JJohnson Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 (edited) I'm just wondering which games folks find the funnest to play on the 2600 or are 'classic' or 'iconic.' So far I have: 21 Video Olympics Asteroids Astroblast Basketball Berzerk Bowling Combat (a version with a silver outline and one without) Defender Football Galaxian Mario Bros Ms. Pac-Man Pac-Man Phoenix Pitfall Pole Position Space Invaders Spider-Man Star Raiders Street Racer Super Breakout Target Fun Video Olympics I think Donkey Kong, Frogger, Galaga/on, Missile Command, Centipede, Millipede should be on my list for sure. Any others? Edited March 18, 2021 by JJohnson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapitanClassic Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 Most fun on the 2600 (rather than another system) Space Invaders: better than the arcade. Lots of variations. Invisible Vaders with zigzag bombs is good. Combat: Better than the arcade(s): Lots of variations. Invisible Tank Pong one of the best. Pitfall!, H.E.R.O., Mountain King, River Raid: I prefer these versions to the Atari800 versions. Probably the best versions if you dint count Hacks (Pitfall!x256) Indy 500: VCS exclusive. Only non-homebrew Driving Controller game. Millipede: is an excellent version of the game. I think I prefer the Atari 800 version, but the VCS version is very nice. Frogger (Starpath): An excellent port for the VCS. Warlords: Exclusive to VCS and arcade I think. Medieval Mayhem: better warlords. Adventure: Iconic, (and exclusive? ). There are similar games like Quest for the Holy Grail on Atari 800, but the ducks are charming. Demon Attack, Megamania: Fast paced dual-direction shooters. Atlantis: Bettter than other ports? Year's Revenge: iconic and exclusive. Kaboom, Stampede, (probably almost every Activision release): Were some of the best games for the system, and probably were created first on VCS before porting to other systems, so likely the best versions. I can second Suoer Breakout (exclusive?), and Astroblast (better than Intellivision). Can probably think of more, but those are off the top of my head. Asteroids Space Rocks: 2600 exclusive. Best Asteroids like game on VCS. Mario Bros. : Better on Atari 800 and NES. Ms. Pac-man: The Megadrive/Genesis version is better. Pretty sure there are other better ports of this game on platforms from the same era. Pac-man: No, just no. The @DEBRO 4k version, or @DINTAR816 4k/8k versions are better a d are on the VCS. The Atari 800 version is also a good port again. Pole Position: Better on Atari 800, but not sure it is the best port. I miss the arcade driving wheel. Star Raiders: The Atari 800 version is iconic, this version, not so much (it is missing too much). Donkey Kong: The Atari 800 version is better than the arcade. The VCS version is not. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tavi Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 For personal favourites, I would say the shortlist would be: Haunted House, River Raid, Missile Command and Stampede. For iconic I would have to say Yars' Revenge is probably the most iconic 2600 title, and perhaps Pac-man (for all the wrong reasons; but still iconic). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 15 hours ago, CapitanClassic said: Donkey Kong: The Atari 800 version is better than the arcade. How so? I like the 8-bit version, but I don't think any home version beats the arcade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithbk Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 (edited) Every time I fire up my Atari 2600, I always want to include a game of Superman. It's one of my favorite games for the 2600. I love snapping up Lex and his tommy-gun toting friends. Edited March 19, 2021 by keithbk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cjherr Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 16 hours ago, CapitanClassic said: Pitfall!, H.E.R.O., Mountain King, River Raid: I prefer these versions to the Atari800 versions. Curious why you would say 2600 Mountain King is better than the 800 version? That's an interesting thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 10 minutes ago, cjherr said: Curious why you would say 2600 Mountain King is better than the 800 version? That's an interesting thought. The 2600 version does have the flying and secret platforms "glitch".. but apart from that I much prefer the 800 version Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cvga Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 I'd recommend... Beamrider - my all-time favorite game Enduro Demon Attack Space Attack - highly underrated, make sure you read the instructions There are also a bunch of incredible games in the AA store. Galagon is amazing as are a bunch of others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapitanClassic Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 38 minutes ago, zzip said: The 2600 version does have the flying and secret platforms "glitch".. but apart from that I much prefer the 800 version Not the glitch per se, but I prefer the super double jump in the 2600 version. Which may itself be a glitch, and not intentional gameplay, sort of like the infinite Pole Vault glitch in Decathlon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapitanClassic Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, zzip said: How so? I like the 8-bit version, but I don't think any home