Is there a thing like a "generic" classic?

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

Just curious wether people would consider any 2600 games of generic categories (mainly sports and racing) a classic?

 

I personally think especially those games age really badly and generally prefer playing modern versions of those.

 

I mean, Night Driver for example was pretty good at its time, but there's no real reason in playing it now, when there've been like 200+ better racing games released since then.

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[+Random Terrain]

I don't know if I understand the question, but I can still play Enduro sometimes without vomiting. Activision's Tennis is still playable.

 

If you were going to talk about space games, at least 4 games by Imagic still make my jaw drop from the classic and colorful arcade look. Imagic had a magic touch for a while there. Unlike Yars' Revenge, they have aged well and still don't look 'clunky.'

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

I don't know if I understand the question, but I can still play Enduro sometimes without vomiting. Activision's Tennis is still playable.

 

I think you got me

 

Now, weren't Enduro and Activisions Tennis just the "tennis game" and the "racing game" of their time (as I'd put it) or are these really considered "classics"?

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[spacecadet]

Hi there!

 

Just curious wether people would consider any 2600 games of generic categories (mainly sports and racing) a classic?

 

I have a hard time playing most of these on the 2600 as well (though I sometimes do just for nostalgia's sake, because I remember them from when I was a kid), but there are some "generic" genre games that came a bit later that I do consider true classics. The game that immediately sprang to mind when I saw you mention racing games was the Sprint series (especially Super Sprint), but there are plenty of others, such as Outrun, Hang On, etc. I even still find the original Pole Position playable, although it's just as frustrating as always with the way you explode instantly on contact with another car.

 

I think there is a lot of room to be creative with racing games. I'm sure there are some modern classics in this genre as well (Daytona USA, Ridge Racer, etc. - I do think these games have a distinct personality and are games I consistently go back to). It's not just all about realism, so it's not just the latest game in the genre that's the best.

 

Same is true, though maybe to a lesser extent, with sports games... it was maybe just after the 2600 when developers got creative and there are still some pretty old games that I consider classic sports games. The original NBA Jam is still a lot of fun to play, as is High Impact Football, Super Baseball 2020, Tournament Cyberball, and even some more generic type pseudo-realistic games like Capcom Baseball.

 

So, IMO, the 2600 sort of shows the roots of these genres, and then right after that there are some definite classics that are still fun to play because developers learned how to sort of branch out a bit and do some different things. It's not just completely about the technology, so the newest game in these genres is not always best.

[jeepnut24]

I think its relative really. I love Indy 500, but I also love spending time playing Project Gotham 2. Along those line I also love spending time with super offroad. I think it hits a point where you "have fun" because its a combination of nostaliga and a simple fun game. I think the only games that really age badly are games that simply aren't fun or enjoyable. Look at the love for Tecmo bowl and how its still supported. Though on some level I do agree that less time is spent on the classics in sports because the newer "realistic" version bring you more into the game. Ill enjoy the great games from the past and those of the present.

[rasty]

I think some of the best shoot em ups are still on the 2600 and I do love them even today. But indeed other genres don't age well.. that's it's important to put gameplay before graphics: gameplay ages better!

 

Anyway I think the main issue with sports games is that the developers somehow are forced to do as realistic a game as possible in order to come close to the actual sports' rules and mechanics. This means that they had to dedicate a part of the 2600's scarce resources to this, leaving often little space for anything else!

 

Regards,

Rasty.-

[+Random Terrain]

Now, weren't Enduro and Activisions Tennis just the "tennis game" and the "racing game" of their time (as I'd put it) or are these really considered "classics"?

Enduro is better than any other racing game I have played on the Atari 2600 and some other systems. For example, I'd rather play Enduro than most racing games on the NES.

 

Activision's Tennis is better than RealSports Tennis. I played tennis on other systems and computers over the years, but if they aren't as easy to use and fun to play as Activision's Tennis, they don't get a second look. Activision's Tennis is the classic game that all other tennis games are compared to. It's the touchstone, the benchmark, the point of reference or whatever other cliché you might want to use. And as I said, when talking about classic space related games by the various companies, Imagic towers over the others for the most part.

[128bytes]

I agree with RT on this one. The "drop shadow" pixel in Tennis was groundbreaking, and the gameplay/engine still hasn't been beaten for this sport to this day, so I think it's a classic. I have played Tennis Addict -- even though the graphics are cooler, and you swing with the stylus (yeah, this would work with the DS), the gameplay and the strategy is just as good on 2600 Activison Tennis.

[StanJr]

I still really love Pole Position on the VCS. I think its a lot of fun. And PP was THE racing game for us when I was a kid. As a matter of fact, I like it better than modern racing games, because in PP ALL YOU DO IS RACE. I don't have to soup up my car, buy a new car, worry about managing the car, I just race.

[joeybastard]

I still really love Pole Position on the VCS.  I think its a lot of fun.  And PP was THE racing game for us when I was a kid.  As a matter of fact, I like it better than modern racing games, because in PP ALL YOU DO IS RACE.  I don't have to soup up my car, buy a new car, worry about managing the car, I just race.

 

Glad to see I'm not the only one who just wants to drive sometimes and not bother with buying crap for the car.

[jeepnut24]

I still really love Pole Position on the VCS.  I think its a lot of fun.  And PP was THE racing game for us when I was a kid.  As a matter of fact, I like it better than modern racing games, because in PP ALL YOU DO IS RACE.  I don't have to soup up my car, buy a new car, worry about managing the car, I just race.

 

Glad to see I'm not the only one who just wants to drive sometimes and not bother with buying crap for the car.

 

I want my fix of both...

 

Though I am partial to the arcade version of pole position myself. I used to love the wheel and gas pedal as a kid.... It was my first real quarter black hole....

 

Someday when I get a house, I will own one...

[Bryan]

Someday when I get a house, I will own one...

 

They turn up at amusement auctions all the time, but be warned that the Pole Position boardset can be very tempermental.

 

-Bry