The Atari 2600 mega-thread!

[Manga4life]

So, how many of you have owned or currently own an Atari 2600? I remember owning a 2600 back in the early 80's when I was really young, I had it all the way up until around 1988 and then I left the console outside for some strange reason and it rained that night thus ruining the console. I had probably 10-15 games or so, my favorites being Pac-Man and E.T (Yep!), but I loved Defender, Real Sports Boxing, Space Invaders, and Megamania. I got another 2600 again out of nostalgia in 1994 and fell in love with games like Dragonfire, Cosmic Arc, Ice Hockey, and Circus Atari, and have built a lot of memories off of all of the games mentioned over the past 25-30 years.

Currently, I have an Atari 2600 console with 32 games and I probably won't be expanding upon the collection because the 32 games I own are the 32 games I truly enjoy, I may someday expand upon it but not until I really get the itch (if at all). I play it every now and again but not as often as my NES, SNES, PSone, Genesis, or N64, but I do enjoy a night of Atari every now and again.

[ProjectCamaro]

I currently own two 2600's, the Vader model and the JR model with the JR model being the one that's hooked up and actually used. I own about 40 games or so and like you am not really looking to expand on them as they are the games I enjoy.

As a kid I remember in the late eighties going to my grandparent's house and playing on their old six switcher in the basement with my cousins. It was the most "modern" piece of equipment my grandparent's owned and it was far from the most up to date console when they bought it from a garage sale.

[Greg2600]

I still have my "light" sixer that we got around 30 years ago, which I recently had modded for composite AV. Have I think 120 games, and of course the Harmony SD cart.

[fergojisan]

I have 2 each light sixers, 4 switch, and Jrs. I have about 400 games altogether, maybe a little less than half of them boxed. I got it for Christmas of 1980, stopped playing it around 1984, then fell back in love with it and started collecting it in 1995. My favorite game for the 2600 (and really, of all time) is Adventure. I also enjoy both Pitfalls, Miniature Golf, Kaboom, Circus Atari, Frankenstein's Monster, Video Pinball, Jr. Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Asteroids. <shameless plug>I love it so much that I am doing a podcast about the games, which if you are so inclined, you can listen to here: http://2600gamebygamepodcast.libsyn.com/webpage </shameless plug>

[Urzu402]

I never had one growing up but I have one now. I have the Jr. Model and some games. My 3 favorite games are:
Berzerk
Solaris
Secret Quest

If my Atari knowledge is right, Solaris and Secret Quest are very late releases for the 2600 nearly at the end of the system's life.

[Polygon]

I don't own one and I never did. I have pretty limited gaming experience on any of the Atari systems besides the newer ones. My only memories of playing them were at my cousins house and we didn't see them very often. The 2600 is on my list and I already bought Pitfall complete for it because it one of my favorite games. However, I'm at a loss as to what other games to get. I'm just going to have to watch some gameplay videos on YouTube.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I have a light sixer with wood panel, a 4-switch "vader" and a 2600 JR, as well as a Sears Video Arcade model 2 (love those hybrid paddle/joysticks).

I also have a Flashback 2 modded with a cart slot by Ben Heckendorn (he did it for me back in the day before he was as ultra-busy and high-profile as he is now).

I haven't done a head count on my carts since I put them into storage, but it's hundreds and hundreds. These days I bust out the Harmony if I'm feeling the need to scratch the ever-present 2600 itch.

[treismac]

I have a 7800, a wood grain 4-switch, and a as of yet unmodded Flashback 2 that is on my to do list. I have 185 Atari 2600 cartridges, the majority of which came from my childhood collection. I picked up around 50 or so from a buddy cleaning up his garage about a year ago, and I have maybe sought and bought 10-15 cartridges since I got back into retro gaming. I play my 2600 collection occasionally as there are some magical gems that cry out to me for some love from time to time.

[The Adventurer]

Is an Atari 2600 (or 7800 with its backward compatablility) worth owning for anything other then as a historical curiosity at this point?

I mean, between various compilation releases, and better arcade ports... does it really offer anything you can't find elsewhere?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Is an Atari 2600 (or 7800 with its backward compatablility) worth owning for anything other then as a historical curiosity at this point?

I mean, between various compilation releases, and better arcade ports... does it really offer anything you can't find elsewhere?

