Like the "Once Upon Atari" series, these VHS videos from Cyberpunks Entertainment give an insider's look at Atari's history by inviting the viewer into what appears to be the home of Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell during August of 1997 as he welcomes a living room full of ex-Atari employees to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Atari 2600 (a.k.a. Video Computer System; "Stella" was the in-house code name for the machine's main processor). These two 90- minute video are perhaps too dry and technical for the casual observer, but then, most Atari fans are rabid beasts whose interests in all things Atari are anything but casual! Plus, the series' producer Glenn Saunders knows when to cut the chatter, at one point producing a birthday cake in the shape of an old woodgrain 2600 machine! Given the warm and fuzzy nature of the reunion footage, there aren't too many shocking revelations or real surprises to be heard among these old friends' conversations. However, even those who would consider themselves fans of the works of David Crane (Pitfall!, the Activision Decathlon) may be amazed at the level of his accomplishments the way he is singled out for praise by his peers. Listen as Larry Kaplan credits Crane with virtually all the graphical design work on Kaplan's award-winning Kaboom! Watch as Carol Shaw points to the screen and identifies all of the elements of her hit game River Raid which were created and/or refined by Crane. Reknowned for speaking to his co-workers not in English but in the language of the Atari 2600...truly, David Crane is the man! It's also a treat to hear the recollections of Steve DeFrisco, programmer of the last 2600 game to be officially commisioned by Atari (Klax). DeFrisco may be the only game creator of his era to have had any idea of the historical significance of his work while he was still doing it (unlike greats like Rob "Demon Attack" Fulop, who still doesn't seem to truly realize how much joy and entertainment his work has brought to the world). The informal atmosphere seems to bring out more personal anecdotes than the types of stories that are related in keynote speeches at the Classic Gaming Expo. The tapes also include semi-formal interviews with individual designers or groups who worked together after leaving Atari.

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Volume 1 includes archival footage of the late Jay Miner, co-designer of the Atari 2600 hardware.

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Activision co-founder Al Miller demonstrates his considerable Kaboom! skills. No rust here!