Atari was an early pioneer in the video game industry, in fact, they virtually created the industry with their introduction of the arcade game Pong . The brand name "Atari" was used for many years and applied to several other entities that developed products ranging from arcade video games to home video game consoles to home computers to video games for personal computers.
Below is a list of arcade video games produced by Atari. These games were produced by Atari, Inc. from 1972 to 1984 starting with Pong and Atari Games from 1984 to 1999. Atari no longer manufacturers arcade games and, in fact, the entity that now owns the brand name (French company, Infogrames) never has.
For a full list of games developed or published by Atari from 1972 to 1984, see List of Atari, Inc. games.
Vector display |
Raster display |
Unreleased |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
720° | 1986 | 2, alternating | A skateboarding game with a unique joystick which moves in a circular fashion. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
A.P.B. | 1987 | 1 | The player as "Officer Bob" drives around the city from an overhead view, catches criminals and issues fines. |
Accelerator | 1988 | 2, simultaneous | A futuristic racing game where players race on twisting tubes. |
Akka Arrh | 1982 | 2, alternating | An unreleased prototype space shooter in which the player must defend a spaceship from approaching enemies and prevent them from building a cannon. |
Anti-Aircraft | 1975 | 2, simultaneous | Each player controls an anti-aircraft gun and tries to shoot down more aircraft than their opponent. |
Arcade Classics | 1992 | 2, simultaneous | Player can select from enhanced versions of earlier Atari games, Super Centipede or Missile Command II, both of which allow for two-player simultaneous play. |
Area 51 | 1995 | 2, simultaneous | The players attempt to kill the aliens and their mothership. |
Area 51/Maximum Force Duo | 1998 | 2, simultaneous | Players can choose to play either of the previous games, Area 51 or Maximum Force . |
Area 51: Site 4 | 1998 | 2, simultaneous | An updated version of Atari's 1995 game with better graphics and smoother animation. |
Asteroids | 1979 | 2, alternating | The player must avoid floating asteroids and blast them to smithereens. Alien spacecraft must also be avoided or killed. One of Atari's biggest hits. |
Asteroids Deluxe | 1980 | 2, alternating | Sequel to Asteroids featuring harder gameplay, shields and automatic firing. |
Atari Baseball | 1979 | 2, simultaneous | A black and white video game of baseball where player compete against one another. |
Atari Basketball | 1979 | 2, simultaneous | A black and white basketball game where players can compete head-to-head. |
Atari Football | 1979 | 2 or 4, simultaneous | A black and white American football game where players are represented by X's and O's. |
Atari Mini Golf | 1978 | 1 | An unreleased black and white mini-golf game. |
Atari Soccer | 1979 | 2 or 4, simultaneous | A black and white video game of soccer with players with X's and O's atop their heads. |
Avalanche | 1978 | 2, alternating | Players attempt to catch falling rocks via several paddles. Black and white, but uses a color overlay. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Badlands | 1989 | 2, simultaneous | An auto racing game with guns set in a post-apocalyptic world. |
Batman | 1990 | 2, alternating | The player takes on the role of the Caped Crusader participating in scenes taken from the 1989 film of the same name. Scenes are varied and include a final confrontation with The Joker. |
Battlezone | 1980 | 1 | A big hit for Atari, the player controls a tank from the point-of-view from inside the tank. Novel controls, game cabinet and graphics made this a standout. |
Beat Head | 1993 | 2, simultaneous | A competitive rhythm game. Never released into full production. |
Beavis and Butt-Head | 1996 | 2, simultaneous | A prototype of a game based on the animated TV series; never released. |
Black Widow | 1982 | 2, alternating | The player is a spider at the middle of a web, trying to defend it from enemies. |
Blasteroids | 1987 | 2, simultaneous | Players blast asteroids and other targets and try to catch powerups to upgrade their weapons. |
BMX Heat | 1991 | 1 | An unreleased motorcycle racing game. |
Boxing | 1977 | 2, simultaneous | An unreleased black and white prototype of a boxing game. |
Bradley Trainer | 1980 | 1 | A special-purpose version of Battlezone for the U.S. military. Players do not control the tank as in the original game, only the tank turret. |
Breakout | 1976 | 2, alternating | Players break down a wall at the top of the screen with a ball and paddle. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
