Atariboy Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 (edited) Didn't see this posted anywhere. Looks like the recent online enabled PC collection is coming to home consoles, albeit split up into two different volumes. http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2016/05/30/atari-flashback-classics-volume-1-volume-2-listed-amazon-ps4-xbox-one/ Small price to pay I suppose for physical releases since the odds were stacked against this ever being anything except a digital exclusive these days (If it even made it out to home consoles since mobile platforms seem to be the domain of classic collections these days). But I can't help but think they'd of been better off with a single disc $30 release like the old days. Swapping discs just to move between Red Baron and Tempest is going to be even more annoying than it was with the two volume DS collection where you didn't have to worry that a loose cartridge is going to get scratched. And the lack of Battlezone sure is missed. Wish they had done a better job to compensate for the loss of that classic that they so foolishly sold off a few years back. While it's great that another 70's arcade classic finally has appeared in collections with the release of Atari Vault via its inclusion of Sprint, it was reportedly all but unplayable with modern controllers, sadly. Several additions like Food Fight, which made an appearance on Game Room for the Xbox 360, would've eased the loss of one of the traditional highlights of Atari compilations over the past two decades and been a better fit for XB1/PS4 controllers. Edited May 31, 2016 by Atariboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cimerians Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Awful. Without proper controls or even a mouse....these will hurt on consoles. A $40 novelty and a disc swapping annoyance I can live without. They got my money on Steam for this anyway. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 (edited) That's one big problem with Atari's unlicensed lineup of 2600 titles and the usual list of arcade inclusions. So many of the great games that fall into this list that we always see released when a collection appears were dependent on controller types that just don't make this transition well. Which makes the loss of Battlezone sting all that much more. Not only was it a great game in both its arcade and 2600 forms that isn't dependent on having to have a buddy to play with, but the arcade original is also a perfect match for today's dual analog console controllers. Edited May 31, 2016 by Atariboy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 And yet no download version of Intellivision Lives for 3DS. THERE IS NO JUSTICE 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leods Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 2 disks. LOL One disk would fit what, every single 8bit videogame ever made? talk about milking. This is just atrocious. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 (edited) It's got bonus stuff too that represents the bulk of the space, I'm sure. But considering that Atari Anthology easily accommodated it all back on the PS2 and Xbox on a DVD, it's certainly not space constraints today on a Blu-Ray behind it. But it is $20 and it is a physical release. Likely with a tiny bit of patience, this will be easily had new for $20 total since I see these being discontinued fairly quickly to $10. So the issue is one of annoyance during use more so than monetary. I wonder if AtGames is behind this? I don't think that they had any involvement with Atari Vault, but the Flashback name is here. Edited May 31, 2016 by Atariboy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 They did the same thing with the DS release, possibly even the same selection split between "volumes." Can you envision a scenario where someone would just buy one of these? Maybe someone who remembers Haunted House and wants ONLY that, because they're not paying more than $20?Oh "Atari," I wish I felt something for you nowadays other than mystified pity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 *looks at his Atari Anthology for the original XBOX... 85 games.. single disk.* 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent X Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 All of these games are available on Steam as a single compilation called Atari Vault, priced at $19.99. It's tragic to see that Atari has decided to split the collection into two parts for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and are charging $19.99 for each "half" of the collection. Now, you could say that's the "penalty" for those who decide to play on a video game console instead of a computer (since Sony/Microsoft have licensing fees and such), but the story doesn't end there. You might recall that back in 2004, Atari was capable of selling a compilation of 87 games on PlayStation 2 and Xbox for the same price. That's only a few games short of what they're offering now. There is no good reason why in this day and age, with much more powerful systems and higher capacity media, Atari couldn't offer the complete package on a single disc for the same $19.99 price as the collection on Steam, and their old collections on consoles from more than a decade ago. I must say the box art is really stylish. I'm sure it'll stand out on shelves, and evoke some nostalgic feelings from longtime Atari fans. However, they really need to reconsider the decision to fracture the collection, and jack up the prices in the process. This is a collection of time-honored games that deserves to be sold in a physical format as a singular "complete" package, so that it can be held in high regard for years and decades to come. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 It's not like these ancient games have improved with age, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 I could understand a single $30 retail release to cover the cost of manufacturing discs and having to deal with physical retailers. But $40 for the same thing across two discs? It doesn't seem as great a value for the money considering what's available digitally, and what's already been available in the past. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory DG Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 I wouldn't give "Atari" a dime thesedays. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lauren Tyler Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Why exactly didn't they include Battlezone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 They don't own it anymore and didn't license it in order to include it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 (edited) Ah, I see the cat is out of the bag. Yes, that's one of our "secret" projects at AtGames. This is going to be a whole series. Edited June 1, 2016 by Bill Loguidice 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Ah, I see the cat is out of the bag. Yes, that's one of our "secret" projects at AtGames. This is going to be a whole series. Can you tell us if the digital versions will launch from a hub? Or will the player need to go to Atari Volume 2 for some games and Volume 1 for others, knowing what is in which collection? IMHO splitting them up is BS in case anyone at ATgames cares what I think. I'm probably their dream customer: old enough to be nostalgic for their properties, affluent enough not to care too much about pricing, generous enough not to pick nits about emulation ... but would it kill them to put it all in one purchase? Or split it like iOS/Android Atari Greatest Hits -- allow a la carte onesie-twosies but incentivize getting the whole collection. Looking forward to ColecoVision and Intellivision collections if at all feasible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Can you tell us if the digital versions will launch from a hub? Or will the player need to go to Atari Volume 2 for some games and Volume 1 for others, knowing what is in which collection? IMHO splitting them up is BS in case anyone at ATgames cares what I think. I'm probably their dream customer: old enough to be nostalgic for their properties, affluent enough not to care too much about pricing, generous enough not to pick nits about emulation ... but would it kill them to put it all in one purchase? Or split it like iOS/Android Atari Greatest Hits -- allow a la carte onesie-twosies but incentivize getting the whole collection. Looking forward to ColecoVision and Intellivision collections if at all feasible. The way it's set up right now, yes, you'll need to go into each separate volume to play its specific games, as well as its specific DLC. As for why it was split and not just one volume, as well as pricing, that all came down to retailer requirements. By the way, I was responsible for what games went on what volume and I tried to group them as logically and as value-driven (per volume) as possible. There are lots of options on the table for future volumes. Hopefully these are well received. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 (edited) Ah, I see the cat is out of the bag. Yes, that's one of our "secret" projects at AtGames. This is going to be a whole series. While I'm not completely pleased here with the split nature of this product, not only am I excited to see some genuine classics get compilation releases on the XB1/PS4, but I'm now even more eager to see what's next. Since the feature set seems to be a 1:1 match for Atari Vault, is it safe to assume that the emulation wizards at Code Mystics are behind these as well? Edited June 1, 2016 by Atariboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 The way it's set up right now, yes, you'll need to go into each separate volume to play its specific games, as well as its specific DLC. As for why it was split and not just one volume, as well as pricing, that all came down to retailer requirements. By the way, I was responsible for what games went on what volume and I tried to group them as logically and as value-driven (per volume) as possible. There are lots of options on the table for future volumes. Hopefully these are well received. Will there be a digital release? I don't buy discs, and have no cares about "retailer requirements." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 While I'm not completely pleased here with the split nature of this product, not only am I excited to see some genuine classics get compilation releases on the XB1/PS4, but I'm now even more eager to see what's next. Since the feature set seems to be a 1:1 match for Atari Vault, is it safe to assume that the emulation wizards at Code Mystics are behind these as well? Your assumptions are correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Will there be a digital release? I don't buy discs, and have no cares about "retailer requirements." Nor should you care. I was merely pointing out the "why?". And yes, there will be a digital release. In all ways this is a standard PS4/Xbox One release, meaning trophies, achievements, leaderboards, etc. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S1500 Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Wouldn't it be funny if this compilation had frequent updates? Essential hotfixes for 30+ year old games... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Havoc 2049 Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 I'll buy these. It'll be cool to have in my Xbox collection. Bill, what does "retailer requirements" even mean? Why not sell it all in one package? A few more questions... Do both volumes come out on October 4th? Will each volume on the XB1 have 1000 Achievement Points each? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Wouldn't it be funny if this compilation had frequent updates? Essential hotfixes for 30+ year old games... The games are frozen in time. The software for online multiplayer and leaderboards is new, though. I WISH some of these games would be updated. Even in hacky ways like on the Flashback units. Since there are no space limitations (unlike the Flashback hardware), I hope they include extras like home-brew hacks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Wouldn't it be funny if this compilation had frequent updates? Essential hotfixes for 30+ year old games... Well, the PC version released several updates since it was first released. In fact, I was previewing a version a few days prior to the release of that, and even the release day version proved slightly different (in a good way). I wouldn't expect much to be needed to be fixed on the console side since the PC version (or should I say variation, it's not EXACTLY the same obviously) will be mature by then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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