Season 12 ~ FINAL STANDINGS and AWARDS

[Vocelli]

Congratulations!

Season 12 Winner

Kermit

 

'Back to Back' Atari 2600 HSC Champ!

That is AMAZING!

 

 

FINAL STANDINGS

 

MAJOR League Players (17 Players Since there is a tie for #16)

1279	Kermit
1252	JasonHRB
1224	AtariSphinx
1216	SkippyBCoyote
1182	Nads
1120	Evandro
1065	OyamaFamily
1064	Absalon
1056	JGKspsx
1053	JasonAtari
1013	Dr Moocowz
1000	Vocelli
994	MarkGriff
950	DomBradley
927	Keilbaca
872	FakeCortex
872	LaurenTyler

 

Minor League Players (16 Players #33 ranked player is added because of a tie in the Major Leagues)

832	Maloff
832	TheActivisionary
831	Atarian7
813	Atari_Warlord
776	McCallister
718	Mchetzel
715	MoisesTuseto
692	GBAG
639	AGB
556	RGC
509	ClassicGamer
507	Deteacher
464	Roadrunner
435	RaymanC
397	CrazyClimber
377	Krytol

 

The Rest of our Amazing Players

326	RetroBreakout
221	CTelkin
210	Ed
174	DataFry
171	Lord Innit
141	JoeBradley
118	Diamonds
114	ZeroPageHomebrewJames
97	GType
89	Atariwarlord
86	JacobZu7Zu7
78	ArmscarCoder
77	Jblenkle
76	ZeroPageHomebrewTanya
70	AlNafuur
70	ThomasJentsch
50	Sramirez
48	Nester
41	ZilchSr
38	IsaiahAustin
38	RockPile
29	DevWebci
21	BetwixtThieves
19	ZeroPageHomebewDarcy
3	Capitain Classic

 

 

Season 12 is Over and now it is time to VOTE

You get to pick 2 games per Category

Pick from all games played from Season 12 HSC.

 

 

*Favorite Game from Season 12

(2 games you loved to play from Season 12)

 

7 - Aardvark

4 - Missile Command

3 - Frostbite

3 - RAPTOR

2 - Galaxian

2 - Super Breakout

2 - Road Runner

1 - Asteroids

1 - KLAX

1 - Popeye

1 - FastFood

1 - Smurfs

1 - Assembloids

 

*Most Surprising Game from Season 12

(2 games you thought were good but you never/rarely ever played it before. A nice surprise)

 

7 - Reactor

5 - Aardvark

3 - RAPTOR

3 - Xenophobe

2 - KLAX

2 - RoadRunner

2 - Fatal Run

1 - Popeye

1 - Space Invaders

1 - Smurfs

1 - Super Breakout

1 - Yars Revenge

1 - Assembloids

 

 

*Worst Game from Season 12

( 2 games you thought were bad and will never play again)

 

5 - Gravitar

3 - Fastfood

3 - Realsports Boxing (Bonus Game)

3 - Guardian

3 - Slalom

1 - Smurfs

1 - Asteroids

1 - Popeye

1 - Reactor

1 - Super Breakout

 

Edited May 19, 2022 by Vocelli

[Vocelli]

Congrats to Kermit!!!

Amazing Player!  Thanks everyone for playing in the Atari 2600 HSC.... I thought it was a GREAT Season!

You can vote by posting in this thread,

 

Later today I will be posting the Major League Knockout Tourny and the Minor League Knockout Tourny.

I will also be contacting the players who get to choose games for the tourny.... THANKS!

[Absalon]

??
 

this was my first time playing in the HSC.

 

So, thank YOU Vocelli for making this HSC possible and fun!

 

and thanks to all the players around the world. It was a joyful trip

[+Atari_Warlord]

Congratulations to Kermit for another win and to Vocelli for another fun HSC!

 

Here is my take on the categories:

 

Favorites:

Asteroids - First played this at a 7-11 and still enjoy it no matter what system it's on.

