Posted in: Atari, Games, Retro Games, Video Games | Tagged: atari, Limited Run Games, retro games

Atari Releases Warlords & Super Breakout 50th Anniversary Cartridges

Atari and Limited Run Games have released two more 50th Anniversary cartridges as we're getting versions of Warlords and Super Breakout. The latest additions to the AtariXP collection, they join Missile Command and Adventure with specially made cartridges (that actually play the game) along with displays and additional goodies inside a special anniversary box that resembles the original '70s packaging. Both items will go up for pre-order at 11AM PT today for $100 each, but will only be available in limited quantities, so you'll need to be quick to snag them.

Created by renowned developer Carla Meninsky and touted as "one of the best video games of all time" by Game Informer, Warlords was the game that famously "guaranteed every Atari 2600 household had four controllers." It took the mechanics of PONG and Breakout and twisted them into an intense, small-screen brawler. In the game, you destroy your enemy's castle by firing shots through their shield. When a hit lands, part of their castle wall is destroyed and the next goal is to break down the barrier enough to reach the enemy Warlord. One hit to the castle keep's Warlord and that player is out for the round. Warlords' competitive gameplay made it the fabled "original game to inspire playful trash-talking" amongst its four-person playgroup, especially in its initial coin-op arcade format. Rereleased on multiple platforms all the way through to the Xbox 360, Warlords is coined as the first title to bring team-based gaming into the home, redefining what co-op video game experiences could be and paving the way for the modern competitive gaming scene.

Super Breakout gave fans of the original brick-breaker improved sound and color, and a huge expansion of gameplay. The game introduced three new play modes: Progressive, Cavity, and Double Down, all of which challenged players' reflexes and invited new strategy executions and tactical decision-making, especially with three balls unleashed at once in Cavity mode. Developed by Carol Shaw and Nick Turner and known by different titles in international markets, Super Breakout was also initially released as a coin-op arcade title but was ported to the Atari 8-bit, 2600, 5200, ST, and in the late 1990s, made an appearance on the popular Gameboy handheld. Super Breakout's cross-generational lifespan is a prime example of the universal appeal of Atari titles from the Golden Era of Gaming.

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