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Atarian Video Game Magazine is a bimonthly magazine devoted to Atari's console lineup as it existed in the late 1980s, including the Atari 2600, 5200, and XE Game System. Targeted as Atari's answer to Nintendo Power, it is notable for being the last computer or game-related magazine headed by computer-mag pioneer David Ahl.
History
Atarian was spun off of Atari Explorer, the company's in-house computer magazine, in 1989 in order to focus on younger gamers. Although its design is old-fashioned compared to the magazines of the day, it includes all the features you'd expect, including previews, reviews, an interview (with Nolan Bushnell in the premiere issue), a Top 30 ranking, and a strategy section. There was even a regular comic, featuring the superhero Atari fighting against the evil Ninja-Endo -- an obvious take on Nintendo's domination of the industry.
With said domination firmly in place by 1989, and with less-than-enthusiastic backup from Atari themselves, the magazine folded quietly after three issues. It was available on newsstands, but only attracted a very small set of advertisers.
Atarian Index
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