which 8-bit computers had outstanding games ON CARTRIDGE

[courtesi96]

Title says it all. Which 8-Bit computers had really good games that either beat console versions and/or the actual arcade?

[Ze_ro]

Well, Atari 800, C-64 and VIC-20 come to mind... though I would say that for the A8 and C64, the best games on the system generally came out on disk instead of cartridge, since cartridges just couldn't hold enough data for some games.

At least with the cartridges you didn't need to deal with load times though!

--Zero

[tom]

as above mentioned (over 300 carts on A8 and also almost as much on C64), but Ze_ro did forget MSX. Japanese games on cart on a Japanese computer. Best of both worlds.
Try FS II on cart for A8, instant loading...


anyway, shouldn't this be in 'classic computer gaming' section?

[Ed Oscuro]

Title says it all. Which 8-Bit computers had really good games that either beat console versions and/or the actual arcade?

I think you missed the new subforum:
http://digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=137177

MSX2+, definitely. Aleste II (yes I know it's on disk only) and Space Manbow all in one stop.

[Arkhan]

The MSX2 is probably the best 8-bit cartridge based game computer. All of the Konami cartridges with SCC , RPGs (Hydlide, Borfesu), and even some NES like games that are either the same or better. Alot of the MSX1 games are pretty impressive too. Goonies is better on MSX than NES. There is more to the game than the NES one.

Xevious is good, the Mr. Do games are good.

Plus lots of exclusive stuff only on cartridge.

And lets not forget Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2.

MSX really did the cartridge port justice where alot of other computers just half assed it

The Commodore 64 cartridge games were all pretty limited, and games like Gateway to Apshai were better on Coleco, or other consoles. Gorf was pretty good, and space taxi, but space taxi isnt console/arcade, and Gorf is better in the arcade.

[Blanka789]

Honestly I find the Atari computer with cartridge ports have some enjoyable games. It's a great reason to pick up an XEGS.

[j_factor]

The Commodore 64 cartridge games were all pretty limited, and games like Gateway to Apshai were better on Coleco, or other consoles. Gorf was pretty good, and space taxi, but space taxi isnt console/arcade, and Gorf is better in the arcade.

It appears to me that the C64 cartridge format is great for conversions of older console games and older/simpler arcade games. Frogger, Jumpman Junior, etc... if you like that stuff. Although personally, back in the day I don't remember ever using my C64's cartridge port for anything other than a fastloader.

[Ed Oscuro]

I find that many "straight ports" from other systems to the C64 are pretty damn bad. That was the sort of machine that demanded some real artists worked on it to overcome the shortcomings of its palette and resolution - not just a graphics programmer and a sound programmer. Terra Cresta is a good example of this (although I think that one's on disk) - mostly amazing music (even compared with the original) but broken gameplay-wise.

[Ze_ro]

I would say that for the A8 and C64, the best games on the system generally came out on disk instead of cartridge

To expand on this a little, earlier games for both systems (especially classic arcade ports, like Moon Patrol, Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, etc) work quite nicely on cartridge, since the original versions never took up a significant amount of ROM space in the first place... Much later games, especially RPG's (Ultima's, Bard's Tale, Gold Box AD&D games, Alternate Reality, etc) just couldn't function in the constraints. Hell, Pool of Radiance on the C64 used 8 disk sides! By the end of days for both computers, cartridges had more or less been abandoned.

Though in Europe, where disk drives were about as expensive as a small car, companies released cartridge versions of games until far later in the life of the systems... though you still can't get a cartridge version of Pools of Radiance.

--Zero

[Arkhan]

there were lots of tape games too.

the only cartridge Pool of Radiance I can think of is the NES one. Its pretty legit.

[tom]

To expand on this a little, earlier games for both systems (especially classic arcade ports, like Moon Patrol, Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, etc) work quite nicely on cartridge, since the original versions never took up a significant amount of ROM space in the first place... Much later games, especially RPG's (Ultima's, Bard's Tale, Gold Box AD&D games, Alternate Reality, etc) just couldn't function in the constraints. Hell, Pool of Radiance on the C64 used 8 disk sides! By the end of days for both computers, cartridges had more or less been abandoned.

Though in Europe, where disk drives were about as expensive as a small car, companies released cartridge versions of games until far later in the life of the systems... though you still can't get a cartridge version of Pools of Radiance.

--Zero

But later in Europe, carts came back for C64 and A8 (and not in USA, how it turned), by early 90s we had the C64GS and XEGS.
Going back to my FS II (256KB) cart on XEGS, I guess PoR would have been possible on cart then.

[Mayhem]

The Commodore 64 cartridge games were all pretty limited, and games like Gateway to Apshai were better on Coleco, or other consoles. Gorf was pretty good, and space taxi, but space taxi isnt console/arcade, and Gorf is better in the arcade.

As Tom aluded to, the releases from 1990-93 beg to differ... although some of the more spectacular ones (Myth, Last Ninja Remix) also came out on tape/disk. Shadow of the Beast and Toki were cartridge only though.

[Arkhan]

yeah... but I think 90-93 is a bit late for the C64 to do something like that.

[Game Freak]

Yo 8 bit computers, i'm really happy for you, and i'm let you finish, but the TRS-80 CoCo had some of the best cartridge games of all time. OF ALL TIME!

i love Dungeons of Daggorath, one of my favorite games, and that's surprising considering i generally dislike non-Nintendo games dating before the Genesis. Atari seems to have aged a little too much for my tastes and without music in the majority of them, they aren't really as amazing as they can be. Even with Pitfall II, the music made me love it instantly. I can't say the same for the other games, where everything is so pixelated the simplistic controls just aren't worth it. I wholeheartedly support Imagic, CBS, and the later Atari games though (most of my Silver label games are pretty good)

[Atarileaf]

Yo 8 bit computers, i'm really happy for you, and i'm let you finish, but the TRS-80 CoCo had some of the best cartridge games of all time. OF ALL TIME!

i love Dungeons of Daggorath, one of my favorite games, and that's surprising considering i generally dislike non-Nintendo games dating before the Genesis. Atari seems to have aged a little too much for my tastes and without music in the majority of them, they aren't really as amazing as they can be. Even with Pitfall II, the music made me love it instantly. I can't say the same for the other games, where everything is so pixelated the simplistic controls just aren't worth it. I wholeheartedly support Imagic, CBS, and the later Atari games though (most of my Silver label games are pretty good)

Agreed, I've got about 25 or so Tandy Coco carts and some are excellent. The later versions of games like Rampage, Arkanoid, Tetris, Rad Warrior, on the Coco 3 are incredible. Even some of the early games with limited graphics like Doubleback, Color Baseball, Skiing, Stellar LifeLine are a lot of fun. Since Tandy had no license agreement for any arcade conversions (until the Coco 3) they relied on creating brand new stuff that you can't get anywhere else. Love the Coco.