Atari: is there a shabbier publisher?

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The new so-called Atari (formerly Infogrames) must be the shabbiest games publisher around. Without exception, their releases are marred by being rushed to market before they're ready, filled with showstopper bugs and grossly overpriced. As for the name, it is beneath contempt. Atari the company died a natural death some years ago, brought down by a changing computer market and a run of disastrous management decisions. Yet in its time it was a stellar company, innovative and adventurous. This new outfit is no resurrection, it's just strings attached to the limbs of the corpse to make it twitch. General Motors could buy the rights to the Rolls Royce name, but it wouldn't make their cars Rolls Royces. The faceless oafs who run the ersatz-Atari are not fit to kiss Nolan Bushnell's backside.

Atari Joke
There is a man who is rich beyond the wildest dreams of avarice and who indulges his son endlessly. His son, uncomfortable with all the extravagant gifts, tries to dissuade him. "What do you want for your birthday, son?", the father asks one day. "Oh dad", replies the son "I just want something simple like a toy boat." Come the day of his birthday, the boy is flown to St. Tropez by helicopter and presented with a luxuriously appointed 50 ft. power boat.

Two months later the father asks: "What do you want for Christmas, son?". The boy replies: "Seriously, dad, I don't want anything special. Just get me a cowboy outfit.". So that Christmas his dad buys him Atari.

 

Alone in the Dark fairly rocked, yo. I remember my sphincter being cramped the entire time through the game, especially when a zombie rounded the corner of a doorway, and that LOUD "introduction" music-beat kicked in, and you knew that music meant something was hunting you, but you might be in the next room or something, and don't know where it is. Move Smartly, think Sweatly.

But yeah, here recently (that is, the past few years), it seems like publishers just want a quick return. The old days of building up your reputation are mostly gone. Beta tests have dropped because the developers have less control over who it goes to.

 

lol, I do so enjoy reading your posts Chris

Keep it up.

 

lol

[Please don't reply to posts if you have nothing meaningful to add.] -Tal

[ November 08, 2003, 19:09: Message edited by: Taluntain ]

 

And what about those stupid cd's that come in paper covers in the box, I can understand why it's cheaper but come on, one lousy cd box!

 

Lest we forget that a large percentage of us paying customers were swindled out of a spiral bound manual, I shall henceforth be reminding everyone whenever humanly or obtusely possible.

Lest we forget.

 

I'd say EA was a crappier publisher. I own UT2003, and I really like it (especially after the patches). Atari has lots of good games out, but I see what you mean.

 

I can't see what's so bad about a non-spiral bound manul. Yes, it is better, but not been spiral bound really isn't something worth complaining about.

And, atleast here, the Atari games tend to come in proper jewl-cased CD cases. Well atleast more than most other publishers.

 

To be honest, I dont find "a few" bugs that irritating. Patches and updates are common. I expect some bugs when buying a game. But one thing I dont expect is some lousy paper around the discs. Here I go buy the game to keep filling up my game collection, but hey, no jewelcases for you boy. Man, that really pissed me off, this time I wish everyone returned their game and downloaded it just to tell them that this is not something you can do.

 

I really dislike the change of name; Infogrames was the publisher of Outcast, System Shock, UT, and several other good games. Atari... Well, Atari was that *old* company that went to bankrupt.

They should change their name back.

 

Alone In The Dark is an older game, the post is about their new stuff im guessing. I'll have to agree, they abslolutely wrecked Enter The Matrix!