Hoping to get a Atari 2600!

[RichardElric]

I’m planning on getting a Atari 2600 in the near future, but I’m wondering about what game to get for it?

 

I was thinking about getting Combat,Breakout,Pitfall!. But are some other suggestions?

[AtariLeaf]

Anything by Activision or Imagic

 Try a few games in emulation and see what appeals to you

[davyK]

Just check out this thread...

 

 

https://atariage.com/forums/topic/62626-top-100-2600-games-of-all-time/

 

 

 

[Atarian7]

Get a Harmony cartridge and download all of them.  

[R. Jones]

I feel kind of envious that everything is all going to be new to you. Once you get your machine in, be sure to search the forums and ask around if you run into any problems. I remember being so confused about the RF > coaxial + finding the right channel. As far as recommendations go:

 

Harmony: this isn't so much for old games as new stuff. There's loads of great original homebrew games (Oystron, Stay Frosty, Synthcart, Fall Down), great homebrew ports (Thrust, Medieval Mayhem, Juno First, Asteroids, Galaga), clever demakes (Super Mario Bros, Sonic the Hedgehog, Halo), demoscene demos, WIP projects, controller hacks (tank controls, two button controllers, trackball), graphical hacks, and rediscovered lost game prototypes (Saboteur, Turbo, Save Mary). Emulators are nice, but it's cool to try this stuff out on real hardware.

 

River Raid: this might be my favorite single player game as far as original releases go

 

Kaboom!: super addictive. It's single player, but it's a great "I've got next" kind of experience. I have neotokeo2001's "Fast Food Kaboom!" hack in its awesome lunchpail-type-thing box, although its collector value probably dropped after my brother ate the candy fries.

 

Oystron: weird, hard, very fun. It's an original homebrew from the 90's still sold in the Atariage store.

 

Warlords/Medieval Mayhem: amazing 4-player paddles games. Kind of a competitive 4-player breakout.

 

Good luck!

[RichardElric]

28 minutes ago, R. Jones said:

I feel kind of envious that everything is all going to be new to you. Once you get your machine in, be sure to search the forums and ask around if you run into any problems. I remember being so confused about the RF > coaxial + finding the right channel. As far as recommendations go:

 

Harmony: this isn't so much for old games as new stuff. There's loads of great original homebrew games (Oystron, Stay Frosty, Synthcart, Fall Down), great homebrew ports (Thrust, Medieval Mayhem, Juno First, Asteroids, Galaga), clever demakes (Super Mario Bros, Sonic the Hedgehog, Halo), demoscene demos, WIP projects, controller hacks (tank controls, two button controllers, trackball), graphical hacks, and rediscovered lost game prototypes (Saboteur, Turbo, Save Mary). Emulators are nice, but it's cool to try this stuff out on real hardware.

 

River Raid: this might be my favorite single player game as far as original releases go

 

Kaboom!: super addictive. It's single player, but it's a great "I've got next" kind of experience. I have neotokeo2001's "Fast Food Kaboom!" hack in its awesome lunchpail-type-thing box, although its collector value probably dropped after my brother ate the candy fries.

 

Oystron: weird, hard, very fun. It's an original homebrew from the 90's still sold in the Atariage store.

 

Warlords/Medieval Mayhem: amazing 4-player paddles games. Kind of a competitive 4-player breakout.

 

Good luck!

Thanks! My mom actually wanted a 2600 when she was younger than me, (she became interested in one in 1979) but her parents wouldn’t let her get one. They thought it was a waste of time and it was about $150, so that’s why she never got one. 

[christo930]

On 1/14/2020 at 11:03 AM, RichardElric said:

I’m planning on getting a Atari 2600 in the near future, but I’m wondering about what game to get for it?

 

I was thinking about getting Combat,Breakout,Pitfall!. But are some other suggestions?

 

Take a look at the list of games and see what you think you might like.  Make sure you print out the manual or at least have a scan of it up on your phone.

You are probably better off getting games in lots on ebay than buying one at a time.  But if you don't have a history with Atari 2600 games, I suggest you stick to playing one at a time.  There are some very good games on the 2600 that might not entirely make sense if you just chuck the cart it and try to wing it.  Read through the manual and give each game enough time.

