The BW console switch; what are your favourite games to play in greyscale?

[Mr SQL]

The Black and White console switch; what are you favourite games to play in grey scale?

 

I've seen a few related threads but there are none I can find ranging the aspect of the Black and White switch I'm contemplating:

 

The colour palette of the VCS is tremendous but it's grey scale compliment is also impressive and has a retro feel and ambiance all it's own - some of my favourite games to play in greyscale are:

 

1. Defender - even more fun than in colour.

2. Breakout - enough said

3. Pacman - has to be level six as well and it becomes an awesome game; more retro than any other pac version.

4. Space Invaders

5. Combat

6. Video Pinball

7. Chopper Command

8. Alien

9. Frogger

10. Boxing

11. Computer Chess

12. Pitfall

 

There are some others that aren't implemented right like Mr Do (though it's great in colour) and some I'm not particularly inclined to play but playing these classics in greyscale makes me wish more of the greats had the BW palette option - I'm glad black and white Televisions were popular in the 70's

[GrizzLee]

Combat, Canyon Bomber, Sky Diver, etc.. because they appeared in the arcades that way originally.

 

B&W arcades is a an era that brings back some fond memories.

Edited April 23, 2013 by GrizzLee

[+FujiSkunk]

For me the better question is actually, which games did I prefer to play with the switch set to color?

 

When I first got my Atari, I got a little Zenith black-and-white television to go with it. I would set the switch to B&W for just about every game that offered the option, because the B&W didn't "smear" on my TV the way the color palettes did, and I couldn't see any of those colors anyway.

 

I say just about every game, because even on a black-and-white set, a couple of games looked better with the "color" pallette. Space Invaders was the biggest one. The near-black sky was much easier on the eyes then the bright grey sky the B&W palette gave.

 

Once I finally got a color TV of my own, the switch pretty much never went to B&W. I do have to agree Pac-Man's B&W palette is a teeny bit closer to the original than its color palette, but then the best 2600 Pac-Man isn't that original release anyway!

[BassGuitari]

Mostly the early, pre-1980 games. Outlaw, Air-Sea Battle, Home Run, Star Ship, Street Racer, and the like.

[VectorGamer]

Sky Diver and Combat

[TheAtarianGuy]

My favorite game to play in B&W is Barnstorming.

[chuckwalla]

_{If I recall I played River Raid in B&W and then turn the color on and be AMAZED!!!!}

[Mr SQL]

My favorite game to play in B&W is Barnstorming.

Good one AtarianGuy Barnstorming is awesome in B&W - I never played this game until last night!

Sky Diver and Combat

rmaerz,

I tried sky diver again in B&W but I still can't figure out the controls; I can only open the parachute by accident. Looks like I need to RTM...

[Mr SQL]

For me the better question is actually, which games did I prefer to play with the switch set to color?

 

When I first got my Atari, I got a little Zenith black-and-white television to go with it. I would set the switch to B&W for just about every game that offered the option, because the B&W didn't "smear" on my TV the way the color palettes did, and I couldn't see any of those colors anyway.

 

I say just about every game, because even on a black-and-white set, a couple of games looked better with the "color" pallette. Space Invaders was the biggest one. The near-black sky was much easier on the eyes then the bright grey sky the B&W palette gave.

 

Once I finally got a color TV of my own, the switch pretty much never went to B&W. I do have to agree Pac-Man's B&W palette is a teeny bit closer to the original than its color palette, but then the best 2600 Pac-Man isn't that original release anyway!

Very cool FujiSkunk! I also started gaming on a B&W Television (and programming on a Teletype)

_{If I recall I played River Raid in B&W and then turn the color on and be AMAZED!!!!}

_chuckwalla,

_{I gave River Raid a try in B&W; nice to find another grayscale GEM amongst the classics!}

[+Gemintronic]

I'm probably missing the point of this topic, but, b&w vs. color just didn't matter. Back in the 2600 and NES days I didn't really appreciate a difference when playing one way or the other. My small black and white TV did just fine.

 

That all changed when I got my first Sega Genesis with the vibrant arcade quality colors. It was so good I eventually purchased a commodore RGB monitor just to fully enjoy it.

[Mr SQL]

I'm probably missing the point of this topic, but, b&w vs. color just didn't matter. Back in the 2600 and NES days I didn't really appreciate a difference when playing one way or the other. My small black and white TV did just fine.

 

That all changed when I got my first Sega Genesis with the vibrant arcade quality colors. It was so good I eventually purchased a commodore RGB monitor just to fully enjoy it.

 

Loon,

Great post, I needed some time to properly respond

 

The Genesis is a fantastic machine but IMO it doesn't feel retro; the Motorola 68000 series CPU was dubbed mainframe on a chip with good reason - Sega downplayed it hard for the timeframe stenciling "16-bit" on the first rendition and I can think of no other reason as it's a 32-bit chip! IMO your observation that it feels like an Amiga without the keyboard is right on.

 

But the VCS is an iconoclastic retro machine that charges the imagination like no console before or after could do; not IPF's aptly named Imagination Machine, not the Genesis, not even the PS2.

