A man plays a computer game at an internet cafe
IN PHOTO: A man plays a computer game at an internet cafe in Beijing May 9, 2014. As growing numbers of young people in China immerse themselves in the cyber world, spending hours playing games online, worried parents are increasingly turning to boot camps to crush addiction. Military-style boot camps, designed to wean young people off their addiction to the internet, number as many as 250 in China alone. Picture taken May 9, 2014. Reuters

After the success of various rebooted video games like “Tomb Raider” and “Rayman Origins,” it seems that Atari also has plans to re-introduce some of the company’s titles. The company has announced intentions to possibly reboot “Tempest” and “Missile Command,” both of which were originally classic shooters, with plans to make them stand out from their original successors.

The company announced its intentions for rebooting their franchises after releasing an “Asteroid” reboot called “Asteroid: Outpost.” As noted by Gamespot, “Asteroid: Outpost” isn’t just a redone version of the old game with high definition graphics, rather it has been remade as a survival game with open world elements.

A report from Eurogamer has also confirmed that Atari rebooted the “Alone in the Dark” series as well, with “Alone in the Dark: Illumination.” The game is currently on a beta phase, which fans can access if they pre-order the game on Steam. “Alone in the Dark: Illumination” is the first new game in the series since 2008, after the release of the abysmal “Alone in the Dark,” which was also meant to reboot the franchise in an attempt to reach new audiences.

It seems that Atari is willing to go the extra mile with these so-called “rebirths,” given how different the gameplay of “Asteroid: Outpost” is with the original “Asteroid” shooter. These Atari re-births will apparently rely on young and innovative studios to find ways to make these titles relevant again, while also being entirely new games, rather than HD remakes.

Now that Atari is planning to reboot “Tempest” and “Missile Command,” it bears mentioning that the company has recently told game developer Jeff Minter to stop selling his title “TxK.” Apparently, TxK was meant to be a successor to “Tempest 2000,” but Atari thought the game was too similar to the company’s game.

While “TxK” has managed to get released for the PlayStation Vita, Atari has blocked several attempts for the title to get released for other platforms like the PC and PlayStation 4. Minter has reportedly tried convincing the company to have the other ports of "TxK" be part of the “Tempest” brand.

Contact Writer: n.parungo@ibtimes.com.au

Atari's Asteroids: Outpost - Early Game Footage (Credit: YouTube/Curse Entertainment)

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