Top 10 Worst Games on the 2600 (In my Opinion)

[+KaeruYojimbo]

4 minutes ago, Atariperson23 said:

Must've been as joyful as my experience if you only played it once...

I remember it being Bobby Is Going Home, but not as good.

 

Take that how you will.

[Atariperson23]

1 minute ago, KaeruYojimbo said:

I remember it being Bobby Is Going Home, but not as good.

 

Take that how you will.

And Bobby Is Going Home is like Pitfall, but not as good.

[BassGuitari]

9 minutes ago, cvga said:

I have a Steve Wiebe autographed Donkey Kong cart!

 

You should list your bottom 10. That would give us a chance to defend some of those choices

 

Oh, all right. ?

 

10. Airlock

9. Laser Blast

8. James Bond 007

7. Inca Gold

6. Scuba Diver

5. Custer's Revenge

4. Fire Fly

3. Slot Machine

2. Skeet Shoot

1. Karate

 

Bear in mind, this list probably looks slightly different from week to week. ?

 

Dishonorable mention:

 

Beat 'Em & Eat 'Em

Chuck Norris Superkicks

Dishaster

Dragster

Final Approach

Freeway

James Bond 007

Slot Racers

Sssnake

Titlematch Pro Wrestling

UFO (Condor Attack)

X-Man

[Atariperson23]

1 minute ago, BassGuitari said:

 

 

 

6. Scuba Diver

 

In my opinion, Scuba Diver is sort of unfairly criticized. It really can be fun once you know how to guide your diver, kill the sharks, go to the next level... Not an A game but definitely not an F game. It's neither good or bad... it's mediocre. Just my opinion though.

[BassGuitari]

6 minutes ago, Atariperson23 said:

In my opinion, Scuba Diver is sort of unfairly criticized. It really can be fun once you know how to guide your diver, kill the sharks, go to the next level... Not an A game but definitely not an F game. It's neither good or bad... it's mediocre. Just my opinion though.

I want to agree...but then I remember how when I made myself sit down with it to try to appreciate it and "git gud," it just felt like work. ? 

[Atariperson23]

1 minute ago, BassGuitari said:

I want to agree...but then I remember how when I made myself sit down with it to try to appreciate it and "git gud," it just felt like work. ? 

Yes, it's really frustrating. But one thing to help you cope is to remind yourself "Hey, at least i'm not playing a Mythicon game or Skeet Shoot."
 

[CapitanClassic]

1 hour ago, BassGuitari said:

I want to agree...but then I remember how when I made myself sit down with it to try to appreciate it and "git gud," it just felt like work. ? 

This is how I felt about the first Sim game that failed miserably, Sim Tower. I tried to understand how it could be fun, but the experience was like Sim Taxes. I chose to never go back and play it after the initial play.

[BassGuitari]

2 hours ago, Atariperson23 said:

Yes, it's really frustrating. But one thing to help you cope is to remind yourself "Hey, at least i'm not playing a Mythicon game or Skeet Shoot."
 

 

I should clarify, too, that it is possible to master its idiosyncrasies and derive genuine enjoyment from Scuba Diver. I even have myself--heck, I'll give it a whirl every now and then for grins and lulz. But, getting there is a slog, and the comprehensively slipshod quality of the software itself doesn't leave me many places to leave it other than somewhere at the bottom. There are too many other games that are just better.

 

That said, yeah, it's still miles better than Fire Fly and Skeet Shoot or some of those other ones on my list. ?

[Atariperson23]

Just now, BassGuitari said:

 

I should clarify, too, that it is possible to master its idiosyncrasies and derive genuine enjoyment from Scuba Diver. I even have myself--heck, I'll give it a whirl every now and then for grins and lulz. But, getting there is a slog, and the comprehensively slipshod quality of the software itself doesn't leave me many places to leave it other than somewhere at the bottom. There are too many other games that are just better.

 

That said, yeah, it's still miles better than Fire Fly and Skeet Shoot or some of those other ones on my list. ?

