Dino Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Good: Missile Command, Millipede, Warlords. Bad: Joust. Just doesn't play very well, imho. Joust isn't bad except they reused the enemy AI for the egg AI. Eggs should not fly around the screen! Tempest Joust on the A2600 is great. You must remember that its on a different planet and there is probably less gravity and thus the eggs float around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Gyruss was pretty bad. Even though it was limited to what the 2600 is capable of doing I really don't think they took the time to as good of a job as they could have. Gyruss is a great game and the 2600 version is barely playable IMO compaired to all the other versions of it ported to any other console. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starhopper Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Joust isn't bad except they reused the enemy AI for the egg AI. Eggs should not fly around the screen! Tempest On that line of thinking, how do the birds in Phoenix fly around with no wings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giltygear Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Vanguard and Missile Command were the shit... many many hours of my young life (I'm only 25 ) were spent trying to beat my brother's then-ridiculously high scores. I think it's odd that in a post like this, there is absolutely no mention of space invaders. based on what the system can do, i think that was a pretty damn good port. not the best, by far, but very impressive for its time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supercat Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 I think it's odd that in a post like this, there is absolutely no mention of space invaders. based on what the system can do, i think that was a pretty damn good port. not the best, by far, but very impressive for its time Indeed. One peeve I've long had that I still don't understand is the way the last invader on a row disappears rather than exploding. Is there any reason the kernel stops displaying a row after the last invader is blasted? Showing an entirely-empty row should be perfectly harmless and I don't see any tricky side-scrolling issues that wouldn't apply just as thoroughly to rows that are blank at the beginning or end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plaidbrad3141 Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 I have to stick up for Mario Bros., it's not bad considering the 2600's limitations. Q*Bert was ok, but I also had the 8-bit version which is much better so I never played it much. This may be a controversal one, but I think Tutankham is a good 2600 conversion. Sure it's nothing like the arcade game, but it's a good version in its own right. In fact, I like it BETTER than the arcade version. Reactor is another excellent 2600 conversion that I actually like better than the arcade version. As for bad, how about Amidar? Did they even try with this one? Tempest I second Amidar. I rented it back when it first came out and God was I apalled and disapointed by what I discovered when I switched it on. I was a huge fan of the arcade version and man the 2600 version was truly hideous. On the good side I would go for Stargate, Centipede and Sprint Master Where could you rent Atari games back then? I remember renting Nintendo games but never saw 2600 games for rent. I always hate finding a NES game I want that was an old video store rental, they usualy went sticker crazy all over the cart and label. Of course the person wrote their name on the cart problem is widespread on all the platforms, but Atari games seem to have just missed the dreaded video store labels for the most part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Joust isn't bad except they reused the enemy AI for the egg AI. Eggs should not fly around the screen! Tempest On that line of thinking, how do the birds in Phoenix fly around with no wings? I had that exact same question long ago when I put my Phoenix page up: http://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/p...hoenixproto.htm Tempest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godzillajoe Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 I loved Joust on the 2600 but I've only played the 7800 version lately. The floating eggs never really bothered me And Mario Bros. also saw a lot of playtime when I first got it Jr. Pac-Man, Pengo, Road Runner, Bump 'N' Jump, Jungle Hunt, Kangaroo, Moon Patrol.... I think overall there are a lot of good ports for the 2600. Obviously they're all lacking something but they capture most of the flavor of their arcade counterparts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laresek Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 I forgot about Vanguard! That was one of my first 2600 games! Excellent translation. Defender was a complete abortion! They got it right with Stargate though. Wizard of Wor was nice too. Mouse Trap was fun I spent many hours playing Vanguard, and it was also one of my first 2600 games. I remember several all-nighters playing that, and Asteroids, and then having to go out to play hockey at like 5am...memories. Once I got into flea markets, I played and enjoyed Joust, Mario Bros, Galaxian, Missile Command, Centipede, Ms Pac Man, Venture, and probably lot more I've forgotten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxsolo2000 Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 I have to stick up for Mario Bros., it's not bad considering the 2600's limitations. Q*Bert was ok, but I also had the 8-bit version which is much better so I never played it much. This may be a controversal one, but I think Tutankham is a good 2600 conversion. Sure it's nothing like the arcade game, but it's a good version in its own right. In fact, I like it BETTER than the arcade version. Reactor is another excellent 2600 conversion that I actually like better than the arcade version. As for bad, how about Amidar? Did they even try with this one? Tempest I second Amidar. I rented it back when it first came out and God was I apalled and disapointed by what I discovered when I switched it on. I was a huge fan of the arcade version and man the 2600 version was truly hideous. On the good side I would go for Stargate, Centipede and Sprint Master Where could you rent Atari games back then? I remember renting Nintendo games but never saw 2600 games for rent. I always hate finding a NES game I want that was an old video store rental, they usualy went sticker crazy all over the cart and label. Of course the person wrote their name on the cart problem is widespread on all the platforms, but Atari games seem to have just missed the dreaded video store labels for the most part. In the Uk there were two places in a town called Gainsborough back in the early 80's that rented 2600 games. One was a local video store whilst the other was a Toy/Electrical retailer called Greens and both allowed you to rent a game for a £1 a night or £2 for three nights Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpfalcon2003 Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Good: Road Runner Stargate Crystal Castles millipede Jr. Pac-Man Tapper Ikari Warriors Rampage Commando Klax Xenophobe Pengo Spy hunter BAD: Defender Donkey Kong Jr. Ugly: Zaxxon Up 'n down Pac-man Donkey Kong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcv Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Joust isn't bad except they reused the enemy AI for the egg AI. Eggs should not fly around the screen! Tempest On that line of thinking, how do the birds in Phoenix fly around with no wings? I had that exact same question long ago when I put my Phoenix page up: http://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/p...hoenixproto.htm