Atari 2600 games that have aged well

[celerystalker]

After the SNES thread like this, I thought it might be more interesting to discuss an older, less refined system to discuss games that hold up well. Sure games that you still enjoy due to nostalgia, but more importantly games you'd recommend to someone today who's never played them that you believe would make a believer out of them.

The biggest for me is Warlords. I get that game out at parties and it becomes the party. Everyone gradually makes their way over to see what all the noise is about, and it ends up with a crowd waiting to play and enjoying watching.

Another is Track & Field. It has surprisingly good graphics for a 2600 game, and the special controller gets the kind of button mashing fervor that the arcade cabinet does.

What are some others that are timeless and break through their limitations with a pure, outstanding experience?

[wizardofwor1975]

H.E.R.O. and Berzerk have aged pretty well. I'd recommend these two classics too someone who has never played the Atari 2600.

[Flojomojo]

Activision games in general still look and play pretty well to me. Simple and clear concepts, bright and bold colors, good control, and no flickering. Most of the graphics look like their box art, which is neat. I still think someone should remix/remake them with rainbow trails so they look just like the box art. Bit Trip Runner is a step in that direction!

[bb_hood]

H.E.R.O. and Berzerk have aged pretty well. I'd recommend these two classics too someone who has never played the Atari 2600.

H.E.R.O. is a good example. In my opinion there are not many atari games that have aged well, but HERO is a good one.

[XYXZYZ]

The first game I think of is Kaboom! That's a game anybody can play, and stick to for a little while. Even non video game players can enjoy Kaboom.

[Niku-Sama]

Battlezone.

For me it seems to hold up, plus that quasi 3d looking graphics on a 2600 floors me still

[Leo_A]

While there are several dozen excellent candidates for inclusion in this thread even after disregarding numerous homebrews that have appeared in recent years and often shame what was created back in the day, I'll stick with nominating two.

River Raid by Activision, which is the perfect VCS game as far as I'm concerned. As great as Warlords is, it's not much of a single player game and thus often can't be fully enjoyed by many of us.

And Solar Fox by CBS is another one that is a fun and well rounded package that offers challenging gameplay, good control, variety, and attractive graphics and pleasant audio.

[Emperor Megas]

Keystone Kapers is my favorite 2600 game, and I think it's held up pretty well.

[Tanooki]

Pitfall isn't so bad still, and I do like River Raid and Wizard of Wor I think it was I enjoy too. I've had those Flashback devices in the past (2nd one that could be hacked to use real carts) and some of the titles on there were just fun but a good many were sorry one try dated wonders. I think Adventure was ok for what it was too.

[wizardofwor1975]

H.E.R.O. is a good example. In my opinion there are not many atari games that have aged well, but HERO is a good one.

H.E.R.O. is definitely a great game. I think I would also recommend Montezuma's Revenge for the 2600. I've always thought Montezuma's Revenge really showed what the 2600 could do. It has colorful graphics, almost no flicker, and very crisp controls.

[Gamevet]

I'd say Solaris and Yar's Revenge hold up pretty well. Omega Race looks pretty good too, but I don't think that the gameplay would be very appealing to a lot of people.

[retroman]

I think Road Runner for the 2600 has aged very well.

[Gamevet]

I think Road Runner for the 2600 has aged very well.


Really?

[Steve W]

Pretty much most of the Starpath Supercharger games. Crossbow was pretty damn impressive back then, it captured the arcade game better than nearly all other 2600 ports.

[Atarileaf]

Quite a few have aged well - for me - your mileage may vary but I still love and play so many of these games today. This is my go to system when I want some quick and fun gameplay. Asteroids, Space Invaders, Berzerk, Spider Fighter, Solar Fox, Centipede and Millipede, Stargate, Robot Tank, so many others. Hell I even enjoy Donkey Kong and Pacman.

[MachineGex]

My favorite Atari games are 2 player games.
So games I think still hold up well are...
- Indy 500 (love playing the tag variation)
- Maze Craze
- Slot Racers

[davidbrit2]

Marauder. Really, really good overhead shooter like Berzerk, but it's much faster paced, has a clear goal for each level (find and destroy the reactor), and implements a simple line-of-sight ststem. Watch out coming around blind corners. It starts off too easy and takes too long to ramp up on the default game selection, and I think that's probably why it's often overlooked. Choose one of the higher difficulties to start off with more intensity.

