Perhaps I’m spoiling the point of a review entirely with this statement, but Atari 50 is unquestionably the finest retro video game compilation in history.

It’s stuffed full of games, for one thing; where you’ll often find a handful of games in a compilation, there’s more than 100 here.

Though many are repeated, with numerous versions of certain titles, this also plays really well into the museum/documentary aspect of Atari 50.

Oh, and before we get into that, there’s also entirely new titles here too, with reimagined versions of classics, as well as prototypes and unreleased games to boot.

So, what truly makes Atari 50 exceptional is its documentary structure, which allows you to explore different periods of Atari’s history, right from its beginnings in the early 70s, to the present day.

Alongside text entries and images of products, design documents and more, you’ll also watch contemporary documentary footage with notable ex-Atari staff and other personalities from the video game industry.

It’s an absolute treasure trove of information and even salacious details, with frank, honest and open interviews that shine a light on the frequent mismanagement of Atari and its products, particularly in the mid 80s and beyond.

What’s especially cool is the ability to jump into the games at any point in the timeline. So you can go from watching an interview with Howard Scott Warshaw on the creation of Yars’ Revenge, to classic commercials, to design documents and straight into the game if you choose, even checking up an updated version of the game at the press of a button.

What’s especially great from a game preservation point of view is that Atari 50 goes way beyond the classics and the big name titles, featuring games from lesser known or less popular formats such as the 5200, the Atari 8-bit platforms and the Jaguar.

They’re not all good games, to say the least, but this is part of what makes Atari 50 such an awesome interactive museum. You get to check out why some games were rushed or just what disappointed their programmers about them, then take them for a spin yourself.

It’s a phenomenal package and an absolutely incredible experience.

There’s so much to discover, so much to play and so much fascinating history to learn; if you have even the slightest interest in video game history or retro games, it’s unmissable.

I’ve spent countless hours exploring Atari’s history and shaking my head at so many baffling decisions they made, as well as checking out so many games on here; yet it still feels like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what this contains.

Though there are notable omissions from the game selection here (licensed fare such as Pac-Man and its sequels or Space Invaders, not to mention third party titles such as the mighty Pitfall, to name just one), it’s impossible to be disappointed by what you do get here for the price.

Despite years in the wilderness and plenty of more modern, baffling decisions by what has now become of Atari, it feels like they have truly turned a corner; Atari 50 seemed to herald a new era and lots of interest in Atari, which their Atari 2600+ hardware is currently capitalising on beautifully.

Available on all current console platforms and PC, I’d urge you to check out Atari 50 if you haven’t already.

Perhaps it’s my age, or the fact that I grew up with Atari consoles (I even had a Jaguar shortly after release, which not many people can say), but it genuinely feels like Atari 50 is one of the most important releases for game history and preservation in years.

Welcome home, Atari.