What Atari 2600 game impressed you the most?

[deadmeow]

I remember when I was in junior high, seeing Montezuma's Revenge. With great graphics, and tons of screens, I was very impressed reading my electronic games magazine. Even the 2600 version was incredible.

 

My mom dropped me and my friend off at the mall one weekend, and me and my buddy went into Sears, and I opened a Montezuma's Revenge box and we began playing it on the Atari 2600 demo machine in the store. My friend was so impressed by the game, he decided he wanted to steal it. I didn't steal, but I didn't see anything wrong with opening games and trying them out

 

So anyway, my friend steals a shrink wrapped Atari 2600 Montezuma's Revenge and some Lego stuff while we were in Sears. We played the heck out of Montezuma's Revenge. I think that it is still my favorite Atari 2600 (and Colecovision) game to this day.

[Recycled]

Back then, I missed alot of cool games and pretty much quit playing videogames altogether after 1982. Many games have impressed me since I got back into the 2600 over 2 years ago.....but back in the day...Demon Attack may have impressed me. The demons or aliens looked great and they moved very smoothly. I especially liked when they would break into 2 tiny demons after being shot. Overall, I thought the game had authentic "arcade" feel to it.

[ATARIPITBULL]

My first love will always be Adventure! but the first Atari game that impressed me the most was Pitfall, I loved the game play and the fact that you could get a patch if you got a certain amount of points was great, followed by others like Raiders of the lost Ark, Frogger & Montezumas Revenge.

 

[Lord Helmet]

At first, I was impressed with all of them. I was just happy to be playing video games at home. When the arcade translations started coming out, I can remember thinking that I could practice at home and get better at the arcade version...

 

Then I became a fan of Pac-Man in the arcades...

 

I was obsessed with Pac-Man. I couldn't wait for the Atari version. When it finally came out, I was excited, and never really had a problem with the home version. Up to that point, none of the Atari VCS versions of arcade games were really that close to their arcade cousins (except maybe a few like Missle Command, but even that was pretty far off when you got down to it).

 

It wasn't until I saw screenshots of Ms. Pac-Man on the 2600 that I realized that home versions could be that close to the arcade game. It was Ms. Pac-Man, followed by the other silver label era arcade ports that really made an impact on me from that standpoint.

 

Up until then it was all about playing video games at home. After that, it was about playing great versions of my favorite arcade games at home

[PressureCooker2600]

Strawberry Shortcake.......

this was back when i first started playing back in the early 80s, the huge graphics and musical samples were neat

 

gameplay wise, I always loved Pressure Cooker and Dragonfire the best

wish i still had my old copies of those games.......i remember my mom would get us games and then toss the boxes, because they took up space back then i couldnt give a shit, but now.....

[Red 5]

I thought Tunnel Runner was the most amazing thing on the 2600.

Maybe because it was the first game I played in the first person perspective.

 

The bad guys looked great and the music getting louder and softer was fastastic.

 

In the later levels, you could run and incredible speeds, which I was also impressed by.

 

Just a great great game.

 

Fathom, Montezuma's Revenge and Escape from the Mindmaster are up there as well.

 

(The picture of He-Man was pretty impressive after beating skeletor.)

[poker_plus]

So anyway, my friend steals a shrink wrapped Atari 2600 Montezuma's Revenge and some Lego stuff while we were in Sears. We played the heck out of Montezuma's Revenge. I think that it is still my favorite Atari 2600 (and Colecovision) game to this day.

 

Stolen? My god! I'm shocked and appalled!

 

Uh, do you still have the box?

[Crazy Climber]

Graphics really didn't mean jackshit to me back in the 2600 days. I honestly had nothing I could compare it to, I just new it was totally cool. I guess I really wasn't impressed by graphics until I saw Super Mario Bros in an NES store display. I'm not saying the Atari didn't have some games that really pushed the limits of the system or anything, I guess it just didn't matter to me back then.

[Michael_]

Probably Superman or Adventure. Both impressed me with the amount of things you could do and the intricacy of the gameplay.

 

Visually I was stunned the first time I laid my eyes on Snoopy and The Red Baron. I decided that I didn´t care one bit if the game was crap, I just needed that beautiful game.

[Shawn]

BMX Airmaster for great sound & GFX.

[+FujiSkunk]

Video Pinball, because it was the first 2600 game I ever saw.

