PlayStation 4 Critic Reviews

Whilst this collection has a lot to offer, those unfamiliar with Atari probably won’t want to spend that much time with these bonafide classics.

Atari Flashback Classics Volume 1 features a lot of old games that are terrible by today's standards, and a few that are still surprisingly fun. That isn't really the point, though, as it's more about getting to celebrate gaming's past.

Through sheer weight of volume alone, Atari Flashback Classics Vol.1 creates some enjoyable gameplay moments even if the quality of games on offer is pretty low. As a games compilation this has limited value but as a history lesson it delivers a comprehensive look at the first generation of gaming.

Unlike Nintendo's Mini NES retro console that was released last year, this is a more difficult package to recommend to people that didn’t grow up playing the games. I don’t think there’s been a better effort to archive the games on the Atari 2600 and bring them to modern players, but I just don’t think the people used to complex worlds, storytelling and gameplay that we have today will understand the value of these older games. But older players may well get a kick out of playing Basic Math again, to remind them of just how hard it was to act out excitement on that Christmas day when their parents thought they had found the perfect gift.