California Speed | 1998 | 1 | A racing game with several different tracks set in California. |
Cannonball | 1976 | 2, alternating | An unreleased black and white game where the player tries to fire a human cannonball through an opening in a wall. |
Canyon Bomber | 1977 | 2, simultaneous | Players control blimps which fly over a canyon dropping bombs. Canyon "boulders" are worth different points. Black and white. |
Centipede | 1980 | 2, alternating | A big hit for Atari, the player controls the character at the bottom and shoots a segmented centipede as it advances down the screen through a field of mushrooms. Other enemies, such as spiders and fleas, also threaten the player. |
Championship Sprint | 1986 | 2, simultaneous | A racing game in which players attempt to beat each other around tracks while avoiding hazards. |
Cloak & Dagger | 1983 | 2, alternating | The player attempts to destroy Dr. Boom's underground bomb factory. Featured in a film of the same name. |
Cloud 9 | 1983 | 2, alternating | The player shoots down clouds in the sky that threaten to flood his chamber at the bottom of the screen. |
Cops | 1994 | 1 | A laserdisc game based on the TV series of the same name; players must shoot criminals or chase after them in their patrol car. |
Cops N Robbers | 1976 | 4, simultaneous | A black and white game; players can choose to be cops and shoot at and stop robbers or vice versa. |
Crash 'N Score | 1975 | 2, simultaneous | A black and white demolition derby game where the object is to hit randomly appearing numbered pylons. |
Crystal Castles | 1983 | 2, alternating | A moderate success, the player controls a bear character to collect crystals along paths in various caves with avoiding enemies. The player can find and use various powerups and secrets. |
Cyberball | 1988 | 4, simultaneous | Robotic football of the future. Robots can explode with the ball if it reaches critical temperature. Players can upgrade robots from funds from successful plays. |
Cyberball 2072 | 1989 | 2, simultaneous | American football with robots. |
Cyberstorm | 1993 | 2, simultaneous | A futuristic one-on-one fighting game with robots. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Danger Express | 1992 | 2, simultaneous | A two-player brawler which takes place on a train. |
Destroyer | 1977 | 1 | A black and white game,;the player moves a destroyer along the top of the water and drops depths charges towards enemy subs. |
Doctor Pong | 1973 | 2, simultaneous | A black and white game; a free-to-play variant of Pong designed specifically for pediatricians' waiting rooms. |
Dominos | 1977 | 2, simultaneous | A black and white game; players try to make a competitor's domino trail run into theirs. |
Drag Race | 1977 | 2, simultaneous | A black and white game; players compete in a drag race. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Empire Strikes Back | 1985 | 1 | A sequel to the very successful Star Wars , this game features a color vector display and digitized voice samples as the player battles Imperial Walkers, TIE fighters and navigates asteroid fields. |
Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters | 1989 | 2, simultaneous | An alien race is holding hostages on a planet. The player must rescue them, destroying aliens in the process. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Fire Truck | 1978 | 2, simultaneous | A black and white game; the player drives a fire truck through twisting city streets. In two-player mode, both players cooperatively drive the truck, one in front, one in back. |
Firebeast | 1983 | 2, alternating | An unreleased prototype also known as Dragon Master, this game was apparently inspired by Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series of books. Riding a flying dragon, the player must destroy silver threads before they reach the ground and start fires. |
Firefox | 1984 | 1 | Based on the film of the same name, the player pilots and experimental craft as he attempts to blast enemies and gain enough fuel to finish the level. |
Flyball | 1976 | 2, simultaneous | A black and white baseball game. |
Food Fight | 1983 | 2, alternating | The player attempts to gathers piles of food and hurl them at angry chefs as he attempts to reach and eat an ice cream cone before it melts. |
Freeze | 1996 | 2, simultaneous | A puzzle game; the player must try to match three of the same colored fish in a row. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Gauntlet | 1985 | 4, simultaneous | A huge hit for Atari, released during the Dungeons & Dragons craze, Gauntlet features four adventurers exploring a dungeon. "Health" continually runs out, requiring players to steadily pump credits into the game. |
Gauntlet II | 1986 | 4, simultaneous | A sequel to Gauntlet . Profitable, though not as big a hit as the original. |
