Guy1 Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 I'm personally interested in platformers and action-adventures released before 1986. But feel free to post anything worth checking out. Here's a few games not on the list: Maxwell Manor (1984) - 7.5/10 - 17 votes Run For It (1984) - 7.5/10 - 14 votes Matterhorn (1984) - 6.9/10 - 19 votes Top 500 List: http://www.atarimania.com/top-atari-game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-_G_8_V_500.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 Maxwell Manor is such a creepy interesting game. Never finished it, but I liked what it was doing! I took a look and was surprised to see these missing: Pinball Construction Set - Steve Wozniak called it "the greatest program ever written for an 8-bit machine", but it didn't make this list? Ultima I and II - I've only played III and IV myself, but the series is considered a classic, so surprised to see these missing Questron - This was kind of a unique spin on the Ultima/RPG formula. I remember trying to win money at one of the "casinos", and if you got too "lucky" the guards came after you! Lords of Conquest - I love this game and still play it from time to time Wing War - Fly a dragon with joust like controls, bring eggs back to your nest, avoid hydras and mantacores. Cool graphics. Maybe not the best game ever, but better than some that made the list. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 I could not find Triad on that list at all, and it would be tragic if it wasn't on it. Great game, and still lots of fun to play. Oh my yes. Lords of Karma? Any Infocom game except Zork (which I see sneaks in halfway through the list)? Kangaroo? Picnic Paranoia? Pengo? Maybe I just scanned the list too quickly, because they've got to be on there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 1 hour ago, davidcalgary29 said: I could not find Triad on that list at all, and it would be tragic if it wasn't on it. Great game, and still lots of fun to play. Oh my yes. Lords of Karma? Any Infocom game except Zork (which I see sneaks in halfway through the list)? Kangaroo? Picnic Paranoia? Pengo? Maybe I just scanned the list too quickly, because they've got to be on there. Kangaroo, Pengo and Picnic Paranoia are there For Infocom games, I did see Hitchhikers, Planetfall and Lurking Horror. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 10 hours ago, zzip said: Kangaroo, Pengo and Picnic Paranoia are there For Infocom games, I did see Hitchhikers, Planetfall and Lurking Horror. I think Lurking Horror was a 1986-1987 release, so it's outside of the OP's parameter. But thanks for spotting the others! I couldn't see Pogo Joe on the list -- that's a nice Q*bert clone. And what about Lunar Leeper? I thought Asylum was pretty good when I first played it...but then again, I was twelve. The Institute's fun. And I don't see Essex on the list, either. Platformer: Apple Panic didn't make the list! Neither did Mr. Do!'s Castle. While it's not a great game port with its weird graphics, it's still better than some of the games toward the bottom of the list. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunstar Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 (edited) I don't go by any lists to choose what I play, especially ones that are 500 titles long...oops! I just wasted all my time to play a game looking through that list! I definitely don't look through lists to see what's not listed, so I can list it...time to go play a game... Edited September 29, 2020 by Gunstar 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari_Ace Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 It looks like to make that list a game has to have at least 21 votes, so even some well-known games aren't going to make the cut. Looking over the games I had archived on my own disks in the 80's (which I ruthlessly culled), I find that most are on that list by I did spot a few that didn't make it. Cohen's Towers (Datamost): Nice platformer by Frank Cohen. Can't go wrong with pretty much anything by Frank Cohen. Lawkeeper (by Broderbund): Apparently not well loved, but I must have seen something in it BITD. Lost Tomb (Datasoft) Chop Suey (English Software) Krazy Copter (English Software) Starion (Romox) Also all of the early ANALOG ML games: Planetary Defense especially was a favorite. Livewire! seems to have made the list, though it's nice to see some of those games getting attention. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 2 hours ago, Atari_Ace said: Also all of the early ANALOG ML games: Planetary Defense especially was a favorite. Livewire! seems to have made the list, though it's nice to see some of those games getting attention. Popcorn and (especially) Firebug were it for me. I played the hell out of those games. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goochman Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 8 hours ago, zzip said: Maxwell Manor is such a creepy interesting game. Never finished it, but I liked what it was doing! I took a look and was surprised to see these missing: Pinball Construction Set - Steve Wozniak called it "the greatest program ever written for an 8-bit machine", but it didn't make this list? Ultima I and II - I've only played III and IV myself, but the series is considered a classic, so surprised to see these missing Questron - This was kind of a unique spin on the Ultima/RPG formula. I remember trying to win money at one of the "casinos", and if you got too "lucky" the guards came after you! Lords of Conquest - I love this game and still play it from time to time Wing War - Fly a dragon with joust like controls, bring eggs back to your nest, avoid hydras and mantacores. Cool graphics. Maybe not the best game ever, but better than some that made the list. Ultima I was not a very good game - atleast IMHO. Very unbalanced and quirky. Ultima II I love as its the fastest Ultima to play. Many dont like it due to having airplanes and rockets and dungeons that are useless but I find it fun to play. Lords of Conquest is an underrated game - esp for those that like Risk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yautja Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 I remember a few titles worth a try, that are not mentioned in the list (were they released past 1986, maybe?): Kissing Kousins Cycleknight Leapster The Infiltrator (a different genre, but it is a superb game from my humble point of view). - Y - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erichenneke Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 1 hour ago, Goochman said: Ultima I was not a very good game - atleast IMHO. Very unbalanced and quirky. Ultima II I love as its the fastest Ultima to play. Many dont like it due to having airplanes and rockets and dungeons that are useless but I find it fun to play. I agree, Ultima II was always my favorite. III is great too and more refined and evolved than II. But it's that quirkiness and random nature that makes II so special to me. It doesn't take itself too seriously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimo Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 Preppie II was a game I always loved, A simple game that we loved as a family because even my dad could play it was Dog Daze Another vote for Apple Panic Steeple Jack , Gridrunner, Airstrike, Baja Buggies, Captain Sticky's gold.