 

Centipede, because it was the first "second generation" 2600 game I saw. Suddenly we had demo modes, and even a title screen! No more boring color cycles!

 

Solaris, because it showed 2600 games, even if only once or twice, could look just as good as games for the NES.

[Foxsolo2000]

Without question had to be Pitfall 2 for there was no game like it for its sheer depth

[NE146]

Ms. Pacman for sure super impressed me. I was a pac fanatic and when Ms. Pac came out I had hope, but was prepared for it to be just ok. I was blown away. Definitely.. definitely impressed.

[joeybastard]

Tunnel Runner surprised the hell out of me when I got it as a kid. I really didn't think the VCS could pull off what was described in the ads. Now I know better but back then-WOW!

[Video]

Well, Pretty much activision games. I didn't mind flicker in games, still don't. But Activision showed that they didn't have to have that to make games awesome.

 

Also, any game with decent music, either as a title, or as a theme. Pitfall 2 simply blew me away for its time, and really, I never was impressed by another console after that till the Super Nintendo came out. IMO, it showed that if Atari really wanted to, they could really compete with the NES even (of course, back then, I didn't understand the limitations of the 2600, or how Activision got around them, I just knew their games were awesome)

 

Oh, Jungle Hunt was impressive for it's paralax scrolling (first game I saw to do that, even most Nintendo games didn't do that)

 

And had I seen Tunnel Run for the 2600 back in the day, I would probably have never gotten a new system beyond the 2600.

[Rik]

I'd say PITFALL 2,and JUNGLE HUNT,which turned out pretty damn good,way better than i thought it would be,i was skeptical when i bought J.H iwhen it first hit the stores,it blew me away,graphically,and gameplay wise!

Edited February 6, 2007 by Rik

[Codysgames]

For me itd have to be Pitfall and Pitfall 2.For its great graphics and its freakin fun to play.

[Dauber]

Jr. Pac-Man, easily. When I first played it, I felt it was THE best arcade conversion for the VCS that I'd seen, and I still maintain my stance.

 

Just a couple of weeks ago after binging on Pac-Man Collection! on the 7800, I popped in Jr. Pac-Man just for the helluvit, and even now, and after playing Pac-Man Collection!, it blew me away. Seriously, I won't be disappointed if no one ever comes up with a Jr. Pac-Man for the 7800 because the 2600 version is outstanding enough.

[JacobZu7zu7]

( Krull ) ... really awesome.

( Winter Games ) Epyx!,

I also was impressed with

( Robot Tank )

( Midnight Magic )

 

I'm sure I forget something, but.. I cannot decide for sure what was the absolute 'most' impressive, maybe 'Solaris.'

[jboypacman]

Tunnel Runner(freakin' first person view on the 2600),Montazuma's Revenge(Love thoses rolling skulls),Pitfall2(Check points, it has check points),California Games(Very nice graphics),Tapper(Quite impressive for its time i thought),and Ms.Pac-Man(I thought after seeing this,"What the heck happend to Pac-Man?").

[ZylonBane]

Solaris and Radar Lock.

[Crazy Climber]

I think I misunderstood the question. I thought it was what "graphics" impressed you the most. Whoops

If we are just talking about the most impressive games then thats a whole new ballgame.

Ghost Manor was by far the most impressive game in my line up. All the different screens and objectives and the fact that it was a double ender with Spikes Peak on it was also very cool. Although confusing at a young age the Star Raiders controller was also pretty sweet. I had never played anything like it. I liked the use of the B/W switch in Starmaster, that was very impressive. Really made me feel like I was commanding a Star ship or something. Just about any Activision game (with the exception of Boxing....always hated that one) impressed me for the smooth gameplay. All of the arcade ports....yes even Pac-Man, just for the fact that I was playing Arcade games at home......I better stop now, I could really go on all night.

 

I guess pretty much every Atari game impressed the hell out of me just because it was so damn cool. The only real dud I owned back then was Boxing

[Dino]

HERO and Pitfall 2. I played those 2 and joust more than any other games in the 80s.

[Technosis]

Solaris (and Demon Attack before that)

[kyle]

I got my first 2600 in the late 80s with a bunch of games. Wel shorty after thatl my sister went out of town with a friend one weekend and i asked her to bring me something back. And she did a brand new atari 2600 game called California Games! Man i was blown away by the graphics and that it had an intro and title screen!

Edited February 7, 2007 by kyle