The Joys of New Shelves: A Look at Atari's RealSports Games

As I sit here with my newly acquired shelf, I can't help but feel a sense of excitement and satisfaction. There's something truly satisfying about adding to your collection, especially when it comes to games that hold a special place in our hearts. For me, one of those games is the RealSports series from Atari. This series was designed to compete with Intellivision Sports, which at the time was considered one of the best things about the Intellivision console. The goal was to create sports games that not only looked like they belonged on a sports field but also delivered an authentic experience.

My journey began with RealSports Volleyball, the first game I would be reviewing in this series. As I picked up my controller, I expected a game that would immerse me in the world of volleyball. What I got was a game that looked and felt like volleyball for the most part - the ocean graphic in the background was a nice touch, as were the animations of the players on the court. However, as soon as I started playing, I realized that something was off. The controls for the players were lacking, making it difficult to control them both at once. While it wasn't a bad game by any means, it fell short of my expectations.

Next up was RealSports Tennis, and this one quickly became my favorite in the series. Not only did it feature an awesome introduction sequence with a bouncy logo, but what really set it apart was its ability to input your own name. This was something that I had never seen before in any Atari game, making it feel truly unique. The gameplay itself was straightforward tennis, with all the rules and intricacies of the sport included. What surprised me most, however, was how well it played against a human opponent - a true standout in the series.

RealSports Soccer followed next, and I have to say that this one was my least favorite. Not only did the graphics seem subpar compared to some other sports games on the market at the time, but the gameplay itself was marred by poor AI. The difficulty levels seemed non-existent, making it almost impossible to play against the computer. But what really took me out of the game was the crowd noise - an incessant, ear-piercing cheer that never seemed to let up, no matter how many times I defeated my opponent.

RealSports Football was another game in the series that left a bad taste in my mouth. As someone who has never been a fan of football games, this one was a disappointment from start to finish. The graphics were lacking, the controls were clunky, and the gameplay itself seemed to be based on a formula that had already been perfected by other consoles. I found myself getting frustrated with the game's poor performance, especially when it came to catching the ball - or even just seeing where it was in the first place.

Last but not least was RealSports Boxing, which quickly became my favorite in the series after some further research and comparison. Released in 1987 for the Atari 2600 Jr., this game featured completely red labels on its packaging, a distinction that set it apart from other titles in the series. The gameplay itself was simple yet effective - I could just machine gun my opponent until they couldn't take anymore. But what really took this game to the next level was its ability to knock opponents out with a single hit. Beating them mercilessly was almost... fun.

