Me and my big mouth
Atari has announced that they are publishing a version of their upcoming retro-pop indie game, Mr. Run and Jump, on an actual Atari 2600 cartridge. Pre-orders open July 31, and itās expected to ship 3-4 months after that.
When I recently covered Mr. Run and Jumpās announcement, I mentioned that it originally started as a homebrew project before being expanded to a modern game. In that article, I opined that Iād rather play the original version. Iām getting my wish here, and Iām almost embarrassed about it. Obviously, Atari had this planned before I opened my big mouth, but Iām not used to having a demand actually met.
Mr. Run and Jump is largely how it sounds. Itās a speedy little platformer, and while that may sound routine, it wasnāt a genre that was widely covered on the hardware. There were games like Pitfall and Donkey Kong, but what we largely consider to be a āmodernā platformer wasnāt popularized until after the 2600ās heyday.
To be clear, a separate version of Mr. Run and Jump is also coming to PC and consoles. That version is a more modernized take on the formula. The titles are obviously related, but not the same game.
Exciting times
The store page for Mr. Run and Jump states that this is āthe first cartridge launch for a new Atari title since 1990!ā Thatās only technically true if you take it at its very literal meaning. However, itās still an exciting development. Atari has been producing 2600 titles under its Atari XP range, and Iāve often wondered if theyād start creating new games for the system. There have been hints that they plan on producing new cartridge-capable hardware, but nothing solid yet. Homebrew developers have proven that thereās a market for nouveau-retro titles. If Atari manages to tap into this successfully, they will be the first legacy publisher to have done so.
The early 8-bit era of games is pretty far from my favorite. I need something more than just chasing a high score to keep me engaged. On the other hand, I love nouveau-retro productions. Seeing Atari taking tentative steps into this market is legitimately exciting to me, and I donāt think Iām going to be able to resist plopping money down on Mr. Run and Jump.
The Mr. Run and Jump cartridge is going to be open for pre-orders on July 31. The store page warns that once that pre-order window closes, youāre locked in, as the cartridges are being made on demand. If you miss it, the press release says āadditional distribution will be announced at a later date.ā
The cartridge will run for $59.99 USD and will come with a box and manual. Further, they state that the cartridges are āall new parts and materials, with beveled edges to prevent pin damage, strong gold-plated connectors, and identical power draw to the originals.ā
Published: Jun 13, 2023 11:24 am