While there are some very good 2600 compilations and emulators out there, the software library goes FAR beyond it's rudimentary (but often very playable) arcade ports.

The Activision, Parker Bros, Imagic, Mattel and other 3rd party libraries on the system are great, and there have been a TON of excellent commercially produced homebrews released (several every year for a decade or so at least).

IMO there is simply no substitute to playing 2600 software on authentic hardware. There's a distinct charm and appeal that is equivalent to how a lot of people feel about the NES.

Yes, collecting for 2600 will surely leave with a lot of more primitive versions of games that you have elsewhere, but I'd never dissuade any gamer from owning or collecting for it.

[Polygon]

Besides. it's not like collecting for the 2600 is expensive. It's actually quite the opposite.

[goldenband]

The paddle games alone easily justify owning a real Atari 2600. Kaboom, Warlords (and the homebrew update Medieval Mayhem), Circus Atari, Astroblast...lots of fun to be had there, and no emulator or alternative controller will really capture the feeling of the real thing.

It's also got one of the most vibrant homebrew scenes of any console -- partly because the architecture is incredibly flexible despite its limits -- and one of the most distinctive personalities as well.

[Atarileaf]

So, how many of you have owned or currently own an Atari 2600?

Atari, Atari. Hmmm, sounds vaguely familiar ;)

Yea right, Atari is my video game collecting love affair, especially the 2600. I have over 20 consoles of the various models and a couple hundred games (not including label variations or doubles). I actually had closer to 300 but sold the rarer titles that weren't that fun.

In my opinion this is one of the best consoles ever made, it has a great library of arcade ports plus all the fantastic stuff from Activision, Imagic, Parker Bros, etc. and because the library is so big there are a lot of great gems that aren't as well known like JawBreaker, Tunnel Runner, or Moonsweeper, and its still a blast to play today like it was in the 70's and early 80's, especially with family and friends and you don't need to devote a huge chunk of your weekend playing them. The Atari epitomizes "pick up and play"

As mentioned it has a fantastic homebrew scene and there's a new Asteroids coming out called Space Rocks that is just amazing to play with lots of options in it. And yes its a lot cheaper to collect for the Atari systems (minus maybe the Jag) in fact it seems to be getting cheaper as more collectors focus on later 8 and 16 bit generations.

Calling yourself a video game fan or collector and NOT owning or likeing Atari is akin to claiming to being a Star Trek fan but hating the Wrath of Kahn

[AdamAnt316]

I have at least four Atari 2600s (heavy sixer, light sixer, 2 woodgrain 4-switch), as well as a 2600jr. In addition, I have a couple of Atari 7800s, which can play 2600 games, and 2600 adapters for both my Atari 5200 and Colecovision (which I find to be fascinating; imagine Sony producing a XBox 360 'expanson module' for the PS3, and the lawsuits that'd cause!). In addition, I have a few dozen games, plus several duplicates. The graphics may be a bit primitive compared to some of its contemporaries, but the gameplay is still quite fun.

[bigbacon]

i always find it a shame that the 7800 came out so late and at the wrong time. It was far superior to the 2600 and fairly decent in the graphics department. some games were near early SMS/NES in thr graphics department.

So mad my parents threw my out + all my 2600 and 7800 games like 6 months ago.

[Manga4life]

I have the classic wood grain Atari VCS system, but I'm currently bidding on an Atari 2600 Jr that comes with 10 games, 8 of which I've never owned or played. I guess my comment earlier about not expanding my collection has been voided, lol.

[sloan]

Is an Atari 2600 (or 7800 with its backward compatablility) worth owning for anything other then as a historical curiosity at this point?

I mean, between various compilation releases, and better arcade ports... does it really offer anything you can't find elsewhere?

The games for it, even the arcade ports done with better graphics on other systems, are still very fun in their own right. Yes, I have played many VCS games on other systems, but still return for the flavor that VCS offers.

I have my original Sears Video Arcade 4 switch console from Christmas 1980 and most of my original game cartridges. I have now built to around 500 games for the system. I also have a Sears Video Arcade heavy sixer, an Atari brand heavy sixer, Sears Video Arcade 2, Atari wood-grain 4 switch unit, Colecovision expansion module 1 and 2 7800 consoles.

[treismac]

The games for it, even the arcade ports done with better graphics on other systems, are still very fun in their own right.