Aardvark - An outstanding conversion that is very fun to play.

 

Most Surprising:

I don't know if I appreciated Parker Bros games back in the day, but both of these are actually fun to play.

Reactor

Popeye

 

Worst:

If both of these had better control options they would probably be ok.

Guardian

Smurfs

[RGC]

Another great season. Thanks Vocelli and congrats Kermit

[Jasonhrb]

First and foremost, a big thank you to Vocelli for organising the whole thing. Without someone to organise it, there is no HSC . . . . and I really like HSC  . Secondly,  a big thank you to everyone who takes part. It's a really friendly community of people, and of course you can't have friendly competition without having friendly people to compete with .  As for the categories :

 

Best games - There have been so many good ones to choose from, and personally I think the set of games overall this season has been better than last time out. Space Invaders, Galaxian, Asteroids, Road Runner, Gravitar, Klax, Missile command, Assembloids , Megamania and Reactor are all standout games imho, along with all three of the picks from Homebrew week. If I had to pick just two, I'd go for Missile Command and Klax. One game from the system's heyday, and the other something of a last hurrah that showed the system still had something to offer even right at the end of its commercial life

 

Surprising games - A few stand out for me in this category, but if I had to pick just two, it would be Reactor and Aardvark. I knew of Reactor prior to this season, but had never played it, and had heard that it wasn't that great. But I loved it. I thought it was one of those really clever ideas that could only come about during that period where people were trying to make fun games with a tiny amount of computing power. And as for Aardvark . . . .just wow. An absolutely stunning piece of work that plays better than versions of the same game on much more powerful systems, and looks and sounds far better than anything on the 2600 had any right to

 

Worst games - I'm actually struggling with  this one, as there were so many good games this time around. Guardian probably stands out as the worst, but even that wasn't terrible, and certainly wouldn't have been in my "worst two" last season. Beyond that, even though there were a few I enjoyed a bit less. I don't think there were any bad games this time around. In fact, I think every game this season apart from Guardian was better than at least seven or 8 from last season, so I really don't think it's fair to add a second to this category.

 

Anyway, I've blathered on far far too long now, so will shut up and let others have their say      

[+jgkspsx]

Another first timer here. Thank you to @Vocelli for running this super complex tournament with humor and very interesting game choices, and special thanks to @oyamafamily for suggesting I join this year. He’s going to make a high score addict out of me yet! (Although I think I got a lot of benefit from the new player points this season…)

 

My picks for the survey:

 

Favorite Game from Season 12

 

Starting out helpless at Aardvark and getting to the point that I was semi-competent was the most satisfying growth of the round. Just a stunning game in every way.

 

I am putting Galaxian here although it was a big surprise too. I am not a fan of the arcade game to put it mildly, but I remembered that I kind of liked the 2600 version. The 2600 version is so much more fun than the cramped arcade game and its weird collision detection. I think it was the best shooting fun of the round.

Runners up: Yar’s Revenge, Frostbite, Raptor, Gravitar, Reactor, Klax, Fatal Run, Popeye, Assembloids, Super Breakout, Raptor, Stratovox

 

By and large, my favorite game each week was what we were playing that week. Thanks for keeping it fresh, Vocelli!

 

Most Surprising Game from Season 12

It might sound strange, but Space Invaders. I had never played those variations before and I had never given it much of a chance back in the day. I had only ever played this version casually. While I still love the arcade version, this version has so much more breadth and depth.

 

The second was Reactor. The negative reviews scared me away from it, and evidently I didn’t even have a physical copy even though I’m sure I played it before. But figuring out what you were supposed to do and doing it was challenging and despite some collision detection issues pretty darn fulfilling.

 

Runners up: Popeye, Fatal Run, Megamania (surprised I was so terrible!), Galaxian, Assembloids, Road Runner, Klax

 

Worst Game from Season 12

I didn’t like 2600 Asteroids before, but I hate it now. I can’t say I’ll never play it again, but I appreciate all other versions a lot more.

