When it comes to micro mini-games, Nintendo has done a brilliant job with its WarioWare series that transitioned beautifully from the old Game Boy Advance to its touch-friendly Nintendo DS and finally the Nintendo Wii console. Since then, Sony’s sleek and sexy PSP has attempted to bring us its own brand of fast-paced mini-games with WTF: Work Time Fun but just wasn’t able to copy Wario’s brand of addictive gameplay. Now Atari is trying its hand at bringing it own assortment of mini-games with Hot Pixel for the PSP.

Hot Pixel, in its own strange way, pays tribute to the 8-bit days when graphics were so pixel-licious that they were actually charming. Atari even looks to some of its Atari 2600 titles to add as “boss battle” levels, a plus for those who enjoy some retro gaming goodness. It also mixes its old school flavor with some modern photo-real backgrounds and objects. In short, this is one strange game that will be sure to have you scratching your head at its zaniness.

At first glance, Hot Pixel has a number of options but there are only really three main modes to begin with such as Episodes, Training and Multiplayer. Episodes mode is really the game’s main mode of playing the game, putting your through a series of 10 micro mini-games separated in segments or categories called Underground, Awareness or Kidult. As you clear each category you earn new mini-games you can play in Training mode (a mode that allows you to replay past mini-games a number of times to try to beat your record) or the Playlists section that sorts each game into categories so the racing mini-game you played awhile back is put into a category with similar racing mini-games. There’s also a WWW Games section where you can download more mini-games through the game’s own Web site (http://www.hotpxl.com) and add them to the WWW Playlist section of games you downloaded.

The good news is that unlike Work Time Fun, Hot Pixel contains over 200 micro mini-games and there are nearly 70 more games you can download to your memory stick. There’s certainly no shortage of games to play and there are actually a good number of games you’ll be replaying again once you unlock then in Episodes mode. The problem is that not all of the games featured here are very good and, in fact, a good majority of them are actual stinkers. Sure, in games like these there are bound to be some lousy games but Hot Pixel has more misses that hits.

The fun mini-games you’ll encounter range from strumming an electric guitar in the right sequence before the timer runs out to avoiding dreaded black boxes from colliding with your colorful box. One of the game’s strongest mini games comes in the form of those that are inspired by Atari classics like Asteroids, Battlezone and Breakout. These games are announced as Boss levels where winning just means surviving the level until the timer runs out. Your reward for finishing a boss level is watching footage of DJON, the game’s dorky hat-wearing mascot who is actually more annoying than funny. You can even unlock videos of DJON but I hardly think anyone would want to spend time looking through these short clips.

This brings us to all the bad micro mini-games that make up Hot Pixel. There are games where all you do is rub an image on to a sneaker or a tattoo on the bare back of a woman. The games where you’re trying to wipe clean a wall to reveal the hidden graffiti has been done before on the Nintendo DS but without a touch screen, this action feels uncreative on the PSP. There’s a game were you try to change the channel while an alien keeps getting in the way. Really, the majority of these games really would have felt better on the DS but at least there are some multiplayer challenges you can share with a friend (your friend doesn’t even have to own a copy of the game to play).

As far as the graphics are concerned, the game shows off some pretty colorful old school graphics and insert some photo-real objects and backgrounds as well. It’s not a very pretty game but if you’re a fan of retro gaming this one will probably bring back some good memories. Unfortunately, you’ll also have to deal with video clips of DJON. The game’s music isn’t bad at all and has some good funky tunes that don’t get on your nerves the more you play the game. The sound effects are just so-so but at least you won’t be reaching for the mute button.

As a fan of WarioWare-styled mini-games, it’s hard for me to recommend a game like Hot Pixel for the PSP that somehow makes this collection of games feel more like chores. Granted, there are some mini-games in the 200 or so games available that are pretty fun and worth playing again but the rest just feel tacked on and unchallenging. If you’re a fan of extra quick mini-games, Hot Pixel is fun for short bursts but it will quickly remind you that Nintendo does them much better than this.

Gameplay: 5.0
The more than 200 collection of mini-games range from pretty fun to downright lame and there are some are loving tributes to classic Atari games like Breakout and Asteroids. You can even download more mini-games to add to your play list and you can go up against a friend via Ad Hoc.

Graphics: 5.0
Among the pixilated animation and the photo-real images that flash on the screen, Hot Pixel isn’t the prettiest game but at least it has its own sense of style that somehow works well with the theme. Still, we could have done without the dorky guy in the ball cap … he’s just not funny at all.

Sound: 5.5
The mix of funky tunes and classic gaming synthesizer music brings to mind the old Atari games and it’s sure to please fans looking for a gaming flashback. The sound effects are appropriately quirky and there’s very little repetition.

Difficulty: Medium
Some of the mini-games will have you scratching your head wondering just what is going on and how do you complete a game features an amoeba. Some of the mini-games will actually insult your intelligence while others require a steady but quick hand.

Concept: 5.5
I’m as much a fan of WarioWare and micro mini-games as much as the next girl or gamer but Hot Pixel mixes in some fun games (boss games that play homage to Atari classics) with a bunch of seriously unentertaining ones (eat only the pink dots). I love the idea of downloading extra games for free and the fact that the game allows for game sharing so a friend can play with you without owning a copy of the game.

Multiplayer: 5.0
Online you can add new games to your collection using Infrastructure mode and, of course, a memory stick. The game also allows Game Sharing to compete with a friend using the Ad Hoc connection. Multiplayer runs smoothly without a problem.

Overall: 5.0
Hot Pixel for the PSP would have been a fun alternative to Nintendo’s micro mini-game offering but in the end, it just lacks quality or quantity and that little spark of fun that makes gamers want to revisit the mini-games again and again. Sorry, Atari, but this one just doesn’t have what it takes to be the new micro gaming hotness fit for our Sony portable.