version beats the arcade. It probably doesn't, few games do (Soul Calibur DC). I seem to remember the a800 version having more difficulty on the harder settings, with more diagonal barrels being thrown than the arcade (not that I was ever good enough at the arcade version). The graphics were better in the Arcade (or Colecovision, NES), but I probably played the a800 version too much to make a fair comparison. I withdraw my better than arcade comment, but certainly the 2600 isn't the funniest to play port. Edited March 19, 2021 by CapitanClassic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 43 minutes ago, CapitanClassic said: Not the glitch per se, but I prefer the super double jump in the 2600 version. Which may itself be a glitch, and not intentional gameplay, sort of like the infinite Pole Vault glitch in Decathlon. Yeah that's what I meant by the flying glitch. It definitely adds an element of fun, if you time the second jump right, you can jump up the side of the mountain peak all the way to the flame. But I don't think they meant it to work that way since none of the other versions of the game allow that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mockduck Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 I would add Guardian to the list, but otherwise for sure River Raid, Space Invaders, Demon Attack, Enduro, Pitfall! too. Was thinking last night about how good Phoenix is for the 2600, but you've got that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KaeruYojimbo Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 Moon Patrol is a must have. Frostbite is another great game that hasn't been mentioned yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapitanClassic Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 6 hours ago, KaeruYojimbo said: Moon Patrol is a must have. Frostbite is another great game that hasn't been mentioned yet. But Moon Patrol on the Atari 800 is far better. This is a list of 2600 games that are the most fun to play versus ports of the same game on other systems. since the 2600 is usually so under powered compared to many other systems of the time period, I would expect the list to mostly be full of 2600 exclusives, or at least games that were designed for the 2600 first and later ported to other systems (I would expect the originals to play to the VCS’s strengths, so the ports would likely not be much better) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KaeruYojimbo Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 17 minutes ago, CapitanClassic said: This is a list of 2600 games that are the most fun to play versus ports of the same game on other systems. Is that what the OP meant, or did they mean the most fun games on the 2600? I haven't played the 800 version of Moon Patrol, but I've played the 5200 version and I'd argue the 2600 version is just as fun, even if it doesn't look as nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapitanClassic Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 3 hours ago, KaeruYojimbo said: Is that what the OP meant, or did they mean the most fun games on the 2600? I haven't played the 800 version of Moon Patrol, but I've played the 5200 version and I'd argue the 2600 version is just as fun, even if it doesn't look as nice. Yeah, now that I read it again, I misunderstood. The OP likely was asking for the best (iconic/classic) games for the 2600. With that in mind, you could pretty much just look at the best selling games, then games with the most notoriety (Custard’s Revenge, Pac-man, E.T.) Quote which games folks find the funnest to play on the 2600 or are 'classic' or 'iconic.' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJohnson Posted March 21, 2021 Author Share Posted March 21, 2021 On 3/19/2021 at 10:59 AM, cvga said: I'd recommend... Beamrider - my all-time favorite game Enduro Demon Attack Space Attack - highly underrated, make sure you read the instructions There are also a bunch of incredible games in the AA store. Galagon is amazing as are a bunch of others. Speaking of the AA Store, I see lots of games in there, which is awesome. My question on that is, which ones of those are remakes of the 2600 originals that are 'better' versions of them, like Pac-Man 8K vs. the original Pac-Man 2600? Is there a Centipede/Millipede that uses trackball, or a better Ms Pac-Man perhaps? Defender, Galaga, Galaxian, Space Invaders, Berzerk, etc.? The games on that list are the games I remember most for Atari, and while I am working on building out my 2600 collection with the originals that work, I am not averse to modern improvements of the originals. And thank you, and to everyone else for giving me some fun games on the Atari 2600. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KaeruYojimbo Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 1 hour ago, JJohnson said: Is there a Centipede/Millipede that uses trackball There are, and others: https://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_list&c=110 1 hour ago, JJohnson said: Defender, Galaga, Galaxian, Space Invaders, Berzerk, etc.? Berzerk: https://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=29 Defender: https://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=952 Galaxian: https://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=106 There are a few Space Invaders options: https://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=105 https://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=283 https://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=114 https://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=823 And for Galaga: https://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1203 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTrust Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 How about some games that are not iconic? These are all fun, all either exclusive to the 2600 or are the only home console versions, and last I knew none of them were too tough to acquire: Stampede - Wrangle and rope the cows. No 2600 collection should be without it. Dolphin - Audio dependent, fast arcade game. Unique and fun. Pressure Cooker - Not the only good hamburger based retro game, but very good. Frostbite - Frogger and Q*Bert cross pollenation. Krull - Peak 80s kitsch with a high learning curve. Worth the effort. Midnight Magic - Pinball. Best on the system. Phoenix - A little easy, but can be more fun than the arcade. Taz - Get good stuff. Avoid the bad. One can play for hours. Gremlins - Alternating Kaboom with Space Invaders. Based on the smash hit movie! Demons to Diamonds - Paddle based shooter with some strategic elements. Fantastic Voyage - Looks lame at first blush, but learn to play and it's a great movie game. M*A*S*H - Bumper cars and then Operation. Quality. Mega Force - Action and strategy. Good graphics. Better than the movie. Porky's - Probably just me, but I get a kick out of this. Also better than the movie. Sky Skipper - As an arcade port, it's pathetic. As a 2600 game, it's a very good blend of reflexes and steategy. Thunderground - Dig Dug with tanks. Gopher - Simple, but cute characters and fun gameplay. M.A.D. - AA gun game. Many like it, but this is the best on 2600. Better than Atlantis. Frankenstein's Monster - Great graphics for the time, atmospheric multi-screen action game. Ghost Manor - Spooky ghost-y game with variety and selectable characters. These would give you a great collection of fun games that will make the 2600 a distinct system to have. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mockduck Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 Oh, and Turmoil! Great game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithbk Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 Am I the only one that hates Berzerk? Yes, the graphics are good. But it's not a real maze! You exit one way, and you cannot go back! It's a CHEAT! For this reason alone, I prefer Berzerk on the Atari 5200. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jgkspsx Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 I think most of my favorite games have been mentioned, but: I am not sure you can get it on an actual 2600 cart, but one of my favorite 2600 games is Aquaventure. It has been released on various compilations, but at least you should be able to put it on an SD cart. Activision games are almost all so good. To single out two that haven’t been mentioned: Robot Tank is an amazing Battlezone clone, and Laser Blast is almost too easy when you get the rhythm down, but I love playing the alien invader for once. The Intellivision versions are miles better, but I still like the two Tron games for the 2600. I really love Popeye - of all the Nintendo arcade conversions, that one is heads and shoulders my favorite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasperAK Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 57 minutes ago, keithbk said: Am I the only one that hates Berzerk? Yes, the graphics are good. But it's not a real maze! You exit one way, and you cannot go back! It's a CHEAT! For this reason alone, I prefer Berzerk on the Atari 5200. Yes. Quite clearly there is something wrong with you. Berzerk is a metaphor for life man. Every step is a one way ticket closer to death. There's no going back. The maze is unsolvable. Like life. All that matters is your score at the end. You dig? ? This post courtesy of me listening to a band from the early 70's called Pluto. ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high voltage Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 X Man, 'wiggle your joystick as fast as possible' type game, but keep the rhythm steady. Also, a great maze section. Boing!, a great Q-Bert type game. Rabbit Transit, a nice multi screen action fun game, also, Springer is good game. Master Builder, I like this game, build buildings, great enemies, played it for hours Spike's Peak, mountain climbing, keeps you happy for hours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 14 hours ago, keithbk said: Am I the only one that hates Berzerk? Yes, the graphics are good. But it's not a real maze! You exit one way, and you cannot go back! It's a CHEAT! For Frantic I'm generating the walls similar to how the arcade does by using the room's coordinates as the seed value for drawing the walls. This makes it so you can return to a specific room, such as exiting a sequence of rooms by going up, left, down, right. Here's an early blog entry about the walls, another early entry about the Frenzy variation. Title screen. The first option, showing example rooms, picks between Berzerk(left) and Frenzy(right) variations. random starting room exited by going up exited by going left exited by going down exited by going right, back to the starting room 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.