Atarikid96 Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 What's your favorite first person space shooter for the 2600 (i.e. Star Raiders, Starmaster, etc). Mine is Starmaster, although I do appreciate the port of Star Wars The Arcade Game. Just wondering... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinman Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 Definitely Starmaster for me, although I'm also a big fan of Star Raiders, Phaser Patrol, and Space Attack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 Starmaster for me too. Just so easy to get into and really well designed and balanced. I love the relative simplicity of this particular game in a genre that can get complex pretty quick. Incredible 2600 game for sure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynxVGL Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 I played Star Raiders on an 800 and for me it was the FIRST killer app. I waited for something similar for the VCS and have pretty much played them all. Star Raiders: the tweaks break it for me. It loses a lot of the system management stuff. The move to a smaller galactic map, changes to the HUD and difficulty in lining up a shot makes me cringe a little. I was so excited when it arrived back in the say, but remember a certain Pacman like disappointment playing it. Star Voyager was the first one that I played on the 2600, and its Ok. Tough as nails too. Phaser Patrol is a mytery because its the only one I've not played. Star Wars:The Arcade Game has some control issues for me. Not a fan of the port. StarMaster is the best cart only port. My only negative is the awful scoring system at the end of a mission. Gorgeous Activision, clean graphics do it again. Check out Star Fire for a game that I've fallen in love with. Miles better than Star Wars Arcade (IMHO) but it shows years of homebrew developer polish. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trinity Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 Starship/Outerspace I thought it was the greatest thing back in 1977 as a 10 year old. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zonie Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 Starship/Outerspace I thought it was the greatest thing back in 1977 as a 10 year old. Yep. we played the shit outta that game... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinman Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 I started on the 800 Star Raiders as well. It remains my all time favorite video game on any system anywhere. But I do love the 2600 FPSS games too! A while back I did a detailed write up here on my top five. If you're interested, here is the link: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/198404-my-top-five-first-person-space-simulatorsshooters/?fromsearch=1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troff Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 (edited) Tinman - love your old thread! I definitely need to check out some of the others listed on there. Like mentioned on both threads, I LOVE Star Raiders on the 400/800, and I think the inferior 2600 version suffers for the comparison. There is something about Outer Space (Star Ship) on the Atari Flashback Portable. This isn't a cart I pull out too much when playing the actual VCS, but I really enjoy the game for a "quickie" on the go. It's all about the high score. It also has a certain charm when you think about the fact that it was a 1977 launch title, and had no real "prior art" to build on. It would be an awesome hack to modify Space Attack to use the Video Touch pad rather than the complex joystick movement commands. (Another game I love, though). Edited March 6, 2017 by troff 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atarikid96 Posted March 14, 2017 Author Share Posted March 14, 2017 Starmaster for me too. Just so easy to get into and really well designed and balanced. I love the relative simplicity of this particular game in a genre that can get complex pretty quick. Incredible 2600 game for sure. Yea, it seems Activision was just slightly ahead in game production quality (most of the time, there are MANY great non activision games for the VCS, of course) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassGuitari Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 (edited) Honestly, I think I've got to go with Star Ship. I appreciate its simplicity and "quickie" arcadiness, as troff described it (it actually WAS an arcade game--Starship 1), even more now as an adult with many competing interests and responsibilities than I did as a teenager when I found a ratty old copy at a game shop 15 or so years ago. On top of that, games from the '70s hold a special interest to me anyway. Star Ship may not be that interesting compared to what came later, but in that mid/late '70s gaming landscape, populated with (often monochrome) pong, blackjack, tank, and driving games on consoles and in arcades, and dry, cerebral (and often math-oriented), text-based BASIC games on computers, it stands out. And if you can convince (or coerce...) someone to play with you, the two-player games are pretty nifty as well.Besides, you can't help but love that retro sci-fi aural bric-a-brac in the background, those blips and bloops. It hardly qualifies as "music" (unless you're a John Cage aficionado, maybe) but it might be the first instance of any kind of "soundtrack" in a console game apart from engine noise (which Star Ship also has). It's a stretch, I know, but still something. I also like the variety of games on it. Warp Drive and Lunar Lander aren't really what I'd describe as "riveting," but it's cool that they're there, and they're good for a few spins when you need a break from shooting Lucky Charms Marshmallows In Space. When I feel like something a little more substantial on the Atari, I usually go to Starmaster. It's a crisp, well-done game all around, and you can play short games with this one, too. I want to like Star Raiders, but the 2600 version is just too rough for what it's trying to do--I stick to the 800 and 5200 versions for that. Phaser Patrol's very pretty but doesn't grab me. Star Voyager is just okay for me; it would have been much better if it had dispensed with the torpedoes (which never hit anything) and using the lasers wasn't so costly to your energy (it might have been a little more generic, but it would have been more fun).Starfire looks pretty rad as well, but I don't actually own a copy. Edited March 14, 2017 by BassGuitari 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KaeruYojimbo Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 I've always been a little put off by the complexity of these games, particularly the control schemes. I just never could get into Star Raiders, etc. That being the case, I'd say Star Wars. I know there are a lot of people who don't like how it controls, but once you get used to it, the game is really good. I'd rank Star Fire right below that. Star Ship is kind of slow (maybe I need to try some of the other variations), but I agree that the sound effects are a hoot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassGuitari Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 Star Ship is kind of slow (maybe I need to try some of the other variations), but I agree that the sound effects are a hoot. Game 4. If you're feeling especially macho, set the difficulty switches to A. I suspect maybe part of the reason Star Ship never gained more popularity is because it led off with its second-most boring variation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 I'd go with Starmaster too. A nice clean design, very elegant. I want to get into Star Raiders on the 800. It's not too late, right? I've also got to try Star Fire. It's a moldy old arcade game but everyone seems to love the VCS homebrew. It's got a behind-the-ship perspective, but I think Solaris is the best space game of all on the VCS. We need more first person space games! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atarikid96 Posted March 14, 2017 Author Share Posted March 14, 2017 Star Ship is one of the few games I do not own yet, unfortunately. Will def have to look into buying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atarikid96 Posted March 14, 2017 Author Share Posted March 14, 2017 I see the VCS as the Godfather of all modern FP flying and shooting games. Just look at Space Shuttle. It's a raw, yet still fun flight simulator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nathan Strum Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 (edited) I'd have to go with Star Fire. Back-in-the-day, it would've been Phaser Patrol (but I also played Starmaster a fair amount before I bought my SuperCharger). Edited March 15, 2017 by Nathan Strum 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trinity Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Star Ship is one of the few games I do not own yet, unfortunately. Will def have to look into buying it. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Outer-Space-Atari-2600-Telegames-Complete-in-Box-CIB-Fast-Shipping-/192113366021?hash=item2cbad95405:g:QvQAAOSwx2dYCSPv (not mine) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 I saw this today, thought of this thread. Atari nerds love to lose their %$!& over Solaris and Starmaster. Something about plotting points on a space grid makes them all tingly inside. But if you want to be hard core, go with Stellar Track. Stellar Track is text-based. On the Atari 2600. A system with no built-in character set and hardware support for just two on-screen sprites. Damn. A screen full of alien murdering prose or a couple of sad little blobs on a black background. The choice is yours. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KaeruYojimbo Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 This thread is what inspired me to make that post. The circle is complete. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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