 

Winter Sports is an impressive achievement and I will probably never do anything but luge again. That was one of my least favorite primitive skiing games ever, a genre I mostly love.

 

Runners up: Xenophobe, Guardian, and then two I will definitely play again but suffered a lot for: Megamania and Raptor (or at least that friggin flying thing). Smurf Rescue too, although I am going to revisit it before long to see if I can get my stuff together.

Xenophobe is probably the only one I will really never play again. It’s very impressive but it’s the only fish-on-a-bicycle game of the tourney.

[nads]

Congrats @kermit73 you were by far and away the most consistent high score achiever this year!! Well deserved I also like the fact you are willing to share tips and strategies along the way ?

 

To @Vocelli again as most have mentioned and agree there would be NO HSC without you dedication and passion to keep the competition flowing!! Thanks again for another super year!!

 

On to the nitty gritty..

 

Favorite Game from Season 12

 

Loved Popeye and most certainly enjoyed Raptor!!.

Platform games Ive always enjoyed and Popeye has that bit of unpredictability that makes me want to continue playing to hopefully get the rollage!

Raptor, just as soon as I first played it had me hooked, great idea executed well!

 

Most Surprising Game from Season 12

 

Was very surprised by both Xenophobe and Reactor, I guess the both met my skill level which made them enjoyable to play.

I am also a sucker for a LONG grind in some games, so I will look at playing these one-day to hit the Million points!

 

Worst Game from Season 12

 

I really didn't enjoy these two - Gravitar and Fast Food.

Cant say Ill ever play them again, Fast Food especially!!

Both games highlight my weaknesses in gaming and that frustrates me!!

 

Congrats to everyone for making this season really fun

[Jason_Atari]

Another great enjoyable season, thanks for organizing and running it Vocelli, without you this wouldn't happen.
 

Congrats Kermit, totally dominant all season.
 

Favorites: Raptor: Another addictive homebrew from Armscarcoder.

               Missile Command: I've always loved the 2600 version, one of my all time favorites

 

Surprises: Reactor: Never really gave this game a proper go after all these years, very addictive unique gameplay
                Aardvark:  Awesome homebrew that i never really gave a chance, stunning graphics

 

Worst: Nothing comes to mind this year, all playable titles

[Moisés Tuseto]

Congrats Kermit

 

 

Favorite Game from Season 

Fast food, Smurfs 

 

 

 

*Most Surprising Game from Season 

Raptor ,aardvark

 

 

*Worst Game from Season 

Gravitar, Popeye

 

Edited April 26, 2022 by Moisés Tuseto
Faltou informação

[AtariSphinx]

First thanks Vocelli for running a great HSC season even with your busy schedule!  Playing in HSC discovering new games as well as the tough competition make it truly enjoyable and a great break from our busy lives.

 

Congratulations @kermit73.   You were tough to beat and played at an elite level.   Impressed with your bug finding skills particularly as I work in the quality field and have an extra appreciation for it.

 

Favorite Game: Super Breakout 

Probably no surprise here given that my favorite games the last 3 seasons have all been paddle games.   I love the unique controls ever since I was a kid and Super Breakout in particular is my all time favorite Atari game.  I know many have a love/hate relationship with paddles.

 

Most Surprising: Red label games

Was going pick a homebrew, particularly Aardvark, but knowing these great game developers it is no surprise that the games are great.   I was surprised though with all the red label games particularly Xenophobe and Road Runner.    I had no idea the quality of these end of system life games would be good.  I would have expected Atari to have thrown out mediocre effort games at this point given their state.

 

Worst Game: None

Was thinking about Guardian but given my love for paddle games I gave it a pardon :).  The quality of the games this season was very consistent.    Some I did not like as much but they were still good/great games.

 

[Atarian7]

Great season Kermit.    

 

The top 4 were very close.

 

 

[Vocelli]

Thanks for all the kind words!

It it always enjoyable to see everyone enjoying the HSC!

