The 10 Best Homebrews to Date

[MayDay]

It's been a while since I've been very active on the boards, and over the last several years there have been a bunch of great homebrews. A common question I see in the forums is people asking what homebrews they should try. That's why I recently downloaded every homebrew ROM I could dig up and gave each and every one of them a try.

 

Out of a little over 250 ROMs, I've selected my 10 favorites. I didn't sit down and score them in different categories or anything so scientific. This is merely a list of the 10 that I enjoyed playing the most. Still, there are several things that factor in such as graphics, sound, good controls, a general playability, the game concept, and how much it pushes the system. Several people may disagree with me, but I also think being able to play without instructions is important. Many of my games as a child were second-hand and/or borrowed, so you didn't always have an instruction book handy. From that experience I always though intuitive controls were important, and you can pick up on the gameplay as you go along.

 

One other note, several of these have not been released as carts. I don't know if that technically means they are homebrews or not. At least one out of this list is also a hacked game. Perhaps a better title would have been The 10 Best AtariAge ROMs to date, but I think it still fits within the context of what I'm trying to do. Please feel free to voice your own opinions!

 

10.) SCSIside - Quite an original concept, right down to the original packaging of an anti-static bag. A catchy little game that would have done quite well if released back in the Atari's heyday, and the gameplay gets fast quickly. An updated version of SCSIside is available for purchase in the AtariAge Store.

 

9.) Strat-O-Gems - This game is well-polished and complete. With the surge in mobile gaming, these types of falling puzzle games are still very common almost a decade after the game's release. Everything flows smoothly, and I believe by utilizing the sprite trick there doesn't seem to be any flickering. Being an older game makes it that much impressive versus the competition on this list. Strat-o-gems is available for purchase in the AtariAge store.

 

8.) Halo 2600 - Having the unofficial blessing of Microsoft is never a bad thing, and neither is seeing Master Chief available on a 2600. While I'm too impatient to make it very far in the game, the controls are smooth, and the sprites are masterfully done. Several places on this website list it as probably being the top-selling Atari homebrew to date, and you can see from the pre-order page they've run through at least one batch already. Luckily, as of this writing Halo 2600 is once again available for purchase in the AtariAge store.

 

7.) Swoops! Swoops! is actually three games for the price of one. You can find the individual 1K ROMs in the forums, or plug in the official 4K cartridge and choose any of the three. Each is fun, but splatform has a certain appeal. If you're new to the homebrew scene, what better way to see what is being done that to get three games at the cost of one? Head over and pick up your copy at the AtariAge store.

 

6.) Seawolf - A fun shooter where you have to judiciously aim your shots instead of button mashing. Everything about this game is top notch. While it may not stretch the limits of the system, it makes the best out of visuals, sound, and gameplay. If you doubt the quality of this homebrew, simply read the reviews that are available when you go to purchase a copy at the AtariAge store.

 

5.) Edtris 2600 - There are a few Tetris clones for the 2600 now, but this is easily the best (and first?) of them. It's Tetris. On the 2600. Written by a guy named Ed. Edtris is available for purchase in the AtariAge Store.

 

4.) Go Fish! - Very simple game idea, very addicting game play. I've spent far longer playing this simple game than I'm willing to admit. It's a fish eat fish world, so only find the fish that are your size or smaller. Great controls and underwater physics. It also supports the AtariVox in order to save your high score from play to play. Go Fish! is available for purchase in the AtariAge store.

 

3.) Panky the Panda - Despite the controversy over Panky's full title, the game is stellar. It's a challenging platformer with fantastic controls and graphics. There are several puzzles and hidden passageways that need to be found. Written by Ben Larson, who also wrote Incoming which appears on my honorable mention list, I don't think this game has ever seen cartridge form. You can however find the ROM in the author's original thread.

 

2.) Toyshop Trouble - Bob Montgomery's second entry on this list, my only real gripe with this game is that it's holiday themed. It's fun enough and challenging enough that doesn't seem to matter, I'm happy to play it year round! You play an elf trying to get all the toys finished and sent off for Christmas. I wish I was good enough to complete this game, I'd love to see what happens if you made it all the way to Santa's big day! I believe this game has been on a few different cartridges, but you can pick it up now as a standalone cartridge in the AtariAge Store.

