Few words will put a catch in the throat of a Gen Xer like \u201cAtari.<\/a>\u201d No matter how badly that brand has been botched since Warner Bros. bought out founder Nolan Bushnell and sent head-smacking mistakes like E.T. and Pac-Man to a New Mexico grave, it\u2019s still the name that started home console gaming in the United States, and that accords a certain level of respect, if not deference, like the feelings 1990s kids have for Nintendo<\/a>.<\/p>\n Where was I? Yes, Atari will be getting an Expanded Edition of its Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, an anthology which launched in November 2022 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X.<\/p>\n That comprised well more than 100 games, actually, which included prototypes and unreleased concepts for the Atari VCS\/2600 and Atari 5200, as well as catalog mainstays like Air-Sea Battle, Warlords and Outlaw; home adaptations of arcade quarter-eaters Asteroids and Missile Command; and pioneering concepts like Yars\u2019 Revenge, and the Swordquest and RealSports series.<\/p>\n Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Expanded Edition launches with 39 more games this fall for all the platforms of the original anthology, for $39.99. The new lineup of games will also be available to owners of the original collection as premium DLC.<\/p>\n A steelbook edition gives collectors all the games on a disc plus several other premiums, including some miniaturized replicas of arcade cabinet marquees, art cards, and even a replica of the business card for Al Alcorn, creator of Pong, which was installed in late November at a Sunnyvale bar that is today the Rooster T. Feathers Comedy Club<\/a>. (I know this because I used to bomb, badly, on Tuesday evenings in Rooster\u2019s open-mic showcases.)<\/p>\n The 39 additional games will be segmented into two timelines: The Wider World of Atari, and The First Console War. The latter references Atari duking it out with Intellivision, a rivalry that ended only last month when Atari\u2019s owners plucked the Intellivision IP off the scrap heap<\/a> with Tommy Tallarico\u2019s pie-in-the-sky Intellivision Amico still unreleased after seven years allegedly in development.<\/p>\n Atari\u2019s brand managers\u2019 purchase of Intellivision gave them rights to some 200 games, which is probably the fuel for this expanded edition re-release. A statement on Tuesday mentioned that the Expanded Edition will include \u201cboth Atari and M Network games,\u201d referencing the third-party publishing label for the 2600 that Mattel opened as the original console\u2019s fortunes turned south.<\/p>\n Berzerk, Stern Electronics\u2019 original maze-based run-n-gunner (pictured above) will also feature prominently. Atari acquired that property<\/a> (and its sequel, Frenzy) back in 2023. It was one of the most faithful adaptations of an arcade game (absent synthesized voice files, of course) the 2600 had to offer.<\/p>\n Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Expanded Edition will be released Oct. 25 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"promotional](\"https:\/\/readwrite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/atari-50-expanded.jpg\"\/)
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<\/p>\nWhat\u2019s in the Atari 50: Anniversary Celebration Expanded Edition?<\/strong><\/h2>\n