Mini Review: Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration - The First Console War (Switch) - Once More Unto The Breach

Let battle commence

With the release of The First Console War, the second DLC expansion for Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, developer Digital Eclipse has seemingly completed its mission to present the most comprehensive interactive documentary on Atari possible. Much like the previous expansion, this latest release lacks some of the cohesion of the main game, but is nevertheless another fascinating peek into the history of one of gaming’s most iconic brands.

With another 19 playable games included, The First Console War delves into Mattel’s introduction to the world of console gaming. Specifically, we are shown how the company approached the creation and marketing of the Intellivision (a brand recently acquired by modern Atari) along with the forming of M Network, a brand that would release modified versions of Intellivision games on the Atari VCS.

Across the single timeline, you’re treated to another smorgasbord of interviews with the likes of former director of Intellivision game development Don Daglow, historian Leonard Herman, Pitfall creator David Crane, M Network programmer Jane Terjung, and more. Including individuals who were directly involved with Mattel and M Network gives invaluable insight into how the company operated back in the day; we imagine it would have been all too easy to stick to Atari’s own alumni, but it’s great to get some perspective from its competitor.

It’s particularly interesting to glimpse the advertisement strategies from both companies. Mirroring the ways modern firms try to one-up each other, it’s quite amusing to see Mattel attempt to woo consumers over with more sophisticated technology while Atari leans heavily into its comprehensive and, honestly, stronger back catalogue of software. The timeline includes full TV commercials from both companies, with Mattel utilising the expertise of sports writer George Plimpton for its Intellivison ad.

The games included here are, as expected, mostly M Network titles for the 2600. Mattel certainly didn’t pull any punches when it came to software; a large portion of the titles on offer are genuinely good fun. The true standout is Astroblast, a curious (and incredibly satisfying and addictive) cross between Asteroids and Space Invaders. Other notable inclusions are Dark Cavern, a game that borrows heavily from Atari’s Berzerk series, and Tower of Mystery, a revived prototype from Jane Terjung that combines elements of SwordQuest and Adventure.

Several of the 19 new games — specifically those not found on the 2600 — are sadly not included in the new timeline and will need to be located within Atari 50’s game library. It’s no dealbreaker, but it would’ve been nice to get a bit of background information on their creation. We also feel like the exclusion of the original games created for the Intellivison to be a bit of a missed opportunity, but understandable given that this is Atari 50, not Intellivision 50. Fingers crossed Digital Eclipse will create something specific to that console's history now that the brand and associated IP are in Atari's hands.