Pull it out of the closet, plug it up and play that sucker!
Written: Aug 22 '00 (Updated Aug 22 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Titles still available all over the place; some of the most addictive games ever run on this machine
Cons: Graphics never were the best; the sound wasn't, either
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| HawgWyld's Full Review: Atari 2600 |
What can one say about the Atari 2600? I got mine when I was a kid, took it through college and graduate school with me, and only "retired" it when I got an Atari 7800 that plays 2600 cartridges. This is one fine system, and there's a very good reason it dominated the home video game world for so many years.
When the Atari came out in 1977, a lot of games were those "Pong" type things that were black and white and hooked up to a television set. You remember those things -- you got a paddle and you hit a ball in a weird kind of tennis game. Blip, blip, blip, blip, yawn. The idea of having a system that could take individual cartridges and act as a completely "new" game was, well, a bit foreign.
So, Atari showed up and folks were in awe (hell, I was totally in awe -- I was eight-years-old at the time and had never seen anything like it). It had color, what we considered to be fantastic sound at the time, and one could buy new cartridges and play all kinds of games. Every kid in my neighborhood had to have one. I had to have one. My friends and I would show up at each other's homes with various cartridges and kill afternoons or entire weekends playing Atari.
I still, in fact, enjoy my Atari. I know the graphics and sound are nothing when compared with newer systems, but there were a lot of folks who programmed this machine who were experts at pushing the limits of that little machine to the max and coming up with titles that emphasized game play. Sure, the graphics don't look that great today, but who can argue with the solid game engines found in such fantastic offerings as Adventure, Star Master, Warlords or Kool-Aid Man (see list below for a more detailed description)? Many Atari games are still entertaining and challenging to this day.
Certainly, I realize that any discussion of the 2600 is tainted with more than a touch of nostalgia, but that fact helps demonstrate the impact of this machine -- anything that could be such a large part of so many lives is worth discussing and praising.
Luckily, finding games and such for the 2600 is as easy as falling off a log. Once the local flea markets have been picked clean, auction sites on the Internet such as eBay and Yahoo! have item after item for sale. Better yet, Atari stuff is dirt cheap. Remember that game you wanted when you were a kid that cost $30 or so? Finding it for a couple of bucks these days is simple. Go ahead. Build up that collection. It won't cost you much.
A word or two needs to be said about the Atari controllers. I have a joystick that's well over 15-years-old and it's still going strong. I also have a Gemstick controller that's about 10-years-old, and that still works well. I've worn out a stick or two in my day, but they've all endured a lot of use before giving up the ghost. I did learn that Atari joysticks don't hold up well when my wife steps on them in the middle of the night, but that's a different story.
By the way, I should mention that I've never found a controller I like better than the Atari joystick. Laugh if you want, but that thing has always given me precise control and fits my hand comfortably.
The paddle controllers for Atari, though, are trouble. They tend to flake out after a time, and that's a bad thing unless you like a real challenge -- when those paddles go, accurate movement of a character on the screen is just about impossible.
Luckily, paddles, joysticks and other controllers can be found for cheap on the Internet. I won't bother to write about those other ones, and I've only used the paddles and joysticks (well, there's that touchpad that came with Star Raiders, but that one doesn't see much use around here).
For those who want the technical specs, I "borrowed" some from members.aol.com/jpsoftco/7800.htm. From that page, I learned the 2600 is powered by a 6507 CPU that runs at 1.19 MHz. Maximum screen resolution is 160 x 200 and 128 colors are available. The system also came with a whopping 4 kilobytes of rom and 128 bytes (!) of ram. You can go "ooh" and "ahh" now, if you'd like.
For those who wanted a brief look at the 2600, you can stop now. For those who want some further punishment, I've compiled a list of my 30 favorite 2600 carts. Bear in mind that I own over 100 games, and have managed to purchase about every title I've really wanted over the years. Some of the games generally considered to be the best things available for the 2600 aren't on my list because I either didn't like them or didn't understand what made them so great. So, here is my list, in no particular order:
1. Ms. Pac-Man (Atari, 1982) -- Pac-Man for the 2600 was one of the worst things ever written for the Atari. I once read that the programmer who made that blocky, flickery, obnoxious piece of trash was paid $1 million for his sad effort on that game. There's a waste of money if I've ever heard of one. The endless flaws in Pac-Man, though, are absent in Ms. Pac-Man. This game, which was an arcade hit for Bally Midway, truly, demonstrates the talent of some Atari programmers in that the mazes change, the ghosts are in the proper four colors, the controls are fantastic and the sounds are pretty accurate. It's about as good as an arcade translation to the 2600 can be. To hell with Pac-Man, go get the sequel.