Here, here. There are many 2600 arcade ports that are just still fun to play, even if you hypothetically had the arcade cabinet of the game. Moon Patrol, Jungle Hunt, Frogger, and Dig Dug, for example, are all immensely playable and rather than make you feel like your gaming experience is being confined by the 2600's hardware, they make you feel like your gaming experience is being framed by the hardware instead.


Yes, I have played many VCS games on other systems, but still return for the flavor that VCS offers.

Fact: The 2600 is the only system I own where playing it feels "right" with rf. As much as I enjoy the VCS flavor, I do struggle to imagine more than a relative handful of retro gamers appreciating this flavor if they did not spend their early gaming years with a joystick in their hand rather than a controller. I use this image of the joystick/controller dichotomy specifically because I really feel that the joystick itself is a barrier to people getting down on the Atari 2600's classic library on the system itself rather than on some compilation. Honestly, even I use my 7800's gamepad controller easily 75% of the time when I play 2600 games.

[Manga4life]

The games for it, even the arcade ports done with better graphics on other systems, are still very fun in their own right. Yes, I have played many VCS games on other systems, but still return for the flavor that VCS offers.

I have my original Sears Video Arcade 4 switch console from Christmas 1980 and most of my original game cartridges. I have now built to around 500 games for the system. I also have a Sears Video Arcade heavy sixer, an Atari brand heavy sixer, Sears Video Arcade 2, Atari wood-grain 4 switch unit, Colecovision expansion module 1 and 2 7800 consoles.

I like that. The "flavor" that the VCS offers when playing 2600 games just feels right, when I've played emulators and one of those 50 in 1 RCA joystick systems it was never quite as good as when I hooked up my 2600 to play.

[tom]

two JR's at the moment, a short rainbow, and a Asia 128 in 1 unit

Here's my games so far:
http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu25/voltageman321/allvcsgames_zps5e2e53fc.jpg

[Aussie2B]

As much as it surprises me to say this, I have never played, to the best of my knowledge, or owned a 2600 or any of its games. I'll all for adding it to my collection, but for all my hunting in the wild at thrift stores, garage sales, pawn shops, etc., I have not once come across a 2600, not even an overpriced one. Considering how other collectors talk like the system is a dime a dozen and constantly showing up wherever they shop, I just don't get it. I have come across a stray cart here or there, but nothing that I knew to be rare or priced low enough that I bothered to buy given my lack of a system to play them on. Since I don't have a burning interest in the system or anything, I haven't bothered to turn to online shopping, so that's where things stand for me. Just waiting for the day I come across a cheap system or lot. If I could get a bunch of games for dirt cheap, even without a system, I wouldn't be opposed to that either. After all, I'm sitting on nearly 20 Intellivision games and still no system to try them on. I bought my Colecovision games before the system too. In that case, I actually did get online to acquire a system. I think if I ever got a good assortment of 2600 games, I might want to just get the Colecovision's expansion module instead of bringing in another bulky console. Oh, and I have games for the Channel F, Arcadia 2001, and Vectrex with no corresponding systems too. I guess that's the story of my pre-crash collecting life. Plenty of games but no systems to play them on yet.

[fergojisan]

two JR's at the moment, a short rainbow, and a Asia 128 in 1 unit

Here's my games so far:
http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu25/voltageman321/allvcsgames_zps5e2e53fc.jpg

Sweet!

[Scotterpop]

Besides. it's not like collecting for the 2600 is expensive. It's actually quite the opposite.

...unless you're looking for a copy of Air Raid!

I've got a Sears heavy-sixer (love that funky woodgrain pattern!) and a 2600 Jr. It's the system I grew up with so I'll always have a particular fondness for it. Adventure, Asteroids, Combat, Circus Atari, Berzerk, Keystone Capers, Pitfall 1 & 2, River Raid, Starmaster, Phoenix, and Jungle Hunt were and still are some of my favorites for the system. The last homebrew I bought was Halo 2600. I get some pretty interesting responses when I show that one off to friends and fellow gamers! The fact that so many fan-made titles are still coming out for this system is a testament to its greatness and influence on the industry.

