Enlarge / A look at an alternate reality where vector displays never died.

Atari's new 50th-anniversary compilation is stuffed with historical filler, but one new game contained in the package won't let me go. I'm talking about Vctr Sctr , a retro-style arcade shooter that melds the addictive gameplay of classics like Asteroids and Tempest with modern gameplay concepts.

As a package, Atari 50: The Anniversary Collection sets a new high-water mark for retro video game compilations. The collection's "timeline" feature deftly weaves archival materials like design documents and manuals, explanatory context and contemporary quotes from the game's release, and new video interviews with game creators into an engaging, interactive trip through gaming history.

But while the presentation shines, the games contained within Atari 50 often don't. Sure, there are a few truly replayable classics on offer here, especially in the games from Atari's glorious arcade era. That said, the bulk of Atari 50 's selection of over 100 titles feels like filler that just doesn't hold up from a modern game design perspective. Dozens of "classic" Atari games—from 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe on the Atari 2600 to Missile Command 3D on the Jaguar—boil down to mere historical curiosities that most modern players would be hard-pressed to tolerate for longer than a couple of minutes.

Enlarge / The box art for Atari 50 includes teases of various console designs and game box art images. (credit: Atari Corp. / Digital Eclipse)

Earlier this year, news emerged about yet another Atari classic-gaming compilation meant to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary. As we've seen quite a few Atari-branded collections over the years, we wondered exactly what shape Atari 50 's selection of "over 100 games" would take ahead of its launch on Steam , Xbox One , PS4 , and Nintendo Switch on November 8.

Thanks to a European retailer listing that emerged over the weekend, we now have an apparently final list of the Atari 50 selection of games: 103 in all, as spread across arcade cabinets, six console families, and a selection of "reimagined," newly coded games and ports. The verdict: It's pretty good, yet it's still a glaring reminder that the compilation might better be named "Atari Corp. 50."

Missing vowels and details about Vctr Sctr (for now)

We'll break this article up into platform-specific lists, which each include our own notes and analysis, and we'll start with the least-surprising list. This collection's stewards at Digital Eclipse ( TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection ) had already announced plans to "reimagine" six games beyond the original code supplied by Atari's archives, and these alone could be worth the price of admission for '70s and '80s gaming stalwarts.