After seeing how much Atari has been going all-in with their library of classic games, I was inspired to check out some of the classics. Buying a copy of Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration on Steam, I was excited to see many of my old muses here. Adventure, Centipede, and most importantly, Yars Revenge. But after playing these particular games for many hours on my Jakks Atari Classics in my younger years, something felt off. Determined, I decided to scour the internet in search of the missing piece: the Joystick. Sure, it’s more modern and might be a bit flashier than I thought it would be, but these games feel like home again.

A Modern Art Interpretation of a Classic Gaming Controller, This Joystick Rocks

Something about playing these classic Atari games with a modern controller just didn’t sit right with me. Playing through Adventure with a proper controller felt sacrilegious. So many batteries were burned through in my childhood while my PlayStation 2 sat untouched. Something about these classic games intrigued me beyond words, even though I wasn’t born when they were first released. Yars Revenge, in particular, has always been like a comfort food for me. Simplistic in execution, yet so much lore and excitement packed away within that instruction manual.

So, being an adult with adult money, I did the only reasonable thing I could: I made a mad dash to Amazon to purchase the Atari Classic controller. And, for good measure, the Modern Controller. It looked too slick to pass up, okay? After a few days, it arrived and felt better than I could have expected. Funny enough, I’ve never had the opportunity to play on an original Atari console or hold an actual authentic joystick in my hands. My only experience before this was with the Jakks plug-and-play console. So, I was immediately happy to feel this back in my hands.

The joystick moves as I imagined it would, but I didn’t realize it could also twist. This made playing games like Breakout super neat, even if I defaulted back to my typical control scheme shortly after trying it. But, it was time for the main course: Yars Revenge. I booted back in, and after hitting that shiny red fire button again for the first time in years? Man, I was in love and hooked on these classics again.

I Also Didn’t Realize That There Was an HD Reimagining of ‘Yar’s Revenge’ in ‘Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration’

As I blasted through stage after stage of Yars Revenge, I started exploring the collection a bit deeper. All of the games that were on that Jakks system were here for me to enjoy once again. But there were some additional surprises. Detailed manuals, reimaginings of classic games, and stories to go with them all. My purchase was quickly justified, and I had just gotten started. I also learned that the Yellow Dragon from Adventure is named Yorgle, and that may be my firstborn’s name at this point.

Nostalgia is one hell of a feeling. And while browsing to get photos for this article, I just realized that Atari has a wireless Joystick built like the original CX40 style, as well. So, I may need to make another purchase to get that ultimate dose of childlike wonder in my life. But even with this purchase, I feel happy. I’m glad that I get to experience these games as I once did before and that other old-heads like myself can do the same thing. Sure, I may not have been born when the Atari consoles were the most popular. But I know a classic when I see them.