[TheRetroVideoGameAddict]

You better believe I love me some Atari 2600! I remember growing up in the 80's with the ol' VCS and I owned dozens of games for it too, these day's I still enjoy firing up some old school Atari because it reminds me of a time when playing video games was about actually playing the games and not watching them like it was a movie. I used to love keeping a notebook with high scores and dates and trying to constantly beat the high score either by myself or with friends, those are the kinds of memories that you keep for a lifetime and I'll always cherish them as long as I live. yep, the Atari 2600 was quite the system and it still a shining gem to this day, too bad it doesn't enjoy the overall popularity of the NES but I can see why since more people owned the NES than they did the 2600.

[Polygon]

...unless you're looking for a copy of Air Raid!

Well, sure. :)

Every console has it's obscure expensive titles, even the the land of the 2600 where most games can be had for a few bucks, even on eBay.

[Atarileaf]

I'll all for adding it to my collection, but for all my hunting in the wild at thrift stores, garage sales, pawn shops, etc., I have not once come across a 2600, not even an overpriced one. Considering how other collectors talk like the system is a dime a dozen and constantly showing up wherever they shop, I just don't get it. I have come across a stray cart here or there, but nothing that I knew to be rare or priced low enough that I bothered to buy given my lack of a system to play them on.

It used to be that way but in the last 5 or 6 years its been a lot harder to find Atari in thrift stores or pawns. It does happen just not nearly as often. I think its been a couple of years since I've seen an Atari at a thrift store, value village, etc although another local collector found a couple of them a few months back but he hunts constantly and regularly.

They do show up fairly regularly on Kijiji and they're in all the local game stores, at market prices of course.

[The Adventurer]

I found a 2600 and a pile of games at a Flea market a few weeks ago for $20. I passed on it. Mostly because it was pretty dirty. And I honestly am not ready to start collecting Atari.

[o.pwuaioc]

I have a [still unmodded :(] 7800 and these games:

Atari 2600 Adventure, Adventures of Tron, Amidar, Atlantis, Berzerk, Breakout, Combat, Demon Attack, Dig Dug, Frogger, James Bond 007, Joust, Jungle Hunt, Kaboom!, Kangaroo, Keystone Kapers, Mario Bros., Megamania, Millipede, Missile Command, Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Man, Phoenix, Pitfall!, Pitfall II: Lost Caverns, Pole Position, Popeye, Riddle of the Sphinx, River Raid, Seaquest, Solar Fox, Solaris, Spider-Man, Turmoil, Venture, Yars’ Revenge

Atari 5200 Galaxian, Pac-Man, Pole Position, River Raid, Super Breakout

Atari 7800 Asteroids, Centipede, Choplifter!, Dark Chambers, Dig Dug, Galaga, Hat Trick, Joust, Karateka, Ms. Pac-Man, Pole Position II, Robotron 2084, Tower Toppler

I've been lately questioning the Atari enterprise, though. As I research these games, I find that even non-arcade games have superior ports on other systems, noticeably the Commodore 64, but even NES for some games. A rule of mine is to get rid of duplicates if there is not a good enough reason to own it. So, e.g. why play the 2600 River Raid if I own it on 5200. And then to take it a step further, why play it on the 5200 if there's a superior version of it on the C64? Or why own the 7800 Robotron if it's on Midway Arcade Treasures? If you guys could point out some of the reasons (i.e. exclusive games, superior ports, or ports unique enough to warrant owning) for owning these consoles, I'd super appreciate it.

[Aussie2B]

It used to be that way but in the last 5 or 6 years its been a lot harder to find Atari in thrift stores or pawns. It does happen just not nearly as often. I think its been a couple of years since I've seen an Atari at a thrift store, value village, etc although another local collector found a couple of them a few months back but he hunts constantly and regularly.

They do show up fairly regularly on Kijiji and they're in all the local game stores, at market prices of course.

I've been game hunting for over 10 years, so yeah... no idea what the problem has been for me. But, yeah, I'm sure as time passes, it's only going to get harder for me to find pre-crash stuff. (Heck, sometimes I feel like it's getting harder to find anything from before the 32/64-bit generation.) I have done almost all of my game hunting in Washington state, though, so perhaps Atari wasn't quite as popular there as elsewhere? And it was definitely solidly Nintendo land in the late 80s/early 90s, considering it's the home of Nintendo of America, so maybe most Atari players "upgraded" to the NES or SNES many years ago and ditched their Atari systems back then?