Gauntlet Legends | 1998 | 4, simultaneous | A sequel to Gauntlet . Though it sportedsome innovative features, it garnered a lukewarm reception. |
Goal IV | 1975 | 4, simultaneous | A foosball-like game, with paddles instead of players. |
Gotcha | 1973 | 2, simultaneous | Two-player maze game where the players try to catch each other. |
Gran Trak 10 | 1974 | 1 | A black and white driving game where the player races around a track for points. |
Gran Trak 20 | 1974 | 2, simultaneous | A black and white racing game. Players drive cars around a track for points. |
Gravitar | 1982 | 2, alternating | A difficult shoot-em up, where gravity factors into the gameplay. |
Guardians of the 'Hood | 1992 | 3, simultaneous | Players attempt to break up gangs that have taken over the character's neighborhood. |
Guts and Glory | 1989 | 2, simultaneous | An unreleased military-style shoot 'em up with multiple missions. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Hard Drivin' | 1989 | 1 | Players test drive a high-powered sports car on different stunt courses. |
Hard Drivin's Airborne | 1993 | 1 | An unreleased sequel to Hard Drivin' , in this racing game, the player controls a car that can transform into an airplane. |
Hi-way | 1975 | 2, alternating | A black and white driving game where players must avoid oncoming traffic. |
Hot Rod Rebels | 2000 | 1 | An unreleased sequel to the San Francisco Rush series. |
Hydra | 1990 | 1 | The player drives a hovercraft trying to deliver secret documents. He must avoid mines and other obstacles. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
I, Robot | 1983 | 2, alternating | The player controls a robot and destroys 3D shapes to progress to further levels. |
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom | 1985 | 2, alternating | An action game based on movie of the same name, this game puts the player in the role of the famed archeologist as he tries to rescue children and retrieve the Sankhara stones. |
Indy 4 | 1976 | 4, simultaneous | A four-player racing game. |
Indy 800 | 1975 | 8, simultaneous | An eight-player racing game. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Jet Fighter | 1975 | 2, simultaneous | Players fly around the screen, behind clouds and open sky and fire missiles at each other. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Klax | 1989 | 2, simultaneous | A tile-matching puzzle game where players must match falling blocks by color. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
The Last Starfighter | 1984 | 1 | Unreleased prototype. The player shoots down enemy spaceships in 3D. Based on the film of the same name. |
LeMans | 1976 | 1 | A black and white driving game. Players drive a car around a track using a steering wheel controller and other authentic driving apparatus. |
Liberator | 1982 | 2, alternating | The player controls four cannons facing a planet. Using a track ball and cannons, the player can shoot down incoming missiles and destroy planetary bases. |
Lunar Lander | 1979 | 1 | Atari's first vector game. The player pilots a lunar landing module, trying to guide it to an appropriate landing site and set it down gently so it doesn't disintegrate on impact. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Mace: The Dark Age | 1997 | 2, simultaneous | In this fighting game, players try to wrest control of the dark magic of the Mace of Tanis from the demon Asmodeus. |
Major Havoc | 1983 | 2, alternating | The player must defeat the enemy's defenses, dock with the enemy mothership and blow it up. |
Marble Madness | 1984 | 2, simultaneous | A hit for Atari. Using a trackball, players guide their marbles around a geometrically Escher-like landscape. |
Marble Man: Marble Madness II | 1991 | 3, simultaneous | An unreleased sequel to their hit Marble Madness . Up to three players control marbles around a fanciful landscape. |
Maximum Force | 1997 | 2, simultaneous | A shooting game; the players battle a terrorist organization. |
Maze Invaders | 1981 | 2, alternating | A shoot 'em up game in a maze with moving walls. |
Metal Maniax | 1994 | 4, simultaneous | A destruction derby game where points are awarded based on how much the player damages opponents' vehicles. |
Millipede | 1982 | 2, alternating | A sequel to Atari's hit Centipede , this game features harder gameplay and a larger variety of enemy bugs. |
Missile Command | 1980 | 2, alternating | Another huge hit for Atari. The player defends cities from incoming ballistic missiles with three anti-missile installations. Missile blasts take out incoming warheads. |
Missile Command 2 | 1982 | 2, simultaneous | An unreleased sequel to Missile Command , this game introduced simultaneous multiplayer action to the game. |
Monte Carlo | 1980 | 1 | Player drives a car through a twisting road viewed from above. |