[Trebuken]

Dmon Attack

Was just playing this for the first time in a long time...

[mailman187666]

I saw Kaboom was already mentioned, so I'll +1 that. Also Pitfall 2 seems to almost be a precursor to Prince of Persia type games. Not saying they are exactly the same, but almost as if it were the template for those kinds of games. Pitfall 2 was a lot better than Super Pitfall on NES that's for sure. Another cool thing about the game is that it actually has in game music that plays through during gameplay. I'll admit it does get a bit annoying after awhile but I don't know many other games from the era that has actual music, and not just a melody that plays when you start a level. Journey Escape is the only other that comes to mind, but can't think of others at the moment.

[wizardofwor1975]

Really?

Seconded, I was absolutely floored when I saw the reviews for Road Runner on the 2600. :?

http://videogamecritic.com/2600rr.htm

http://www.8-bitcentral.com/reviews/2600roadRunner.html

[tom]

Parker games.
Still great: Frogger 2, Super Cobra, Q Bert, Amidar, Gyruss, Death Star Battle, Sky Skipper.
Super Cobra on 'fast' setting, great challenge.

[davidbrit2]

Parker games.
Still great: Frogger 2, Super Cobra, Q Bert, Amidar, Gyruss, Death Star Battle, Sky Skipper.
Super Cobra on 'fast' setting, great challenge.

Amidar would be a lot better if it weren't so slow. It's pretty good aside from that. There's a hack (by Thomas Jentsch, I think) that speeds up the game, though I think it goes maybe a bit too far in the other direction. Seems a lot harder than even the arcade version. Still worth checking out, especially if you've got something like a Harmony cart.

[MetalFRO]

It's never been a great looking game, but the 2600 port of Donkey Kong still plays really well and is lots of fun. The 2600 conversion of Mario Bros. also still holds up.

[wizardofwor1975]

The 2600 conversion of Mario Bros. also still holds up.

Good pick, its definitely one of the better 2 player co-op games for the 2600.

[Tanooki]

Mario Bros and DK my friend had back when I was a kid and ended up playing it half the night at a sleep over. They were well above the bar of the usual 2600 stuff I was even aware of back then. I never much cared for a lot of the games, but a few activision games and mainly the arcade ports were easy draws where they may have looked primitive then even in the 80s but the play was still solid and not overly basic.

[wizardofwor1975]

Mario Bros and DK my friend had back when I was a kid and ended up playing it half the night at a sleep over. They were well above the bar of the usual 2600 stuff I was even aware of back then. I never much cared for a lot of the games, but a few activision games and mainly the arcade ports were easy draws where they may have looked primitive then even in the 80s but the play was still solid and not overly basic.

Its kinda like H.E.R.O., sure there are prettier versions out there but the 2600's version is still a great game with solid game play. Another example is the SMS version of Montezuma's Revenge. The Master System's version of Montezuma's Revenge is head and shoulders above the 2600's port from a graphics point of view but I still prefer the 2600's version. The controls and game play on the 2600's port of Montezuma's Revenge are just more appealing to me. Admittedly, my preference is probably due in part to nostalgia considering I played the 2600 version as a kid in the early eighties whereas I never played the Master System version as a kid.

[Tanooki]

Maybe or maybe not. I'd think a game designed for a joystick ported over to a mediocre d-pad would feel not so slick or responsive as intended.

[wizardofwor1975]

Maybe or maybe not. I'd think a game designed for a joystick ported over to a mediocre d-pad would feel not so slick or responsive as intended.

Good point.

[Leo_A]

I never understood the hatred for Donkey Kong or Donkey Kong Jr.

DKJr. especially seems to get a bad rap, but I thought that Coleco did a decent job at it.

[celerystalker]

I never understood the hatred for Donkey Kong or Donkey Kong Jr.

DKJr. especially seems to get a bad rap, but I thought that Coleco did a decent job at it.

It's all because of the better ports that came later. I played the hell out of both of those on Atari, but after the NES versions, I had trouble going back. Especially Donkey Kong Jr. My uncle had a Donkey Kong Jr in his basement for years that I always played at family get togethers, and the NES version is very accurate. Playing the NES version allowed me to be able to put up scores in the hundreds of thousands on the cabinet. The 2600 version was just obselete to me at that point.