 

1.) Hack 'Em - I see a lot of people who talk about how good Pacman 4K is... and they're right. However, to me, the definitive Pac-Hack is actually the best game I've seen created for the 2600. Nukey Shay has taken Pacman to the extreme in this brilliant ROM. You can find a few different versions in this thread.

 

 

Honorable Mentions:

Boulderdash - At one point, it was announced the project was dead. By the time I started actively reading the forums, it had been completed and a limited number of carts sold due to licensing contracts. The demo is quite good, but has a lot of flickering due to the necessity of showing that many items. No ROM and no cartridge available kept this game of my list, but I think given wider availability it would end up somewhere in my top ten.

Juno First - Solid effort, good graphics and fun to play.

1775 - Deserves a mention for completely original (and fun) concept, and gameplay is pretty good, graphics and audio lack the polished look of many others on this list.

Incoming - Just narrowly missing the list. 1 Player version is great, but don't remember there being a two player version available. If the sprites moved as you aimed, the gameplay alone would have propelled this to be onto my list.

Four Play - Fun way to kill a few minutes, and the AI is pretty good, but not unbeatable. Given the content though, it's a static screen. Mostly polished, nice title screen and sound effects, but I wish there was also music that went with the gameplay. Solid effort worth checking out.

[+Gemintronic]

Boulderdash - At one point, it was announced the project was dead. By the time I started actively reading the forums, it had been completed and a limited number of carts sold due to licensing contracts. The demo is quite good, but has a lot of flickering due to the necessity of showing that many items. No ROM and no cartridge available kept this game of my list, but I think given wider availability it would end up somewhere in my top ten.

 

I'm pretty sure there's a recent demo ROM available. As many homebrews are released in small batches it seems like a pretty harsh requirement that the top 10 must be currently sold. Maybe I'm reading your statement wrong *shrugs*

[+save2600]

Edtris was great BITD and was the only way to play Tetris on the 2600 for years, but have you seen Chetiry yet? The only download that exists as far as I know, is a scaled down Gameboy type version for play on the VCS.

 

If you like Tetris well enough, the cartridge is a must buy. Outstanding port:

 

http://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1003

[StanJr]

Marble Craze goes somewhere on the list. Maybe in place of Go Fish (which I liked for a few minutes and then found rather tedious).

[+Atari_Warlord]

Go Fish would definitely be on my list. I've probably played it more than any other homebrew so far. I would also add Lady Bug.

[BassGuitari]

There are a lot of good ones, to be sure. My top homebrews would probably have to include:

Princess Rescue
Juno First
KO Cruiser
Swoops!
Thrust+
Stay Frosty
Chetiry
Boulderdash
Gunfight
Starfire

[Xot]

No love for Warring Worms on this list?

[Rom Hunter]

Boulderdash should be in the top 3 IMO.

 

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Boulder Dash was available for one whole year. We even had to switch to allowing people to buy a 2nd copy to sell out within that time.

 

Also, Boulder Dash is 100% flicker-free. Maybe you mean something else?

[Trebor]

Don't forget Lady Bug - Easily one of the best Arcade ports or/and homebrews for the 2600.

 

To say the least about it, the 20 reviews present all give it 5 out of 5 joysticks.

 

Not surprising though, considering the author's legacy.

Some of the best Arcade ports and "Alt versions" available for the PC before there was DASArcade->Sparcade, Retrocade, or (Misfit/HB)MAME.

[+save2600]

No love for Warring Worms on this list?

Warring Worms is excellent! But I find myself playing Snafu on Intellivision more. Same with Shark Shark vs. Go Fish.

[+FujiSkunk]

My top 10 homebrews in alphabetical order.

 

Boulder Dash

Chetiry

Lady Bug

Medieval Mayhem

Pac-Man 4K*

Princess Rescue

Thrust+

Space Rocks

Stay Frosty 2

Qb

 

* I have to give Hack 'Em the edge for best all-around Pac-Man adaptation, but Pac-Man 4K gets the nod when counting homebrews made completely from scratch and not hacked from other sources... not even other homebrews!

[+save2600]

^ Stay Frosty 2 has not been released yet, correct? Just the demo version AFAIK...

[+D Train]

star castle arcade?