[RamrodHare]

Get a Harmony cart. There's no reason to hunt down and buy original carts on eBay and such, unless you just want to have a collection of carts to deal with. Grab a Harmony cart and download all the games and play anything you want.  The Harmony cart is by far the best purchase I made for the 2600. Next, you want some good original joysticks. You'll want to buy rebuilt ones or rebuild a set yourself. Same thing goes for paddles and driving controllers. I also got a save key from a fellow board member. It does what it says, it saves high scores and stuff. It only works on some games, so if you don't have a Harmony or some of the compatible Homebrews from the Atari Age store, it's not something you need. I could give my opinion on games and accessories all night, but it really comes down to you. The one purchase I can garantee you won't be disappointed with, is the Harmony Encore.

[adamchevy]

I’d recommend Edladdin controllers that are in the Atariage store. I also recommend the Tim Worthington RGB mod if you want component output that looks like HDMI.

[TB-303]

Asteroids, Astroblast, Tron deadly discs, Joust, Encounter at L-5 , Space Invaders, Yars' Revenge, Summer Games, Winter Games, BurgerTime, Defender, Fast Food.

Acquire a joystick controller as well as a paddle controller. If you have the money, get a flashcart such as the Harmony Encore. As well as a trackball if you want to play Centipede / Missile Command with the intended controls. However, the VCS' port of missile command makes me go cross-eyed as me eyes don't enjoy the flickering lines.

[davyK]

A set of paddles and paddle games will really give you an experience unique to the console.

 

Kaboom!

Super Breakout

Circus Atari

Solar Storm

 

If you have a chance for multiplayer then:

Video Olympics

Demons to Diamonds

Breakout (not Super - Breakout has some interesting 2 player modes)

 

4 players? (2 sets of paddles?)

Warlords

Quadrapong (on the Video Olympics cartridge - a 2vs2 team game)

Breakout (has some interesting 2vs2 team modes).

[intergalactic419]

Depends if you have others to play with but a good  broad range of game types to start with would be:

 

1. Adventure - basically started the action-adventure fantasy genre. One of the earliest easter eggs too.

2. Space Invaders - The first killer app, brought the 2600 mass appeal. Space shooter. The two player simultaneous mode was always fun too.

3. Ms Pac Man - Maze game and everything Pac Man on the 2600 should have been.

4. Kaboom - Best Paddle controller game, fun and frenetic pace.

5. Enduro - Best racer on the system

6. Missile Command - Crosshair shooter game defending your cities against nuclear missiles. This game never gets old

7. Bezerk - The Curse/Legend/Myth, the game due to it's addictiveness led to death in the arcade? Game 3 or 9 with invincible evil Otto.

8. Asteroids - One more space shooter because it's what the 2600 was known for porting. Must play in difficulty level A for UFO's and satellites, and game selection offering hyperspace or shields to get close to the arcade experience.

 

Multiple Players

9. Combat - One of the originals almost every variation game is fun and different. Must have 2 players

10. Warlords - Best 4 player game. Need two sets of paddles.

 

All of these carts are easy to find and you should be able to find them cheap. I've picked them all up for $1 a piece.

[+cvga]

1 hour ago, intergalactic419 said:

Depends if you have others to play with but a good  broad range of game types to start with would be:

 

1. Adventure - basically started the action-adventure fantasy genre. One of the earliest easter eggs too.

2. Space Invaders - The first killer app, brought the 2600 mass appeal. Space shooter. The two player simultaneous mode was always fun too.

3. Ms Pac Man - Maze game and everything Pac Man on the 2600 should have been.

4. Kaboom - Best Paddle controller game, fun and frenetic pace.

5. Enduro - Best racer on the system

6. Missile Command - Crosshair shooter game defending your cities against nuclear missiles. This game never gets old

7. Bezerk - The Curse/Legend/Myth, the game due to it's addictiveness led to death in the arcade? Game 3 or 9 with invincible evil Otto.

8. Asteroids - One more space shooter because it's what the 2600 was known for porting. Must play in difficulty level A for UFO's and satellites, and game selection offering hyperspace or shields to get close to the arcade experience.

 

Multiple Players

9. Combat - One of the originals almost every variation game is fun and different. Must have 2 players

10. Warlords - Best 4 player game. Need two sets of paddles.

 

All of these carts are easy to find and you should be able to find them cheap. I've picked them all up for $1 a piece.

I love that list, mainly because of the reasons you listed for each game. Very well thought out.

 

[Atariboy2600]

heres the list.

Asteroids 1981.
Berzerk 1982.
Yars' Revenge 1981.
Centipede 1982.
Ms. Pac-Man 1982.
Raiders of the Lost Ark 1982.
Mario Bros. 1983.
Pitfall 1982.
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back 1982.
Star Trek 1983.

[RJ]

On 1/17/2020 at 12:01 AM, TB-303 said:

Acquire a joystick controller as well as a paddle controller.

Well, yeah...