2. Kool-Aid Man (M Network, 1983) -- Mattel put out some fine games for the Atari, and this is about my favorite. I don't know if I like it so much because I had to save up around 1,000 points off the backs of Kool-Aid packages to get it (that was a lot of Kool-Aid and bumming off relatives, believe me) or because it's just so much fun. The concept is simple -- the player must move a Kool-Aid pitcher around and quench "thirsties" who are drinking water out of his swimming pool. Quench the "thirsties" and save the pool from being sucked dry. The pitcher can get bounced around the screen should it run into non-drinking "thirties" and can transform into Kool-Aid man and experience the thrill of invulnerability when certain power-ups are gained.
3. Ice Hockey (Activision, 1981) -- Atari, in the early days, put out some pretty sad sports games. Activision, with solid titles like Ice Hockey, helped change all that. One or two people could play this, and each player controlled a goalie and, I suppose, a forward. You could even beat opposing players with a stick and knock 'em on the ice. Fun.
4. Joust (Atari, 1983) -- Another fine arcade translation. Remember the Williams arcade hit? The graphics are a bit simpler in the 2600 version and the sound isn't as good, but the fine game play is all in there.
5. Seaquest (Activision, 1983) -- Zip around in a submarine and collect divers carrying gold. Get them to the surface when six are collected and get big points. Watch out for other subs, which try to shoot you, and sharks, which try to ram you. It's not very "PC" as the player has to slaughter shark after shark to play the game well. Oh, and watch out for that oxygen -- run out, and you're submarine is dead. This is a great, and difficult, "arcade-like" game from Activision.
6. Adventure (Atari, 1978) -- Wonderful RPG from Atari. Fight dragons, explore castles and mazes, and return that chalice to your "home" castle. This game had the first "Easter egg" in that the programmer set it up so that a player could find the "magic dot" take it into a special room, and find the name of the programmer. Atari didn't publish the names of its programmers, but at least one found a way around that, and made video game history in the process.
7. Lock 'n' Chase (M Network, 1982) -- Another Intellivision translation for the 2600 from Mattel. This game was what we Pac-Man fans played before Ms. Pac-Man was released. 'nuff said.
8. Moon Patrol (Atari, 1983) -- Another Williams game that translated well to the 2600 from the arcade. The graphics and sound are pretty darn good, and hopping that moon buggy over obstacles while dodging the shots of alien ships while trying to kill them provides hours of fun.
9. Warlords (Atari, 1981) -- Imagine playing Breakout with up to four people, and you've got the basic idea. The ball, though, is a "fireball" that chips away at the walls of each player's castle. That ball can either be deflected or caught and sent at another castle. Each castle contains a king that is vulnerable to attack once enough of his castle is destroyed. The last "king" standing wins the game. Great party game, provided you have enough paddle controllers for four people to get involved.
10. Fast Food (Telesys, 1982) -- The player controls a chomping mouth that goes through hot dogs, hamburgers, shakes and etc. for points. Eat too many purple pickles (yick!), though, and you lose (as is evidenced by a screen which reads, "Burp!") Funny and challenging.
11. Spider Fighter (Activision, 1982) -- More arcade fun from Activision. Blast the hell out of spiders who want to steal food from you. I just love the firepower -- one can really mow down enemies in this one. It gets tough, though, and can remain challenging for years (it has in my case, at least).
12. Berzerk (Atari, 1982) -- Evil Otto and those stupid robots from the Stern arcade game make their way to the 2600. You know the drill -- go through the maze, blast robots and escape before Evil Otto shows up and crushes you. The true fun lies in watching idiot robots hit the wall (which kills anything that comes in contact with it) and shoot at each other. Good arcade translation.
13. Chopper Command (Activision, 1982) -- Forget about Atari's version of Defender, go out and get a copy of Chopper Command. Fly your helicopter around and dispose of choppers and planes that are trying to wipe out your convoy of trucks. The scrolling is smooth, and the screen flicker which is such a problem with Defender just doesn't exist.
14. Frogger (Parker Brothers, 1982) -- A wonderful translation of Sega's arcade game. Get the little froggie home while avoiding trucks and predators. Parker Brothers made some horrible games, such as Popeye and Reactor, but Frogger is a true gem.
15. River Raid (Activision, 1982) -- Carol Shaw hits a home run for Activision. Fly your plane while skimming over the surface of a river. Blast ships, planes and other obstacles and make sure to pick up fuel when the opportunity presents itself.
16. Video Pinball (Atari, 1981) -- This is one that my Dad played for hours. It's not a bad translation of pinball at all. You can even "bump" the pinball machine to modify the path of the ball, but watch out or you'll tilt the thing.
