The new Atari.com represents phase one of the company's internet re-launch, allows fans of the company's works to browse the latest Atari titles, buy games from the Atari Store, enter contests, and most importantly, play six classic Atari games for free as long as you;d like, unless your boss is watching. The six games currently on the site include Asteroids, Adventure, Battlezone, Crystal Castles, Lunar Lander and Yars Revenge, each retro-fitted with leaderboards so players can keep track of how much they suck at Crystal Castles and how many times they blame it on the lack of a trackball.

"Today commences the first stage in Atari's ongoing commitment to growing its online business with the re-launch of Atari.com," said Jim Wilson, President and CEO of Atari, Inc. "Our online roadmap contains a multitude of enhancements and exciting new features which over time will redefine how people play and connect with Atari."

Yes, yes Jim, whatever you say. More Yars Revenge please.

Vector Tanks, soon to hit the App Store, will bring a reworked and amped up version of Battlezone to the Apple portable, reports Touch Arcade.

Hirschberg, who also created Adventure for the iPhone, says that gamers will use their fingers on the left and right of the sceenn to push up and down on virtual sticks, recreating the arcade method of Battlezone control.

The game, which should be hitting the store in the next week or so, will include:

* Land mines
* Helicopters
* Jeeps
* More powerups
* Multiple tank models with the graphics based on real-life tanks
* Different enemy capabilities and behaviors per tank model
* High score table
* Obstacles that you can interact with to your advantage or disadvantage (like stacked blocks that can topple on you)

The best part is the price, with the title ringing in at $1 to $2.

Retro 3D ‘Vector Tanks’: Battlezone for the iPhone?

This week on Arcade: Bullwinkle and Battlezone [Xbox Live's Major Nelson]

The seven titles we owe it to: Doom, Quake, Tribes, Battlezone, Unreal Tournament, Counterstrike and Battlefield.

If nothing else, at least the past two or three years of FPSes, multi- and single-player, have combined to give us standardized controls, which makes picking up a new title infinitely easier to play — especially when it comes to free looking. It's now pretty much left stick = movement, right stick = head, with no fruity switching of camera angles or other unnecessary twists. Also, Y or triangle is use, B or circle is jump, etc. If you think that's a minor gamer assist, ask yourself the last time you used two different copiers or fax machines with the same set of commands.

Ed also argues that single-player FPSes are constantly delivering great new titles, but multiplayers have been "the same old for quite a few years now." I just can't see it that way. Maybe structurally they are the same, but characters, missions, game story, that's what gets me into an FPS now. True, a new gameplay innovation that's widely adopted will beat the best written game for sales, but I ask you, what else could a multiplayer FPS be doing right now?

How 7 Games Created the Modern Team Multiplayer FPS

They've been at it a lot longer than you think. Way back in 1981, the US Army commissioned Atari to create a modified version of the hit arcade game Battlezone, to be used to train soldiers to maneuver and target the Bradley "armored fighting vehicle" (that's a "tank" to the rest of us).

I knew about the game thanks to an article Peter Smith wrote for a collection I co-edited. I unearthed the image above during some research for the Atari VCS book Nick Montfort and I are finishing. It's from the official Atari fan club magazine.

Atari Age, vol 1 num 1, May/June 1982 [Atari Museum]

Atari sends word of their surprisingly robust E306 line-up which includes a Playstation Portable version of BattleZone, the new Alone in teh Dark and a game based on Luc Besson's upcoming animated film Arthur and the Minimoys.

They so need to make Deep Blue into a game. Free Diving and nosebleeds are so very double oughts.

Hit the jump for the full game list and desciptions.

ATARI UNVEILS ELECTRIFYING E3 2006 LINE-UP
Showcasing Nine Innovative, Diverse Titles

NEW YORK, NY - May 5, 2006 - Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR), one of the world's most recognized brands, today announced the complete line-up of video games the Company will showcase during Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the video game industry's largest trade show and exhibition in Los Angeles, May 10-12. The Company's titles range in genres and are from some of the world's best-known franchises including Dragon Ball Z , Test Drive Unlimited, Alone in the Dark, and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS . The Company is charging forward with a robust line-up of next-generation console and handheld games with a focus on innovative and compelling gameplay.

"As the Atari brand has withstood the test of time, so does the appeal of many of our games and franchises," said Atari, Inc. Chief Executive Officer Bruno Bonnell. "We continue to reach and surpass milestones, such as the ten-millionth mark of Dragon Ball Z game sales, and redefining genres we originated, such as Alone in the Dark's horror survival and Test Drive Unlimited's Massively Open Online Racing (M.O.O.R. ). Atari continues to move forward and seek out groundbreaking, imaginative and entertaining properties like the underground based, street smart HOT PXL. Evident as part of our E3 line-up, these and other games are all part of the Company's evolution and continued focus on gameplay."

Alone in the Dark (Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows platform)
The original Alone in the Dark is the video game that launched horror survival gaming and set the standard within the genre. The next-generation of Alone in the Dark returns with a heart-stopping survival experience realized through the use of state-of-the-art real-time physics and unprecedented environmental interaction. Delivering an exhilarating action-orientated experience within a highly detailed, open environment, Alone in the Dark is set to take the lead for innovation and excellence within the genre. Alone in the Dark is in development by Eden Games, the second largest game development studio in France and a wholly owned subsidiary of Infogrames Entertainment SA.

