"The
documentary provides an enticing look into a world many of
us dreamed about and some went on to join. The characters that
made up the engineering teams of Atari in the early 80’s
found their way into our living rooms through the games that
inspired and entertained us all. Their labors produced a touchstone
to which we may refer and a commonality that we will all share
for the rest of our days. Once Upon Atari contains a portion
of all of our history, so how can we not investigate that history
further? Besides, I never told you about the “flying
of the frog” or the programmer known for climbing the
walls. You are going to have to get the video to find out!he
documentary provides an enticing look into a world many of
us dreamed about and some went on to join. The characters that
made up the engineering teams of Atari in the early 80’s
found their way into our living rooms through the games that
inspired and entertained us all. Their labors produced a touchstone
to which we may refer and a commonality that we will all share
for the rest of our days. Once Upon Atari contains a portion
of all of our history, so how can we not investigate that history
further? Besides, I never told you about the “flying
of the frog” or the programmer known for climbing the
walls. You are going to have to get the video to find out!"
--James McGovern, RetroBlast
(READ
THE WHOLE WONDERFUL REVIEW)
***
"Sure,
you could flip to the Discovery Channel and ogle animals
making sweet love after a marathon game session. But if you've
still
got pixels on the brain, why not 'drop that joystick and
take a sec to find out where it all came from,' suggests Atari
game
designer and documentarian Howard Scott Warshaw...
The gist: An often tongue-in-cheek retro-
spective of the people, players, and pixels behind the industry's
first major-league player, Atari.
Why It's worth watching: Creator Howard
Scott Warshaw--the programmer for Atari 2600 classic shooter Yars
Revenge and
infamous
stinker E T. --persuaded all his '80s work buddies to join him for this
lovingly produced blast from the past. The result: a stunning, behind-the-scenes
bonanza about the megacompany that once ruled the gaming world, complete with
tales of financial woe, run-ins with Steven Spielberg, and all the recreational
drug use that went on in between."
--Jon M. Gibson, Electronic Gaming Monthly
***
No
fancy quotes, but we've been told it is all good by
someone who knows Portuguese.
(web thang notes: Our Brazilian
friends awarded us with the
highest number of hits in one day since our launch. THANKS
BRAZIL!)
--Alexandre Matias,
Folha Online
(Read
the review)
*** "This
documentary plays out like MTV's Real World, but with a
cast like Revenge of the Nerds."
(web thang notes: hmmm cast of Revenge of the Nerds?
let me see, Anthony Edwards, Robert Carradine, John Goodman?
Hey,
I'll join that lot, thanks!
)
--Brian Lam, Wired
(read
the whole review)
***
"First
came the flying frog. Next, walking on walls. The million-dollar
paychecks arrived sometime shortly thereafter. As for
Atari's internal corruption and inevitable descent into
spiraling
debt? Observers didn't have long to wait.
All these anecdotes and more — plus the storied tale
of a pop culture phenomenon's meteoric rise and fall — are
chronicled in "Once Upon Atari," a four-part documentary
available for the first time as a complete series on DVD.
....Bottom line: A candid look at the golden
age of video game development from the people who, by their
own admission, barely
survived
it."
--Scott Steinberg, LA
Times
(read
the whole review)
***
"..What
makes this film special is the inside interviews told first-hand
from the actual game engineers who developed some of the
world's most popular home video games. The stories are amusing,
the
cast of characters is quite unusual, and this self-produced
video is extremely polished. If you're looking for a rare
documentary gem about Atari, which you most likely will not
see on store
shelves, Once Upon Atari is for you. It's highly recommended."
--
Mike M., Digital
Review
(Read
the whole review here!)
***
"....
Taking the trip back to the time of my childhood gaming days
was really fascinating, and I'm glad Mr. Warshaw took the
time to produce this series of documentaries. I'd really hate
to
ruin some of the great secrets contained in these documentaries,
so I can't elaborate any more.
Ok, fine.
If nothing else, you have to hear how Tod Frye got sent to
the hospital after injuring himself on the company sprinkler
system. Seriously....."
-- Randy Miller III, DVD
TALK
(Read
the whole review here!)
***
"... it's wonderful to see and hear from the people whose
games dominated my childhood. Among the myriad interviewees
are Carla Meninsky (Dodge 'Em), Larry Kaplan (Kaboom!), Tod
Frye (Pac-Man), Rob Fulop (Missile Command), and Atari co-founder
Nolan Bushnell; all of them are fascinating people, and all
of them have great anecdotes to share, from Frye's self-inflicted
sprinkler lobotomy to Jim Huether's naked hot-tub shenanigans.
It's like sitting in on the best Classic Gaming Expo panel
of all time. There's also a bonus clip with Nolan Bushnell
discussing creative management, and a 2001 interview with Trip
Hawkins, founder of the late 3DO Company.
Once Upon Atari is wonderful stuff, and the kind
of programming that the tragic G4 cable network should be funding
...."
-- Zach Meston, PSE2
Magazine
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