 

Favorites:

Frostbite - one of my Favorites as a child

Aardvark - Played it before but finally got 'into it'!

 

Surprising:

RAPTOR - This game was amazing! Has the 'one more game' feel.

Reactor - Once I read the directions and understood it.... I was hooked

 

Worst:

Slalom - UGH

Fast Food - BURP

 

I also admit I like the Calorie count bonus game!

[+jgkspsx]

Addendum: Congratulations and huge thanks to @kermit73. Out of this world playing, tons of helpful advice, a keen eye for bugs, and videos that more than once showed me the error of my ways.

[DrMooCowz]

Favorites

 

Frostbite - It's going to be tough for me to not pick my favorite 2600 game that's maintained this title for many decades.

Aardvark - This was so good and fun. I know I've seen similar games from arcade and other consoles, but never played them. I always thought I would like it, and this one delivered.

 

Surprising

 

RAPTOR - Had a great time with this one and there's some subtle things with strategy that was fun to discover while playing it!

Fatal Run - Never released in North America (I think), it seemed really cool. I really wanted to find a manual and give it another chance, but time didn't cooperate that week. Looked nice!

 

Worst

 

RealSports Boxing - I never figured out what exactly I was doing and just wasn't fun.

Reactor - even after reading the manual and comments in the thread, I never really "got it" and it mostly annoyed me that the controls felt like it was in mud with all "things" constantly in battle for movement/smashing into walls.

[agb]

Congrats to Kermit. Another great season. 
 

favorites were 

Super Breakout

Galaxian

 

best surprises were 

Smurf

Klax

 

Vocelli , another great season. Thanks for all you do to make this fun. 
AGB

 

[kermit73]

Thank you to all for the kind words and to @Vocelli for the week to week commitment of organizing the HSC.

 

My favorites:

• Aardvark.  I cannot say enough for the incredible development effort and how they got so much out of the hardware.  The game was very fun to play.  This was one of those games where I thought I was done playing for the week, only to find an excuse to play the game more and find new ways to press the score higher.  Thanks to @Thomas Jentzsch for offering comments, hints, and encouragement for us to keep playing.
• Missile Command.  This has always been one of my favorites and the reason it was my choice as the season 11 gold medal winner.  This was one of only two or three games I would play on the 2600 after shifting most of my attention to the Commodore 64, NES, and/or Gameboy (the original B&W one).

 

Most surprising:

• Super Breakout.  I'd never played this game previously, but was certainly aware of its popularity.  I knew there were limits for how many angles the ball can bounce off your paddle in Pong style games, but never thought it would be as few as four.  This leads to several rounds where you have to keep trying to hit that one sweet spot to get rid of the last brick.  I found this to be pretty annoying, but still really enjoyed the game.
• All the red-label games.  Most of these games did a good job of demonstrating what the hardware could do, but for me, the games just weren't that fun to play.  The only red-label game I really enjoyed playing was Klax.

 

Worst games:

• Real Sports Boxing - The game didn't offer much of a challenge and almost everyone who played accomplished a round 1 or round 2 knockout.  I think I got a round 2 knockout each of my first 2-3 games and decided the game wasn't worth playing to try to earn that extra bonus point offered for a round 1 knockout.  The game might make more sense as a 2-player game, but if I had it back in the day, I'm not sure how many of my friends would have been interested in playing it given the other much better offerings on newer consoles/computers.
• Gravitar - This game is stupid difficult.  I don't mind a good challenge since that's what keeps us playing, but this game is difficult in ways that it doesn't need to be.

 

 

[+jgkspsx]

20 hours ago, kermit73 said:

Worst games:

• Real Sports Boxing - … The game might make more sense as a 2-player game, but if I had it back in the day, I'm not sure how many of my friends would have been interested in playing it given the other much better offerings on newer consoles/computers.

I thought it was fun as an amuse-bouche, but I am glad that was all it was. While I like some more advanced 8 and 16 bit boxing games quite a bit, for my money the Activision 2600 game is the most fun implementation the sport has ever gotten in pixels.

