Atari 2600 games with GOOD graphics

[johnny_boy]

Imagic were known as one of the first to hire and put graphic artists to work on their products. It would make sense to highlight this fact by presenting some of their most accomplished titles: Fathom, Demon Attack, Cosmic Ark. I also particularly enjoy comparing the different ports side-by-side, since they usually made an exceptional effort to bring character to each platform, tailored to their respective strengths.

 

Homebrewers in recent years have really kicked ass on the 2600, defying the expectations of what could be done on the old machine. Some titles I enjoy for their visual panache: Juno First, Lady Bug, Medieval Mayhem, Panky the Panda, Bee-Ball.

[4Ks]

Barnstorming and The Activision Decathlon both look great, and are at least moderately fun to play. You might consider Kaboom too.

[SpaceDice2010]

Medieval mayhem is one of the best looking Atari games.

[Kiwi]

 

This game's graphic is very well made, especially the first screen. It uses the ball object to make the edges smoother and high resolution. Uses the missile1 object to draw the bridge across the waterfall and the run-off of the river. It uses the missile0 object to animate the top of the waterfall and the river below. Not to mention asymmetrical playfield. It may be no big deal to many people who aren't knowledgeable of Atari2600 graphic, but I find this very fascinating.

[R.O.T.S]

I agree with Imagic being one of the best producers of games with good graphics,although `Atlantis` graphics are somewhat plain they are very neat.

I also like some of the graphics used on `Raiders Of The Lost Ark` by Atari

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Sky Jinks, very nice looking 2.5D in just 2k.

[kiki77]

A lot of Activision titles, of course... Keystone Kapers, Beamrider, and Frostbite all look great in my opinion.

Yes, that's right. I've got the same opinion.

[Brian O]

Sky Jinks, very nice looking 2.5D in just 2k.

 

Good call. Love Sky Jinks.

 

-B

[diogoandrei]

Battlezone has fantastic graphics

 

Agree with you there, fantastic for the VCS.

[Phredreeke]

This game's graphic is very well made, especially the first screen. It uses the ball object to make the edges smoother and high resolution. Uses the missile1 object to draw the bridge across the waterfall and the run-off of the river. It uses the missile0 object to animate the top of the waterfall and the river below. Not to mention asymmetrical playfield. It may be no big deal to many people who aren't knowledgeable of Atari2600 graphic, but I find this very fascinating.

 

Looking at it I can't figure out how they managed so many colors in the background. Did they change color registers mid-scanline?

[Lord Helmet]

I think most of the silver label era games, especially the GCC games have pretty good graphics. Especially when you look at them next to their arcade counterparts (where applicable).

 

Also, some games don't really NEED great graphics. They simple need graphics that convey the game in a meaningful way. I think Space Invaders is a good example of this. It looks nothing like the arcade game, but the look and feel are still there.

[high voltage]

all 70s games on VCS had had excellent graphics compared to other systems at the time.

Edited January 26, 2011 by high voltage

[+SpiceWare]

Looking at it I can't figure out how they managed so many colors in the background. Did they change color registers mid-scanline?

Yep, sometimes multiple times per scanline (see just above the river - the background color goes from Red to Green to Gold). Turn on Fixed Debug Colors (ALT-COMMA or COMMAND-COMMA) in Stella and you can see what objects are used to draw everything:

[+LS650]

Also, some games don't really NEED great graphics. They simple need graphics that convey the game in a meaningful way. I think Space Invaders is a good example of this. It looks nothing like the arcade game, but the look and feel are still there.

Missile Command and Centipede are also good examples.

[Михаил Бакунин]

I realy enjoyed Tapper and think has great graphics

[dark-aleph]

I think Crossbow looks great. The different colour schemes between locations are effective, there's some subtle gradients and fades, perspective is cleverly mimicked, and they get plenty of mileage out of small tweaks to the player sprite to represent your party. I like the way the falling stalactites sink into the icy floor, how the archers rise from behind the battlements, and how the player crumbles to dust when hit.

 

Were Atari trying to look like Activision in Crossbow? It pulls it off while still seeming like an Atari game.

[crsdawg]

What is the deal with all the necro posts on AA lately? Are members just trolling or is there another reason?

[eddhell]

1 hour ago, crsdawg said:

What is the deal with all the necro posts on AA lately? Are members just trolling or is there another reason?

lockdown, boredom, heck, who knows?

I almost replied until I read this...lol

[rexreed]

Space Invaders- it may be basic but compared to the arcade it stacks up quite well. Also, Ms. Pacman.

[dark-aleph]

19 hours ago, crsdawg said:

What is the deal with all the necro posts on AA lately? Are members just trolling or is there another reason?

It's only a necropost if you weren't here the first time it came around ? and it's still better than starting a new thread for an old topic.

 

It's great to see everyone was giving credit to some outstanding homebrew graphics back in 2011. The five years previous to that had seen an amazing surge in homebrew quality. If you want to feel like you've been on AtariAge for a really long time, I'll point out that Swoops! and Seawolf both came out closer to the last official Atari 2600 release than to the present day ?

 

What homebrew has had the best graphics since 2011? My votes go to Mappy for the perfect fusion of form and function, and Boulderdash for technical excellence.