2600 in the NES era? 2600 jr users in the 80s?

[NinjaFlicker]

On 3/27/2020 at 2:12 AM, AlecRob said:

What was it like to be a 2600 owner in the late 80s when NES was all the rage?

We were poor, and just blown away to own any console at all. We couldn't even afford to play it at first, because the included joysticks didn't work with Demons to Diamonds. Fortunately, ET was only a few dollars, and a week or two later, it saved the day...

 

When it's the only game you have, ET becomes Grand Theft Auto 5. My brother and I would create our own improv stories for the game. ET was suddenly a jaded 6-pack a day smoker who planned revenge on the Earth for every indignity. If the scientist's sprite disappeared while you were trying to break free of his grasp, it counted as a kill. The candy pixel was used as whatever gross joke two bored kids could come up with. It was fun.

 

Like we were making our own television show.

 

Anyways, it wasn't long before we got a decent collection together. If you were into retrogaming, things were dirt cheap. We couldn't afford new games like Double Dragon, but games like Defender, Space Invaders, and Pac-Man were practically given away.

 

And there were so many obscure games to be found in yard sales - who bought Tax Avoiders, and why? We came so close to getting Communist Mutants from Space - but a lot of what you found, you'd never find again if you didn't pick it up immediately. Not because a lot of people were looking for the games, but because people would simply toss them or give them to charity if they couldn't quickly sell them.

 

Still, as much as we loved the system, we were painfully aware of what we didn't have. And that's why we'd snatch up any newer game that went on sale. Ghostbusters and Kung Fu Master may not seem like much when you're comparing them to the better ports, but when you're comparing them to the 2600 library? Compare Flash Gordon to either of those games, and maybe you'll understand what we saw in them. Even a taste of the original material seemed like something of a miracle.

 

And then, sometimes, you'd find a game that just held up on its own. I still played Frogger long after I owned a Sega Genesis and a Saturn. And I still play my 2600 library from time to time now, even if it's just on a cheap hacked AtGames handheld.

 

It's still a better experience than using the original joysticks.

Edited January 18, 2022 by NinjaFlicker

[Leonard Smith]

2 minutes ago, NinjaFlicker said:

It's still a better experience than using the original joysticks.

That's a matter of opinion.
The sticks give you the authentic experience, and in most cases, better control feel than any gamepad.
 

[NinjaFlicker]

2 minutes ago, Leonard Smith said:

That's a matter of opinion.
The sticks give you the authentic experience, and in most cases, better control feel than any gamepad.
 

If you say so. I prefer the precision and balance of a d-pad for games like Frogger and Pac-Man 8k.

[NE146]

On 3/27/2020 at 2:12 AM, AlecRob said:

What was it like to be a 2600 owner in the late 80s when NES was all the rage?  Were new games easy to find still or were people mainly buying them at yard sales, flea markets, etc? i got to thinking about this because i recently acquired a 2600 jr, which seems to be an odd beast of a console... clunky 70’s tech in a very sleek compact almost high tech modern 80s package.   I’m a younger atari fan (24 years old) so i’m very interested to hear older folks perspectives on this.  In the mid to late 80s, was the 2600 seen as outdated junk or was it still a respectable console?

 

 Were any of you faithfully sticking with the 2600 even when faced with the likes of the NES, Master System, 7800, or even the PC Engine?  Secret Quest came out in 1989... Genesis and TurboGrafx-16 were coming out in the US that year too!  I find it amazing that the 2600 was supported for so long..

My perspective is a little different because as far as I knew, the supply of 2600 & 5200 games were long gone and I hadn't seen a single game in the stores for a number of years (else I would have eagerly bought).  Then the Famicom (for me) and then the NES came out and that was all the rage. Video games were back! That was awesome.. But then in 1987 I graduated high school and went out to the states for college in California/the Bay Area. 

 

Of course one of the first things I did was hit up the malls and walked into a Kaybee toy store to see what NES games were for sale.. and aside from the NES stuff, MUCH to my surprise I saw two 2600 games for sale! They were Stargate and Junior Pac-Man. I was so amazed that VCS games were still available... I bought both of them that night (I believe they were only about ~10 each) and kept them in my dorm room for the entire year since I didn't have a VCS with me. When I finally went home that summer, I popped them in and was pretty amazed at how advanced they were for the VCS. So anyway the point is, while I was playing stuff like SMB, Zelda, & Punchout I still had a spot for VCS games.  I had no delusions they were anywhere near the 'modern' stuff at the time, but I liked them all the same.

