Retro gaming roundup

Atari Flashback
The first Atari Flashback is a faux console with two Atari 7800-style joystick controllers. It includes 19 games from the Atari 2600 and 7800 systems, plus the unreleased Atari game, Saboteur.

Atari Flashback 2
The Atari Flashback 2 is a nostalgia-evoking "console" modeled after the original wood-paneled Atari 2600. It's loaded with 40 Atari games and includes two Atari 2600-style joysticks for multiplayer action. With twice as many games and wood-paneled retro flare, the Flashback 2 really dwarfs its predecessor. Want more? Adventurous gamers can break out the soldering iron and do a home-brew mod so that they can actually plug in their 30-year-old cartridges.

Atari TV Games
Atari TV Games from Jakks Pacific packs 10 Atari titles in a tiny joystick, but it really doesn't offer anything the Atari Flashback 1 or 2 systems don't already do better.

Atari Paddle TV Games
The Atari Paddle TV Games finally lets gamers play Pong and Breakout the way they were meant to be played: with paddles. Purists will appreciate the bidirectional analog movement of the Atari 2600-style controllers, and the dual-controller setup enables two-player action.

Activision TV Games
Pitfall, River Raid, and Ice Hockey are the biggest draws of the 10-game Activision TV Games joystick. The controller also includes Freeway, Tennis, Grand Prix, and four other Activision classics.

EA Sports TV Games
EA Sports TV Games packs Madden '95 and NHL '95 into a Sega Genesis-like controller. Gamers can enjoy these two classic sports games, then marvel at the fact that, after 11 sequels, John Madden really hasn't had any new dialogue. A two-controller version is available, because Madden is always better with friends.

Namco TV Games
The package might say Pac-Man, but the Namco TV Games joystick has five Namco classics to play. After you've had your fill of power pellets and blue ghosts, you can inflate monsters in Dig-Dug or shoot down aliens in Galaxian.

Mortal Kombat TV Games
Play the game that launched a thousand angry letters with this controller game. The original Mortal Kombat is intact, with all the fatalities and gore you fondly remember. Unfortunately, you need to invest in a separate controller for two-player Kombat.

Ms. Pac-Man TV Games
Ms. Pac-Man headlines this second five-game Namco controller. Also included in the joystick are Galaga, Mappy, Pole Position, and Xevious. These are all classic games, but much like Ms. Pac-Man is to regular Pac-Man, this controller is Namco TV Games with a bow on it.

Midway Home Arcade Machine EXTENDED PLAY
While this isn't a plug-in game per se, you can still use it without a computer or a game console. Or a television. Or a table. Actually, if you have a power outlet, you're pretty much set. For a scant $500 (plus another $110 or so for shipping), you can have your own stand-up arcade machine. With a dozen Midway arcade classics, two arcade joysticks, and a built-in monitor, this arcade cabinet remake is every classic gamer's dream come true. It's not exactly cheap, but it's worth it if you want to truly capture the feel of 1980s quarter-burning fun without hunting down the few pizza parlors and arcades that still have functioning Rampage and Joust machines. Arcade cabinets are available from many companies, but this is one of the only machines we've seen going for less than a grand.