That's right. No games have no redeeming- Oh no! I have insulted the sheer badness of Skeet Shoot! Help! It's corrupting my computer! asnjgalksv wormeaspmtrq12849018a v;sfq2 1

[bluejay]

Sneak n Peek isn't a very bad game but it's really depressing. For those who don't have friends to play real hide and seek with...

[John Stamos Mullet]

On 4/15/2020 at 7:24 PM, KaeruYojimbo said:

Donkey Kong is far from the worst arcade port on the 2600. Donkey Kong Jr., Pooyan, Double Dragon, Rampage and Pac-Man are worse. And those are just off the top of my head without looking at any sort of game list. Far from a lazy port, DK is a technical marvel for the time. It had a hi-res (for the 2600), asymmetrical playfield when no one else had done anything like that for the 2600, has no flicker and is moderately fun to play at least for a little while (something that can't be said for Pooyan or DK Jr.) Yes, it would have been better if Coleco had sprung to make it 8k and included at least the elevator screen, but that doesn't make what is there less impressive.

This. 2600 Donkey Kong is just fine. Not perfect, but way better than a ton of other arcade ports. 

[+KaeruYojimbo]

41 minutes ago, John Stamos Mullet said:

This. 2600 Donkey Kong is just fine. Not perfect, but way better than a ton of other arcade ports. 

Anyone who says Donkey Kong is the worst arcade port on the 2600 hasn't played very many 2600 arcade ports.

[Mr SQL]

On 4/16/2020 at 11:56 AM, Atariperson23 said:

Alright, but the gameplay could be improved. Just answering ten questions with slight changes in difficulty isn't going to fulfill a (I confess) video addict like me. If you're going to make a math game, make something like a Pac-Man type game where you don't have to solve math until you get touched by the ghosts. If you get touched, you have to answer a math question or lose a life. (Just my idea)

Play Pacman learn binary?

[BassGuitari]

On 4/17/2020 at 4:15 PM, BassGuitari said:

 

Sssnake - I feel like there's probably some redeeming quality about this game that keeps it from truly being as bad as its reputation suggests, but I don't think I've even fired up my copy in over 10 years to find out, and I've never really felt compelled to. Maybe that says everything?

 

 

 

Well, I decided to call my own bluff today. ? I loaded up my long-dormant copy of Sssnake with a feeling that can be best described as cautious anticipation. Anticipation because, although I've owned this game for at least a decade and a half, I'm not very familiar with it. And cautious because, obviously, I am familiar with its reputation. ? But then anticipation again because I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy when it comes to games, and I was excited to find out for myself what the game was really like, and maybe find that apparently elusive redeeming quality...or even a diamond in the rough?!

 

But then cautious again because so many detractors (including defenders of Pac-Man and E.T.), for so many years, couldn't be wrong. ?

 

Aaaaanyway, I sat down with Sssnake for maybe 20 or 25 minutes today, learning how the game works and exploring the variations (there are only two) and difficulty options (there are none), and putting it through its paces. Impressions:

 

- The graphics won't win any beauty pageants, to put it charitably, but they're functional enough and at least make good use of color; the "prehistoric creatures" don't look like anything. Maybe hippopotamuses?

- The turbo-fire from your "Cluster Gun" (it's in the manual!) in Sssnake would be an OP gamebreaker in most other 2600 titles. ?

- The setup is odd, placing you in a latticework of blocks that you have to shoot between. But it's at least distinctive, if nothing else.

- The sound effects are unexpectedly satisfying.

- The control is...dubious. Corners are sticky and it feels like the game sometimes forgets which axis you're on and which directional inputs correspond to it; this would be a problem if the snake wasn't so easy to avoid (in Game 1...).

- Game 1 was challenging for about 3 minutes while I was figuring out how to play; I then rolled the score twice with little effort.

- Game 2 is where Sssnake really comes alive, I think. Whether that's a good or bad thing is anyone's guess, but with two snakes closing in on opposite axes, it keeps you on your toes in a way Game 1 doesn't. Unfortunately, the problematic control becomes a tangibly greater liability.

- This game does that distinctively Atari 2600 thing where sprites move together as essentially one object, and when you shoot one of them you hit them all.

