Asteroids/Asteroids Deluxe

Now that Atari has released the beloved Asteroids (together with its sequel), it’s easy to remember why it’s a classic. While other games of its era have been outclassed by their successors, Asteroids never suffered imitators, in part because its gameplay — simply maneuvering a wedge-shaped spaceship around killer asteroids and spaceships, then blasting them all to hell — was already nearly perfect.

Unfortunately for this Live Arcade version, the game’s “updated” graphics employ bright backgrounds and huge, neon explosions that disorient you after every demolished asteroid. It’s okay, though — you can also play with the old graphics and relive that ’80s charm.