Mephitblue Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Hello everyone, I grew up with an Atari 2600 as my gaming console as a kid and have fond memories of that system. I got hit with the retro bug and picked up an Atari 7800, since i could use it to play 2600 games I loved and check out some 7800 games as well. I have a good idea of what 2600 games I want, but what 7800 games are a must have for a collection? I see Joust as a must have, along with Centipede, Dig-Dug, Galaga and Ms Pacman. What other games do you see as must haves? Are there any homebrew games I should consider? Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briwayjones Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 (edited) Xevious and Ball Blazer would be a couple. Edited July 6, 2017 by briwayjones 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 My list of must haves from the original retail line: Xevious, Xenophobe, Tower Toppler, Robotron: 2084, Pole Position II, Ninja Golf, Ms. Pac-Man, Motor Psycho, Midnight Mutants, Joust, Ikari Warriors, Galaga, Food Fight, Dig Dug, Desert Falcon, Dark Chambers, Crossbow, Commando, Centipede, Basketbrawl, Ballblazer, Asteroids, Alien Brigade. Every homebrew in the store for the 7800 should be "considered". There are reviews posted to help with your decision making. As an FYI, there will be a few new 7800 homebrews entering the store very soon. All worth owning. Nevertheless, the current "Best Sellers" list for the 7800 lineup in the store is as follows:Pac-Man Collection - Atari 7800b*nQ - Atari 7800Astro Blaster - Atari 7800Beef Drop VE - Atari 7800Frenzy - Atari 7800K.C. Munchkin - Atari 7800Jr. Pac-Man - Atari 7800Scramble - Atari 7800Asteroids Deluxe - Atari 7800Super Pac-Man - Atari 7800 Nosweargamer has an excellent 7800 (original retail line) game-by-game podcast.Dauber continues carrying the torch covering the homebrews. There's this video and this playlist as well for reference. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+groundtrooper Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 trebor pretty much nailed it. The only thing I would add is if you are a Donkey Kong fan don't bother with the retail release save that money and put it towards tep392's DKPK. You can get on the waiting list here. This version is the only Donkey Kong you need. It has all for levels too many options to list. For a great review listen to daubers episode about it here. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osgeld Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 I like choplifter, but I like choplifter on just about any platform (the 7800 is more traditional style vs the sega arcade) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariKid81 Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Donkey Kong J.R. and Mario Bros are great also, imo. As far as homebrew games go, Super Pac-man is outstanding! Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Moon Cresta should be on any 'must own' list. It's an amazing port. Plutos and Klax also always seem to be missed on these lists. While the sound on Klax sucks, everything else is all there. And Plutos has some of the best graphics on any 7800 game -- and is (somewhat) easier than its brutally hard twin, Sirius. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinks Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Yes super pac man is fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinks Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Could someone do a pokey track for plutos? That would be killer. Or so they need the source code etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Could someone do a pokey track for plutos? That would be killer. Or so they need the source code etc... I doubt that would be possible, unless you are talking about the title screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toiletunes Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Pac-Man collection is a must own. Lots of good arcade ports and unique titles in the original releases. Games to avoid: Karateka, Jinks, Double Dragon, Crack'ed, and Karateka. Yes, it's bad enough to list twice. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mephitblue Posted July 6, 2017 Author Share Posted July 6, 2017 Thanks for all the replies. That gives me a nice list of games to work on. And I'll avoid (or save to last) picking up any of the games in Toiletunes games to avoid list. As for the homebrews mentioned, I do want to pick up Scramble as that was a favorite of mine in the Arcade. I'll likely be picking up some of the others that were mentioned as well. Along with picking up more games, the next thing I want to look into is modding the 7800 for component video. I've read through some of the threads on here for pointers. Unfortunately, while I've done some soldering in the past I don't trust my skills enough to do it myself so will likely be either paying someone to do it or looking for some help locally. We do have a Makerlab where I live, so I should be able to find someone who is good with a soldering iron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briwayjones Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Donkey Kong J.R. and Mario Bros are great also, imo. Isn't DK Jr. on the 7800 missing a level? Or am I thinking of something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