Moto Frenzy | 1992 | 2, simultaneous | A motorcycle racing game where players can compete on a variety of different tracks. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Night Driver | 1976 | 1 | A black and white driving game where the player only see the reflectors to the side of the road. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Off the Wall | 1991 | 2, simultaneous | Players try to break through a block formation using a paddle and ball to get to the next level. |
Orbit | 1978 | 2, simultaneous | A Star Trek -inspired game. Two players try to destroy each other's ships, which are shaped like ships from the Star Trek universe. |
Outlaw | 1976 | 1 | A black and white game where the player tries to outdraw his computer opponent. |
Name | Year | 1 | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Paperboy | 1984 | 1 | The player controls a paperboy on a bicycle as he delivers newspapers on his route. Players must navigate around obstacles, deliver papers to correct houses and attempt to vandalize non-customers' homes. Notable for custom bicycle handlebar control and high resolution raster display. |
Peter Pack Rat | 1985 | 2, alternating | The player plays a rat and must collect a variety of objects while avoiding enemy animals. |
Pin-Pong | 1974 | 2, alternating | A black and white video game version of pinball. |
Pit-Fighter | 1990 | 3, simultaneous | A fighting game where players can choose to be a variety of different types of fighters. |
Pong | 1972 | 2, simultaneous | A simulated table tennis game where the player competes against an opponent for the highest number of points. First extremely successful video game, the game that launched the video game industry. |
Pong Doubles | 1973 | 4, simultaneous | A four-player version of Pong with up to four players playing simultaneously. Upright and cocktail versions were produced of this variant. It was released as Coupe Du Monde in France. |
Pool Shark | 1977 | 2, simultaneous | A black and white video game version of billiards. |
Primal Rage | 1994 | 2, simultaneous | The player controls a dinosaur or a giant ape and fights head-to-head against an opponent dinosaur. |
Primal Rage II | 1996 | 2, simultaneous | Exists only as a prototype. The player's monster can morph into its human representation. |
Pursuit | 1974 | 1 | The player flies a biplane in World War I and tries to shoot down enemy aircraft. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Quadrapong | 1974 | 4, simultaneous | Similar to Pong , in this four-player variant, players must protect their goal. |
Quantum | 1982 | 2, alternating | Player must capture particles with their probe's tail. |
Quiz Show | 1976 | 2, alternating | A multiple-choice question and answer game. |
Qwak | 1982 | 2, alternating | Unreleased prototype. The player shifts blocks with paths on them to create a safe path for a duck and her ducklings. |
Qwak! | 1974 | 1 | Not to be confused with Qwak, this is a duck hunting game. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Race Drivin' | 1990 | 1 | A fairly standard racing game with a variety of types of tracks, such as stunt or autocross. |
Rampart | 1990 | 3, simultaneous | Players build up castles and then assault other players' towers or enemy boats. Players can reinforce their castles before another round of assault. Play continues in this fashion. |
Rebound | 1974 | 2, simultaneous | A black and white volleyball game. Players use paddle controllers to serve the ball over the net in the middle of the screen. |
Red Baron | 1980 | 1 | A World War I flight/combat simulator. Players attack other planes and score higher points for long-range kills. |
Relief Pitcher | 1992 | 2, simultaneous | A baseball game with a number of advanced features; allows for detailed customization. |
Return of the Jedi | 1984 | 1 | A sequel to Atari's two previous Star Wars games, this one breaks from the standard set by the previous two by featuring raster graphics. The player competes in three stages inspired by the film. |
Road Blasters | 1987 | 1 | In a futuristic setting, the player drives an advanced car and must attack enemy cars, collect fuel globes and catch power-ups. Atari provided a contest that players could win a special T-Shirt by completing all of the levels. |
Road Burners | 1999 | 8, simultaneous | A motorcycle racing game set in several famous cities around the world. |
Road Riot 4WD | 1991 | 1 | An off-road driving and combat game. Players can choose from a variety of tracks. |
Road Riot's Revenge Rally | 1993 | 2, simultaneous | An offroad racing game where the player uses weapons to hinder opponent trucks. |
Road Runner | 1985 | 2, alternating | The player controls the eponymous character trying to collect birdseed and avoid Wile E. Coyote's traps. Based on the popular cartoons with the same characters. |
