Atari 7800 games worth picking up

[Jagosaurus]

Kind of surprised I didn't comment on this thread previously.

I really enjoy 7800 Centipede and Galaga.

[samsonlonghair]

Galaga on 7800 is yummy. It's not quite as arcade-accurate as the NES version, but it's still a great game. I like to play this game using a Sega Genesis controller. Galaga on 7800 feels like a fantastic cover band singing an old song you know by heart, totally nailing it, and still giving it their own flavor.

[marlowe221]

Galaga on 7800 is yummy. It's not quite as arcade-accurate as the NES version, but it's still a great game. I like to play this game using a Sega Genesis controller. Galaga on 7800 feels like a fantastic cover band singing an old song you know by heart, totally nailing it, and still giving it their own flavor.

I completely agree with that comparison.

I do wonder though - wasn't the 7800 powerful enough to recreate the arcade experience for Galaga? Why is it so different?

[prfsnl_gmr]

Am I the only one who likes One-on-One? Shattering backboards with Doctor J and Larry Bird is awesome.

[marlowe221]

I will also second the Robotron 2084 recommendation from a previous post (back in time!).

It's an early twin stick shooter, so the controls are kind of awkward with the standard controllers. My recommendation is to use two Sega Genesis controllers instead, with a thumb on each D-pad. That works much better and has allowed me to get a lot more enjoyment out of this great game.


I also REALLY need to pick up a copy of Asteroids for the 7800.

Asteroids is my favorite Atari game ever and I love the 2600 version (best played on game variation 2, 4, 6, or 8 for asteroids that do more than move up and down and with difficulty switch set to A for UFO/satellite attacks).

[ExedExes]

I do wonder though - wasn't the 7800 powerful enough to recreate the arcade experience for Galaga? Why is it so different?

I find the Namco ports for the 7800 rather interesting. They all have very small square screens, and almost look identical. I'm talking about Dig Dug, Galaga, Xevious. They're all good picks but they look nearly the same. I just wish the 7800 didn't borrow the 2600's sound chip sometimes.

I'm sure it was probably mentioned years ago here, but the version of Asteroids on the 7800 has 2 player simultaneous modes! How cool is that?

[BoneSnapDeez]

I love Robotron but it's best played on something like Midway Arcade Origins.

[Jagosaurus]

I do wonder though - wasn't the 7800 powerful enough to recreate the arcade experience for Galaga? Why is it so different?

I find the Namco ports for the 7800 rather interesting. They all have very small square screens, and almost look identical. I'm talking about Dig Dug, Galaga, Xevious. They're all good picks but they look nearly the same. I just wish the 7800 didn't borrow the 2600's sound chip sometimes.

I'm sure it was probably mentioned years ago here, but the version of Asteroids on the 7800 has 2 player simultaneous modes! How cool is that?

Guessing you were being sarcastic?

For others stumbling on this thread who might not know:
The 7800 uses the exact same TIA sound chip as the 2600 . A few titles have a different sound chip in the cart (called Pokey).

[KalessinDB]

I think he was more lamenting the fact that Pokey was criminally under-utilized.

[ExedExes]

I think he was more lamenting the fact that Pokey was criminally under-utilized.

Yes. When you play the 7800 version of Dig Dug for example, if the graphics weren't different, it sounds just like the 2600 version! Even the introductory music was re-used!

I understand that to maintain 2600 compatibility, they had to include the TIA module that included the sound from the 2600, but I did a little more research and here it is -

During the 7800 20th anniversary interview, GCC's 7800 hardware designers mention that they had ideas for a better sound chip, but didn't implement it, because they had so little time to finish the design of the MARIA graphics chip. So they were planning of creating a cheap sound chip later that could be put on all game cartridges or possibly on one sound passthrough cartridge. But since there were problems with the Tramiels when they took over Atari, GCC never finished the sound chip, and the audio connection on the cartridge port was only used by Ballblazer and Commando, which both had an addition POKEY chip in the cart.

So it was a good idea to have the option for better sound on the games that wanted to put it there, but I mean just have a listen with the 7800's version of Donkey Kong.