7800 game release dates?

[ubersaurus]

So I'm trying to sort out a chronological release order of games for the 7800, and I've hit a wall with 1990 and 1991. Thanks to the Computer Entertainer scans made available thanks to Frank Cifaldi's efforts, I've got months pinned down for just about every release but Ballblazer up through November 1989 (when Commando, Double Dragon and Rampage hit). But unfortunately the scanned issues of Computer Entertainer are missing the 6-7 issues that ran in the last year, 1990, and of course some more games came out after that time. Anyone have any information or resources on what came out when those last couple years? I know not a whole lot of periodicals were covering Atari systems at that point, but any tidbit helps.

 

Also seeking the same info for the handful of 2600 games that seemingly must have hit the market in late 89/1990.

Edited July 15, 2016 by ubersaurus

[+jeremiahjt]

Cool project. Can you share your findings so far? Maybe somebody has those particular issues or knows where they can be found.

[Trebor]

Here is a list of some 7800 titles and their respective appearance in a couple of magazines, focusing on the '89-90 timetable; hopefully it helps.

Date sited is the issue date of the magazine unless otherwise noted:

 

[ubersaurus]

That definitely helps! It's a better guess than I had for some of those games. I may have to take a look and see what they thought, too.

 

What I've got at this point thanks to Computer Entertainer's availability updates. Bolded games are dates I'm confident about, unbolded titles I'm uncertain of, question marks indicate the ones I'm most uncertain regarding.

 

1986:

May: Pole Position II, Asteroids, Joust, Ms. Pac-Man. Dig Dug, Food Fight, Robotron

August: Galaga

November: Xevious

 

1987:

August: Choplifter

October: Karateka, One-on-One Basketball

 

1988:

Winter/spring: Ballblazer

August: Summer Games, Winter Games, Desert Falcon

November: Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr.

December: Hat Trick, F-18 Hornet, Super Skateboardin’, Mario Bros, Impossible Mission

1989:

Winter/Spring: Pete Rose Baseball?

Spring: Title Match Pro Wrestling?

January: Tower Toppler

March: Tomcat, Touchdown Football, Realsports Baseball

April: Cracked, Crossbow, Dark Chambers, Fight Night

May: Ace of Aces, Super Huey

September: Jinks, Xenophobe

November: Commando, Double Dragon, Rampage

 

[78001987]

It's interesting to see these dates, because back in the day during the 7800's initial run, I remember being thoroughly frustrated by seeing these games advertised in things like the Sears Wishbook, and Kay-Bee, and Toys R Us catalogs, but then no local stores ever having them in stock, and the clerks not having heard anything about them. I remember Choplifter and One on One took WAY longer to surface at Kay Bee Toys, and never arrived anywhere else.

[ubersaurus]

We didn't get a 7800 until 1988, and my memories from there are pretty hazy, but I remember picking out games from the Sears catalog for Christmas gifts in 88 and 89 (Mario Bros, the Donkey Kongs, Rampage, Fight Night) so it was kind of nice to see this list validate those early memories of when what games were available. I remember Choplifter and Karateka were two of the first ones we got, along with some launch titles.

[Jinks]

Dk 6 years after colecovision had it on their system..Way to stay innovative Atari!! lol.. Today if a video game console offered the same game 6 years later they would be laughed at..

[78001987]

Dk 6 years after colecovision had it on their system..Way to stay innovative Atari!! lol.. Today if a video game console offered the same game 6 years later they would be laughed at..

The 7800 version of DK is MUCH better than the Colecovision one.

 

Also - Nintendo has been offering up graphical updated versions of the same titles for 30 years now. How many versions of MArio KArt do we really need?