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobJones Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 (edited) I love 7 Cities of Gold and Agent USA Also Cosmic Balance by SSI was fantastic. Could you link the Atari Mania for us newbs. Edited September 30, 2020 by BobJones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goochman Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 1 hour ago, mimo said: Preppie II was a game I always loved, A simple game that we loved as a family because even my dad could play it was Dog Daze Another vote for Apple Panic Steeple Jack , Gridrunner, Airstrike, Baja Buggies, Captain Sticky's gold.......... Dog Daze was excellent - also the 'Gunslinger" game from the same author. Apple Panic I could do without - controls were frustrating 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 11 hours ago, Goochman said: Ultima I was not a very good game - atleast IMHO. Very unbalanced and quirky. Ultima II I love as its the fastest Ultima to play. Many dont like it due to having airplanes and rockets and dungeons that are useless but I find it fun to play. I remember seeing a write-up on Ultima II in a magazine, it looked awesome, but I didn't yet have a disk drive so couldn't play. When I did get a disk drive, I only saw Ultima III in stores, so I played that. And honestly by the end of that game, the formula was running thin for me so I wasn't ready to dive into another Ultima. Then IV came, my friend got it and it was so much deeper, so that pulled me back in. But it also gave me even less desire to visit any pre-IV Ultimas :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goochman Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 Ultima II plays more like an Adventure than RPG. Things arent too deep, but you only need to control 1 character vs the multiple in 3/4. You have to interview a bunch of people in 2 to figure stuff out, however you just need to talk to those who "dont move" Flying in Space is a nice twist 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 43 minutes ago, BobJones said: I love 7 Cities of Gold and Agent USA Also Cosmic Balance by SSI was fantastic. Could you link the Atari Mania for us newbs. Here it is again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youxia Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 17 hours ago, Atari_Ace said: It looks like to make that list a game has to have at least 21 votes, so even some well-known games aren't going to make the cut. Ok, but this is top 500. I would have thought Ultima 1/2 were killer apps for A8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 17 hours ago, Atari_Ace said: It looks like to make that list a game has to have at least 21 votes, so even some well-known games aren't going to make the cut. So that's the secret? Well I did my part by putting in my votes :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 (edited) On 9/29/2020 at 8:04 PM, Gunstar said: I don't go by any lists to choose what I play, especially ones that are 500 titles long...oops! I just wasted all my time to play a game looking through that list! I definitely don't look through lists to see what's not listed, so I can list it...time to go play a game... Yes indeed, I avoid lists even thought I was part of a project of what people thought were the best games, there are some instantly apparent great games but after that its subjective. What I do from time to time is load up the Atari gamebase and just pick random games or just look at massive list and see what takes my fancy. Unlike Top game lists the Gamebase is just all the games people like Mark Hardnman (the creator) found were added simply to make a huge database with no ranking. Trust me there's some utterly awful games on there but every so often I find a rare little treat. Also having screenshots and being able to split the lists up in genre, year or software house helps find what you like.. As Gunstar says, just go and play, ignore "my top 50" type stuff or you WILL miss some gems. Edited October 2, 2020 by Mclaneinc 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunstar Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 (edited) I just go to Atarimania or Homesoft or Fandal's and select a genre I fancy at the moment or random disc number for menu discs, and then basically "judge a book by it's cover" or in this case game by it's screen shot. I'm in the middle of segregating games into genres and sub-genres of memory requirements or other features like stereo sound. And I do the same thing from my own files too, only more randomly. There is always the dozen or two favorites that one always goes back too, but as you say @Mclaneinc , that's very subjective. Heck, I've been given boxed originals of many fantastic games just because they weren't the owner's cup of tea. It's an ever growing list of great games that I can't even keep up with, new home-brew or new found old titles. I could spend the rest of the free time in my life just checking out the thousands of games I haven't gotten 'round too or yet discovered/remembered on the Atari 8-bit alone, forgetting all other systems! Edited October 2, 2020 by Gunstar 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 I'd be curious what games totally and completely push the Atari to the max, having fantastic graphics, while being fun to play, and fluid in motion. And this would include any and all years up to the present day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 1 hour ago, mytek said: I'd be curious what games totally and completely push the Atari to the max, having fantastic graphics, while being fun to play, and fluid in motion. And this would include any and all years up to the present day. MIDI Maze would be at the top of my list. It's an incredible achievement. Maybe Yoomp! as well? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrathchild Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 Simon Hunt's Diamonds is in the top 100 but its sequel Dan Strikes Back didn't make the 500 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irgendwer Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 On 9/29/2020 at 6:14 PM, Guy1 said: I'm personally interested in platformers and action-adventures released before 1986. But feel free to post anything worth checking out. Trolls and Tribulations 6 hours ago, mytek said: I'd be curious what games totally and completely push the Atari to the max, having fantastic graphics, while being fun to play, and fluid in motion. And this would include any and all years up to the present day. Dimension X Stealth (to mention something that is not in the top 100 of AtariMania) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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