With ex-Sony man Phil Harrison on board and fingers in practically every gaming pie (thanks to distribution deals with publishers the world over), and a brand that everyone recognises, Atari has the foundations in place to become great once again. But, most shockingly, it's actually got some great games to back it up. Here are five games Atari were showing off that we reckon you're going to want to play.
Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion
What is it?
Tekken 6. Yes, the Tekken 6. You see, Atari has a distribution partnership with Namco Bandai which means Tekken 6 is in its European portfolio for 2009.
Why you'll want to play it:
Well, it's Tekken 6, isn't it? And while it may not be the most revolutionary fighting game ever made, it's still revered and loved by its legions of fans, most of whom have been around since the game's PSone days. It's also got weapons in it, though they're not as integral as they are in Soul Calibur IV. We even saw new character Alisa get out twin chainsaws and use them in her attacks. It's not gory, but a bit surreal. Definitely cool, though.
There's an expansive costume edit mode and the character models and their clothing are now separate 3D entities allowing a super-advanced flowing cloth. Now, if the hackers can just work out how to set the cloth opacity to zero…
When's it out?
Autumn 2009
Ghostbusters
What is it? The movie tie-in of one of our favourite films of all time – Ghostbusters. This was previously an Activision game, but they dropped it and Atari picked it up.
Why you'll want to play it:
It's a brilliant realisation of the Ghostbusters universe, complete with the majority of the original cast reprising their roles. It's got Slimer, the librarian and Mr Stay Puft in it. It's got fully destructible hotel dining rooms to exorcise. It's got libraries full of separate 3D books that you can throw around, before watching them become possessed and come after you in the shape of a human. Even the sound effects are lifted straight from the movie. Just look at our shaky-cam footage of the game and give us one good reason why you wouldn't want to play it.
When's it out?
June 2009