[oyamafamily]

Congrats to @kermit73 on winning the 2600 NEW HSC Season 12!!

 

Now, it's my time to choose the favorites, most surprising and worst games of this Season:

 

Favorites: Missile Command and Frostbite (I love playing these games).

 

Most Surprising: Fatal Run and Aardvark

Quickly I learnt the mechanics of Fatal Run for 2600 and how to play and solve 32 levels to reach the final objective: drive to the rocket launch site in order to save the world, which has been contaminated by the radiation. The average time to complete this mission is approximately 75 minutes.

And I enjoyed playing this exciting game, which also has the following message after the ending sequence: "WINNERS DON'T USE DRUGS".

 

Worst: Gravitar and Fast Food.

Gravitar is one of the 2600 games which I hate playing (requires much more coordination).

[fakecortex]

Great season everyone! Thank you to @Vocelli, always a pleasure. Congrats to @kermit73, humble and helpful. Special shout-out to @Lauren Tyler- we score close to each other a lot, and I usually keep an eye how you score and try to match it. So when I saw that we TIED this season, AND made it to the Major League, I thought a recognition was in order. Nice job, thanks for the competition!

 

There were a lot of great games this go-around. Here are my picks:

 

Favorites:

 

I've really enjoyed playing homebrews here, and this season introduced me to some of my current favs...

 

Assembloids - I couldn't stop playing this game for all the right reasons. Quick, addictive, great progression, and never frustrating. I just had to keep getting one more game in. So much fun.

 

Aardvark - I think I originally said this game had no right looking as good as it did. Very impressive from top to bottom, and so much fun to play. The blue Ant & the Aardvark aardvark on the bonus stages was a great touch too. It was great having @Thomas Jentzsch around for this one.

 

Honorable Mention - RAPTOR. Another home run from @Armscar Coder. I hit a wall with this one, but I know I'll be returning to go for the Raptor rating.

 

 

Most Surprising:

 

Road Runner - This was my first time playing any version of Road Runner, and I didn't have high expectations (likely b/c it was a licensed game perhaps?). Nevertheless, I ended up really enjoying it. Then it popped up in the NES HSC, and I got to enjoy it all over again.

 

Yar's Revenge (Ultimate Yars w/1 life) - Here's a game that I never gave enough attention to, even tho the cover and name always intrigued me, plus Eugene on The Walking Dead likes it. Turns out, it's a fun game, and the special 1 life challenge was a lot of fun!

 

 

Worst:

 

RealSports Boxing - Meh. As I recall, I mashed the button, then went back to playing Road Runner ?

 

Gravitar - I had too much trouble controlling this one to give it a fair shake (emulation with a DualShock3). But with Asteroids-like controls, I'm not expecting to do much better now that I'm playing it again on original hardware. I thought about adding Asteroids here for the same reason...

 

Awesome job everyone! Shout out to @Rogerpoco who said I'd place higher each year; well look at me now mom! Hahahaha.

[Absalon]

Favorite Games:

Road runner (big fun, my kids loved to watch and play as well)

Aardvark (what a great game!!)

 

Most Surprising Games:

Reactor (i really like the flow of the game)

Assembloids (pure and fast fun)

 

Worst game:

Super Breakout (I'm probably the only person here having problems with this game?! There is something about the game, my brain is not able to work with...?)

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Season 12 was easily the most fun season I've ever played in the HSC! The game selection this season was fantastic, the competition was fierce, and it was the first season that I actually played every single round and made it to the end of the season without burning out!

 

 

Favorite Games
Road Runner
RAPTOR

 

Most Surprising Games

Aardvark

Xenophobe
 

Worst Games
Slalom ~ Winter Games
Guardian

[retrogoober]

congrats all!  When does season 13 start?

 

Lee

season 8 3rd place

you know ur jealous

[Vocelli]

Season 13 starts August 11!