[Gamevet]

It's all because of the better ports that came later. I played the hell out of both of those on Atari, but after the NES versions, I had trouble going back. Especially Donkey Kong Jr. My uncle had a Donkey Kong Jr in his basement for years that I always played at family get togethers, and the NES version is very accurate. Playing the NES version allowed me to be able to put up scores in the hundreds of thousands on the cabinet. The 2600 version was just obselete to me at that point.

The Colecovision version existed at that time. It was pretty close to the quality of the NES game. I much prefer the Atari version on the C-64; it has all 4 levels from the arcade.

[celerystalker]

The Colecovision version existed at that time. It was pretty close to the quality of the NES game. I much prefer the Atari version on the C-64; it has all 4 levels from the arcade.

I've heard that the Colecovision version is superior, but I haven't played it first-hand, so I didn't want to act like I knew that for sure. There are definitely a lot of Donkey Kong ports that beat the 2600 over the head. Donkey Kong Jr, though, I believe was best on NES. The 2600 version of that one is pretty rough, and the spongy Atari joystick is definitely not my preferred controller for that game, as I was too used to the Nintendo 4 direction joystick from my uncle's cabinet. My little brother and I used to throw up 500,000 points on that thing. It was the arcade game I was best at for many years. I should pick up a pcb to put in my Popeye cabinet when I'm in the mood. I suck at Popeye. I like it, but I can only hit barely 100,000 at my best. After the first loop, it gets pretty tough for me, and I've never cleared 3 loops. The 2600 version of that was one I used to play with a buddy, but it also had a superior NES port. Unlike DK JR, though, I find that NES skill did not translate when I got a cabinet.

[Th3 hoff]

I still like the spiderman game. But thats just me

[Emperor Megas]

I still like the spiderman game. But thats just meI like Spider-Man as well. Everyone I knew who had a 2600 owned or played it a lot. I didn't realize that it was considered a bad game until I was an adult and retro games were being discussed on the Internet.

[Tanooki]

I've come to learn that stories like that amount to 100% pure internet bullshit. It's like since the whole old game review, discussion, and praise thing is played out as everyone has done it in text and youtube you need to do something edgy or new to get people to care. What better way to find an old game, better yet a more aged or obscure title, and drag it through the mud. If you can get the hatred to catch on and others start to agree blindly or from false memory, or even from a legit bad experience, then the hell begins.

I've seen a good share of games get dinged on the 2600, the NES, SNES, Gameboy and so on for sucking, but they really don't, maybe mediocre at best but when actually played and understood they're fine. Perhaps Spiderman isn't a turd, but some turd got the story started it does.

[wizardofwor1975]

I like Spider-Man as well. Everyone I knew who had a 2600 owned or played it a lot. I didn't realize that it was considered a bad game until I was an adult and retro games were being discussed on the Internet.

+1, Spiderman isn't a bad game. I looked at some of the reviews and the Video Game Critic gave it a B+ rating which I thought was more than fair. You guys are right about the reviews. The Video Game Critic admitted in his review that he had underestimated Spiderman prior to reviewing it. BTW, great thread celerystalker.

http://videogamecritic.com/2600snr.htm?e=35948#rev397

[Leo_A]

It's all because of the better ports that came later.

I doubt that.

I'm talking about Atari 2600 fans that are fully able to not only respect this system, but enjoy it. And that includes arcade conversions that are far from arcade perfect, that can easily be found in arcade accurate form these days.

That a kid that liked Donkey Kong turned their back after getting a much closer representation of the arcade game, doesn't really surprise me nor explain the disdain these this pair of titles gets. Many 2600 fans consider them nothing but a disaster.

[celerystalker]

I doubt that.

I'm talking about Atari 2600 fans that are fully able to not only respect this system, but enjoy it. And that includes arcade conversions that are far from arcade perfect, that can easily be found in arcade accurate form these days.

That a kid that liked Donkey Kong turned their back after getting a much closer representation of the arcade game, doesn't really surprise me nor explain the disdain these this pair of titles gets. Many 2600 fans consider them nothing but a disaster.

It was my first system, so I'll always have a soft spot for the 2600. It's been fun hearing about games other people enjoyed, as it seems like there is more disparity in experiences with those early systems than NES and on, where it seems like people largely played a heavily overlapping cross-section of games. That said, while those games were serviceable at the time, I don't feel like they've aged great. Original Donkey Kong is much better than Jr to me, and is pretty playable. Jr, though, I think is pretty lousy, and has aged worse less because of graphics and more from clunky control. I do agree, though, that they don't deserve to be ridiculed, and that Donkey Kong is downright playable.

