A collection of six cancelled Atari 2600 games has been dumped online. While three of the titles from UA Ltd were released in 2003, a further three have never been issued until now.
The games are R2D Tank, Hobo, and Spiders. All six games are believed to have been cancelled as a result of the 1983 video games crash. Available as downloadable BIN files, the games have detailed pages at AtariProtos:
- R2D Tank – an arcade conversion
- Hobo – orginal game, intended for 1983 release (at least one copy known to exist)
- Spiders – an arcade conversion
But, how do you play these revived Atari 2600 games?
Often, you can load up ROMs in browser-based emulators. As these are pretty new, you’ll need to head to the AtariAge forum page and download each BIN file. This can then be loaded up in any Atari 2600 emulator (Stella, for Windows, is a good option), or an Atari VCS, or an Atari 2600+.
Will these games receive a general release? Probably not, but don’t rule anything out. Atari has been leading the retro field of late with releases and licenses of its library and properties. While these games were not Atari productions, there is every chance that the rights could be snapped up…
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Christian Cawley is the founder and editor of GamingRetro.co.uk, a website dedicated to classic and retro gaming. With over 20 years of experience writing for technology and gaming publications, he brings considerable expertise and a lifelong passion for interactive entertainment, particularly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Christian has written for leading outlets including TechRadar, Computer Weekly, Linux Format, and MakeUseOf, where he also served as Deputy Editor.
When he’s not exploring vintage consoles or retro PCs, Christian enjoys building with LEGO, playing cigar box guitar, and experimenting in the kitchen.