 

On another note.. it wasn't long after that where there were zero new 2600 games available that I could find, so I was glad I picked those up when I did.

Edited January 18, 2022 by NE146

[BetwixtThieves]

1 hour ago, NinjaFlicker said:

And then, sometimes, you'd find a game that just held up on its own. I still played Frogger long after I owned a Sega Genesis and a Saturn. 

I have clear memories of having friends over to play Frogger around 1994. I will admit that the 2600 was a little dusty and neglected at that point though. 

[CapitanClassic]

5 hours ago, Crazy Climber said:

Around my area it was more 87ish that suddenly everyone wanted it. I know some areas got them much sooner though...

 

My memory is likely wrong. I don’t remember our family purchasing any other games than the SMB/Duck Hunt game until SMB3 came out. As others have mentioned, most of the NES games we played were from renting them for $1-$2 on the weekend, and returning them before Monday.

 

I remember all my friends having an NES and that it was several years before we got one. I also remember wanting to read about video games, so when Nintendo Power magazine offered a free copy of Dragon Warrior (MSRP $50), with a NP subscription ($20), we sprang for the deal. My guess is we got an NES closer to June 1989 than my initial guess.

 

Quote

In late 1990, Nintendo reportedly strategized the unloading of unsold game units^[58] by sending free copies of Dragon Warrior to Nintendo Powersubscribers,^[35] including a 64-page Explorer's Handbook with a full walkthrough of the game and additional backstory.^[59] At the time, the game cost approximately US$50 (equivalent to about $104 in 2020) at retail and the magazine's subscription fee was only $20.^[50] The giveaway attracted nearly 500,000 new magazine subscribers, and many more renewed subscriptions just to get the game.^[50][58][60] This ultimately led to the success of the series in the Western market.^[58]

 

Edited January 18, 2022 by CapitanClassic

[MrMaddog]

22 hours ago, Crazy Climber said:

Same, although the only RPG on the apple II I played (at the time) was Kings Quest, not a bad game or anything but NO Dragon warrior (I'll post a screen shot for the youngsters in thread)

 

 

I think the NES kind of killed paper/dice D&D for me too. I only had one friend really into it so we always struggled to get a full party anyways (at least that would take it seriously and not just show up for the "sacred herbs" haha) JRPG's were a lot easier for us to play with 2 people I guess...

 

Hahaha...oh man! Apple II and other home computers had real RPG's like Ultima, Wizarday along with Might & Magic which were francises.  King's Quest was more of an advetnure game that didn't have things like stats or party members.

 

TBH, I was more into action RPG games like Zelda for the NES.  I did try out Dragon (Quest) Warrior once and wasn't too big on the turn based combat and menus, after all I already had a computer for those types of games.  (My favorite was Temple of Apshai Triology)

 

 

[Crazy Climber]

1 hour ago, MrMaddog said:

 

Hahaha...oh man! Apple II and other home computers had real RPG's like Ultima, Wizarday along with Might & Magic which were francises.  King's Quest was more of an advetnure game that didn't have things like stats or party members.

 

TBH, I was more into action RPG games like Zelda for the NES.  I did try out Dragon (Quest) Warrior once and wasn't too big on the turn based combat and menus, after all I already had a computer for those types of games.  (My favorite was Temple of Apshai Triology)

 

 

Ha, yeah, I did find out (and play) many of the other ones but it was a few years after I already had an NES. Had I known sooner I'd probably be an Apple II guy, they would have surely blown my mind Never did play Apshai but some of those early RPG games needed to be played in their era to be fully appreciated so not sure what I'd think of it now. 

 

Zelda (the original) was definitely the gateway to leaving the atari 2600 behind. It was the first game I bought and I was NOT disappointed in the least (Keep in mind I had grown accustomed to buying new atari games for under $5 at this time - NES games were EXPENSIVE!) I never played anything like it before it, never owned Adventure, nothing... Lets just say it set the bar pretty high for future wants...wants that the 2600 could no longer provide unfortunately.

 

I think my love for the turn based JRPG's is definitely from years of playing dungeons and dragons. It really felt like the perfect solo campaign. Having a good friend really into it too was nice, if one of us got bored of grinding/hunting/etc the other would take over for awhile, make a snack, smoke break, phone call, etc...

[+H454]

On 1/18/2022 at 2:23 PM, Crazy Climber said:

Every time I see an old school RGP, I think of this: