So from the get go I noticed that the wireless controllers that came with it used infrared instead of radio waves or bluetooth. It was incredibly annoying to try and play the games like this as the controller needed to be pointed DIRECTLY at the console's face in order for it to properly work. Luckily, I had some wired controllers from a previous iteration of the system that I could use. This is when things started to get weird. While the Flashback lists itself as being a "classic" game console, in actuality there is a small chunk of the 101 pre-installed game on it that are homebrew games (like Chase It, Miss It, and Shield Shifter) that were released within the last decade and a couple of them were games that were never officially released at all (like Tempest, Wizard, and Save Mary). While this is nice, it kinda undermines the "classic" aspect that the system is advertising on the box.

Next is the fact that many of the games in this compilation were designed to take advantage of the manuals that originally came with them. With the manuals being absent, much of the gameplay that was used in some of the games (like in the Swordquest series) is now extremely cryptic or utter nonsense as there is now no way to figure out what they mean without looking up a walkthrough online. Even Atari Anthology on the PS2 and XBox had scans of the original manuals that you could access at any time. This is just lazy.

Finally, we have the fact that a small handful of the games in this system like Off the Wall and Circus Atari are best played with the rotational paddle controllers. Now I didn't get the special bundle pack that already had these controllers, but I wasn't willing to spend an additional $20-30 just so I could play with these cheaply made controllers; they feel like I could break them if I just sneeze in the wrong direction. In addition to this, this console is composite output ONLY. There is no way to get this thing to work on an HD TV unless it already has a compatible input or if you have an adapter of some kind.

Overall, this plug-n-play is baffling to say the least. It calls itself classic even though about 10% isn't, it has games that work best with controllers that it doesn't have (unless you pay extra), and the lack of manuals make the rest of the compilation confusing to figure out. If you already know the solutions to the games then that should make some things easier, but all in all this console is pretty lack luster for the amount it costs. It would make more sense to buy Atari Anthology, so until then, I'll be seeing you.

Score

Atari Flashback Classics for the Nintendo Switch is a compilation of all three volumes previously released for XBox One and PlayStation 4 over the past couple of years. Individually they each had 50 games; roughly 10 arcade titles and a handful of home games, most of which from the Atari 2600, to pad out the total. As such the Switch version has all 150 games without the need to swap volumes. This is a very nice convenience especially since the Switch version is $20USD cheaper than buying each volume separately.

Visually, the games in the collection vary in terms of quality. Some look stunning even to this day, but many others look like a steaming pile of digital feces. This is also reflected while the game is undocked as many of the Atari 2600 games that had sprite flicker don't show up very well on the Switch's screen. That doesn't always reflect how the game plays though. There are a small handful of games in the collection that look like crap, but are some of the most fun games of the bunch. If you can just stomach past their looks and have a friend that will play with you, online or otherwise, I'm betting you'll have a grand time.

Now considering that most of the arcade titles on this collection, and some of the Atari 5200 games, used special controls like a trackball or dial, they can't be emulated perfectly. That being said, Code Mystics did a decent job with what they had. While the left stick controls are WAY too sensitive even on the lowest setting, they ingeniously managed to incorporate the Switch's touchscreen for controlling many of the games that had those unique controls. It's just a shame that those controls are only available when the system is undocked.

Overall while this collection is miles above the plug-n-plays that AtGames has been producing, it is not for the average gamer. It is for collectors, and for those who grew up with these games. Like I said at the beginning of this review most of the games on this compilation did not age well, but there still glimmers a shining light within those crusty visuals. The addition of achievements and the inclusion of the manuals for the 2600 and 5200 games is very nice and I love the fact that they also included the SwordQuest comics from back in the 80's. It's little touches like that that really make collections like this stand out, even if they only stand out an extra inch or two amongst the crowd.

AUDIO

CHALLENGE

CONTROL

VISUALS

ORIGINALITY

EXECUTION

PROS:

• Lots of games
• Cheaper than buying each volume separately
• Online play
• Achievements
• Touchscreen support
• Small download size

CONS:

• Quantity over quality
• Stick sensitivity is too high even on lowest setting
• Online leaderboards only work with paid service
• Visuals degrade when console is undocked
• Some games are duplicates for different Atari systems