far cry 3: Blood Dragon is due in stores May 1st 2013. Check out the commercial after the jump...

Ghosts n Goblins & Dig Dug Get toys? Yup... I'm In!!!

I am not a big toy collector, nor do I claim to be up on the whole toy game. But given the fact that it has gotten larger and larger over the last few years to the point where toys & collecting toys have infiltrated the mainstream, it is hard not to catch some news about cool releases every now and again. And when the tidbits I come across are from two of my favorite coin-op/Nintendo games of all time, they get showcased here on CCD. Ghost n Goblins may be my favorite side scrolling 8 bit game ever. I love the adventures of Arthur in his quest against Lucifer. And I always loved the fact that you would lose your armor when you first got hit, and would be forced to play the rest of the board in your underwear. Dig Dug is my favorite old school coin operated game. You can keep you Pac Man, Ms. Pac Man, Space Invaders, Galga, etc.... I'll stick with inflating bad guys until they burst and dropping rocks on their heads! Both of these properties were given the toy treatment by a company called Gargamel. These cool ass toys seem to come unpainted, and then are customized any way you want. Since I am not really up on the whole toy game, I am not sure. But these look amazing, so I thought I should share. Head on over to Kaiju Korner to hear what Andy has to say about these releases as well as over 200 other pics he took at Wonder festival 2013, the years first big toy event. Go ahead afetr the jump to see the Ghost n Goblins/Dig Dug to pics....

Super Modern Mario Brothers

Super Mario Brothers for Nintendo is one of the greatest games ever created, and it holds up quite well. While games have advanced over the years to the point that they are almost lifelike, the NES classic still holds up in terms of functionality and ability to hold a child's interest. But if the game was being released for the first time in this day and age, there would have to be some changes made. They could keep the side scrolling action, the Goomba & Koopa enemies, and the flagpole... but they would have to tweak things like what would happen to the enemies when you killed them, what powers the power-ups would give you, and how the hell a plumber from Brooklyn could slide down a 100 foot flagpole without a problem!!!! Check out the video from BM Studios called Super Modern Mario Brothers after the jump, and see just how great a new Mario release would be....

Lego Arcade & Lego Arcade 2 by Michael Hickox

I have been on a bit of a Lego kick lately, probably because I have not been getting my usual "Lego Iconic" fix from Mr. Jeff Bond (get back to work brother!!!!). I came across this wonderful stop motion video called "Lego Arcade" and its sequel 'Lego Arcade 2' over at Topless Robot on one of their countdowns, and I was thoroughly impressed with both of them. Michael Hickox recreates some 80s arcade classics such as Pacman, Tron, Galga, Dig Dug, Centipede, Space Invaders and quite a few other by using Lego pieces and filming them making the moves of the respective games. Pretty great stuff that brings back a lot of memories of my local arcade, The Bow Wow in Howard Beach, NY. My favorite part of the videos has to be the sound effects... so perfect! You can catch both videos after the jump...

and here is part 2:

Play "Fix It Felix", The Game Within The Movie From Disney's Upcoming Film "Wreck It Ralph"

Wreck It Ralph is shaping up to be one great looking movie, a homage and love letter to the era of coin operated video games & arcades from the 70s & 80s. Those place lost their value once home video game consoles became prevalent with the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985. But Disney's newest film seems ambitious, and they are getting all the right nods to the popular games of that time in the footage so far. So Disney decided to make the tie in that seems the most logical and created a playable version of the game from the movie, 'Fix It Felix', so that people can become familiar with the main characters (Good Guy Felix, bad guy Ralph) who will serve as the main characters in the film. You can click here to get taken over to Disney's page for the game and enjoy... but heed this warning, it is quite addictive!!!! Movie is in theaters on November 2nd.

Take A Peek Into The World Of 'Wreck It Ralph'

'Wreck It Ralph' is Disney's newest foray into the original animation market, and it looks pretty great. For those of you guys who have never heard of the movie, it revolves around a villain in a classic video game who has had enough of being the bad guy. So he leaves his familiar game world and goes on to try his hand at being good for a change... and he is voiced by John C Reilly!!! I am loving the fact that Disney licensed a bunch of classic game characters (watch the trailer and you will see some doozy cameos in there!!!) for the flick and it looks fun. Plus it is going to shine a light on the coin-op era of arcades, which was the late 70s/early 80s and some of the best years of my life!!! This one kicks off the 2012 Holiday season when it comes out on November 2nd. Enjoy the trailer after the jump.

  

: A Classic Coin-Op Mash-up Masterpiece: Contra Vs Paperboy

God, sometimes I wish I was a talented graphic artist/video programmer/editor. I have so many great ideas to make creative things, but I have no ability to actual realize them (meh meh!). Thankfully, there are hugely talented like DaneBoe who like geeky shit and could bring these awesome things to life. Check out his mash-up of two of my all time favorite arcade/NES classic games, Paperboy & Contra. If this doesn't take you back to 1988, I don't know what will. Click after the jump for the video...

A Very Merry Gauntlet

This video is sure to tickle the funnybone of anybody who considered themselves a gamer back in the 80's. If you spent anytime in a gameroom surrounded by coin operated video games, at some point you found yourself over at the Gauntlet machine. What was so attractive about this wonderful game? Well, for starters you could play with three of your friends. That meant four of you on the game at once... Gauntlet was the first machine I remember being like that (later on X-Men and TMNT would also be 4 player beasts).  Click after the jump for more...



You had 4 very different characters to chose from as well. The nimble elf archer, the powerful but slow warrior, the balanced but blah valkyrie  and the plodding magic using wizard. Each character had it's own strengths and weaknesses, and I remember many an argument waiting for a specific spot at the machine. This brings us to today's video. What if your Christmas party turned into a Gauntlet style free-for-all? The gang from Co-Op life know just how to handle the situation. Just don't shoot the food!!!

Penney Design Takes Modern Properties And Blasts Them Back To The Past

Penney Design is a very talented graphic design firm from jolly 'ole England and they have organized a project that caught my attention when surfing the 'Net. They took modern film & TV show properties and re-imagined them as Atari 2600 era video games (the CVS, or Cartridge Video Game system... very clever), both boxes & cartridges. Check 'em all out after the jump.

I really like all of the details, such as the level information on the front of the boxes and the handwritten notes in pen that show the years of ownership that these items would have gone through. Beautifully done.

First, the box art:

And now the games themselves:

For All The Mom's Out There... Some GIF's From Your Favorite Video Game Characters

Here are a few awesome Video Game GIF's that go out to all the momma's out there... these are great and come to us from Amy Sly via Buzzfeed. Make sure you send your mom some video game love with one of these bad boys! (Just click the pics to see them in action)