In the end, it seems that RealSports Tennis stands out as the best game in the series, mainly because of its unique features and its ability to hold my attention for longer periods than any other game in the series. While there were some games that didn't quite live up to expectations, each one had its own charm and contributed to the overall experience of playing the RealSports series.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enAahhh!Oh, yes.Check this out.I have a new shelf.You know, there's really not too manythings more exciting than new shelfbecause when you have one that looks like thisalready,and you have all these other games on top,you really just need to get another shelfand that's what I did today.I got a shelf for all these other games,as well as for my macaroni and cheese.These are the RealSports games made by Atari.There are five games.Yep, all those,and we will be looking at the first one here,RealSports Volleyball.The whole point of these RealSports gameswas to compete with the Intellivision Sports series.Which was arguably, at least at that point,the best thing about the Intellivisionwas the great sports games,at least compared to the ones on Atari.Which all basically looked like Pong.So, they had to make a sports gamethat LOOKED like a sports game.RealSports Volleyballlooks like volleyballfor the most part, you can tell it's volleyball.Has an interesting littleocean graphic going on in the background,with the sun slowly starting to set.And your little guys withactually not bad animation.But honestly, there really isn't too much to it.You kind of bounce the ball back and forth.I mean, come on, it's volleyball.What else is there to it?I wished the guys controlled a little bit better.You control both the guys at once,which makes hitting anything in the middleof the playing area kind of difficult.But otherwise, it's stilla solid game.Okay, the next up isRealSports Tennis.It's a tennis gamewith an awesome littleintroduction bouncy logo thing.One of the coolest things about itis the fact that you can input your own name.This is really the only Atari gameI can think of that you can do this.So you start off, and you're playing tennis.That's–That's it. It's tennis.But it has really about all the rulesthat I am aware of in tennis.All the different...uh...tennis things.And the net actually looks like a net.Which is good.It plays pretty much like Pong from another perspective,which is about what you would expect, I suppose.The computer player,which I'm playing against right here,can be a serious pain.He just sort ofgoes and does what he doesrather predictably.Very, very fun gameagainst a human opponent.I highly recommend thatyou go and acquire a human,just to play this game multiplayer.Any human will do.Pay if you have to.It's worth it.Next, we have RealSports Soccer,which strangely has a toplessguy wearing yellow pants.I don't know if you ever seen justChampionship Soccer or Pelé Soccer on the Atari.This is so, SO much better than that.You only had three dots on that one,while you have three... humanoids on this one.And you can actually choosewhich guy you're controlling.The light blue guy there is the guy that I'm controllingYou can switch it by pressing the button.Playing against the computer is almost suicide.It doesn't matter, the difficulty settingsdon't really seem to do anything.He just dominates.The Atari will eat you.And your entire family.In one quick fell swoop.There really is no playing against the Atari on this game.Now, is it a good game?Well, arguably, it's probably the best one on the Atarithat I've actually played,but that doesn't say too much.Because really the only other one that I can think ofis Pelé Soccer, so take it or leave it.If you like soccer, try it out.And the next one is Football.American football.Strangely, I don't think they calledRealSports Soccer RealSports Footballand RealSports Football RealSports American Footballin PAL territories, butyou would think they should have.This is easilymy least favorite gamein the RealSports series.Honestly, I just have never quiteunderstood football gameson any kind of video game console.I'm not a fan of the Madden games.I kind of enjoyed Blitz...sort of, in the arcade, 'cause that was simple.Ish.Honestly, this game is such a mess. The guys flicker,I never know where the ball is,the computer just owns you,the rules don't seem to apply completely,and you can never catch the guy when he's running–It's just not good!And this is one of theRealSports games that features thisannoying, annoying crowd cheering soundthat's like a–Yeah, that.It just never stops.It sucks.And it won't leave.Why?Why do they do that?Was this a required featureto make the game more realistic?It sounds like the Atari is dying.And the last one we have hereis RealSports Boxing.Which if you notice has completely red labels,as opposed to the other onesthat had gray or silver labels.This was because this one came out much later,around the Atari 2600 Jr.'s timein 1987,where they re-released ormade new games with red labels.This is...an awesome boxing game.I think I still like Activision's Boxingbetter because of the overhead,ridiculous kind of view.This one is just insane.I mean, Fight Night Round 4has nothing on RealSports Boxing.You can just machine gun this guy's faceuntil you cannot machine gun anymore.I mean, you're just beating the crap out of them.Beating, beating, beating, beating, beating, beating.Beating, beating, beating, beating, beating, beating.Beating, beating, beating, beating, beating, beating.It's awesome!And you can just knock people out.Fricking guy falls flat!Looks like you steamrolled the guywhen he knocks him out.That is cool!I don't know of any other boxing game where the guyflattens out, like in a cartoon or something.That is... freaking cool.Unfortunately, they chose to addthat stupidaudience crowd cheering thing!And this is the worst of any of the games.It never STOPS!Anytime you beat the guy,that crowd thing just keeps on going.And you're beating him constantly, so it–it's horrible!It's...It takes away so much from anotherwise awesome experience.I mean, could you imagine if thecrowd sounded like that in real life?I definitely have to chooseRealSports Tennis as the best gameof the RealSports series.If anything because it does not haveany stupid crowd noise.\n"