 

It's got switches on the console and one of them is a BW switch; it's got a huge colour palette and an impressive grayscale pallette too - thrown that special switch and you're not plunged into the world of the RCA Studio II. Instead you're greeted with a pleasing array, of shades of gray

 

But I have observed my Jr detracts from the experience somewhat in contrast to my Vader model; it's got Nintendoesque buttons and sliders instead - that's too bad because throwing switches on a console is an inherrently cool experience in and of itself.

 

That being said I'll have to take apart my Vader (and I'm loathe to do that) since the BW switch is jamming and I have to pull it up and wiggle a bit it to get it to engage - does anyone know a good trick to resolve this without opening it up and cleaning the contacts??

[jaybird3rd]

The colour palette of the VCS is tremendous but it's grey scale compliment is also impressive and has a retro feel and ambiance all it's own - some of my favourite games to play in greyscale are:

 

1. Defender - even more fun than in colour.

2. Breakout - enough said

3. Pacman - has to be level six as well and it becomes an awesome game; more retro than any other pac version.

4. Space Invaders

5. Combat

6. Video Pinball

7. Chopper Command

8. Alien

9. Frogger

10. Boxing

11. Computer Chess

12. Pitfall

Good list! One game that I would add is Circus Atari. I played that one a lot in black and white, and I still prefer it that way; the "balloons" are more distinct to me than they are in color. Starmaster is another good one; I first played it on a little 5" portable B/W TV.

 

I think the late-70s 2600 games (like Combat and Breakout) look the best in B/W. Later games started using lots of multi-colored sprites that were intended to be viewed in color, but the earlier monochrome sprites really "pop" when viewed in B/W.

 

This thread makes me want to get a B/W TV hooked up again. Games played in B/W look much better to me on a genuine B/W TV than on a color TV.

[tremoloman2006]

I can't believe nobody has said Indy 500 as it originally released in the arcades as Gran Trak 10 and Sprint in glorious B&W.

 

 

 

I prefer it in this mode myself.

[Mr SQL]

Good list! One game that I would add is Circus Atari. I played that one a lot in black and white, and I still prefer it that way; the "balloons" are more distinct to me than they are in color. Starmaster is another good one; I first played it on a little 5" portable B/W TV.

 

I think the late-70s 2600 games (like Combat and Breakout) look the best in B/W. Later games started using lots of multi-colored sprites that were intended to be viewed in color, but the earlier monochrome sprites really "pop" when viewed in B/W.

 

This thread makes me want to get a B/W TV hooked up again. Games played in B/W look much better to me on a genuine B/W TV than on a color TV.

Thanks jaybird3rd, glad to inspire you! Circus Atari is awesome in B&W and already one of my favourite games - I had no idea it could do B&W but I played last night and it's equally awesome with a totally different feel

 

I agree on the B&W signal being sharper, I think it is also sharper on a colour set (tube TV only) than colour but it may indeed be sharper on a BW set (I started out with a BW set too and also want to pick out up - they are hard to find compared to colour sets!)

[Mr SQL]

I can't believe nobody has said Indy 500 as it originally released in the arcades as Gran Trak 10 and Sprint in glorious B&W.

 

 

 

I prefer it in this mode myself.

Very cool Tremoloman! I am definitely trying Indy 500 in B&W tonight

 

Really like those screenshots of the B&W arcade versions you posted!

[BassGuitari]

Space War. With that awful pink/teal/forest green color scheme, you're almost forced to play in B/W.

[Mr SQL]

Space War. With that awful pink/teal/forest green color scheme, you're almost forced to play in B/W.

Good one BassGuitari Tried this last night to check out the gray scale but I'll have to wait until my next retro party to really play - wish it had AI!

[mkiker2089]

Newbie question, why is there a B&W switch? Would B&W tv just play the game in B&W? Did it maybe change the hues so two different colors wouldn't be the same shade of grey or something?

[+FujiSkunk]

Newbie question, why is there a B&W switch? Would B&W tv just play the game in B&W? Did it maybe change the hues so two different colors wouldn't be the same shade of grey or something?

 

Correct.

 

The 2600 has a palette of 128 colors (at least on NTSC models), but due to the way those colors are generated, there are 8 groups of 16 colors each that all use the same hue, and so they all look virtually alike on a B&W teleivision. So, a game on a color television may show a red object next a to a blue object on top of a green background, but on a black and white telelvision, you will see nothing but a solid sheet of grey.

 

Of course, the game has to be programmed to use the switch. The console hardware itself doesn't care one way or the other. Very few games released after 1982 make use of the color switch, and those that did usually use it for something besides changing colors. This could be because B&W TV's were rapidly falling out of use as color TV's became cheaper, or perhaps programmers decided simply to pick colors that would show up distinctly enough on a B&W TV. Maybe there were multiple reasons.

Edited May 14, 2013 by FujiSkunk

[zylon]

Night Driver all the way.

[Rik]

When I got my 1st VCS, that's what it was called back then, I played the pack-in Combat on an old late 60's-70's tube B&W TV. I'm kicking myself for trashing the TV, it was still working when I tossed it. I thought at the time " why keep a B&W when we now have color TV's "? WTF was i thinking? So I play Combat in B&W for the nostalgic memories.

Edited May 15, 2013 by Rik