Runaway | 1982 | 2, alternating | The player pilots a speeding train trying to collect mailbags and avoid collisions with other trains. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
S.T.U.N. Runner | 1989 | 1 | The player drives a futuristic motorcycle-like vehicle. Running time trials, he can hinder other players with his weapons, including the eponymous S.T.U.N. gun. |
San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing | 1996 | 2, simultaneous | A racing game set in San Francisco, California. |
San Francisco Rush: The Rock | 1997 | 2, simultaneous | A sequel to San Francisco Rush with extra, harder tracks, including one set on the former prison island, Alcatraz. |
San Francisco Rush 2049 | 1999 | 2, simultaneous | A sequel to San Francisco Rush , a futuristic racing game which takes place in the eponymous city. |
Sebring | 1979 | 1 | An unreleased first-person racing game. |
Shark Jaws | 1975 | 2, alternating | The player is a diver trying to catch small fish while a great white shark tries to eat him. |
Shuuz | 1990 | 2, alternating | A video game of horseshoes with a distinct redneck theme. |
Skull & Crossbones | 1989 | 2, simultaneous | The players control pirates on a quest to kill the evil wizard, along the way battling and dispatching enemies. |
Sky Diver | 1978 | 2, simultaneous | The player tries to land a skydiver to a marked position on the ground, accounting for wind speed and timing the opening of the diver's chute. |
Sky Raider | 1978 | 1 | The player pilots an aircraft and tries to destroy as many of a variety of enemies as possible in the allotted time. |
Smokey Joe | 1978 | 1 | One-player version of Fire Truck where the player drives a fire engine through a crowded street to a fire and must avoid obstacles such as parked cars. |
Solar War | 1979 | 4, alternating | An unreleased space-themed video pinball game. |
Space Duel | 1982 | 2, simultaneous | A space combat game where players fight one another and shoot various geometric objects which float about. |
Space Lords | 1992 | 8, simultaneous | An ambitious space combat game with numerous options where the player has to complete several phases of the game. |
Space Race | 1973 | 2, simultaneous | Player attempts to guide a spaceship to the top of the screen, avoiding asteroids along the way. |
Sparkz | 1992 | 2, simultaneous | A puzzle game where players attempt to connect both sides of a pit using falling blocks. |
Sprint 1 | 1978 | 1 | A racing game with a variety of tracks with hazards. |
Sprint 2 | 1976 | 2, simultaneous | The first game in Atari's Sprint line of racing games. |
Sprint 4 | 1977 | 4, simultaneous | A racing game with a variety of tracks with hazards. |
Sprint 8 | 1977 | 8, simultaneous | An 8-player variant of Atari's Sprint line of racing games. |
Star Wars | 1983 | 1 | A big hit for Atari. The player pilots an X-wing fighter attacking the Death Star, a scene inspired by the hit movie Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope . Use of digitized voice samples from the film and slick vector graphics helped this game attract a lot of attention. |
Starship 1 | 1976 | 1 | The player pilots a spaceship around planets and shoots enemy spacecraft. |
Steel Talons | 1991 | 2, simultaneous | Players pilot a virtual helicopter and compete head-to-head or cooperate to destroy ground targets. Features 3D polygonal graphics. |
Steeplechase | 1975 | 6, simultaneous | A horse racing game. Horses and riders are represented in simple rows on the game screen. Players must make horses jump over obstacles on the way to the finish line. |
Street Drivin' | 1990 | 1 | An unreleased sequel to Hard Drivin' with a variety of types of tracks, such as stunt or autocross. |
Stunt Cycle | 1976 | 2, alternating | A black and white motorcycle racing game where players attempt to perform stunts. |
Subs | 1977 | 2, simultaneous | Player attempts to torpedo an unseen sub as many times as possible in allotted time. |
Super Breakout | 1978 | 2, alternating | The player moves a paddle back and forth to bounce a ball into a wall of bricks, breaking bricks with each hit. The goal is to destroy all the bricks. |
Super Bug | 1977 | 1 | A black and white driving game where the player drives a small car through a twisting course. |
Super Pong | 1974 | 2, simultaneous | An enhanced version of Pong , with several new features. Harder than the original, and not very popular. |
Super Sprint | 1986 | 3, simultaneous | An enhanced remake of the original Sprint line of racing games, with enhanced color graphics, better controls and more immersive gameplay. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
