Atari 2600 games 'worse' than E.T. and Pac-Man

[TurboGenesis]

I have kind of spun this from the 'worst games thread'
E.T. is infamous for being labeled as "worst [2600] game ever!!1!"… I had played it way back in the mid 80s and couldn't figure it out, though I was around 8 years old… so naturally I just didn't care for the E.T. game…

in regards to Pac-Man for the 2600, I had played this as well, and I personally feel this game is get a bad rep just because it's a poor 'port'…
but as a clone, I believe it's a fair and playable game… not the best, but far from the worst…

but now I ask, what are the true WORST games of the Atari 2600 VCS?

[SonicBoom]

[QUOTE=TurboGenesis;1869452]I have kind of spun this from the 'worst games thread'

Ooo. That's me.

Anyway, I Own an Atari 2600 With pacman, and ET. In the top 5. But the Atari Porn games are horrible. (Don't worry, It's pixalated)

[jb143]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzdqaJIeE0Q

I was in a local game store a while back and the cashier was telling some customer all about how ET was the worse game ever. It really made me wish that there was a Digital Press equivalent near here.

[Buyatari]

Dude the porn games are not horrible but a couple of them do suck !
If you honestly think they are horrible then you haven't played much Atari as there is far far worse than that.

For real crap play something super rare and valuable like River Patrol.

[SonicBoom]

Dude the porn games are not horrible but a couple of them do suck !
If you honestly think they are horrible then you haven't played much Atari as there is far far worse than that.

Well, That's just what i think. And speaking of ,Why do alot of valuble games suck so much *Cough* Action 52 *cough*

[Drixxel]

I consider Superman less enjoyable than E.T., I mean at least E.T. has slightly more sensible navigation from screen to screen. Metropolis is an illogical maze. It's not like E.T.'s the only item collection adventure on 2600, but I suppose it's a recipe for doom when you combine an unclear goal (for those without the manual) with the much-loathed pits and the altered expectations drawn from the fact that it's movie licensed.

Pac-Man. Well, I can't think of a maze game worse than Pac-Man off the top of my head.

[Baloo]

Dragster.

Or anything that's not an arcade port on Atari really. The sports games suck, the adventure games suck...

[treismac]

Why do alot of valuble games suck so much *Cough* Action 52 *cough*

That is the dark side of collecting, as far as I'm concerned.

[treismac]

I consider Superman less enjoyable than E.T.

I really liked that one as a kid for whatever reason. Flying around as the S-man was probably more than enough to satisfy me as a young'un with relatively low standards for what made a video game worthwhile. If memory serves me well- and it better 'cause my 2600 is 86ed at the moment- there were more than a handful of games that seemed to have no discernible goal. Yeah, you might have to collect stuff, but it still seemed like running around like a decapitated chicken would be just as much or little fun.

[Collector_Gaming]

i still honestly feel ET is the worst but thats me.
I have played one of the porn games on a emulator that being the famous Custers Revenge which some say is the worst of the porn games for the Atari

I still find custers a hell of a lot more playable then ET. Just saying

I mean atleast i have a goal where i gotta go up to a pixelated busty native american chick and fuck her while dodging arrows.
Et..... pit......pit........pit... reeses pieces.. pit.....pit....pit... Drew Barrymore... more pits

[BlastProcessing402]

If it wasn't for those annoying pits, ET wouldn't be that bad. Still not great, but certainly not worth all the anti-hype.

And yeah, Pac-Man was a shoddy port, but on its own merits would probably be fondly thought of if it had originated on the 2600 instead of in arcades.

Worst 2600 I ever played? Hmmm... I think I played some attempt at a wrestling game once, made ET and Pac-Man look like masterpieces.

[Collector_Gaming]

If it wasn't for those annoying pits, ET wouldn't be that bad. Still not great, but certainly not worth all the anti-hype.

And yeah, Pac-Man was a shoddy port, but on its own merits would probably be fondly thought of if it had originated on the 2600 instead of in arcades.