[JeremiahJT]

Both Pitfalls. Both Breakouts. I actually prefer Breakout to Super Breakout, but they are both games I can spend a ton of time on. Video Olympics and Warlords for their great 4 player action. Both are good for 1 to 3 players, but they excel in 4 player battles. I think Mario Bros. controls great.

Asteroids and Centipede are fun arcade ports, but I prefer them on the 7800. There are some other games I really enjoy like Amidar and Double Dragon that I think don't hold up as well to most people.

[gameofyou]

I still really like Yars Revenge, Star Trek, Ms Pacman, Demon Attack, and Cosmic Ark. So many games for the Atari 2600 are still so playable.

I recently picked up an Atari 7800, which is nice because of it's backwards compatability with the Atari 2600 games.

[evildead2099]

Burger Time. It looks like $^#& on the 2600, but the gameplay is classic.

I've never understood the hate for the 2600 port of Pac-Man. Yeah, the game looks abysmal, but the core gameplay is still there, and that's what counts. It was a lazy port, but with the way people curse about it, you'd think the basic gameplay and controls were are screwed as those of E.T.

[wizardofwor1975]

I recently picked up an Atari 7800, which is nice because of it's backwards compatability with the Atari 2600 games.

Definitely one of the best features of the 7800. Being able to play Robotron or Commando on your 7800 and having the option of playing Berzerk or H.E.R.O. is a really great combo. :)

[T2KFreeker]

There are still a few really good ones that have not been mentioned at all. The 2600 had such a HUGE library. Sadly, yes, there are quite a few stinkers, but mostly everything that has been mentioned was really good. Here are a few that I think got missed.

Fast Food - It's actually my personal favorite 2600 game. Si simple, anyone can play it and when you get a group of people together and try for the high score, it really is a blast and can get quite frantic. I know, people complain about the repetitive game play, but it's more of what the games were like at the time. not to mention, for a 2600 game, it actually has pretty nice graphics. Much of the stuff from Telysis is quite underrated, actually.

Taz - Yeah, I know, it's kind of like Fast Food but with food coming at you from both sides of the screen and also instead of not eating the purple pickles, you have to avoid Dynamite...still a cool little game, although not as fun as Fast Food was.

Crystal Castles - How can we forget this one? I know, there were better ports released later on, but hey, this game rocks, especially if you had the Track ball controller and it worked properly. Keep in mind it was also great with Missile Command, Centipede and Millipede as well. I can say also, did anyone mention Missile Command previously?

Venture - This game is often overlooked as well, but Venture really is a really fun game and takes the whole idea of the game Adventure and adds some stuff to it. One of my favorite Coleco games for the 2600, check it out. i know the graphics look primitive, but it really is a fun game. It was also hacked into a Wolfenstein game for the 2600 which wasn't too shabby either.

Burger Time - I don't care what anyone says, but I logged so much time on the 2600 Burger Time, I actually almost like it better than the arcade version just for the nostalgia of it all. Is it an ugly port graphically, yes and no. It still really resembles the arcade version for it's time, controls well and plays pretty much exactly like the arcade version did, what's not to like here? The only complaint i have really ever heard anyone make that might hold merit is that the cart has no picture label? WoW!

Mouse trap - Okay, so it's a Pac-Man clone, but an extremely fun one. Be the Mouse and get the bonuses and turn to a dog to get the cats that are chasing you. Much like lock N' Chase, it added doors and such you could use to either trap the cats or separate yourself from them, but the idea you could also trap yourself really added something to the game's strategy. Was really well made.

Vanguard - Talk about an awesome side scrolling shooter for it's time? it's almost like a side scrolling version of River Raid, but of course, in a cave. Shoot enemies and pick up fuel and energy to make it through the levels. Really well designed and fun to play for it's time.

Kangaroo - I really can't believe that nobody brought this one up. Kangaroo seems to be forgotten so frequently. It's a fun side scrolling, multi tiered platformer in the same vein as Donkey Kong. Get Momma' top the top of the level to save Joey. The game play is simple and fun and the graphics, again, are quite fun and playful or the time. I think it still stands on it's own to this day.

I almost forgot, I also always liked the 2600 versions of both Dig Dug and Joust. Joust was so good, especially after I replaced it with that HORRID NES version. I was so upset. Glad I was able to later get the 2600 version back.

[Tanooki]

I have to be honest I hate and enjoy this thread.

I miss having that stupid flashback 2 I had around for a few years. I rarely used it, but if I dug it out around a 1/4 of the games or so were genuinely fun, but it depressed the hell out of me it didn't take carts. What made it depressing was I did have the model you could add a cart slot to, to do so, but I didn't have the tools, and still I don't believe I have the skill to do it.

If I could get a pre-modded atari flashback 2 I have a bad feeling I'd buy it very quickly. I'm not sure if I'd regret it, but it would be cool to have. At least then I could re-experience the Nintendo and other major licensee arcade games that the flashback was denied. The 2600 has some solid games those licensed modern copycats just aren't allowed to have.

At one point there was a story that ATGames was going to allow the Colecovision flashback system to have a cart slot, I would have bought that instantly, but they didn't do it, nor did they even bother to leave a hackers option on it (or even a SD card slot for ROMs like their handheld genesis has.)


Does anyone know someone who has a pre-modded flashback 2 that takes 2600 games?

[T2KFreeker]

I have to be honest I hate and enjoy this thread.

I miss having that stupid flashback 2 I had around for a few years. I rarely used it, but if I dug it out around a 1/4 of the games or so were genuinely fun, but it depressed the hell out of me it didn't take carts. What made it depressing was I did have the model you could add a cart slot to, to do so, but I didn't have the tools, and still I don't believe I have the skill to do it.

If I could get a pre-modded atari flashback 2 I have a bad feeling I'd buy it very quickly. I'm not sure if I'd regret it, but it would be cool to have. At least then I could re-experience the Nintendo and other major licensee arcade games that the flashback was denied. The 2600 has some solid games those licensed modern copycats just aren't allowed to have.

At one point there was a story that ATGames was going to allow the Colecovision flashback system to have a cart slot, I would have bought that instantly, but they didn't do it, nor did they even bother to leave a hackers option on it (or even a SD card slot for ROMs like their handheld genesis has.)


Does anyone know someone who has a pre-modded flashback 2 that takes 2600 games?

I'd love to help you, really, but between my heavy sixer and the 2600 Jr. I got, I really don't need a flashback, so, not really. I know they pop up on Evilbay from time to time though. You can buy the parts to modify them from Best Electronics though. however, if you were going to spend that type os money, why not just get a 2600?

[MetalFRO]

Vanguard - Talk about an awesome side scrolling shooter for it's time? it's almost like a side scrolling version of River Raid, but of course, in a cave. Shoot enemies and pick up fuel and energy to make it through the levels. Really well designed and fun to play for it's time.

Kangaroo - I really can't believe that nobody brought this one up. Kangaroo seems to be forgotten so frequently. It's a fun side scrolling, multi tiered platformer in the same vein as Donkey Kong. Get Momma' top the top of the level to save Joey. The game play is simple and fun and the graphics, again, are quite fun and playful or the time. I think it still stands on it's own to this day.

I almost forgot, I also always liked the 2600 versions of both Dig Dug and Joust. Joust was so good, especially after I replaced it with that HORRID NES version. I was so upset. Glad I was able to later get the 2600 version back.

I should have mentioned Vanguard - fantastic game. I was going to mention Kangaroo, but I didn't because of the need to push up on the joystick to jump. It did make control of the game a bit fiddly. Otherwise, a good port and a fun game. Also agree on Dig Dug and Joust.

[T2KFreeker]

I should have mentioned Vanguard - fantastic game. I was going to mention Kangaroo, but I didn't because of the need to push up on the joystick to jump. It did make control of the game a bit fiddly. Otherwise, a good port and a fun game. Also agree on Dig Dug and Joust.

Nice to see someone agrees with me. I have had people try and argue the Joust thing with me, but time and time again, I can always prove it. The NES port of Joust is so bad compared to the 2600 version. It's not like the NES version is really that much of an improvement visually and the controls are completely broken making it a nightmare to even consider playing...LOL

[Tanooki]

I'd love to help you, really, but between my heavy sixer and the 2600 Jr. I got, I really don't need a flashback, so, not really. I know they pop up on Evilbay from time to time though. You can buy the parts to modify them from Best Electronics though. however, if you were going to spend that type os money, why not just get a 2600?

Well the big reason would be the 2600 is an almost 40 year old system that isn't going to last forever. I'd rather have a console made in the last 5 years or so that was modded with a new pin connector to run the old games that has a very small body(console) footprint, with a modern rca cable and power plug, while also having new controllers and ports that could use the old if I wanted to go buy a paddle or something extra. The old 2600 didn't use RCA so it would be having to jigger around with buying and attaching other wires and adapt it over to work on my TV. That's where the interest always was yet not the skill to do it, and yes I'm aware of best electronics but I can't do the work I don't believe.

[celerystalker]

Why not just use a phono f converter on the end of the standard cable? It's an inexpensive coax solution.

[Tanooki]

It's still using the aging 40 year old tech I'd rather avoid. I like the idea of newer parts and a cool mod job like that too.

[Leo_A]

Atari 2600's are rugged beasts. I don't see any modern day clone outlasting the average VCS.

[celerystalker]

I agree with that. My 2600s all work like a champ. I can't remember how many I gave away, but I know I still have at least 3 that look at least as good with a phono F converter as they did in the early '80s.

[Tanooki]

I don't agree with how many I saw back west in horrible shape at flea markets and elsewhere. Unless you know how it has been treated, one can only wonder when they look that shabby on the outside. Yes the Flashbacks are crappy clones, all but one of them, the one you can mod though was a micronized 2600 using the right pieces of hardware and then docking the games it had on a chip which passed data to the system. I really wish I understood why on the systems since they went with a crap system on a chip setup as it's a shame. Given the interest ATGames had in placing a cart slot on their tv game genesis system it would have been nice had that happened with the 2600.

[celerystalker]

I've found the consoles to be rather durable. The only issues I've really ran into have been an occasional worn out switch from people doing some of the old frying tricks and bad AC cords, as those things are super long and thin.

[T2KFreeker]

I don't agree with how many I saw back west in horrible shape at flea markets and elsewhere. Unless you know how it has been treated, one can only wonder when they look that shabby on the outside. Yes the Flashbacks are crappy clones, all but one of them, the one you can mod though was a micronized 2600 using the right pieces of hardware and then docking the games it had on a chip which passed data to the system. I really wish I understood why on the systems since they went with a crap system on a chip setup as it's a shame. Given the interest ATGames had in placing a cart slot on their tv game genesis system it would have been nice had that happened with the 2600.

In the end, it's about the property holders. If they don't want to allow @tGames to put a cart port on their clone system, then they won't. I remember that Curt Vendell wanted to get a 2600 Portable out there, but the costs would have been so astronomical, it was financially unfeasible. The holders of Atari still want top dollar for their IP's, and as sad as that may be, it still is what it is and there really isn't much that can be done about it until someone sensible buys the Atari name and rights again because as long as Infogrames owns it, you aren't getting anywhere really.

On a side note, you can also buy an Atari 2600 from Best Electronics that has been modded for RCA output! They do a really good job and the work is well done. Just saying. The 2600's I have sen from there, and i have seen 5 of them, are always in top notch shape and the Joysticks are generally brand new. Just saying. Not like you can't get brand new ones off of EvilBay either from Retrobit even. Just saying. Plus, unlike the Flashback 2, you would have 100% compatibility. nYes, there are some games that will not work with the Flashback 2 console due to power consumption.

[Tanooki]

Well there ya go, learned something, did not know Best sold pre-modded original systems. I'll have to go see how expensive that is as I'm curious. I've always been mixed on the 2600 as most of the games are just too early so they're ugly as sin, but it's hard to deny the solid game play various games do have for it and sadly can't end up on a flashback due to licensing deals and ownership rights.

I don't believe though Infogrames owns that aspect of Atari anymore. Some years back stuff went all over, and I recall the name went one way, various games went in a few others between the now WB (dead Midway) among others. This insulting frog of a frenchman owns much of the game rights as this rate and he's an insufferable prick who tries to break contracts as they're made and extort ever higher fees, royalties and personal control over stuff he hardly comprehends causing much stuff to end up left in the dust which is unfortunate. Railroad Tycoon was due to come back this year, but he tanked it after agreeing to the work, and much of it was done already and that is off the table. Angry with an early build that doesn't hold much value or quality he's supposedly still going to try and release it somehow which should have disastrous results.


Edit: I don't believe they still sell pre-modded systems do they? That website is a mid 90s trainwreck. Far as i can tell they have plenty of parts, used and new games, various kits to do mods and hacks, but I could not find pre-modded systems.

[o.pwuaioc]

This should cover it. I left off games that had much superior ports elsewhere.

Adventures of Tron
Astroblast
Atlantis
Barnstorming
Beanie Bopper
Berzerk
Crystal Castles
Demon Attack
Demons to Diamonds
Dodge ’Em
Enduro
Fast Food
Frogs and Flies
Frostbite
Freeway
Halloween
Haunted House
Jawbreaker
Kaboom!
Kangaroo
Keystone Kapers
Kool-Aid Man
Megamania
Midnight Magic
Missile Command
No Escape
Phoenix
Piece o’ Cake
Pitfall
Pitfall II: Lost Caverns
Planet Patrol
Plaque Attack
Pressure Cooker
Private Eye
River Raid
Seaquest
Secret Quest
Solar Fox
Solar Storm
Solaris
Space Invaders
Spider-Man
Spider Fighter
Stampede
Surround
Towering Inferno
Turmoil
Yars’ Revenge

[T2KFreeker]

Edit: I don't believe they still sell pre-modded systems do they? That website is a mid 90s trainwreck. Far as i can tell they have plenty of parts, used and new games, various kits to do mods and hacks, but I could not find pre-modded systems.

If you scroll down the page of the 2600 System stuff, they sell the Light 2600 Reconditioned with the Rev 3 AV Modification for $135.00 with two new joysticks as well as a brand new moon patrol cart...they also have the heavy sixers as well, but for a bit more...

[7th lutz]

I recently picked up an Atari 7800, which is nice because of it's backwards compatability with the Atari 2600 games.

It is a great feature of the 7800. I have one since 89. It is a great for early 80's arcade ports.

The system has a great homebrew scene that has more homebrew developers than it did in the past.

[Tanooki]

Good point about the 7800. Is there any benefit to not having one of those to do 2600 games? It would seem almost ideal to have that running an RCA cable setup given you could run 2 eras of titles from Atari.

[Leo_A]

Some 7800's aren't compatible with all 2600 titles (Although via a multicart like the Cuttle Cart II, that seems to cure it for something like Robot Tank or Supercharger titles).

And the perfect output settings for 7800 titles don't match what 2600 titles need, which can result in low Pokey audio for one issue I recall hearing. Some video modifications actually implement a switch to go between 2600 and 7800 modes as a result.

Not familiar with what Best Electronics does, but there's a lot of fine video modifications for both consoles that will push composite and S-Video out. And I remember a component modification and a new RGB modification for the 2600 was just recently announced, which should be perfect with an old monitor or for pairing up with an XRGB Mini.


I don't agree with how many I saw back west in horrible shape at flea markets and elsewhere. Unless you know how it has been treated, one can only wonder when they look that shabby on the outside.

If they're operable, all they needed to be is cleaned up. Then, I bet they'd keep on ticking for years to come.

Another thing to their benefit, which absolutely riled up a long departed nut around here when I said it once in a Retron 5 thread, is that an Atari 2600 is actually maintainable. When something goes wrong, even an amateur with some patience and a few basic skills can often revive it. If not, there are other people that can.

When the latest clone goes up, unless perhaps there's a bad solder joint somewhere that's within easy reach to reflow, that's game over.


I've always been mixed on the 2600 as most of the games are just too early so they're ugly as sin, but it's hard to deny the solid game play various games do have for it and sadly can't end up on a flashback due to licensing deals and ownership rights.

Many 2600 titles are quite beautiful. Pick up Activision Anthology for the PS2 and take a tour of some of its prettiest titles.

Simple doesn't have to mean ugly.


I don't believe though Infogrames owns that aspect of Atari anymore. Some years back stuff went all over, and I recall the name went one way, various games went in a few others between the now WB (dead Midway) among others.

The French still own everything they acquired, besides Battlezone and one or two other titles that were auctioned off when they briefly considered liquidating their assets. Warner Brothers never owned any assets that trace back to the original Atari Inc. or the subsequent, post split-up Atari Corp.

It's the assets of Atari Games that largely falls under Warner Brothers ownership today. This is the arcade division that stayed with Warner Communications in 1984 after the home division was sold off (Although earlier arcade titles stayed with the home division and went to Jack Tramiel, which is how the French were able to sell Battlezone off). Warner kept the manufacturing facilities for arcade titles, the programmers, the distribution and servicing network, etc.

They proceeded to release many famous titles like Roadblasters and Paperboy, had a home division of their own called Tengen (They couldn't use the Atari name at home), and then sold it in 1996 to Midway where it joined the Williams and Bally Midway coinop libraries. Last title was California Speed before being renamed Midway Games West, and was eventually shuttered completely in 2003.

