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

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    Pear (Level 6) TurboGenesis's Avatar
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    Default Atari 2600 games 'worse' than E.T. and Pac-Man

    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?

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    Insert Coin (Level 0) SonicBoom's Avatar
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    [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)
    I Need a life....Wait! I DO HAVE ONE! CLASSIC GAMES ARE!

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    Great Puma (Level 12) jb143's Avatar
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    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.
    Last edited by jb143; 11-14-2011 at 04:16 PM.
    "Game programmers are generally lazy individuals. That's right. It's true. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Since the dawn of computer games, game programmers have looked for shortcuts to coolness." Kurt Arnlund - Game programmer for Activision, Accolade...

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    Kirby (Level 13) Buyatari's Avatar
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    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.

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    Insert Coin (Level 0) SonicBoom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buyatari View Post
    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*
    I Need a life....Wait! I DO HAVE ONE! CLASSIC GAMES ARE!

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    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.

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    Dragster.

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

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    Quote Originally Posted by SonicBoom View Post
    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.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Drixxel View Post
    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.

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    Bell (Level 8)
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    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

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    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.

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    Quote Originally Posted by BlastProcessing402 View Post
    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.

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    Insert Coin (Level 0) SonicBoom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by treismac View Post
    That is the dark side of collecting, as far as I'm concerned.
    True. But i had to mention it.
    I Need a life....Wait! I DO HAVE ONE! CLASSIC GAMES ARE!

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    Bell (Level 8)
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    Quote Originally Posted by SonicBoom View Post
    Why do alot of valuble games suck so much *Cough* Action 52 *cough*
    you mean like little red hood


    Super Noah's Ark 3D


    and

    Custer's Revenge


    who all fetch over 100 bucks on ebay last i checked

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    Quote Originally Posted by Collector_Gaming View Post
    you mean like little red hood


    Super Noah's Ark 3D


    and

    Custer's Revenge


    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.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Collector_Gaming View Post
    you mean like ... Custer's Revenge
    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.

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



    How about that.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Baloo View Post
    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.

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    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

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kid Ice View Post
    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.


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