Worst 2600 I ever played? Hmmm... I think I played some attempt at a wrestling game once, made ET and Pac-Man look like masterpieces.

Yea i mean i am not blaming the company that made et for making it so friggin bad.
if the movie industry didn't push the company to rush the production so damn much it probably could have been the best selling Atari game probably wowed people during its time.

I mean theres alot of potential to it. The problem was it was rushed so they cut alot of corners and just made it so the damn cartridge would run when ya turned the power switch on. Vola a video game.

[SonicBoom]

That is the dark side of collecting, as far as I'm concerned.
True. But i had to mention it.

[Collector_Gaming]

Why do alot of valuble games suck so much *Cough* Action 52 *cough*

you mean like little red hood
http://www.rarenesgames.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/-267191207202633091.jpg

Super Noah's Ark 3D
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bgEINWglgmc/TjSRofvzOVI/AAAAAAAAEWQ/W-Q6WlVTJ_c/s400/supernoahark3dcartridge.jpg

and

Custer's Revenge
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a6/CustersRevenge.jpg/240px-CustersRevenge.jpg

who all fetch over 100 bucks on ebay last i checked

[bb_hood]

you mean like little red hood
http://www.rarenesgames.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/-267191207202633091.jpg

Super Noah's Ark 3D
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bgEINWglgmc/TjSRofvzOVI/AAAAAAAAEWQ/W-Q6WlVTJ_c/s400/supernoahark3dcartridge.jpg

and

Custer's Revenge
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a6/CustersRevenge.jpg/240px-CustersRevenge.jpg

who all fetch over 100 bucks on ebay last i checked

These were all reviewed by the Angry Video Game nerd, I can see these 3 being kinda expensive, like 30-50 loose, but around 100 is way too much. It seems like whenever he reviews a game thats not common, the value jumps on ebay.

[treismac]

you mean like ... Custer's Revenge
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a6/CustersRevenge.jpg/240px-CustersRevenge.jpg

In defense of the collectibility of Custer's Revenge, the game's offensiveness makes it a desirable item. The pornographic elements are secondary to this game's "appeal". The symbolism of the rape is where the heart of this game's appeal lies. As if the Native Americans didn't suffer enough at the hands of the white man, Custer decides to use rape to avenge one of the few good, solid, historical victories the Home Team did manage to win. There should be an updated version where the second level is Custer trying to break the bank at a Native American casino.

[treismac]

Apparently, there was a remake or a mock remake of Custer's Revenge.

http://i396.photobucket.com/albums/pp43/mysticcagames/ss1.jpg

How about that.

[Kid Ice]

Dragster.

Or anything that's not an arcade port on Atari really. The sports games suck, the adventure games suck...

First comment reeks of "I suck at this, so it's bad". Get a time under 6.00 then tell me honestly ET is the better game.

I would normally not even respond to your second comment, but since now it's fair to say I know you: Home Run, Bowling, Activision Ice Hockey and Tennis, Fishing Derby, M Network Football, M Network Baseball, Decathlon. Not so strong on adventure games, although Adventure is rumored to like have, you know, started the entire genre and everything.

There are at least a hundred VCS games worse then ET/Pac-Man. Regardless, there has been no game in the entire history of video gaming that fell as far short of expectations as Atari Pac-Man. I don't even know what other game would come into the conversation.

ET was disappointing too, but to be honest there was no particular reason to expect a good game to come out of that... it's just that at the time the whole world was high on ET. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a terrible game, just not any more deserving of notoriety than, say, the Swordquest series.

[Atarileaf]

The problem with "bad" Atari 2600 games is that many people haven't heard of them. They're bad because they were very poorly programmed and poorly marketed. One that I had in my collection at one time was "Vulture Attack" - an R9 game for a very good reason. Its a Phoenix/Demon Attack clone with horrible gameplay, collision detection and choppy animation. If anyone still thinks ET or pacman are WORSE than Vulture Attack, please leave your "video game enthusiast" membership card at the door and leave in shame and never return here again:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI6ii03cC_I

[Vectorman0]

There are at least a hundred VCS games worse then ET/Pac-Man. Regardless, there has been no game in the entire history of video gaming that fell as far short of expectations as Atari Pac-Man. I don't even know what other game would come into the conversation.