Warner Brothers now owns most of Midway's IP, although plenty of it went in different directions like Hydro Thunder to Microsoft and NBA Jam to Electronic Arts.

[Tanooki]

Hmm then who is the frog that owns the rights to the Atari name and Rollercoaster Tycoon World?
http://store.steampowered.com/app/282560/?snr=1_7_7_230_150_2

That's the raving greedy tool I was speaking of is named: Frederic Chesnais (just googled around a bit.)


Taken from an atariage.com forum post -->

Well, the worst possible thing that could have happened to the brand has happened:

http://www.4-traders.com/ATARI-2168735/news/ATARI--SA-announces-new-shareholders-to-replace-BlueBay-Funds-16009769/

Curt summed it up nicely on Facebook -

So Atari SA has been taken over by the lowest piece of garbage in the industry - Frederic Chesnais... this is the same two-bit cheapskate swindler who reneg'd on paying the engineering and design costs for the Gene Simmons Axe guitar controller several years back. So now the slime ball has pulled some dirty insider moves with his old pals in France and now Atari stays with the incompetent and arrogant people that dragged it into the gutter in the first place. Atari is dead beyond dead!!!

[Leo_A]

Yeah, that's the remains of Atari Corp, which was the home division that Warner sold off in 1984 to Jack Tramiel (The console and computer line, along with the rights to Atari Inc's arcade lineup, thanks I imagine to those rights being more useful to Atari Corp than Atari Games).

It went on to release computers like the ST, new gaming hardware like the 7800/Lynx/Jaguar, etc. Off the top of my hand, it was acquired by JTS circa 1996, Hasbro two or three years later, and then the French when Infogrames got their hands on it in the early 2000's. No doubt a gross over simplification of things, but that's the gist of what has transpired since then.

French control didn't start off so bad, with releases like Atari Anthology, the Flashback 2, etc. Now, they're pursuing homosexuals and gambling, per their last press release a while back that discussed their current corporate strategy.

Hopefully the rights to Atari's classic assets find good homes someday, hopefully as a group rather than split up piecemeal (You'll almost never certainly see Battlezone be included again in an Atari collection in the future; Tossing these properties to the winds will just guarantee that it will never see the light of day again).

Their only real value is for rereleases. Too bad it didn't find a home with a company that was content at giving these classics the coverage on modern platforms that they deserve. Instead, everyone and their brother has a strategy for Atari to make it "relevant" again and start it down the path to world domination.

Nobody seems content with a realistic goal that would respect the brand and properly leverage its assets via rereleases and perhaps the occasional tastefully done remake.

[Gamevet]

This should cover it. I left off games that had much superior ports elsewhere.

Adventures of Tron
Astroblast
Atlantis
Barnstorming
Beanie Bopper
Berzerk
Crystal Castles
Demon Attack
Demons to Diamonds
Dodge ’Em
Enduro
Fast Food
Frogs and Flies
Frostbite
Freeway
Halloween
Haunted House
Jawbreaker
Kaboom!
Kangaroo
Keystone Kapers
Kool-Aid Man
Megamania
Midnight Magic
Missile Command
No Escape
Phoenix
Piece o’ Cake
Pitfall
Pitfall II: Lost Caverns
Planet Patrol
Plaque Attack
Pressure Cooker
Private Eye
River Raid
Seaquest
Secret Quest
Solar Fox
Solar Storm
Solaris
Space Invaders
Spider-Man
Spider Fighter
Stampede
Surround
Towering Inferno
Turmoil
Yars’ Revenge

Some of those Activision games had better versions on the 5200 and C64.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOoFXZKo_xA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MX8h9Keajw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iom6uuAlN04

[T2KFreeker]

Some of those Activision games had better versions on the 5200 and C64.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOoFXZKo_xA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MX8h9Keajw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iom6uuAlN04

While this may be true, it doesn't negate the fact that the 2600 versions still have legs to stand on on the 2600. let's be honest, there are some games on the beast that haven't exactly aged very gracefully, you know?

[Gamevet]

While this may be true, it doesn't negate the fact that the 2600 versions still have legs to stand on on the 2600. let's be honest, there are some games on the beast that haven't exactly aged very gracefully, you know?


Believe me, I know that. I dust off my old VCS at least once a year.