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Best/Worst early 2600 game (1977-1981)


King Atari

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Love the necro-bumps :)

 

I'm surprised this thread doesn't have many votes for Berzerk in it. For me, Defender and Berzerk are the best of the early titles but there are a great many others that come close.

 

For the bad there's Basic Math, Slot Machine, Space War, Basic Programming, Street Racer, etc. I know Pac-Man disappointed a lot of people, but it's phenomenal compared to many of the early games. I for one love it.

I don't think Berzerk had been released yet when this thread was started :)

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I agree, Basic Math was probably the worst "game" from the era.

 

As for the best? I'd have to go with Adventure, but there are so many really good games from the era. Heck, even Hangman is fun. :) I like just about all of the games from that era, to one extent or another.

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Hmmm well after getting thoroughly bored playing combat alone (who thought a 2 player only game would be a good pack in!!!!!!!!!!!) I got Space Invaders and boy was that game nice. I prefer it on VCS to playing it on MAME today that's how nice I think it is. Berzerk is good too for sure. Star Raiders was also nice not sure if that is early enough for you though?

 

It's on the list of NISB games on the original blue box version I want to get if I ever see another one again.

 

Worst....hmmm Pele's Soccer looks kinda shit, Air Sea Battle didn't impress me, Combat is nothing special (no AI for 1 player gaming and pretty basic looking, 2 player only games are kinda useless...I can play 2 player only board games like Monopoly lol no need for a games console then) there's probably loads of early simple games I would never buy.

Edited by oky2000
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Form my recollections with the early games Comabt, Adventure, and Dodge'em were pretty popular.

 

Video Pinball also was fun.

 

Air Sea battle didnt do much for folks

 

Indy 500 was the crown jewel that no one could afford to buy due to the extra driving controllers.

 

Asteroids was blah but I think things really took a turn when Missile Command came out. It really showed the 2600 could do a decent port of an Arcade game.

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Worst? Slot Racer and Slot Machine? On Slot Racer the graphics are just so crude, and Slot Machine? It's like some intentional brain killer: this is Vegas (

)? I disagree that Air Sea Battle aka Target Fun is other than really good. Great colors, guided missiles, some strategy in avoiding the mines, a "circus" option for variety, and immensely competitive in head-to-head play. I wouldn't include the educational games (Basic Math and Hangman) or the "programming language" BASIC in the competition for worst game.

 

As to the best? Well, the thread title says until 1981, which would include Asteroids I think, and that was best, but as to the Atari's launch titles I would point to Combat and Air Sea Battle.

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The games released from 1977 to 1981 are the earliest games on the system (everything before the silver label period). My picks for best: "Superman" and "Night Driver". Worst: "Pac-Man" for sure. Post your picks here.

Pac-man wasn't released until March '82, that'd be out of your timeframe.

 

Edit..

 

Lol, just saw high voltage's post above.

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Funny so many people mention Pac-Man, which came out in 1982 (OP says 77 -81)

 

 

Pac-man wasn't released until March '82, that'd be out of your timeframe.

 

Edit..

 

Lol, just saw high voltage's post above.

 

If there was one email I wasn't expecting today, it was the one alerting me to the fact someone quoted me on something I wrote nearly 12 years ago! I don't even remember starting this topic! I guess some threads never die, and to be frank, I cringe when I see some of the crap I wrote over a decade ago. I was, what, 15 years old? Yikes!

 

Nevertheless, it seems I was using the 1977-1981 description more as a pre-silver label timeframe than anything (as I noted in the original post). So, yes, Pac-Man may have technically been released in 1982, but I guess I was going by on-screen & cart label copyright. And besides, it is a pre-silver label game, so it does, or at least can, fall in to whatever the hell I was trying to get at (apparently that all text & 'regular' pic label games were the "early" 2600 games, everything silver on up was a more up-to-date era).

 

For the record, I don't know if I'd really consider the entire 1977-1981 line-up to *all* be the "early" games today. Maybe everything released 1977-1979. I don't know. I would no longer say Pac-Man is my worst, either; indeed, I have kind of a fondness for it. It's like E.T.: people like to pick on it, but it's not as bad as popular opinion would have us believe. Furthermore, I don't really play Night Driver anymore (I tend to be fickle regarding any kind of racing game except the arcade & Sega Master System versions of OutRun), but Superman, absolutely, is still one of my top favorites for the 2600.

Edited by King Atari
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Oh, it was finally released? :P

 

LOL yes, I've got the only copy! It didn't go into wide release because of the misprinted Night instead of Knight!

 

My mistake, of course I meant Night Driver. I fixed it, though now that it's been quoted... :woozy:

Edited by King Atari
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Sure, it's easy to release a system years later and claim your games are better. EA Sports should do that now with their new games. Look how Madden 2K14 compares to Atari!

 

Actually that would be a really funny ad

 

Also, Basic Math? Really? Unless you're *5* I don't think that game was for you.

 

Besides, the arcade version was better! :D

Edited by godzillajoe
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Also, Basic Math? Really? Unless you're *5* I don't think that game was for you.

 

It's hard to justify Basic Math when Math Grand Prix exists. I know it's meant for kids, but it's just math problems on a screen when Math Grand Prix has that plus graphics.

Edited by BrianC
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Well, George Plimpton said so:

 

 

Maybe I should run and hide now. ;)

 

Yeah, well George Plimpton ain't here. He's upstairs takin' a bath!

(OK, I apologize for that remark, but I love quoting that bit from Home Alone. No disrespect to Mr. Plimpton, who shall be missed.)

 

At any rate:

 

Best: Asteroids, Adventure, Missile Command

 

Worst: Math Gran Prix, Slot Racers, Star Ship

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I never got Adventure either, back in the day or now. I'm not likely to play it.

 

I know Pac-Man is an easy, frequent target for abuse. The problem is, by what standard are you judging it, from what perspective? I remember liking that game and playing the hell out of it when we first got it back in the day. We didn't care at all that it didn't look like the arcade - we saw that so infrequently - we just loved that we could play Pac-Man at home, and not have to beg for quarters from the parents.

 

Ms. Pac-Man was, of course, a huge improvement, and that we noticed. We also dug Dig Dug and flipped for Frogger, they were so well done.

 

I'm sure there are many other games worse than Pac-Man, by back in the day standards and more so by today's standards. Many of them just aren't playable anymore.

 

P.S. I even remember wanting to play Math Gran Prix!

Edited by Brian R.
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