’80s Video Games: Where Are They Now?

Atari Inc. was founded on June 27, 1972, and by 1980, siblings all over the country were fighting over the joystick. Shawn Conly, vice president of advertising and media at Electronic Arts, makers of premier video games, tells Snakkle that "people have nostalgia for the gaming system they grew up on." That's one reason why classic games are still sought after today on iPhones and iPads. The other reason, says Conly, is that they all have what it takes to make a successful game: "easy to pick up but hard to master." Take a look at your old favorites, plus a few new ones with old-school flavor. Breakout 1976: The arcade cabinet showed a crook trying to bust out of jail, but the simple graphics made that easy to forget. Fun fact: The two Apple Steves (Jobs and Wozniak) worked on an early version of this game for Atari. 2011: Now available for iOS as Super Breakout Ultra. Snakkle Buy: Download the iOS Super Breakout Ultra app from iTunes

1980: Although Asteroids had way too many buttons and a ship that was difficult to control, it was still a big hit with '80s gamers. 2011: Surprisingly, Atari has not released an official version of Asteroids. The most faithful clone in the iTunes app store is Asteroids Classic by C&K Productions. Snakkle Buy: Download the Asteroids Classic app from iTunes

1980: In the arcade, Centipede was played with a trackball rather than a joystick, making it a faster-paced experience. Conly says, "It was my favorite game because it was so fast-moving that it worked you up into a sweat." 2011: When Atari first released Centipede Ultra for iOS, buyers got the original and a new version. Now it's Ultra only. Snakkle Buy: Download the Centipede Ultra app

1980: Also used a trackball in its arcade incarnation, along with three buttons, one for each missile silo. 2011: Atari's official iOS offering is Missile Command Ultra. Warning: Like Centipede, you only get the Ultra version, not the original. Also: no trackball, just screen tapping. Snakkle Buy: Download the Missile Command Ultra app from iTunes

1980: So simple. So addictive. It makes no sense at all, it's always the same, and by the end of this paragraph you will probably want to play it. Again. 2011: Pac-Man is a true pop culture icon, spawning everything from a Saturday-morning cartoon to a Top 10 tune. Now available for numerous platforms, including the iPhone or iPad. Bonus: Listen to Buckner & Garcia's Pac-Man Fever Snakkle Buy: Download the Pac-Man app from iTunes

1981: Ms. Pac-Man is more than just a pretty pixelated face. The gameplay is basically the same, except there is more variety in the mazes and it moves a bit faster. Oh, and the bow in her hair. 2011: Like the man she followed, Ms. Pac-Man can be played on the go whenever the mood strikes you. Snakkle Buy: Download the Ms. Pac-Man app from iTunes

1981: Frogger may be the same size as the cars he's dodging, but he turns into a skull and crossbones if he gets hit. So don't blow it. 2011: The official iOS port includes a new version and the one you know and love, as well as an improved control scheme. Bonus: The game inspired a song by the punk band Bad Religion. Watch a fan-made video of the song on YouTube Snakkle Buy: Download the Frogger app from iTunes

1981: The space shooter Galaga was a follow-up to Galaxian, and like most sequels it took things to the next level. 2011: The iOS Galaga Remix offers both the original Galaga and an updated, more graphically intense version. Snakkle Buy:Download Galaga Remix from iTunes

2011: Pac-Sam is not Pac-Man's brother, at least not officially. This clever free game for iOS has a Pac-like creature moving through space, gathering power-ups, shooting and eating ghosts... and, it's free. Just download it. Now. Snakkle Buy: Download the FREE Pac-Sam app from iTunes

2011: No, it's not Darth Vader playing Ping-Pong. In this Pong-meets-Space-Invaders game, you can even play head-to-head, literally, with one player on each side of your iPad. Almost as good as when chocolate met peanut butter. Snakkle Buy: Download the PongVaders iPad app from iTunes