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Video games these days are full of amazing graphics and wonderful functions, and they’re literally feasts for the eyes and captivating for anyone who appreciates amazing work. Generation X and Y folks, however, might reminisce about the fun they had playing on the old Atari system or Commodore 64. If you’re a bit younger, you probably remember the joys of Super Mario on the NES or the ever-popular Legend of Zelda. No matter what your video game of choice was, good times were had by all – and why can’t they continue for today’s mobile world?

Well, now they can. Atari has released three volumes, entitled “Atari Legends”, for the cell phone. Each game package includes three games that Atari users will remember from their days before fancy game consoles. It seems almost sacrilege to even comment on these legendary games, but the very fact that they can be played on a cell phone doesn’t exempt them from the fact that they really are old-school and easy to win. The main point of the Atari Legends volumes is to invoke nostalgia. Yeah, the graphics aren’t quite as cutting-edge as when you played them thirty years ago (compared to the CGI magic of today), but who could forget the joy of racking up that high score? It’s the spirit of your youth that really drives this marketing campaign.

Atari Legends Volume 1

The first Atari Legends volume has Combat, Centipedes and the old favorite, Asteroids. Since Atari games were made to simply rack up a score, the games translate well to the cell phone. You can get Centipedes and Asteroids separately if there’s a particular game in the package that you hate. Playing them on your cell phone is actually slightly more difficult than wielding the joystick. You’ve got to have pretty nimble fingers to be able to navigate the game fast enough to actually get somewhere. In Centipede, for example, you can move and shoot at the same time, but you’ve got to press your fire button pretty constantly in order to keep moving. The games lose something in the emulation, but if you’re really a big Atari fan, this probably won’t matter to you. You can find Volume One for $7.96 at MobileGamesUnlimited.com.

Atari Legends Volume 2

Volume Two is Atari’s next offering and includes the games Lunar Lander, Missile Command, and Breakout. Like the first volume, the games are classic Atari – one objective per game. This doesn’t seem to be a popular choice among wireless users – a quick check of the Web revealed no reviews or even much description. However, if these games were the ones that got you started on your video game journey, you can find Volume Two at MetroPCS.com for $7.99.

Atari Legends Volume 3

Volume Three is probably one of the best deals you can get if you want Atari games on your phone, for the sole fact that this package includes Pong. Pong is the signature game of the seventies; and Atari’s cashing in by releasing it wirelessly to celebrate the game’s 30th anniversary. If you’re not pleased with Asteroids or Breakout, never fear; now you can play Asteroids Deluxe and Super Breakout! Pong on the mobile is about the same as Pong on the TV, so the experience is remarkably similar. Super Breakout is relatively similar to Breakout, but the worst game of the bunch has to be Asteroids Deluxe, which is pretty much the same game with a new background. However, Pong is enough for many users to snap this one up. Find it for $7.99 at MetroPCS.com.

Okay, maybe you’re thinking, “What happened to the rest of the awesome Atari games? Why don’t the Atari Legend Volumes include old classics like Pacman and Tetris?” Well, we wondered the same, and came to the conclusion that these games aren’t included because there are much better versions of them out there. However, if you’re really aching for the old Atari experience of Pacman, Tetris, or Q-bert, you can find them separately as free downloads for your cell phone.

So, what if you’re too young to remember Atari? Well, you don’t have to miss out on the video game nostalgia. Vampent has released an emulator for mobile users – you can run just about any of the classic NES games on your cell phone. Recently released, the emulator goes for about $10. Super Mario 1 will never die!

How about the Commodore 64? For those who remember what it was like to rock out playing Space Taxi or GI Joe, there’s an emulator just for you. The Commodore emulator lets you channel your inner nerd while sitting on the subway and enjoying a video game session. You can choose to get one for your cell phone or for your Pocket PC or BlackBerry. They’re approximately $24.95, either way.

Old-school video games live on in the mobile world – that’s comforting for those old-timers who miss the simplicity of the Atari or NES platforms.

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