T-Mek | 1994 | 4, simultaneous | A 3D vehicular combat game where players must defeat their opponents while piloting a MEK vehicle. |
Tank | 1974 | 2, simultaneous | An early tank combat game. |
Tank II | 1975 | 2, simultaneous | The sequel to Tank. |
Tank 8 | 1976 | 8, simultaneous | An 8-player version of Tank. Also the first Atari game to use a CPU. |
Tempest | 1980 | 2, alternating | Players control a crab-shaped ship and must destroy incoming enemies which slide down tunnels towards them. A very successful game for Atari, Tempest was one of the first games to feature color vector graphics. |
Tenth Degree | 1996 | 2, simultaneous | Unreleased one-on-one fighting game with the 3D characters modeled in an anime style. Similar to other one-on-one fighting games of the time, such as Tekken and SoulCalibur . |
Tetris | 1988 | 2, simultaneous | One of the most popular video games of all time in all media combined, Tetris is a puzzle game where players try to stack differently shaped blocks into solid rows. |
ThunderJaws | 1990 | 2, simultaneous | The player is an elite underwater special agent tasked to infiltrate Madam Q's headquarters and stop her nefarious plans. |
Tomcat | 1983 | 1 | An unreleased and unfinished flight combat game where the player controls an F-14 Tomcat. |
Toobin' | 1988 | 2, simultaneous | A popular game for Atari. Up to two players paddle down a stream full of rapids and other obstacles, including targets to toss cans at. Atari provided a contest that players could win a special T-Shirt by collecting all of the letters in the game's name, including the apostrophe. |
Touch Me | 1974 | 4, simultaneous | A timing/pattern game similar to the popular electronic game Simon . Later converted into a handheld electronic game. |
Tournament Cyberball 2072 | 1989 | 4, simultaneous | Players compete against each other or the computer in a football game played by robots. Winners receive money to upgrade their robots. |
Tournament Table | 1978 | 4, simultaneous | Features a number of selectable and graphically similar simple games (such as Pong and Soccer). For one to four players. |
Triple Hunt | 1977 | 1 | A black and white hunting video game. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Ultra Tank | 1978 | 2, simultaneous | The final game in the Tank series. Options allow the battlefield to be open or have barriers. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Vapor TRX | 1998 | 2, simultaneous | A futuristic racing game where players pilot flying vehicles. |
Vicious Circle | 1996 | 2, simultaneous | Unreleased violent 3D fighting game. |
Video Pinball | 1978 | 4, alternating | A video game version of pinball. The playfield is a color cardboard cutout and the black-and-white video is reflected on top of it. |
Vindicators | 1988 | 2, simultaneous | A tank combat game where players fight the evil enemy, the Tangent Empire. Play is from a top-down perspective. Atari provided a contest that players could win a special T-Shirt by completing the contest level in 30 seconds. |
Vindicators Part II | 1988 | 2, simultaneous | A stripped-down version of the original Vindicators . |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
War: Final Assault | 1999 | 4, simultaneous | A first-person shooter with players located in a maze. |
Warlords | 1980 | 4, simultaneous | Players defend their castles with shields and can capture and fling fireballs at opposing castles. Fireballs destroy portions of opposing castles when they strike. |
Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey | 1996 | 4, simultaneous | A joint venture with Midway Games, a hockey game featuring 3D graphics. |
Wolf Pack | 1978 | 1 | An unreleased submarine hunting game with a unique periscope controller. |
Name | Year | Max Players | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Xybots | 1987 | 2, simultaneous | Players traverse a maze with an over-the-shoulder viewpoint of their characters. Players must destroy robots and other enemies along the way. Players have the option to buy upgrades between levels. |
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A sports video game is a video game that simulates the practice of sports. Most sports have been recreated with a video game, including team sports, track and field, extreme sports, and combat sports. Some games emphasize actually playing the sport, whilst others emphasize strategy and sport management. Some, such as Need for Speed, Arch Rivals and Punch-Out!!, satirize the sport for comic effect. This genre has been popular throughout the history of video games and is competitive, just like real-world sports. A number of game series feature the names and characteristics of real teams and players, and are updated annually to reflect real-world changes. The sports genre is one of the oldest genres in gaming history.
