Falling for the Atari 7800

[video22su]

I am a big fan of the Master System and the Nes, but I have to tell the truth, I haven't had as much fun playing video games since I don't know when.

The Atari 7800 is a system that plays the classics, like they should be played.

After playing Mrs. Pac Man, Donkey Kong Jr., Commando, Galaga, Donkey Kong, Food Fight, and others, Im hooked.

In some comparisons, some games look better on the Nes, but really I enjoyed Galaga (nothing on the right hand of the screen), Mrs Pac Man, Commando, and others alot more on the 7800.

Its just the way these games play, no slowdown, no choppyness, and the speed, my god and the graphics were not bad at all.

Im sorry I missed out on the Atari 7800 back in the late 80's, because I missed out on a system that pretty much had almost perfect translations of classic arcade games.

I never liked the 2600 (graphics are to bad for me), but the 7800 was more in my taste, and Atari released games on that system that were meant for 8 bit.

Every day Im falling more for this system.

[Pantechnicon]

I've got a lot of love for the 7800 as well, although I primarily use mine for the 2600 compatibility. The Galaga port is extremely good, as is Donkey Kong and some of the others you mentioned.

I'd also recommend Dark Chambers if you don't have it already. It's the forerunner to arcade Gauntlet and makes for some good two-player fun.

My last suggestion is to invest in a pair of the European-release pad controllers (http://my.stratos.net/~hewston95/RTM18/7800Joypad.jpg). They're a marked improvement over the U.S. "painsticks".

Welcome to the forums and I hope you continue to enjoy your 7800!

[Chuplayer]

The Atari 7800 kicked ass. It was my first system. Too bad the Tramiels shat upon it. Commando's my favorite game for the system. It's legendarily good. I still remember the first time I played the pack-in game, Pole Position 2. Hell, I remember my dad bringing the system home. It is one of my first memories.

Good times.

[BydoEmpire]

I agree. I got my 7800 a year or so after my NES, and I always enjoyed the console. Over the last 10-15 years I've actually played it more than my NES because of the classics. Asteroids, Galaga, Food Fight, etc are all as much fun today as 20 years ago, which I can't say for most of the NES library. Obviously the NES had a boatload of great games, I just don't find myself wanting to play them now.

The 7800 stick is probably the least comfortable controller ever made, the pads are much better (though unless the requires 2 buttons I still prefer using a 2600 stick).

[video22su]

Ebay best way two find the controll pads

and I actuley don't own a 7800, my friend does, but I will be getting one soon.

Should I try to get these controllers before I invest, in buying a system?

[Wraith Storm]

Should I try to get these controllers before I invest, in buying a system?

The standard 7800 controllers were very narrow and made my hands cramp after extended periods of play, but I never had problems controlling the game... it just hurt.

So getting a pair of the Euro controllers isn't necessary, but is something certainly worth investing in eventually.

[video22su]

The original controllers, do they break easy like the rumored 5200, controllers?

[digitalpress]

The original controllers, do they break easy like the rumored 5200, controllers?

They're not GREAT, but they're way better than the 5200 controllers. Find two that work, don't beat on them, and they should last you a lifetime.

Also note that many 7800 games don't require both buttons, so you can use a 2600 stick. Also, since you may find yourself playing a lot of 2600 games you can use a 2600 stick. A nice option, indeed!

*thinks a bit about firing up Midnight Mutants*

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Midnight Mutants!

R.I.P. "Grandpa" Al Lewis. :(

7800 is a great great Atari system.

Personally I alway hold the 7800 in high regards due to it holding the honor of being the only cartridge system to have a home version of the Atari arcade classic Food Fight.

And a note to any potential/curious future 7800 owners ... stay FAR FAR FAR away from the Atari Flashback 7800 plug & play system, it may look like a 7800 ... but it's really an NES clone with AWFUL AWFUL 7800/2600 emulation going on inside. The games sort-of look like they should ... but nothing plays like it should.

[Pantechnicon]

Also, since you may find yourself playing a lot of 2600 games you can use a 2600 stick. A nice option, indeed!

The thing I learned the hard way about the 7800 was that while the controller pads were nice for 7800 games I couldn't play my favorite 2600 games with them to save my life! :? Why? Because the pads reverse the orientation of the standard 2600 controller, i.e. - the CX40 joystick fire button is on the right and the fire button is on the left, whereas with the Euro-pads the fire buttons were on the right and the d-Pad was on the left. I'd been playing 2600 since 1981 but only got into the 7800 in 1999, meaning I was fighting against 17 years of programmed "muscle memory" trying to use the pad in an orientation opposite to what I was accustomed.

The moral of the story is that a set of 7800 pads are great if you've never played any particular 2600/7800 title. But if you have any large amount of precedent experience with other Atari controllers then you should have those handy as well.

[justinec101]

Do the genesis controllers work on the 7800? I know they work on the 2600 and the 2600 joysticks work on the genesis (although without a start button you've gotta swap em out after you start the game)

I'm gonna pick up a master system and a 7800 soon and it'd be good to use the same controllers for all 3 systems.

And on the 7800 topic, are there any good games that were actually exclusive to the 7800 or just ports?

[vintagegamecrazy]

I think Water Ski was a great exclusive, not everyone likes it but it played well, Mean 18 was good as well.

[BydoEmpire]

Do the genesis controllers work on the 7800? I know they work on the 2600 and the 2600 joysticks work on the genesis (although without a start button you've gotta swap em out after you start the game)I use a master system controller with my 7800 from time to time, so I'm sure Genny controllers work.

As for the 5200/7800 controller debate, the 7800 controllers are definiely more reliable, but they're so painful and cramp-inducing that it doesn't matter. They're practically unusable, imho. The 5200 controllers are pretty comfortable, and if you get a rebuilt/gold-dot controller from Best Electronics it will last.

[guitargary75]

I love the 7800. I think I will fire mine up today.

[Lord Helmet]

I like the 7800. I like the 2600 and 5200 better, but the 7800 still gets a lot of attention when I'm in the mood for classic games. Ms. Pac-Man on the 7800 is the definitive version on a classic system. Same goes for Centipede.

Pac-Man collection, Asteroids Deluxe, and Space Duel are great hacks, and Beef Drop is a great homebrew.

[hex65000]

Ninja Golf!

It's the combination of two distinct flavors that shouldn't be like Chocolate and Pickles.

And yet it has been done... and it's not that bad a game either. Praise goes to the golfing ninja!

My correspondence with Dr. Weird to create the chocolate filled pickle have gone unanswered. I hope he doesn't try to steal the idea. :D

Hex.
[ This post was silly. No more coffee for me... :( ]

[justinec101]

Alright definitely good to know. All the 7800s I've seen on ebay come with those super uncomfortable controllers and I didn't even see any of the joypads for sale. Considering I can buy brand new genesis pads for like $4 a piece it's probably better than spending a bunch of time looking for those joypads and probably paying more.