[sloan]

I've been lately questioning the Atari enterprise, though. As I research these games, I find that even non-arcade games have superior ports on other systems, noticeably the Commodore 64, but even NES for some games. A rule of mine is to get rid of duplicates if there is not a good enough reason to own it. So, e.g. why play the 2600 River Raid if I own it on 5200. And then to take it a step further, why play it on the 5200 if there's a superior version of it on the C64? Or why own the 7800 Robotron if it's on Midway Arcade Treasures? If you guys could point out some of the reasons (i.e. exclusive games, superior ports, or ports unique enough to warrant owning) for owning these consoles, I'd super appreciate it.

I am opposite. I like to have versions of any game for all systems it was ported to, as it is fun to enjoy the slight differences and nuances.

[7th lutz]

While I wanted an Intellivision II for Christmas in 1983 as a little kid for who know why, Atari 2600 is the system I got me hooked on video games. I really didn't get into video game before 1988.

Back in 1988, My Dad and I went to Toys "R"us for getting a game console and I picked an Atari 2600 Jr. My Younger brother's friend at that time got our 2600 Jr in the early 1990's.

I currently play 2600 games now my 7800 or on my Intellivision 2 system charger. I got a lot of 2600 games and the only system that have more games for is the Nes. I only have 21 more games for the Nes, but the gap is closing.

Some of my all time favorite 2600 games includes Road Runner, Solaris, Midnight Magic, River Raid, Pitfall II, California Games, Jr. Pac-Man, Moon Patrol, Defender II, Demon Attack, Galaxian, Jungle Hunt, Lock''N'Chase, Centipede, Millipede, Phoenix, Q*bert, Spy Hunter, Star Wars: The empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: The Arcade game, vanguard, Warworlds, and Wizard of War. Warlords, and Yars Revenge.

[treismac]

If you guys could point out some of the reasons (i.e. exclusive games, superior ports, or ports unique enough to warrant owning) for owning these consoles, I'd super appreciate it.


I am opposite. I like to have versions of any game for all systems it was ported to, as it is fun to enjoy the slight differences and nuances.

I'm with sloan on this one. I see different ports of video games the same way I see different covers of songs. Even if I happen to like a certain cover or port more than another, it doesn't mean I will turn my back on other worthwhile versions.

[7th lutz]

Is an Atari 2600 (or 7800 with its backward compatablility) worth owning for anything other then as a historical curiosity at this point?

I mean, between various compilation releases, and better arcade ports... does it really offer anything you can't find elsewhere?

There is no substitute for the real thing for computations. Atari 2600 also has more than arcade ports. Atari 2600 has a big homebrew game library, and a lot of great games that aren't arcade ports such as Demon Attack, Star Wars: Empire Strikes back as examples. I also enjoy having different copies of the same game on different systems.

When it comes to the 7800 it does have great arcade ports like commando, but it also has midnight Mutants. The 7800 itself has a great homebrew game library.

[Yago]

I still have the original Atari 2600 from when I was a kid. Works great. have 12 Atari 2600's, all models and now over 300 carts. Have 2 large plastic bins filled with joysticks alone. Fun system. Still play it.

[7th lutz]

i always find it a shame that the 7800 came out so late and at the wrong time. It was far superior to the 2600 and fairly decent in the graphics department. some games were near early SMS/NES in thr graphics department.

So mad my parents threw my out + all my 2600 and 7800 games like 6 months ago.

The Atari 7800 was supposed to be released Nationally in 1984, not 1986. Jack Tramiel part of the computer and the Game Console Divisions of Atari i in 1984, but the 7800 wasn't part of what Jack Acquired. I think you could have seen a bit more out of the 7800 back in the day if Jack Tramiel got the arcade division of Atari. I am saying that because the arcade division had games like Paperboy, Marble Madness, Super Sprint, Gauntlet, Gauntlet II, and Toobin' as examples.


The Atari 7800 back in the day didn't show what it really do in the graphic department. I am saying that because of Bentley Bear: Crystal Quest.