[Keatah]

The list should consist of what is actually available. I mean why bother discussing games that won't be played by anyone anymore? I completely detest artificially created scarcity.

Edited June 12, 2014 by Keatah

[Keatah]

Several people may disagree with me, but I also think being able to play without instructions is important. Many of my games as a child were second-hand and/or borrowed, so you didn't always have an instruction book handy. From that experience I always though intuitive controls were important, and you can pick up on the gameplay as you go along.

 

One other note, several of these have not been released as carts. I don't know if that technically means they are homebrews or not. At least one out of this list is also a hacked game. Perhaps a better title would have been The 10 Best AtariAge ROMs to date, but I think it still fits within the context of what I'm trying to do. Please feel free to voice your own opinions!

 

Instructions or no instructions, it doesn't make a difference. Despite Missile Command's obvious goals and gameplay, one still needs the instructions to understand the game option matrix to derive maximum value.

 

Question: What is a homebrew? A homebrew is simply a game written by a hobbyist. Whether it is distributed as D'L ROM or Cartridge doesn't change the origin of the code.

 

A "ROM" is traditionally known as a cartridge dump and what emulators read. A conversion of storage medium from physical microchip to a file stored on the PC. I've never heard anyone call their classic cartridge collection a collection of ROMS. You can be the first!

Edited June 12, 2014 by Keatah

[StanJr]

Forgot about Lady Bug. That game is amazing. I might have to play some tonight when I get home!

[+FujiSkunk]

^ Stay Frosty 2 has not been released yet, correct? Just the demo version AFAIK...

 

Correct. I meant to put an "upcoming" by that one. I don't know if it was the demo or a "pre-release" I played at the Houston Area Arcade Group Expo last year, but either way, it's definitely in my top 10.

 

The list should consist of what is actually available. I mean why bother discussing games that won't be played by anyone anymore? I completely detest artificially created scarcity.

 

I respectfully disagree. If someone made the effort to program the game for the console, it warrants a look. And that is especially true for games that go out of print due to reasons not entirely under the programmers' control.

[Keatah]

I respectfully disagree. If someone made the effort to program the game for the console, it warrants a look. And that is especially true for games that go out of print due to reasons not entirely under the programmers' control.

 

If a programmer programs game X but knowingly concedes to company Y's distribution & publication rules, then they are just as guilty as the company itself.

[+Gemintronic]

 

If a programmer programs game X but knowingly concedes to company Y's distribution & publication rules, then they are just as guilty as the company itself.

 

I've made games on contract before. They get to decide what rights I have to distribute their game. So far I've worked with generous people that let me distribute "developer" editions. I completely understand if they wanted to work under different terms. It's my work but their product. It's all about finding a good balance.

[+SpiceWare]

I don't know if it was the demo or a "pre-release" I played at the Houston Area Arcade Group Expo last year, but either way, it's definitely in my top 10.

 

 

It was a pre-release - it contained all the levels as they existed at the time, I probably used the 20131106 build. The final build is 201317. Between those two dates there were graphic revisions, new sounds effects, tweaks to a few levels and gameplay(some of these tweaks were based on observing people play it at the expo), changed how bonus lives are earned, revised the PAUSED screen and a fixed a number of bugs.

[AtariLeaf]

Space Rocks, Juno First and Lady Bug are my favorites. I've debated getting a copy of Euchre. You don't hear a lot of people talking about it but it plays a decent game and the AI seems fairly capable.

[AtariLeaf]

 

 

It was a pre-release - it contained all the levels as they existed at the time, I probably used the 20131106 build. The final build is 201317. Between those two dates there were graphic revisions, new sounds effects, tweaks to a few levels and gameplay(some of these tweaks were based on observing people play it at the expo), changed how bonus lives are earned, revised the PAUSED screen and a fixed a number of bugs.

 

I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to a little homebrew called Draconian. Don't know if you've heard of this one but it looks awesome. Same guy that did Space Rocks, he's really talented

[+SpiceWare]

Awe, shucks

 

Sadly I've been so worn out (walked on that 40 miles last week) in the evenings, and busy on the weekends, that I've not had time to work on it of late. Next few weekends are booked as well, so it'll probably be July before the next build.

Edited June 12, 2014 by SpiceWare

[cobracon]

What about Seaweed Assault? Seems a lot of people love that game.