17. Starmaster (Activision, 1982) -- Atari had Star Raiders, but Activision outdid that company with Starmaster. This, of course, is one of those games where one warps around the galaxy and shoots at vile enemies who are trying to wipe out star bases. The view tries to simulate three-dimensions by giving the player the view he might see out of the, er, windshield of his fighter. Watch out for energy and damage to your ship. Ships, of course, can be recharged and repaired at star bases. A novel thing about this game is that it has two basic screens -- one is the star chart that shows star bases and the position of enemies, while the other is the "combat" screen which is used when fighting enemies and steering around asteroids. The player switched screens by flipping the "Color / BW" switch on the 2600 console. It is a true shame this won't work on my 7800 because it lacks a similar switch. Oh, well.
18. Robot Tank (Activision, 1982) -- Sure, Atari translated the Battlezone arcade game, but it wasn't very good. Robot Tank is much better, and drags the player through night battles, snow, rain and other conditions that hamper tank performance. A hit won't necessarily destroy the player's tank, but it can hurt the tank's cannon, visibility and performance. This one is just about flawless.
19. Demon Attack (Imagic, 1982) -- Kind of like Space Invaders, but the enemies are much more colorful, more mobile and a hell of a lot more pesky. The game also changes quite a bit in that some enemies will divide in half when shot and present more bothersome, bird-like foes, some are just hard to hit while others have such a deadly compliment of weapons that they're just plain difficult to kill. The point is, this one offers various enemies and plenty of challenges.
20. Space Invaders (Atari, 1978) -- Anyone with an Atari needs to own this game. This was one of the first huge hits for Atari, and a pretty good version of Taito America's arcade game. You know the drill -- shoot at aliens before they land and hide behind those shields to avoid getting shot.
21. Combat (Atari, 1977) -- Pretty much everyone with an Atari does own this one as it came packed with the machine for years. Grab a friends and try to shoot his tank or airplane, depending on which of the 27 games you play. Simple graphics, but there are a lot of game variations and it's always fun to try to humiliate your friends.
22. Asteroids (Atari, 1981) -- Atari's translation of its Arcade hit. Spin that space ship in circles, blast those asteroids to pieces and avoid those sneaky aliens who show up and try to kill you.
23. Dig Dug (Atari, 1988) -- A solid translation of Namco's arcade game. I'm not sure why I'm supposed to be digging underground in this or why the monsters down there can explode when filled with air, but I don't really care -- it's just a fun, colorful game.
24. Football (M Network, 1982) -- Great game for two players. Pick pass plays or running plays on offense, choose different defensive plays, including the blitz. This is, arguably, the best football game for the Atari -- it's easy to learn and stays entertaining for years.
25. Super Breakout (Atari, 1988) -- Same old game of Breakout, but with some new variations. Bust out pieces of wall with a ball which is kept in play with a paddle. It's a great game with a simple concept, and this one will be around in one form or another for a long, long time.
26. Space Attack (M Network, 1982) -- Unique in that the player has three "squads" of ships which can be sent to intercept aliens. Attack those aliens before they crush your mother ship.
27. Pele's Soccer (Atari, 1980) -- Simple, but fun. I hate soccer with a blind passion, but I love this game. Passing that ball around from player to player is almost thrilling, and the fireworks that go off when a goal is scored is a nice touch. There are all kinds of skill levels and variations available, and the computer is a worthy opponent when a friend can't be found to play this. What was amazing is that, when I was in college, we knew the keg was getting low during parties at my place when this game came out and people started cheering one player or the other.
28. Centipede (Atari, 1982) -- A fairly blocky, but serviceable, translation of Atari's arcade game. Shoot the centipede. Shoot the spiders. Kill the fleas. Die in the end. My Brother used to claim this game should be called "Doom" (that, of course, was before the famed Doom game was available). "You can't win, you know," he'd say. "That spider isn't going to get any slower. That centipede isn't going to give up and go home. You're doomed." Maybe he had a point.
29. Missile Command (Atari, 1981) -- Another game that, perhaps, should have been called "Doom." This game shows the full-on fear of nuclear war during the "Cold War." Fight off those missiles as much as you want, but your cities will get bombed eventually and everyone will be dead. A chilling translation of a game that did well for Atari in the arcades.
30. Tennis (Activision, 1981) -- Another sports classic from Activision. Rather than those "Pong" versions of tennis, this one had a bit of a three-dimensional view, allowed players to roam all over their side of the court, and even featured a shadow cast by the ball on the court. Great game for one or two players.
Recommended:
Yes
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HawgWyld
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Member: Ethan C. Nobles
Location: Benton, Ark.
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About Me:
The oxen are slow, but the earth is patient.
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