ET was disappointing too, but to be honest there was no particular reason to expect a good game to come out of that... it's just that at the time the whole world was high on ET. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a terrible game, just not any more deserving of notoriety than, say, the Swordquest series.

Kid Ice sums up my thoughts here perfectly. ET and Pac-Man are by no means wonderful games, but there are indeed probably a hundred worse games. ET and Pac-Man are playable and they actually work. There is some fun to be had from them. That can't be said for many 2600 games; there are entire company's libraries that are worse than ET or Pac-Man.

Anyone who claims that either ET or Pac-Man is the worst game on the system has clearly never scratched the surface of the 2600 library or is merely regurgitating something they heard somewhere else.

[isufje]

treismac, did you censor that pic yourself? 0_0

[NE146]

There are a lot of bad ones, but it's pretty much a given that Skeet Shoot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UWJFOUBxTo) is one of the all time worst VCS games.

E.T. is not all that fun a game period, but it's definitely one of the better quality VCS games with a lot going on. Heck, Howard Scott Warshaw made it. Anyone who complains about the pits just obviously hasn't played the game much as it's easy to figure out how to get in/out of them once you play with any sort of effort. But again, it just didn't end up as fun.

But heck, this dude loves it. :p http://www.randomterrain.com/atari-2600-memories-et.html

[treismac]

treismac, did you censor that pic yourself? 0_0

Naw. That is the way I found it, isufje. There might be an uncensored version, though.

[cracked8ball]

My vote goes for the 3 Mythicon titles. Star Fox, Fire Fly and Sorcerer. Sorcerer and Fire Fly are the same game with different sprites. Pretty much the games are as follows: Shoot a set of 3 enemies, collect treasure, repeat until you are killed, or die of utter boredom. No scoring of any kind. Horrid controls and terrible "music" compliment the boring gameplay as well. As for Star Fox, its slightly better than the other two, however, you repeatedly kill the same enemy over and over. I'd have to say it's probably a good thing no one has really heard of these three.

[Queen Of The Felines]

Dude the porn games are not horrible but a couple of them do suck !

Nah, it's just the one chick in X-Man that sucks.

[TurboGenesis]

Kid Ice sums up my thoughts here perfectly. ET and Pac-Man are by no means wonderful games, but there are indeed probably a hundred worse games. ET and Pac-Man are playable and they actually work. There is some fun to be had from them. That can't be said for many 2600 games; there are entire company's libraries that are worse than ET or Pac-Man.

Anyone who claims that either ET or Pac-Man is the worst game on the system has clearly never scratched the surface of the 2600 library or is merely regurgitating something they heard somewhere else.

the reason I had started this thread, was because I was confident that there are genuinely worse games on the 2600 than E.T. and Pac-Man… and I clearly have never really scratched the surface of the 2600 library!

I didn't even know there was angst towards 2600 Pac-Man until the turn of the century when I arrived on the internet scene! Everyone I had known enjoyed the game as a serviceable 'clone' of the arcade Pac-Man… but in the age of the internet and YouTube, a group think mentality develops and when a game is bashed, the lemmings then pass it forward and it becomes the 'standard'

[slapdash]

The Mythicon games are truly the worst, mostly for lack of ambition. But my personal #1 hated 2600 game is Skin Diver/Scuba Diver/Sea Hunt. I can't say it enough, that game sucks, and unlike Mythicon, they appear to have been trying.

[Sunnyvale]

Everyone I had known enjoyed the game as a serviceable 'clone' of the arcade Pac-Man… but in the age of the internet and YouTube, a group think mentality develops and when a game is bashed, the lemmings then pass it forward and it becomes the 'standard'

I agree. I didn't love it as a kid, but I played Pac Man at the arcade frequently enough to recognize this weren't it. But... I liked it still. I had fun. It is a shitty port. Not a shitty game.