Proof: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU1ucfI-BmY

While the sound is Atari 7800 XM aided, the graphics of a stock 7800 system. The author of the game PacManPlus even said the game doesn't use the ram the 7800 XM has. What PacManPlius did instead of using the 7800 XM ram for Bentley Bear: Crystal Quest was Bankswitiching.
Proof of that: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/199637-work-in-progress-bentley-bear-crystal-quest/page__st__450#entry2689442

[Atarileaf]

I've been lately questioning the Atari enterprise, though. As I research these games, I find that even non-arcade games have superior ports on other systems, noticeably the Commodore 64, but even NES for some games. A rule of mine is to get rid of duplicates if there is not a good enough reason to own it. So, e.g. why play the 2600 River Raid if I own it on 5200. And then to take it a step further, why play it on the 5200 if there's a superior version of it on the C64? Or why own the 7800 Robotron if it's on Midway Arcade Treasures? If you guys could point out some of the reasons (i.e. exclusive games, superior ports, or ports unique enough to warrant owning) for owning these consoles, I'd super appreciate it.

My main collecting goal is getting all my favorite arcade ports from the late 70's to mid 80's. For instance I own Donkey Kong on the 2600/7800/XL/CV/Coco/NES/GB/GBA. I love the game and enjoy all the nuances of every port (although the GBA version is basically just the NES version). Hell if there were official ports on the Genesis, TG-16, and SNES I'd own those too.

In fact, when I start collecting for a new console, the original gameboy is probably my latest example, the very FIRST thing I do is find every arcade port available and try to get those first.

Basically you have to like the game to want all the ports, not just the "superior" port. What defines "superior" anyway? Being as close to the arcade original as possible? Not always the case, for example I'd argue that the 2600 version of space invaders is superior to the arcade original in every aspect.

[o.pwuaioc]

I've been lately questioning the Atari enterprise, though. As I research these games, I find that even non-arcade games have superior ports on other systems, noticeably the Commodore 64, but even NES for some games. A rule of mine is to get rid of duplicates if there is not a good enough reason to own it. So, e.g. why play the 2600 River Raid if I own it on 5200. And then to take it a step further, why play it on the 5200 if there's a superior version of it on the C64? Or why own the 7800 Robotron if it's on Midway Arcade Treasures? If you guys could point out some of the reasons (i.e. exclusive games, superior ports, or ports unique enough to warrant owning) for owning these consoles, I'd super appreciate it.I am opposite. I like to have versions of any game for all systems it was ported to, as it is fun to enjoy the slight differences and nuances.I'm with sloan on this one. I see different ports of video games the same way I see different covers of songs. Even if I happen to like a certain cover or port more than another, it doesn't mean I will turn my back on other worthwhile versions.


My main collecting goal is getting all my favorite arcade ports from the late 70's to mid 80's. For instance I own Donkey Kong on the 2600/7800/XL/CV/Coco/NES/GB/GBA. I love the game and enjoy all the nuances of every port (although the GBA version is basically just the NES version). Hell if there were official ports on the Genesis, TG-16, and SNES I'd own those too.

OK, so I'd like to qualify what I said a little. Currently, I own 3 unique ports of Galaga and the arcade version on several consoles, so I understand and sympathize with the attitude of various ports. Galaga NES, GB, 7800, and the arcade versions on PS1, Xbox, and GBA all have different feels to them. I haven't yet wanted to rid myself of any. However, I find myself only really attracted to the NES and arcade versions, and I don't see them as doubles since they're different in gameplay (like pulsating fleet, movements, etc.). But they're also really good games. The Game Boy version isn't so hot, in my opinion. The screen is too small and the lack of color really inhibits appreciating the differences in ship design like you can in the arcade or NES version (and other versions as well). And since the overall gameplay is so small, even if I had 10 unique ports, I'd probably only find myself playing one. Therefore in order to keep a sleek collection, I wouldn't keep the 8 or so I never play, and maybe consider getting rid of the one I rarely play, opting instead to keep the one or two I love.

To keep with your analogy, why would I want to listen to the covers of songs I like when I don't really care for the bands that are covering them? But if a band covers a song and I really like it and the original, I'll have both. So clearly I'd have both NES Galaga and arcade Galaga, but I'm not so sure I want Game Boy Galaga.


What defines "superior" anyway? Being as close to the arcade original as possible? Not always the case, for example I'd argue that the 2600 version of space invaders is superior to the arcade original in every aspect.
Then 2600 is the superior one. It's going to be subjective, for sure, but that's what makes each person's collection unique.

[tom]

Yes, people still like NES games even though the same games appeared on SNES