Overrated games. EXPOSED!

[Andromeda Stardust]

Custer's Revenge is underrated in my opinion! Simple and fun game. Dodge arrows, hump, repeat. I actually dig the gameplay and it feels very fluid.

 

(comment away...)

 

Not to mention the angry letters from Women Against Pronograffie which made nationwide media headlines, and only served to drive up Mystique sales tenfold. They're the ones we've got to thank, that in today's market a fresh minty copy of Custer's Revenge can be had for $100 or less, unlike the Pamesian NES titles like Bubble Bath Babes which sell upwards of $1000...

[Nukey Shay]

RP: For those who feel that Jr.Pac's monsters have an unfair advantage, Click Here.

[toptenmaterial]

 

 

I don't know...I always felt the controls were a little stiff and the gameplay so hard you could cut a diamond with it.

 

You're probably right. It gets props for being "porn" but is pretty limited. Honestly, I'm not too experienced with Atari compared to others here; I was an NES and missed that boat by a few years. Custer's Revenge is a game that I've played on my netbook and I enjoyed the control scheme: < & > to move, space bar to hump.

 

Having gotten into 2600 relatively recently, my definition of an overrated game is a famous one that I cannot understand. I enjoy intuitive 2600 games with a "pick up and play" quality. Enduro, Pac Man and Ms Pac Man, Space Invaders, Combat, Battle Zone, Spider Fighter, DK....

 

I do not know how to play Yars Revenge. I move around everywhere and am invincible, and so is the big Yar or whatever the f it is.

[racerx]

To an extent Pitfall,

 

Blasphemy!

 

http://youtu.be/znGBU5oODz8

[+wongojack]

This thread is full of a bunch of dudes who'd rather post on a message board than read an instruction manual. All of which are available on this site BTW.

 

A game is not overrated because you were too lazy to read the manual.

 

The console had a select switch for a reason people.

[toptenmaterial]

This thread is full of a bunch of dudes who'd rather post on a message board than read an instruction manual. All of which are available on this site BTW.

 

A game is not overrated because you were too lazy to read the manual.

 

The console had a select switch for a reason people.

 

It's 2013, there is no reason not to post on a message board for answers. And let's face it, a lot of pre-crash games are needlessly complicated. With such a simple control screen and limited options for graphics (including no submenus), the games should be intiative. And for the most part, the ones that were successful were the ones that you could pick up and play on Christmas morning. There is a reason why people don't like to decipher instruction manuals: it isn't fun.

 

[Andromeda Stardust]

This thread is full of a bunch of dudes who'd rather post on a message board than read an instruction manual. All of which are available on this site BTW.

 

A game is not overrated because you were too lazy to read the manual.

 

The console had a select switch for a reason people.

 

Yes, but it can be very unintuitive, figuring out what that does in every game. It's not like the NES where you just put a cart in, power on, hit START, and it's like "A" to jump and "B" to run/shoot.

[toptenmaterial]

^^ Indeed, and the market took notice. The 2600 controller was very simple and games were generally simple enough to accomidate them. Those that weren't were a chore. And people got tired of overly complicated and cryptic games, especially in the hayday of the phone controllers.

[5200FoxFlash]

I'd argue that people didn't get tired of overly complicated games, they got tired of garbage games at bad prices. Ones that weren't fun to play or were based on stupid licenses. And, in the middle of the crash, the home computer market took off which had games that were much more complicated than anything on a 2600. Also, let's not pretend the NES didn't have it's fair share of games that left no clue as to what to do, Castlevania II immediately comes to mind. And the epicly bad Deadly Towers. It doesn't get much more cryptic than that.

Edited May 6, 2013 by 5200FoxFlash

[+wongojack]

Nothing about controls on the 2600 is "cryptic" if you read the manual. Even Space Shuttle and ROTSphinx open up if you just learn to play the game. Ok maybe Swordquest . . .

 

2nd the point about home computers. People were spending lots of money on games '83 - '85 and many of the best incorporated lots of complex controls. The manual also became essential for getting through copy protection and then there were the keyboard overlays. Oh and by the way I was 9 in 1985, and I loved it; always thought the NES had dumbed down games.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Yeah, Mario, Zelda, Tetris, Megaman, etc sure were "dumbed down" for the time period. Nothing like modern 3d platformers that basically hold your hand and guide you through the game; now those are hardcore!

[+wongojack]

I actually love many NES games (original Zelda in my top 3 games all time), but always appreciated the complexity of games on my C64 and PC during that era of gaming.

 

Actually, Zelda is a good example of what we are talking about because without the player's guide you probably don't finish the game (if you are 10). I had to crack a book to get through that game; same thing with Metroid. Without word-of-mouth tips from my friends, Tyson would still be the champ. None of those games are overrated due to the understanding I got from out of game sources.

[Algus]

I know a lot of newer gamers that insist the original Zelda is overrated or otherwise not very good because everything is obscure and/or hidden. IDK it is a short game, you can beat it in half an hour or so if you know where all the items are. But I think of all the hours (years really) of enjoyment that game gave me when I was kid because I explored everywhere and found so many of the secrets myself.

 

Pick-up and play is a huge factor IMO and can go a long way towards making a great game but I don't consider 2600 games that have long manuals or many modes to be overly complex. I'd rather have an Asteroids with its 66 different modes than some games where you just pull reset and that's it, there's your game. No options. But I don't think you can really have a general rule of thumb like "oh, 2600 games that have lots of options are to hard to understand" or "pick up and play games are the only good ones" It really does depend on the game. Well-made games with exciting or unique gameplay will make you want to learn all there is to know.

 

And honestly, 2600 with all its switches and modes and stuff, that's part of the pleasure of the console for me. There are so many things about 2600 that are a different way about thinking of games vs. modern gaming.

[NE146]

RP: For those who feel that Jr.Pac's monsters have an unfair advantage, Click Here.

 

This is an awesome hack and does exactly what you get in the arcade game to make Jr. Pac more fun.. and that's to speed him up! It does wonders on those big mazes..

[VectorGamer]

Beat 'Em and Eat 'Em wasn't as arousing as I had been led to believe. :<

 

Only 4 out of 5 for that one.

 

I give it a full erection

[MH_Warrior]

Regarding Adventure: I will admit that when I first got my 2600, I picked up Adventure more out of a sense of obligation than anything else. Beyond its influence, it just felt like a game I "had" to have in my collection. It wasn't until I say myself down and learned how to play the game that I realized what the big deal is. Now it's one of my go-to 2600 games. It may require a fair amount of imagination but it manages to stay fresh and exciting even on the second setting (thanks in large part to that damn bat!).

 

And while I can see how having only two screens may leave some players underwhelmed, I still love Yars' Revenge and I have long before owning an actual 2600. Not sure why one would be confused by its gameplay though. Even back when I had no idea what game switches were, I was able to pick up and play the game no problem...