Breakout is an arcade video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. and released on May 13, 1976. It was designed by Steve Wozniak, based on conceptualization from Nolan Bushnell and Steve Bristow who were influenced by the seminal 1972 Atari arcade game Pong. In Breakout, a layer of bricks lines the top third of the screen and the goal is to destroy them all by repeatedly bouncing a ball off a paddle into them. The arcade game was released in Japan by Namco. Breakout was a worldwide commercial success, among the top five highest-grossing arcade video games of 1976 in both the United States and Japan and then among the top three highest-grossing arcade video games of 1977 in the US and Japan. The 1978 Atari VCS port uses color graphics instead of a monochrome screen with colored overlay.
1977 had sequels such as Super Speed Race and Datsun 280 ZZZAP as well as several new titles such as Space Wars. The year's highest-grossing arcade games were F-1 and Speed Race DX in Japan, and Sea Wolf and Sprint 2 in the United States. The year's best-selling home system was Nintendo's Color TV-Game, which was only sold in Japan.
1976 had new titles such as Road Race, Night Driver, Heavyweight Champ, Sea Wolf and Breakout. The year's highest-grossing arcade games were Namco's F-1 in Japan and Midway's Sea Wolf in the United States.
In the history of video games, the second generation era refers to computer and video games, video game consoles, and handheld video game consoles available from 1976 to 1982 Notable platforms of the second generation include the Fairchild Channel F, Atari 2600, Intellivision, Odyssey 2, and ColecoVision. The generation began in November 1976 with the release of the Fairchild Channel F. This was followed by the Atari 2600 in 1977, Magnavox Odyssey² in 1978, Intellivision in 1980 and then the Emerson Arcadia 2001, ColecoVision, Atari 5200, and Vectrex, all in 1982. By the end of the era, there were over 15 different consoles. It coincided with, and was partly fuelled by, the golden age of arcade video games. This peak era of popularity and innovation for the medium resulted in many games for second generation home consoles being ports of arcade games. Space Invaders, the first "killer app" arcade game to be ported, was released in 1980 for the Atari 2600, though earlier Atari-published arcade games were ported to the 2600 previously. Coleco packaged Nintendo's Donkey Kong with the ColecoVision when it was released in August 1982.
In video gaming parlance, a conversion is the production of a game on one computer or console that was originally written for another system. Over the years, video game conversion has taken form in a number of different ways, both in their style and the method in which they were converted.
In the history of video games, the first generation era refers to the video games, video game consoles, and handheld video game consoles available from 1972 to 1983. Notable consoles of the first generation include the Odyssey series, the Atari Home Pong, the Coleco Telstar series and the Color TV-Game series. The generation ended with the Computer TV-Game in 1980, but many manufacturers had left the market prior due to the market decline in the year of 1977 and the start of the second generation of video game consoles.
The Video Pinball brand is a series of first-generation single-player dedicated home video game consoles manufactured, released and marketed by Atari, Inc. starting in 1977. Bumper controllers on the sides or a dial on the front are used to control the games depending on the game selected. There are three game types in the first model of the Video Pinball series: Pinball, Basketball, and Breakout.
Space Race is an arcade game developed by Atari, Inc. and released on July 16, 1973. It was the second game by the company, after Pong (1972), which marked the beginning of the commercial video game industry. In the game, two players each control a rocket ship, with the goal of being the first to move their ship from the bottom of the screen to the top. Along the way are asteroids, which the players must avoid. Space Race was the first racing arcade video game and the first game with a goal of crossing the screen while avoiding obstacles.
Rebound is a two-player sports arcade video game developed by Atari] and released in February 1974. In the game, two players each control paddles on either side of a volleyball net, with a ball dropped from the top of the screen. The players bounce the ball back and forth across the net with the goal of scoring points by having the ball reach the bottom or side of the other player's half of the screen, with the trajectory of the ball dependent on where it strikes the paddle. The winner is the first player to reach eleven or fifteen points, depending on the game settings.
Atari, Inc. was an American video game developer and home computer company founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. Atari was a key player in the formation of the video arcade and video game industry.