- As with Warplock, scoring is in one-point increments only, one life per game (what is this, an Odyssey 2 game?); new game cannot be started with joystick fire button, only the Game Reset switch. Hmmm.

- Only two variations, no difficulty switch options, one player only, difficulty never really ramps up or develops (it's either kinda easy, or hard, and that's it); as is often the case with Data Age titles, there's not a lot of game here.

- The box artwork is boss!

 

So after giving Sssnake an honest shake for maybe the first time since I've owned it, I have to say......I don't hate this game. At the risk of sounding like a serial contrarian, and despite my mostly negative(ish) impressions, I didn't find Sssnake to be terrible. I definitely didn't find it as frustrating as Karate or Scuba Diver. And I'd much rather play Sssnake than Beat 'Em & Eat 'Em or Skeet Shoot. I was pleasantly surprised by it...in the sense that I expected so much worse. ? Playing Sssnake today, with a mini can of Mountain Dew on the table next to me and Aqua Teen Hunger Force playing on my phone, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have fun with this one, even when I was on cruise control and rolling the score. Don't mistake me, this game is weapons-grade jank. But even jank can have SOME gameplay value. It's a minor rush when "prehistoric creatures" keep spawning where you're shooting and you just waste three or four of them back to back. ? 

 

Final impression: I think the gameplay, although limited, is worthwhile enough to keep Sssnake out of the "10 Worst Atari 2600 Games." But it's still technically poor enough, in enough other ways, that it's still a contender for the "20 Worst Atari 2600 Games." Zone out with it once in a while, or play as palette cleanser.

 

Sidebar: I have a hunch that most copies of Sssnake were originally purchased back in the day by people who read the vague description on the back of the box and thought it would be a clone of Centipede. I mean, it doesn't not give that impression... ?

Edited April 19, 2020 by BassGuitari

[+cvga]

13 minutes ago, BassGuitari said:

Sidebar: I have a hunch that most copies of Sssnake were originally purchased back in the day by people who read the vague description on the back of the box and thought it would be a clone of Centipede. I mean, it doesn't not give that impression... ?

I 100% agree that when you bought it and what your expectations were play a large role in what you consider the worst games. I bought Sssnake back it the day and I really really tried to like it. I mean there was something about it at the store that made me want to purchase it (probably the price and how little money I had). I brought it home and I played it for quite awhile. However, it was a disappointment out of the gate and was never able to redeem itself in any way for me.

 

I had several games on my bottom 10 list that I owed as a kid including Sssnake, Miner 2049er, Fire Fighter and Space War. Luckily I had way more great games!

[BassGuitari]

8 minutes ago, cvga said:

I 100% agree that when you bought it and what your expectations were play a large role in what you consider the worst games. I bought Sssnake back it the day and I really really tried to like it. I mean there was something about it at the store that made me want to purchase it (probably the price and how little money I had). I brought it home and I played it for quite awhile. However, it was a disappointment out of the gate and was never able to redeem itself in any way for me.

 

I had several games on my bottom 10 list that I owed as a kid including Sssnake, Miner 2049er, Fire Fighter and Space War. Luckily I had way more great games!

I can definitely see how somebody who bought Sssnake thinking--quite reasonably--that it would be like Centipede would find it irrevocably disappointing. ?

[+cvga]

13 hours ago, BassGuitari said:

I can definitely see how somebody who bought Sssnake thinking--quite reasonably--that it would be like Centipede would find it irrevocably disappointing. ?

I haven't read the back of the box recently and bought it a long long time ago but if I recall, I remember thinking that it sounded like a cool hunting game moreso than being a Centipede clone. I think it was the less than $10 price tag and whatever it was competing against at the time that won me over. I'm fairly certain that I bought it at a Kay-Bee toy store in the mall and had $10 to spend

[+GoldLeader]

I've Never played Sssnake.  Does anyone really try to pronounce it as anything but "snake"?  Haha...But you guys and BassGuitari especially have made me curious.  In a bit,  I plan to fire up the ol Harmony and see what's up.  I probably should go read about a Top 10 game to balance out the experience.  Of course,  I'm almost always in the mood to play one of my favorites, like Dark Cavern, Pitfall!, or Midnight Magic or maybe a homebrew or two...