[NYLatenite]

Of all the ones I've actually played, my vote goes with Sneak N Peek from US Games.

The music alone will drive you nuts after awhile.

[Buyatari]

While they are not the very worst I would argue that Pacman and ET are the worst blockbuster selling titles of all time and thus the most disapointing to the most number of people. Some would also say that these 2 games led to the crash and I tend to agree.

Many of the worst games are R7s R8s R9s etc but no one expected them to be good.

The Mythicon games were released at a $9.99 price point.

Really was there any hope at all for some of these other games listed here? Did anyone buy Hide and Seek or Skeet Shoot from unknown 3rd party publishers with anything but the very lowest of expectations?

[Leo_A]

While I've never been in a situation with another player where I could truely enjoy it in the way that was intended (The game is at its best with two players that are fairly equally skilled at the game, no doubt), I can't imagine Dragster appearing in anyone's worst game list.

Several other curious games have been mentioned as well. I've played many dozens of 2600 games worse than River Patrol, for instance. I think there's actually even a bit of fun to be had there.

[Sunnyvale]

OK, after a solid hour plus beating my drunk ass against my newly purchased Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I have to say (as I expected, it is rare), IT SUCKS! I mean bad! After the lego-esque blood novelty wears off, you're left with nothing of a game. So to the OP: If you want to experience the answer to your question first hand, pony up some bucks and buy the Texas Chainsaw Massacre's and the River Patrol's and their ilk.

[Manga4life]

You know something? I absolutely loved E.T and Pac-Man for the Atari 2600 back when I was a kid, an I still enjoy revisiting them to this day, I can see why the games hold so much hatred within the gaming community but I for one loved them. When I re-purchased my Atari in the 90's I made sure that these two games were some of the first games I got, call me a sucker for nostagia but they were/are special to me.

Anyhow, I could describe about 30-50 Atari games worse than E.T or Pac-Man but most of them I don't even know the names of, I've played so many just once that some of them were a blur and I can't put a face with a name type thing.

[scooterb23]

I'm sad it took 22 posts before Skeet Shoot ever came up. And nobody has mentioned Sssnake! yet. That one's just awful on so many levels.

ET and Pac-Man aren't that bad, in my opinion.

[jb143]

I'm sad it took 22 posts before Skeet Shoot ever came up. And nobody has mentioned Sssnake! yet. That one's just awful on so many levels.

ET and Pac-Man aren't that bad, in my opinion.

Technically, I had a link to it in post#3;)...Joe's 10 Atari games worse than ET video from a few years ago.

[treismac]

I agree. I didn't love it as a kid, but I played Pac Man at the arcade frequently enough to recognize this weren't it. But... I liked it still. I had fun. It is a shitty port. Not a shitty game.

To me, Pac-Man for the 2600 was just an Atari adaptation of a vastly superior arcade game. I didn't think it was that much worse than any other arcade ports at the time. I enjoyed it enough, I reckon. It wasn't until I played it on the Commodore 64 that I realized that a home version could do so, so much more with Pac-Man. After tasting the sweetness of the Commodore 64 version, the 2600 interpretation soured a bit in my mouth. I never hated it, though.

[treismac]

Of all the ones I've actually played, my vote goes with Sneak N Peek from US Games.

The music alone will drive you nuts after awhile.

Hahaha!! I kinda liked that one as a kid. I just popped it in to revisit it and my four year old son actually said he liked the music. Go figure with its nursery rhyme music, eh?

[Buyatari]

The only way pacman would not have been horrible would be if you had never played anyother pacman clone or port for any other system at time of release.

Space Invaders was a fairly loyal port and so was Asteroids. Pacman was not even close to either one. Some of the Pacman handhelds at the time were better.

Et wasn't just bad ET was the pits?

Seriously what is with these pits? Once you master getting out of the pits one still has ask what are they there for anyway? Did ET land on the moon? This game was nothing like the movie or the main character.

