4 Games in 1 cart – Atari 2600+ review

4 Games in 1 Cartridge is a collection of four classic Atari 2600 titles that take advantage of the paddle controller. The pack includes one cartridge, with dipswitches to choose between the games and two authentic replicas of the original 2600 paddles. It is being released alongside the new Atari 2600+ console and we’ve reviewed this pack as part of our overall review of the new system.

All four games are early 2600 games and this shows in the depth of gameplay as well as the graphics and sounds. But this doesn’t mean they aren’t fun and our overall impression is this pack was designed with multiplayer in mind for those fun Friday nights huddled around the Atari with friends. We take a look at all four games and the paddles themselves.

Breakout is one of those titles that just screams arcade gaming. It’s one of the most cloned games and was an inspiration for Tomohiro Nishikado when he was designing Space Invaders. With that kind of legacy, it’s hard not to expect something special from Breakout in this collection.

It’s easily the standout game of the four on offer and no matter what game mode you choose this has that classic “one more go” appeal that defines a classic arcade title. Considering this pack has multiplayer in mind it will probably be a toss-up between Breakout and Pong as to which causes the most arguments.

Canyon Bomber is a military sim where you control various aircraft in an attempt to bomb the canyon. This one works best in two-player due to the simple nature of the mechanics. You simply time your bomb drops to take out as much of the canyon as possible.

The player that has accumulated the most points by the end of the round is the winner. As you play, you’ll notice that dropping too many bombs will destroy previously dropped ones so timing becomes critical. The best mode in the game is Sea Bomber where the canyon is replaced by ships.

Night Driver is a first-person racing game that gives players a time limit to drive as far as possible. Along the way you will need to avoid other cars and trees and houses can be seen whizzing by. Steering outside the track results in a crash as does hitting another car. There are infinite lives but crashing costs you time.

This has an interesting use of the paddle button acting as an accelerator and there is a fine balance between going too fast, which may cause a crash, and too slow which results in not being able to get back in a straight line. Night Driver gets very frantic in places but can be rewarding as you improve.

Video Olympics was one of the Atari 2600 launch titles and many will recognise its basic premise as Pong. There are numerous versions of the original console game to try and they vary from ice hockey to basketball but all spin around the same concept of bat and ball going back and forth.

There is something to be said about Pong when you find yourself aggressively wanting to whitewash your opponent with a 21-to-nothing win. To look at this game now, it just seems so basic but this is its beauty. This is one of those perfect two-player titles that brings the best and worst out of you.

The paddles only require one controller port on the Atari console because they are connected. This isn’t an issue as the cable is long enough to enable the second paddle to be put away safely when playing on your own, although ideally having a way to separate them would have been better.

The paddle knobs feel almost the same as the originals but are slightly looser to twist. The red fire button feels the same as the 80s version and has that satisfying chunky click. Overall, the paddles are authentic enough to work with all four games and only the most stringent of Atari fans will find any faults.

4 Games in 1 Cartridge is a must-buy if you’re buying the new Atari 2600+ and plan to be playing with friends. If you’re more of a solo gamer, then this one is hard to recommend due to all the games having a solid two-player mechanic that just doesn’t feel as good when played against the computer. Overall a solid package for the right type of gamers. 4 Games in 1 Cartridge is released alongside the Atari 2600+ on 17th November 2023 and is available at Amazon for £30.