[+cvga]

1 hour ago, cvga said:

I haven't read the back of the box recently and bought it a long long time ago but if I recall, I remember thinking that it sounded like a cool hunting game moreso than being a Centipede clone. I think it was the less than $10 price tag and whatever it was competing against at the time that won me over. I'm fairly certain that I bought it at a Kay-Bee toy store in the mall and had $10 to spend

Here's the back of the box. I didn't equate this to Centipede before purchasing it (actually until BassGuitari mentioned it). I remember liking the idea that it seemed like the roles were reversed and I was the one being hunted. I already had quite a few games by the time I purchased this one so even though I played it a fair amount when I first got it (I played all of them a fair amount), it quickly moved to a status where it never got played.

 

 

[BassGuitari]

3 hours ago, cvga said:

I think it was the less than $10 price tag and whatever it was competing against at the time that won me over.

 

That would do it for me, too. ? Come to think of it, that's sort of why I bought my copy--it was, like, a dollar, and I didn't have it yet! Can't remember where I got it, though. Might have actually been Goodwill.

[+GoldLeader]

Sssnake.

 

 

OK I've now played it and...Arrrg!

 

The kicker here is that it could have been saved and been a decent game if they'd had someone play it and offer advice and maybe fix a few things.

 

I honestly think they would have had a game here if (at minimum):

 

They gave you 3 lives, not 1.

They made the snakes look like snakes (Or should I say SSSnakes ha!).

They allowed the fire button to start the game.

 

Graphics weren't too bad overall.

And I liked the sound effects.

 

With some more polish, they could have had something here.  It's a shame they probably rushed it out the door, without worrying about the programming involved to fix everything wrong with it.   *sigh*

 

 

[Atariperson23]

1 hour ago, GoldLeader said:

 

 

They gave you 3 lives, not 1.

They made the snakes look like snakes (Or should I say SSSnakes ha!).

They allowed the fire button to start the game.

 

 

 

 

The worst part is the 1 life. For such an involving genre (Centipede-genre) most people will at least lose 1 life. If they had made even two lives, I feel like that would be more sufficient for my enjoyment. As it stands, it's far too hard and short and not as fun. 

[BassGuitari]

33 minutes ago, GoldLeader said:

I honestly think they would have had a game here if (at minimum):

 

They gave you 3 lives, not 1.

They made the snakes look like snakes (Or should I say SSSnakes ha!).

They allowed the fire button to start the game.

 

I'll add another one: It used the driving controller. This style of game (any game where you move laterally around the periphery of some shape) is a natural fit for it.

 

It makes sense that Data Age wouldn't have used it, though. They'd essentially have been limiting their audience to the subset of Atari owners who also owned Indy 500. And having to connect a specialty controller to play your game would have been pretty annoying. Plus using a device called a "driving controller" for a non-driving game might have confused some people. ?

 

29 minutes ago, Atariperson23 said:

The worst part is the 1 life. For such an involving genre (Centipede-genre) most people will at least lose 1 life.

That, in conjunction with having to hit the Reset Switch on the console every time you die. That's especially annoying when you're learning the game and dying a lot.

[DoctorSpuds]

3 hours ago, GoldLeader said:

They allowed the fire button to start the game.

 

37 minutes ago, BassGuitari said:

That, in conjunction with having to hit the Reset Switch on the console every time you die. That's especially annoying when you're learning the game and dying a lot.

 

Foot

but don't play the game there are better games to play

Edited April 20, 2020 by DoctorSpuds

[zzip]

On 4/18/2020 at 1:57 AM, bluejay said:

Sneak n Peek isn't a very bad game but it's really depressing. For those who don't have friends to play real hide and seek with...

Don't you need a second player to play Sneak n Peek with?   I remember the problem I had with it was the other people I played with would cheat and peek while I was hiding and it felt pointless.