accousticguitar Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Centipede is the killer app for the 7800. Probably my next favorite is Food Fight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VectorGamer Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Nevertheless, the current "Best Sellers" list for the 7800 lineup in the store is as follows: Pac-Man Collection - Atari 7800 b*nQ - Atari 7800 Astro Blaster - Atari 7800 Beef Drop VE - Atari 7800 Frenzy - Atari 7800 K.C. Munchkin - Atari 7800 Jr. Pac-Man - Atari 7800 Scramble - Atari 7800 Asteroids Deluxe - Atari 7800 Super Pac-Man - Atari 7800 Although not one of the best sellers, Space Duel is really cool especially if you have the Starplex controller Centipede is the killer app for the 7800. Probably my next favorite is Food Fight. 7800 Centipede is the best home version IMO. Food Fight is often cited as one of if not THE best titles for the system. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good_Times Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Probably my next favorite is Food Fight.I adore this game. I always kept a few copies around 'just in case'. So fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dauber Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Isn't DK Jr. on the 7800 missing a level? Or am I thinking of something else? I'm pretty sure Junior is fully intact. It's the original Donkey Kong -- it's missing the pie factory. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Of all the original 7800 games, my favorite and most recommended is .... Food Fight. Its a semi-obscure game that is very fun and unique. Other than that, the 2-player simultaneous options of Asteroids and Centipede (and Joust of course) make those have a spin not seen on the 2600/5200/arcade versions, so you have to have a copy of those too. A lot of the orig games aren't fun to me however. Donkey Kong and DKjr have absolutely horrible sound that ruins the experience. Its better to turn off the Atari 7800 sounds and play with a classic rock station on! Better yet to put in an order from Tep392 and get his Donkey Kong PK, complete with a Pokey chip and the sounds from the A8 version! For homebrews, you have a lot of fun options to choose from. I'd suggest loading up the classic 80's carts first (they are pretty cheap), then when you get tired of them, move on to homebrews. Anything from PacManPlus (Bob D.) is highly recommended, and there are several others of great quality too - read the reviews & check out the videos of them to decide. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good_Times Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Of all the original 7800 games, my favorite and most recommended is .... Food Fight. Its a semi-obscure game that is very fun and unique I love it so much. If I ever go down the 7800 road again it'll be the reason why. Six bucks never felt so GOOD! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Food-Fight-Atari-7800-/122438600883?epid=56235385&hash=item1c81e8c8b3:g:VqUAAOSw4CFY6pVJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+sramirez2008 Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 (edited) Moon Cresta should be on any 'must own' list. It's an amazing port. Plutos and Klax also always seem to be missed on these lists. While the sound on Klax sucks, everything else is all there. And Plutos has some of the best graphics on any 7800 game -- and is (somewhat) easier than its brutally hard twin, Sirius. Can't leave out Astro Blaster. Another excellent arcade port with speech. Love to hear it say "Fighter pilots needed in sector wars. Play Astro Blaster." https://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1043 Edited July 6, 2017 by sramirez2008 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 (edited) It's the original Donkey Kong -- it's missing the pie factory. Ironic that you pointed that out... Edited July 6, 2017 by Inky 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamrodHare Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 If you want cheap fun, grab Food Fight and Robotron. If you want to spend a lot more, get Commando and Alien Brigade. There are a lot of games between there, as other's have mentioned. "THE BEST" recommendation, get some kind of multicart (the Mateos is great). Then you have access to the entire library of original games, plus some of the homebrews. You can only load 8 or 16 games at a time, depending on the rom size, but for the price, you can't beat it. This is something ALL new 7800 owners should consider. Commando alone runs $50 or so. Just add $30 more to that and you have the Mateos Multicart. If you aren't a collector and haven't bought any 7800 games yet, this is the cheapest and easiest way to get a decent amount of games for the money. For those who don't know, a multicart allows you to use downloaded roms. You load them onto the cart with your computer and away you go! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 Don't think they've been mentioned yet, but I'd recommend Rampage and Kung-Fu Master. Disappointing that Kung-Fu doesn't take advantage of the 7800's dual buttons, but is still a fun enough game. There's a version of Rampage also (by KevinMos) with enhanced graphics and colors that I have on a dual-cart with a similarly enhanced Double Dragon. Limited amount of these were made by a guy in Greece where you bought the board, labels and a switch that you assembled into your own shell. One of my favorite carts for the 7800! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mephitblue Posted July 7, 2017 Author Share Posted July 7, 2017 Of all the original 7800 games, my favorite and most recommended is .... Food Fight. Its a semi-obscure game that is very fun and unique. For homebrews, you have a lot of fun options to choose from. I'd suggest loading up the classic 80's carts first (they are pretty cheap), then when you get tired of them, move on to homebrews. Anything from PacManPlus (Bob D.) is highly recommended, and there are several others of great quality too - read the reviews & check out the videos of them to decide. I'm working on a deal to get Food Fight from someone on another forum. I like your advice on loading up on the 80's carts first, before moving to homebrews. I might do a modified version of this, say getting a homebrew every other month while I focus on building up the cheap 80's collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briwayjones Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 I'm pretty sure Junior is fully intact. It's the original Donkey Kong -- it's missing the pie factory. Ok, I couldn't remember if it was Donkey Kong, or Jr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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