5 Classic Atari Games That Deserve a Modern Reimagining (and 5 That Can Stay in the Past)

For decades, Atari has been a major part of gaming history, even leading the way with early home consoles before the industry downturn in 1983. The brand has survived because of the many classic and groundbreaking games it created – games that helped shape modern gaming and still feel original today, even after forty years.

Atari CEO Wade Rosen recently shared with Bloomberg his vision to establish Atari as the leading retro game developer for today’s audiences. This is a compelling goal with significant potential. The company is now evaluating its early games, identifying titles with enough merit to be successfully reimagined, and recognizing others that are best left as nostalgic memories due to their age or unusual design.

Needs A Remake: Missile Command

The classic Atari game Missile Command had a solid core gameplay idea that could be reimagined for today’s players. The game involved protecting a base from incoming attacks by destroying missiles, and it was an early example of the shooter genre. Despite its simple, yet challenging, design, Missile Command remains fun and has been successfully updated in the past.

A modern update to Missile Command could build on the original’s core idea with today’s technology. Imagine more varied defenses, bigger playing fields, and the need to carefully manage resources like ammunition. Players would have to make strategic choices about which attacks to intercept and which to let through, creating a really tense and complex experience while still capturing the spirit of the classic game.

Can Stay In The Past: Black Widow

Atari’s Black Widow was an arcade shooter with some interesting concepts, but it could quickly become confusing. Players control a spider, moving around its web and protecting it from bugs. While the idea of a spider and insects might not appeal to everyone, the game’s many different features actually made a simple concept overly complex.

This is particularly noticeable with characters like the Bug Slayer, who doesn’t directly attack you but stops you from getting points for extra lives – a potentially very frustrating element that could be even worse if the game was more challenging. Black Widow Recharged demonstrated this problem. Although Black Widow was a creative take on the classic shooter format for its time, it doesn’t have a strong enough foundation to fully support a modern update.

Needs A Remake: Star Raiders

When Star Raiders launched in 1980, it was a huge success for Atari and became a must-have game for the Atari 400/800. It went on to influence countless space combat games over the years. Players take on the role of a pilot defending against the Zylon Empire, destroying enemy fighters before they can attack human ships. Even today, the game’s fast-paced action would appeal to modern gamers familiar with the space combat genre.

The game’s surprisingly deep design has influenced many games we play today. It’ll be fascinating to see how Atari updates the original with modern ideas, while still keeping the adventurous feel that made it special. This is also a great opportunity to improve on the disappointing remake from 2011 and really explore the game’s potential.

Can Stay In The Past: Centipede

Centipede is a classic early Atari game – a thrilling top-down shooter where simply destroying enemies isn’t enough. As a player, you’re tasked with shooting bugs and cleverly using the environment to deal with the pieces they break into. Even today, Centipede remains enjoyable thanks to its simple design and effective gameplay.

It’s been difficult to recreate that same level of quality in newer games, as efforts to update the gameplay often make it too complex. Centipede might be best enjoyed in its original form – its simple, focused design is a big part of what makes it great. While developers could add new enemies or weapons, Centipede is already a strong game and might not benefit from a complete modern remake.

Needs A Remake: Maze Craze

Atari’s Maze Craze was a fun, competitive game where two players raced to be the first to solve a randomly generated maze. While simple in concept, navigating the maze was challenging due to the limitations of the early graphics and processing power – players had to master precise controls and specific movements to succeed. It’s a game that would feel right at home with a modern update.

Updating the game for today’s players could include adding more challenges, like obstacles and traps, along with power-ups and upgrades to improve gameplay. Because it’s naturally competitive, it would work well as an online multiplayer game, giving Atari a chance to create something similar to Fall Guys. Maze Craze is simple enough for anyone to pick up quickly, but has the potential for complex gameplay, making it a great game to build on and expand.

Can Stay In The Past: Crystal Castles

I remember playing Crystal Castles way back when, and it was a really cool Atari game! It actually did a lot to pave the way for platformers as we know them today – stuff we just expect in games now was pretty new then. You play as Bentley Bear, running around a castle, grabbing gems, and avoiding bad guys. It was simple fun, but honestly, games like Q*bert came along and built on those ideas in a really great way. While it’s a classic, I don’t necessarily think a modern remake is needed.

If Bentley Bear were updated today, it would probably become a platformer – a style of game that’s built on and greatly improved the ideas first seen in Crystal Castles. Because of this, the core gameplay of Crystal Castles doesn’t offer much room for new ideas or major changes. While it was technically impressive for its time, most of its features have been surpassed by later games, making a remake or reimagining less appealing than revisiting other classic Atari titles.

Needs A Remake: Dodge ‘Em

Inspired by the classic maze games of the Atari days, Dodge ‘Em feels instantly familiar yet fresh. Players drive a car, collecting dots scattered across the screen while avoiding collisions with other cars controlled by the computer. It’s similar to a faster-paced version of Pac-Man, and the quick action, particularly in multiplayer mode, makes for a surprisingly fun and addictive game.

Mixing up the typical racing game formula – where you just race or crash – could be a really fun addition to today’s games. A new version could feature a variety of vehicles, enemies, and tracks to discover. Because it’s a multiplayer game, it’s well-suited for online play and offers lots of potential for creative game modes. While the core idea of Dodge ‘Em is simple, there’s plenty of room to expand on it and create a really enjoyable, modern arcade driving experience.

Can Stay In The Past: Joust

With its unique look, Joust is a game that’s difficult to envision being successfully updated today. Players control knights riding ostriches, battling each other while bouncing between platforms. Though visually impressive for its time and still memorable, Joust’s core gameplay is quite simple and doesn’t easily lend itself to significant modern expansion.

Although it might be fun to update Joust with new mounts or weapons, its distinct visual style could feel out of place today. Many modern games have already built upon Joust‘s core gameplay, so a major overhaul would be needed to make it interesting for players now. Ultimately, Joust is a unique piece of Atari history and might be best left as a classic from that era.

Needs A Remake: Warlords

Combining the best parts of Breakout and Pong, Warlords is a highly addictive game with simple controls, making it perfect for a modern update. In this classic four-player game, players defend their castles by bouncing fireballs at each other, trying to be the last player remaining. Warlords is quick, easy to pick up, and incredibly fun with four players, making it a great choice for an online multiplayer experience.

The game Warlords received an updated version for Xbox Live Arcade in 2008 that many players really enjoyed. Bringing it back today with expansions, more players, or new features could be fantastic, particularly if the core gameplay was simple enough to work on mobile devices. Warlords is a standout multiplayer title from Atari and would be a great choice for a modern remake.

Can Stay In The Past: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

The video game adaptation of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is widely considered one of the biggest failures in gaming history, and there’s little reason to revisit it. Rushed into production, the game was plagued by frustrating gameplay and became a massive commercial and critical disappointment. Its failure was so significant that it contributed to the collapse of the North American home console market in the 1980s, a downturn that wasn’t reversed until the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) brought casual gamers back to the platform.

While revisiting the E.T. game might grab headlines, it’s probably not a good idea. The original was a notorious failure, and a remake could just remind everyone of those difficult times for the gaming industry. Atari should only consider remaking E.T. as a last resort.

2026-05-29 23:14