[Leo_A]

To me, Pac-Man for the 2600 was just an Atari adaptation of a vastly superior arcade game. I didn't think it was that much worse than any other arcade ports at the time. I enjoyed it enough, I reckon.


I imagine most people were the same way at the time. I suspect the excellent conversion of Ms. Pac-Man started to make people realize just how weak of an effort Pac-Man really had been.

But if we could go back to the opening few months of release, I bet 90% of the buyers were satisfied.

[jammajup]

As i have said before on other threads at DP and on other forums Pacman and E.T are only poor because they were rushed projects and i have even heard it said that what was achieved with Pacman in the short space of time was an amazing technological feat,i was not disappointed with it back in the 80`s because it was the Atari 2600 i did not expect it to look like the Pacman arcade game and to be honest i never heard a bad thing about it. What you need to ask is how many people hated it back in the day and how many people are just riding the tide of hate for it now and are probably not even from the Atari VCS generation.
There are much worse games like Tic-Tac-Toe,Soccer,Bowling,Boxing in fact most sport and board games were trash,sure E.T was not perfect but talking to people i have discovered that falling down the pits is the main issue well boo-hoo! people who want easy games with help on what to do during play with advising arrows and helpful on screen text have been spoilt with games like Call Of Duty MW lol

[Haoie]

Yeah, there aren't enough porn games thesedays.

Ahem.

[Nikademus1969]

THIS.

Oh dear gawd in heaven, THIS....


http://gamesdbase.com/Media/SYSTEM/Atari_2600/Cart/big/Sorcerer_-_1983_-_Mythicon,_Inc..jpg

[Leo_A]

At least the label is halfway decent. It's sort of a cross between Atari's text labels and picture labels amd looks good.

[Yago]

Football. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR0ErOg78uM&feature=related

Enough said... At least pac-Man and E.T were playable. This crap... Urgh!

[Nikademus1969]

At least the label is halfway decent. It's sort of a cross between Atari's text labels and picture labels amd looks good.


When the best compliment you can give a game is "Well, the label looks good" there is cause for concern LOL

[Steve W]

A lot of Bit Corp. games are pretty lousy. Dancing Plate is one. The game is about spinning an increasing amount of plates on poles. And... that's it. Really. Horrible music is the cherry on top of the minimal gameplay.

[TurboGenesis]

THIS.

Oh dear gawd in heaven, THIS....


http://gamesdbase.com/Media/SYSTEM/Atari_2600/Cart/big/Sorcerer_-_1983_-_Mythicon,_Inc..jpg

slight bump here...

I just purchased this here game for a whopping $3.18 (tax included)

just spent the last 30 minutes playing, and it is indeed a very low quality game...

but… but… I kind of like it in a strange way! I am having fun playing it LOL
I am going to seek the other Mythicon games now as well as a few other games mentioned in this thread!

[Hawksmoor]

slight bump here...

I just purchased this here game for a whopping $3.18 (tax included)

just spent the last 30 minutes playing, and it is indeed a very low quality game...

but… but… I kind of like it in a strange way! I am having fun playing it LOL
I am going to seek the other Mythicon games now as well as a few other games mentioned in this thread!

TurboGenesis, DP's resident gaming masochist. ;)

You could even film yourself playing them and get some fellow forumites to provide commentary, ala MST3k. I'd watch.

[Steve W]

I am going to seek the other Mythicon games now

Well, the brilliance of Mythicon's game line-up is that they're exactly the same code base, just slightly altered graphics and sounds along with minor tweeks in gameplay. So if you've played one of their games, you've played all three and you don't know it yet. The guy who programmed the original game (I read an interview with him years back) said that he turned in the first game as a demonstration of his ability to program the 2600, and they wanted to publish it. Then they had someone alter that game and make two variants on the original so they could have a fuller catalog. It was all a ploy to get their slice of the market and try to get companies to hire them to manufacture cartridges for them, since they came up with a way to make Atari carts dirt cheap in comparison to the other manufacturers.