Tempest How does Phoenix rank on this list? I actually liked it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadmeow Posted January 6, 2007 Author Share Posted January 6, 2007 Phoenix is good. They should combine all the crappy games into one. Then you would have Pac Man chasing the Congo Bongo ape and Donkey Kong, who escape in the Zaxxon spaceship/plane thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starhopper Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Where could you rent Atari games back then? I remember renting Nintendo games but never saw 2600 games for rent. I always hate finding a NES game I want that was an old video store rental, they usualy went sticker crazy all over the cart and label. Of course the person wrote their name on the cart problem is widespread on all the platforms, but Atari games seem to have just missed the dreaded video store labels for the most part. We had a little hole-in-the-wall on the south side of Louisville that rented carts for all the period games (2600, 5200, Intellivision, Coleco. . .). It was just a bitty shop in the old Westland Mall that some high-school kids started up with their combined game collections. You would pay $8.00 initially. When you returned the games, you got $4.00 back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fire!fire! Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 How does Phoenix rank on this list? I actually liked it. Phoenix on 2600 cart is really great. I like to play Galaxian and Phoenix for the similar concept but different gameplay. They both pretty much stay in my game changer-thing (lol can't think if what to call it) or in a box next to my game area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkarner Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 How is it that no one has mentioned Frogger yet? Both the Parker Brothers and Starpath versions are great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirin jensen Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 This may be a controversal one, but I think Tutankham is a good 2600 conversion. Sure it's nothing like the arcade game, but it's a good version in its own right. In fact, I like it BETTER than the arcade version. Tempest Wow. Tutankham for the 2600 as good? Yeesh. Mind you, I've played the ROM for the Odyssey2 version of Tutankham in emulation and that version was pretty amazing. Too bad it was only programmed for PAL... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abman Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 I really enjoy the arcade ports of Joust, Pole Position, Vanguard, Galaxian, and Space Invaders. How ever I do find some problems it both of these games that I feel could have been fixed with a little more effort... of course I know nothing about programming for the 2600. I how ever do feel that the cars you are racing against in Pole Position are rather bland, and they just don't look good when you compare them to your car, which is very well done. The first time I played Pole Position with my friend he thought the opposing cars were moving fences of some sort . Other then that I would have liked a more accuarate port of Space Invaders, but without a doubt creating a game like Space Invaders with zero flicker so early in the Atari's life span must have been rather impressive. I have to say out of all the arcade ports I mentioned the one that impressed me the most was Galaxian. I'm a much bigger fan of Galaga, but with zero flicker and clean graphics this was a very high quality arcade port. But I still don't get what the hell is up with that border . I have to say the arcade port of Pac-Man was bad, and so was the Defender port. But I don't feel they should be bashed as much. Even though I own several versions of Pac-Man on different systems (including the wonderful version of the 8-bit computer line) I still play the 2600 version from time to time. While the graphics and sound a pretty bad, I still get a sense of excitement from playing it, which I feel is what counts. But without a doubt Ms.Pac-Man and Pac-Man Jr. proved it could be done much, much better. I didn't complain about the Defender port until I played Chopper Command, which really showed how Defender could've have worked with a much better map and zero flicker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supercat Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 I have to say out of all the arcade ports I mentioned the one that impressed me the most was Galaxian... But I still don't get what the hell is up with that border For technical reasons, enemy ships cannot get very close to the left edge of the screen. Having a border was thought to be better than just having enemy ships disappear in the middle of nowhere. Other technical constraints require that the graphical object used for the player's shot must be the same color as playfield used for the border. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supercat Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 I have to say the arcade port of Pac-Man was bad, and so was the Defender port. But I don't feel they should be bashed as much. Back in the day, people thought Defender was good--at least by 2600 standards. Pac Man, on the other hand, was seen as feeble even back then. It's interesting the way some games that seemed good in the early 1980's (Defender, e.g.) really didn't age well, other games that were largely ignored in the 1980's (Combat, e.g.) have aged quote well, and a few games have managed to remain consistently popular (Demon Attack, e.g.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxsolo2000 Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 I agree, Defender was a damn fine conversion for 1982. I initially enjoyed playing it for it was far easier than the arcade version but small points such as Mutants and other attackers not chasing you around the screen did detract slightly from its playing value. It wasn't until I got Defender 2 in 89 that I realised how wanting the original Defender was but again, for 1982 it was a hell of an achievement Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dauber Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 They should combine all the crappy games into one. Then you would have Pac Man chasing the Congo Bongo ape and Donkey Kong, who escape in the Zaxxon spaceship/plane thing. Yikes...can you imagine the flicker?! Gamers the world over would collapse in seizures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dauber Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 Wait...no mention of "Burger Time"? I don't know whether that would be "bad" or "ugly." The gameplay is painfully slow, and the graphics are...well...yuck! I mean....who ever heard of a rectangular egg?? And where the heck did the "bread stick" come from?! Must've been used in that scene in the movie E.T. that had the pits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starhopper Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 They should combine all the crappy games into one. Then you would have Pac Man chasing the Congo Bongo ape and Donkey Kong, who escape in the Zaxxon spaceship/plane thing. Yikes...can you imagine the flicker?! Gamers the world over would collapse in seizures! Somewhere, at the bottom of a pipe, Mario weeps. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+atari2600land Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 How is it that no one has mentioned Frogger yet? Both the Parker Brothers and Starpath versions are great. I like the Parker Bros. version. Haven't played the Starpath one yet. Also, I really like Dig Dug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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