Atari 10-In-1 Games
by JAKKS Pacific, Inc.

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The game system is packaged inside of an exact replica of the original Atari CX-40 joystick.  This was an absolute BRILLIANT move.  JAKKS Pacific previous "10-In-1" unit based on Activision games was bundled in a flimsy joypad controller that reeked of cheap Asian pirate crap.  Atari 2600 games were never meant to be played that way, and I am thrilled that JAKKS Pacific was able to faithfully recreate the original Atari controller.

There is no external power supply.   The bottom of the joystick base has a trap door for installing four AA sized batteries.  A power switch, reset, select and start buttons are located on the front of the unit.  The cable that comes out of the back of the joystick connects to the composite & audio input of most any TV or VCR.

The joystick contains all of the electronics.  As such, it is slightly larger than a standard 2600 joystick.  (See the photo on the right for a size comparison.)  While this may cause some problems for younger gamers with small hands, I expect that most gamers will find the joystick comfortable & easy to use.  Aside from the slightly larger base on the "10-In-1" joystick, I could not find one major difference from the real 2600 joystick.

The electronics consist of a custom emulator in hardware for the Atari 2600, along with the game ROM's.  The ROM's seem to be the originals, however, all simultaneous two-player modes have been removed.  

After inserting the batteries & connecting the system to a TV set, powering it on is as simple as flipping the recessed power switch on the front of the base.  The unit then displays a simple menu of games.  Simply move the joystick to highlight the game you wish to play & hit the fire button.  The selected game will launch.

And once a game is launched, you will begin to see all of the flaws that are built into this amazing replica controller.  Unfortunately, from a software standpoint, this unit is a complete disappointment.  After playing all of the games in the "10-In-1" unit, I felt like the people responsible for doing the software did not have a good understanding of what is important in a product like this.  The Atari 2600 may have been very primitive by today's standards, but it did have one major aspect that the "10-In-1" unit does not have: silky smooth gameplay. I experienced occasional "jerky" animation in this unit that is not found in the original Atari 2600 games.

Atari "10-In-1" TV Games Click images to enlarge

First off, let's examine a concern I had in May of 2002 when I first found out that this device was in development.  My concern was that the games that were designed to be played with a paddle controller (Breakout, Circus Atari, & Pong) would not "play" as the originals did. My concern turned out to be 100% correct.  The mechanics & control schemes of these games have been altered to the point that the games aren't "fun" anymore.  There is a reason that these games were originally played with a paddle.  The paddle provides the speed & precise movement that is required for games like these. A joystick does not offer that same capability.  Playing Breakout, Circus Atari & Pong with a joystick changed the gameplay experience from fun to annoying & frustrating.

Gameplay in many of the games has been altered (or not properly emulated) in some ways -- some minor, and some quite noticeable. For example, in my 25+ years of videogaming, I have NEVER seen a Pong game (by Atari or any other company) that allowed your bat to scroll off the top of the screen only to reappear at the bottom, and vice versa.  It completely changes the gameplay from the original. How could something that affects gameplay to that degree have been overlooked?

Also, I have noticed in most of these games that there is some kind of "graphic garbage" around the screen.  For example, in Pong, there is a black line that shadows the computer-controlled bat. (Check the screen capture on the left for an example of the black line in Pong.)  In Adventure, your character (the small square) also has a black line that shadows your movement. Breakout has the same problem with the ball.

Audio has also been altered in many of these games.  Missile Command seems to be the worst offender.  The sounds in this game aren't even close.  Asteroids seems to be the game with the most faithful audio.  It also seems to be the most faithfully recreated game in general.  It doesn't suffer from the "shadowing" problems I mentioned above, but I imagine it is because of the black background.

I was disappointed to see that the "Easter Eggs" were removed.  I fully expect that people will try looking for them in Missile Command, Adventure, etc., when they fire the "10-In-1" unit up for the first time.  This could not have been screwed up any worse.  For example, the "dot" & hidden message in Adventure was completely botched.  The "dot", which was invisible & hidden in the original 2600 game, has been changed.  Originally, it was no larger than one pixel.  Now, it is plainly visible in the Black Castle, and it is GLOWING!.  It's like JAKKS Pacific wanted you to find it, even if you didn't know about it previously.

However, it gets worse.  Placing the dot where it belongs, and placing another item in the same room still allows you to pass through the wall into the hidden chamber.  Instead of being greeted with the familiar Warren Robinett message, or some new credit by JAKKS Pacific or Infogrames, the programmers dropped the ball.  At the top of the screen is the word "TEXT" in glowing letters.  Someone appears to have made a comment to add text there, but never got around to it.  Why on earth would they go out of your way to make the "dot" plainly visible, but not leave any kind of message to be viewed, even if it is not the original message from Warren Robinett?

Adventure from Atari "10-In-1" TV Games Click to enlarge

I have included screen captures on the right that show the problems in Adventure.  The first picture shows the black line that "shadows" the box.  The second shows the glowing dot in the hidden room.  The third shows the dot placed in the wall outside the hidden chamber.  (Note the black line again.)  The fourth shows the "hidden" message.  I'm sure it will be impossible to read in the screen capture, but trust me...  it just says "TEXT."

Another issue with Adventure involve the dragons.  Grindle (the green dragon) is now purple and it is very hard to kill him.  You can stab at him with the sword over and over, and he just won't die unless you hit him just the right way.  Yorgle (the yellow dragon) seems to have a different problem with death.  Once you kill him, he does not assume the "dead" shape on occasion.  Sometimes, you can exit the screen and come back to find him still dead, but looking alive. 

Conclusion:

I really want to see this product succeed. It was an absolutely BRILLIANT idea to build this unit around an Atari 2600 joystick. Nothing would thrill me more than to see JAKKS Pacific sell a million of these things, and go back to the drawing board for another "10-In-1" unit.

I love the joystick. I love how it is portable. However, I don't think the games live up to their original counterparts, and I question a few of the games that were included. (I'd be curious to know who selected the games. Did Infogrames dictate which games to use, or did JAKKS Pacific pick them out?)

I think the paddle games should have been left out. (I can visualize a "10-In-1" unit based around a paddle.)  I also question the inclusion of RealSports Volleyball.  I understand that there are some licensing issues with some of the Atari 2600 hits like Space Invaders, Ms. Pac-Man, etc., so they could not be used.  However, there are a TON of great games in the Atari/Infogrames library that would have been a better fit for a joystick controller.  Why not include Haunted House, Battlezone, or Video Pinball?  Why not add an option so a second joystick could be daisy-chained to the first joystick?  That would allow you to do something with two-player games such as Combat, Air-Sea Battle, etc.

Casual gamers will probably be pleased with the unit.  People who have not played these games in twenty years may not notice most notice most of the problems.  Retrogamers will be disappointed to hear that the "10-In-1" game has altered colors, altered gameplay, occasional jerky framerates, and poor control schemes. In short, the "10-In-1" unit does not do a good job of representing the original 2600 titles.

Atari "10-In-1" TV Games is expected to retail for $19.95.