Arthur and the Minimoys (PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, Nintendo DS , Game Boy Advance and Windows)
Directly inspired by world famous film director and writer Luc Besson's upcoming animated film of the same name, the Arthur and the Minimoys* game will follow the film's storyline and feature eye-popping graphics and technical innovations. The game allows players to relive the fantastic adventure of young Arthur and his two pals, princess Selenia and her brother B tam che, in their mission to save the Minimoys' world from destruction. Set to time with The Weinstein Company theatrical release of the movie in North America, Arthur and the Minimoys game is currently in development by Lyon-and Paris-based Etranges Libellules, creator of several successful animated games, including Asterix XXL and Kirikou. The Nintendo DS game is being developed by Dreamon, and the Nintendo Game Boy Advance version by Mystic.

BattleZone (PSP system)
BattleZone is the modern update to the 1980 classic arcade game. Set in futuristic international military environments, BattleZone puts players in control of highly maneuverable hover tanks, challenging them in close combat scenarios against their rivals with relentless onslaughts of quick, action-oriented battles. BattleZone for the PSP system is being developed by Paradigm Entertainment, a wholly owned subsidiary of Infogrames Entertainment SA.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS : Tactics (PSP system)
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS : Tactics is the first time the highly-coveted D&D license has ever graced a next-generation portable system. D&D : Tactics* authentically utilizes the D&D 3.5 rule-set created by Wizards of the Coast and allows players to take a party of six adventurers into a wide variety of dangerous environments to experience deep and exciting turn-based action. In development by Kuju Entertainment, D&D: Tactics will take full advantage of the PSP system's wireless capability and offer gamers a multiplayer mode.

Dragon Ball Z : Budokai Tenkaichi 2 (PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii)
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is the sequel to Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi, the top-selling DBZ game of 2005. Combining action, fighting and light role-playing game (RPG) elements, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 will send players into a rich story mode that spans the entire Dragon Ball , DBZ, and Dragon Ball GT series. The game takes the acrobatic and intense 3D flying and fighting dynamic made popular in last year's hit to a whole new level with over 100 playable characters, 15 vast and vibrant 3D destructible environments, and nine different game modes, including intense single and multiplayer battles. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is being developed by NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. / Spike.

HOT PXL (PSP system)
HOT PXL*, the ingenious and hip new title, brings fast and furious bite-size gaming to the masses. HOT PXL comprises more than 200 deviously crafted mini-games based on a unique and original story premise that draws inspiration from street culture and the digital lifestyle - whether it's blasting through an old-school style video game, busting tricks on a skateboard or a BMX, stage-diving at a concert, or just trying to cross a busy digital street. The game's web site, www.hotpxl.com, will serve as an integral part of the experience and the community. HOT PXL is being developed by zSlide.

Neverwinter Nights 2 (Windows)
Neverwinter Nights 2 is the sequel to the best-selling and genre-defining role-playing game (RPG) set in the popular Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms universe created by Wizards of the Coast. The game's story picks up years after a war waged between Luskan and Neverwinter. The peace that was restored is at risk as tension mounts between the mighty city-states. Unnoticed, a greater danger stalks the City of Skilled Hands. Unbeknownst to the denizens of the North, deep in the Mere of Dead Men, dark forces from across the Realms have been rallied under the banner of a legendary evil. If left unchallenged, all of the North is doomed to fall under its power. Even in this darkest hour, hope remains. A mysterious relic is borne to Neverwinter in the hands of a lone hero so that its secrets may be unlocked - secrets that carry the fate of all the North. So begins an epic tale of shattered alliances, noble acts and dark deeds to be told across the Realms for generations to come. Neverwinter Nights 2, developed by Obsidian Entertainment, will include a new and improved robust toolset that allows for the ultimate adventure creation and for the story of Neverwinter to continue.

Super DBZ (PlayStation 2)
Super DBZ is a new highly intense DBZ fighting experience unlike any other Dragon Ball Z game. Featuring an all-new and more complex DBZ fighting system with unique fighting combos for all 18 characters, Super DBZ promises fans and gamers explosive on-screen environmental damage. Super DBZ is in development by NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. / Crafts & Meister, and including the creators of the acclaimed Street Fighter II arcade game.

Test Drive Unlimited (Xbox360 and Windows)
Packed with the world's most luxurious vehicles, more than one thousand miles of open Hawaiian roads, a challenging single player game and a host of online options, Test Drive Unlimited is M.O.O.R. : Massively Open Online Racing - the ultimate online automotive gaming experience. The action in Test Drive Unlimited takes place on the open roads spanning the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Boasting huge online content, racers around the world can challenge others to join them in the virtual paradise of the game's persistent online racing world. Players will engage in online challenges, and build communities by creating or joining exclusive members clubs to talk, trade cars, and race with other like-minded and similarly-skilled drivers in one of the most comprehensive online racing experiences to date. Test Drive Unlimited is in development by Eden Games.

We don't know where this came from, but it's pretty funny. A small group of stones as they might theoretically be rendered in videogames from Asteroids to Zelda. And there's space for you to provide your own! Seriously, if you have any idea where these came from, let us know. We like to give credit where it's due.

Update: The folks at http://www.4chan.org lovingly crafted these pebbles. Bravo!