Atari Greatest Hits Volume 2 Review

By offering fifty flawlessly emulated titles, Atari Greatest Hits Volume 1, was a worthy purchase for retro connoisseurs. My main admonishment for the anthology was a reaction to marketing- although Atari’s entire collection of 2600 and popular arcade titles could have fit on a standard 64 MB DS cartridge, the publisher decided to split up the collection across multiple collections. While recent release Greatest Hits Volume 2‘s selection of coin-op recreations are impeccable, the compilation’s assembly of console games is a mixed bad. Evidently, Atari didn’t balance the number of fan-favorites across each set.

While the new cartridge offers beloved titles such as such as Yar’s Revenge, Warlords, and Combat, there’s also a noticeable amount of filler. Nearly the entire catalog of diversions in the Mind and Gambling Games are woefully antiquated, containing primitive interpretations of Concentration and Mastermind. Beyond serving as a reminder of how far technology has progressed, it’s doubtful they’ll get a second playthrough from contemporary players. Even the impressionistic winding roads of Night Driver will feel prohibitively rudimentary to anyone who has played a racing game over the last four console generations.


VCS veterans may recall that the aforementioned title required Atari’s paddle controller- the rotatable knob popularized by games like Breakout. Volume 2 delivers a healthy helping of titles which make use of the peripheral, from Warlords, Video Olympics, to Demons to Diamonds, allowing players to either use the directional pad or stylus to simulate the twist of a potentiometer. While it’s admirable for the developers to give players an option, the d-pad doesn’t offer the finesse required to succeed at most games. Its recommended that players stick with the touch screen if they want to keep the two vaulting clowns in Circus Atari alive for long.

Despite some lackluster games in the 2600 collection, the cartridge is elevated by a solid number of rare, prototype, and homebrew cartridges. From Quadrun– a title whose release was limited to Atari Club members, to Sentinel– an early lightgun game, there’s a pleasing handful of collector curios. There’s also Return to Haunted House, a well-programmed fan-sequel to the 1982 classic, and the appearance of Combat Two, which was only available on the dedicated Atari Flashback 2 console. Yet, Volume 2‘s finest inclusions are its arcade games. Gems like Black Widow, Millipede, and Major Havok are emulated impeccably, reproducing both raster and vector graphics displays admirably; Asteroids Deluxe even recreates the glowing backdrop found in the original arcade cabinet. If anyone is thinking of creating a Vectrex 3D imager compilation for the 3DS- Code Mystics should be the lone choice. Each title on Volume 2 meticulously imitates the look, speed, and aural tone of the original game.

Recycling its predecessor’s tidy interface, Volume 2 generally organizes its games and supplemental content attentively, allowing players to quickly hop into a specific game. The sole exception is the separation of 2600 games and their manuals. It would have been convenient to bring up a game’s instructions in the pause menu, rather than have to quit and jump into the extras submenu. Mirroring the first compilation’s social options, the second volume allows an effortless setup of a local competition via single or multi-card play.

Unlike the first volume, Greatest Hits 2 offers a few curious extras beyond pictures of arcade sheets, cabinets, and marquees. An interview with Nolan Bushnell is insightful, although the volume is perplexingly low. The Atari 400 BASIC language cartridge is also emulated with basic saving and loading functionality.


With a handful of 2600 clunkers like Maze Craze and Steeplechase, there’s some obvious padding in Atari Greatest Hits Volume 2‘s roster. Yet, between the cartridge’s arcade masterpieces, rare titles, and perennial favorites, the compilation offers just enough retro-minded recreation to justify its twenty-dollar price ($10 less than Volume 1). Now, that Atari’s VCS library has been effectively tapped, I’m hopeful that Volume 3 delivers the oft-overlooked 7800 collection to a new audience.

About Robert Allen

Since being a toddler, Robert Allen has been immersed in video games, anime, and tokusatsu. Currently, his days are spent teaching at two southern California colleges. But his evenings and weekends are filled with STGs, RPGs, and action titles and well at writing for Tech-Gaming since 2007.

29 comments

  1. Shopping Samurai

    Aw, Deagle, you warm my retro loving heart.

    How many of the original games did you play?

  2. There’s a lot more Atari Age games that could go on as well. Cat Trax anyone?

  3. $20 is the most I’d pay for a retro collection.

  4. I was the first had a price drop. 100 games for $40 isn’t bad, but I’d bite for a $30 combo.

  5. Is there a full list of all the game on the cart?

  6. ATARI 2600 GAMES

    Return to Haunted House
    Secret Quest
    Canyon Bomber
    Circus Atari
    Combat
    Combat Two
    Demons to Diamonds
    Desert Falcon
    Off-The Wall
    Radar Lock
    Golf
    Double Dunk
    Realsports Basketball
    Realsports Soccer
    Super Baseball
    Super Football
    Video Olympics
    A Game of Concentration
    Backgammon
    Basic Programming
    Brain Games
    Code Breaker
    Maze Craze
    Video Chess
    Black Jack
    Casino
    Fatal Run
    Night Driver
    Steeplechase
    Street Racer
    Quadrun
    Sentinel
    Space War
    Star Raiders
    Yars’ Revenge
    Breakout
    Crystal Castles
    Millipede
    Super Breakout
    Video Pinball
    Warlords

    ARCADE GAMES
    Asteroids Deluxe
    Millipede
    Black Widow
    Red Baron
    Crystal Castles
    Super Breakout
    Liberator
    Warlords
    Major Havoc

  7. Dude, major Havok always felt majorly floaty to me.

  8. Thank for letting me know you could load and save in Atari basic. I might get it just for that.

  9. Centipede isn’t on it, but Millipede is?

  10. What are you smoking

    So you can punch in those programs from old magazines in the Atari 400 thing?

  11. I still remember “Have you played Atari today?”

    I think I will.

  12. Crucifix powerbomb

    Why is gambling noteworthy to the ESRB? Anyone ever play marbles or Pogs as a kid?

  13. Yeah, a lot of the old Atari games are REALLY old. They’re cool to look at, but not really that much fun to play anymore.

  14. Wait what about the 5200 games?

  15. Yep, pretty much those are a great selection. Never played Liberator, though.

  16. I hope they don’t try to emulate that floppy joystiq.

  17. bought a few of the flashback on clearance- I’d rather have those for $10. Besides they are great for the kids.

  18. Some of those games don’t seem familiar at all. Desert Falcon and Sentinel to name two.

    Are there any really good unknown ones?

  19. I was an Atari addict during the crash- it was the one was I could afford games as a kid.

    I’d estimate I played about 80% of the 2600 games and all the arcade titles except Liberator before.

  20. Centipede is on Volume 1, both the 2600 and arcade versions.

  21. Deagle knows his games, I spose.

  22. I don’t see too many bad games on the list at all. I don’t know what you are complaining about.

  23. Seems kind of interesting. Now I can play some of those games I liked after selling my Atari years ago.

  24. thanks a good review by Deagle, the gaming god.

  25. What is a ‘floppy joystick’ (stiq)? I’m afraid to ask.

  26. As one of the original Crystal Castles devs, I’m hopeful to see my work reach a new audience. Thanks for the review, I might have to give this game a try.

  27. Bad Intel Inside

    Thats so cool. I love that game!

  28. $20 isn’t bad for 50 games.

  29. Great work dude, u gave nice post to us. Thanks for spending the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic.