which is the best/funnest of the pre-nes systems

[Poofta!]

basically im looking into getting together a small collection of (gasp) FUN games!, not so much interested in rarity, but quality from atari age.

i never had any of these consoles so im obliviouse as to which one was king. of course i have to assume it was the atari 2600, but you guys have to know better than me.

basically i mean late 70s and the pre-nes 80s. which console was the clear winner when it came to FUN and pretty (HA) games to play? intellivison? collecovision? 2600? others?

what are the pros and cons of each, and ultimately, which bring more pleasure playing (i have no nostalgia with the era, so please, gameplay is all thats important).

[Flack]

For the Atari 2600, the pro's are that they're relatively cheap, joysticks are a dime a dozen, they pretty much last forever, and games can be found regularly for a buck. The con is that if you're looking to begin collecting, everybody else has a 5-10 year jump on ya. I'm sure the 2600 has the largest library of them all, and lots of people have spare games they'd be willing to get rid of for a buck each (I know I would).

On the Intellivision, I would say a pro is the games are slightly better than the 2600, but the con is the system's controllers. They're unique, difficult to get used to if you didn't grow up with them, use inserts which most people have lost, and are attached to the system, so if the controller dies, buh bye (I'm sure they can be fixed but still).

Colecovision, pro is that with an adapter you can also play all 2600 games. The con I would say is that in 10 years of searching I've never run across any coleco stuff in the wild except for a couple of carts that got mixed in to a 2600 lot.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Consider the mighty Odyssey2. An actual full keyboard, some of the best joysticks of the 8-bit era, and games that put a novel twist on popular favorites. Still my favorite!

[Captain Wrong]

Consider the mighty Odyssey2. An actual full keyboard, some of the best joysticks of the 8-bit era, and games that put a novel twist on popular favorites. Still my favorite!

And Pick Axe Pete. :)

/captainwrong misses his O2 sometimes.

[o2william]

I too have to stick up for the Odyssey2, but it you have no nostalgia you probably will have a hard time really getting into it. It can tough machine to love. :)

Like Flack said, the classic system with the best bang for the buck is the mighty 2600. There are MANY MANY games available for the system, including lots of great ones (and lots of not-so-good ones). Best of all, the better games tended to be the better sellers, making them easier to find today. So it's easy to build up a collection of fun titles without spending a lot of money. Then there's always the rarities if you decide to actively collect for it in the future.

I'd also suggest looking into the ColecoVision. I find it to be the most "NES-like" of the pre-NES systems, which might make it more palatable to someone with no nostalgia for that era of gaming.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Oh, and let's not forget Smithereens on the Odyssey2 - the most fun two people can have with their pants on, swear to God. Though you really, really need the Voice Module for full effect on that one.

[Kroogah]

Oh, and let's not forget Smithereens on the Odyssey2 - the most fun two people can have with their pants on, swear to God. Though you really, really need the Voice Module for full effect on that one.

I disagree, Type & Tell is the best voice module game. If you're blissfully immature. Or drunk. Or both.

Being born in '85 my vote goes to Colecovision. Venture, Pepper II, Lady Bug, and Mouse Trap are all damn fun games.

[Flack]

I too have to stick up for the Odyssey2, but it you have no nostalgia you probably will have a hard time really getting into it. It can tough machine to love. :)

In all honesty, this is going to apply to most of these systems.

[briskbc]

I really like the Coleco but I'm only comparing it to the 2600 and the Intellivision. I've never tried the O2 and probably won't get a chance to for a long time. I really like the Colecovision's graphics, the library of games and the cool accessories. I'm not a big fan of the game paddle but it's bettern than the Intelivision's IMO.

[atari_overlord]

The colecovision has some rad games but finding good controllers for it can be a test sometimes. My vote goes to the vectrex. What a great system with great games and great control. I only have 7 or so games for it but it is worth it for Mine Storm alone. Oh and it is a great conversation piece. I have it in my living room right next to my pachinko machine and people cant pass it without wanting to play. Also fun to collect for. What I am getting at is if you only buy two more things for the rest of your life let one be a vectrex and the other be maybe a George Forman Grill. ITS BACON WITHOUT THE GUILT!

[kirin jensen]

I'd say go with the 2600. And I love the O2 (in case you haven't noticed by my posts).

The main reason would be the Activision and Imagic games, which are some of the most easy to find of the games for the 2600, plus the homebrews now coming out - some of which are amazing. In fact, most of the arcade conversions for the Atari aren't nearly as good as the vaguely "rip-off" games (e.g., Chopper Command easily beats Defender,Megamania/Spider Fighter/Demon Attack are far better than Space Invaders/Phoenix etc.).

On the other hand, the O2 has some truly awesome titles - a smaller list, nbut no less impressive. Even better, the best(UFO, Pick Axe Pete,KC Munckin,KC's Crazy Chase, Turtles, Attack of the Timelord,freedom fighters) are often offered on e-bay with the O2 for $10 or so. Sometimes you can get all of them in a package deal. With the Voice, you can pick up a nice package for $30-40. And the few homebrews for it are fantastic!

If you have a firstborn to sell, get a vectrex, of course.

In general, the best place to start would be to try out a few in emulation and see which you like best. I vote for the O2 if it's for myself. :rocker:

[The Brown Eye]

I will recommend the O2 as well. If you can deal with the lack of big-name licenses you will find many hours of fun here.

[squidblatt]

I'm saying Intellivision. The inserts and controllers make the system unique, and good games are not hard to find. I also like the game boxes.

[RangerG]

The Odyssey2 and Intellivision are not systems I would think of when recommending pre-crash systems to someone with no nostalgia for the era. The Intellivision controllers are tough to get used to (if you used them when you were younger then you may forgive them easier) and the O2's really blocky graphics and one man your dead gameplay may be tough on a newcomer. However, these two systems are for the most part very cheap to get and get games for (especially the 02), but you most likely will need to go to Ebay (or ask around here) for a system and some games. Saying that, I would recommend looking around in the wild for a 2600 and a few games. Of any pre-crash systems, you might find a 2600 with a little thrifting/a few flea market visits to test out and see if you like the games, joysticks, etc. You won't invest much cash and you may be hooked! Next thing you know you will be going for a complete Fairchild collection.

[Arqueologia_Digital]

I go with Atari 2600, a classic one with a lot of funny games. In second place, i´ll go with Bally Astrocade and then Channel F, INTV, Odyssey, etc.

Cheers,

Matías

[NeoZeedeater]

The Commodore 64 is the best pre-NES system but strictly talking consoles I would go for the ColecoVision. I think its games have generally aged the best plus there's an adapter to play 2600 games.

[imanerd0011]

If you don't have any nostalgic feelings towards any of these systems, I highly doubt you will like any of the games on them. Most pre-NES systems didn't hold up near as well as far as gameplay/graphics go.
I would choose Atari 2600 if I had to though, but if you haven't played it before, chances are you won't like that many games on the system.

[drwily008]

Being so young, you will notice (if you buy an Atari 2600 or Odyssey 2) that these systems did not have the graphics of the mighty Atari computer line(in my opinion not up to par w/colecovision or other systems of the time). Pick up an Atari 800 or an Atari XE. These systems are VERY easy to collect for (i.e. finding games complete cheap) and the graphics are on par with the arcade games of the times. They also had great libraries with hundreds of cheap games. If those dont float your boat, definitely check out the Colecovision. It is my 2nd favorite to play of the "older" systems.

[Poofta!]

wow guys thanks a lot, i actually own and O2 and i dont like it, my system is practically new, seriously, with the exception of have extreme water damage on the box.

im not that young, im 20, but the first console i played was the nes.

seems most of you guys said O2 and Coleco, and since i have and dont like my O2, its time to get a COlecovision! yay! and since i hear it can also play 2600 via adapter, its a clear choice. thanks again.

on a side note, anyone wanan trade systems or buy my o2? ill make a huge post in buy/sell later, i have like 20+ items illl have to unload.

[squidblatt]

Colecovision is a good choice. While it was available, it was the envy of all of us who didn't have one.

My current take on it is that it never really had the time to take off, so there aren't tons of what I consider to be original titles for it. But even the derivitive titles can look and play great. It was definately the prestige system of its era, and I'd still like to get one when I have more room and moolah.

[Flack]

I will definitely second that recommendation for the C64, should you get tired of the Coleccovision. If you somehow managed to pick up a new C64 game every single day, it would still take you over 40 YEARS to acquire the "entire" collection (if that's even possible).

[le geek]

If you don't have any nostalgic feelings towards any of these systems, I highly doubt you will like any of the games on them. Most pre-NES systems didn't hold up near as well as far as gameplay/graphics go.
I would choose Atari 2600 if I had to though, but if you haven't played it before, chances are you won't like that many games on the system.

I agree with you on Graphics but not gameplay. While there are a bunch of great NES games, many are just meh IMO.

As far as pre-NES I recommend trying out Colecovision, Atari 2600, Atari 800, and Commodore 64 via emulation. Try out Pitfall or River Raid on 2600 and see if you like it... :)

Cheers,
Ben

[kirin jensen]

wow guys thanks a lot, i actually own and O2 and i dont like it, my system is practically new, seriously, with the exception of have extreme water damage on the box.

im not that young, im 20, but the first console i played was the nes.

seems most of you guys said O2 and Coleco, and since i have and dont like my O2, its time to get a COlecovision! yay! and since i hear it can also play 2600 via adapter, its a clear choice. thanks again.

on a side note, anyone wanan trade systems or buy my o2? ill make a huge post in buy/sell later, i have like 20+ items illl have to unload.

See this

www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=607979

Even if I get an O2 from someone else, I'm interested to know what games you have

Oh, by the way, you'd be well advised to try out the 2600(at least in emulation), it's got better graphics and some good games. You got so many O2 votes because we O2 fools are pretty vocal. Okay, really vocal: :bad-words:

[Dr. Morbis]

As someone who grew up in the "NES generation" but has recently heavily gravitated towards pre-NES stuff, I'll share my opinion on the major systems:

Atari 2600: defiinitly try this one out first. It has some of the best (read: most fun) games and the paddle controller is one of the best accessories of all time. This system is like the gateway drug: if you like it, you'll probably enjoy other systems from this era.

O2: I've been having a ton of difficulty getting into this system. It has about a dozen great games, but even most of them are hampered by one huge glitch: a single life. It's hard to get into a game like K.C. Munchkin when one stupid mistake ends your game immediately no matter how far you've gotten. It's too bad so many games on this system have this problem.

INTV: Again, some great games, but this system's major problem is the hardwired disc controllers. Some excellent games (Thunder Castle, Shark Shark) I can't even play for more than half an hour before my hands are too sore to continue.

Coleco: Great system, and great games. Some people hate the controllers, but I don't have a problem with them. This system's problem (for me) is that I find it nigh impossible to find games for it in the wild.

5200: I have no experience with this outside of emulation.

All in all, I'd avoid the O2 at first, and start with the 2600 or a Coleco and go from there.