Console of the Month (July 2022) - Atari 2600

[prfsnl_gmr]

Randomly found some Atari 2600 stuff in the local pawn shop near my house today. They had an Atari 2600 jr console for a fairly reasonable price, but the highlight was some minty cartridges in their original box. Prices are way too high for my tastes though, but it was great to see such old games in such great condition.

I took a photo but it was super sunny and I couldnt get the brightness right, so it's a little hard to see, sorry. Most of the games were £15-30 if I recall correctly, but one was an eye-watering £100!:




On the topic of emulation, there are some sites that have Atari 2600 games playable in your browser. Might be a nice way for those of use who don't own the system to join in on some high score contests:

https://www.free80sarcade.com/all2600games.php

Any suggestions for what games we should compete on?

Marauder is not an easy game to find in any region! Cool finds, AJ.

Boxed Atari games in the states are, generally, incredibly cheap. I came across a really good selection at a thrift store the other day for $5-$10 each. They were some really popular titles, such as Kaboom! and Pitfall, and they were in stupendous condition. They sat for weeks, and I was tempted to grab them. I ultimately passed, though, because I only collect 2600 carts. Still, I can’t imagine any boxed NES games sitting around that long at that price!

For our high score competition, I recommend Kaboom!, River Raid, and Space Invaders.

[opa]

+1 Space Invaders

Might I also suggest Ms Pac Man? The graphics are actually good and the rom is on Atari Age for those that don't have it.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Easily one of the best consoles of all time!!

[marurun]

Easily one of the best consoles of all time!!

The Prodigal Beard returns! Was hoping you’d weigh in on the ole’ Vader.

[Syndicate]

...some of my earliest gaming memories are of playing Pac-Man on a 2600, that was shortly before the NES craze swept the country though. I was pretty young so I don't recall it making that much of an impression though. However, my first console was a 7800 and since it was backwards compatible I did get to check out some of the 2600 library. The one game that stood out too me was Solaris. It seemed sort of cool and it was really difficult, I'm not sure if that was b/c I was pretty young or the game just wasn't explained very well . Anyways, I still had a lot of fun w/Solaris even though I never finished it I clearly remember the tunnel runs and exploring galaxies I wasn't ready for. It wasn't until recently until I watched a video on YouTube and realized that the game was actually beatable.

[Ack]

This is actually perfectly timed for me, as I have just begun reading Racing the Beam (I know, I know, I'm late to the party) and discovering just how bizarre and incredible programming for the Atari 2600 is. Anyone with even a remote interest in how either the 2600 works or the history of video games should spend some time reading this book.

[BoneSnapDeez]

I'm gonna give Star Ship a go this month. It's the "rarest" launch title (but still pretty easy to find) and not especially well-received. Also one of two launch titles I haven't spent any significant time with (the other is Blackjack which is just a cheating bastard).

[Limewater]

I don't understand why everyone seems to love the 2600 port of Space Invaders so much.

I mean, it's cool that they were able to pull it off, but people talk about it being such a great port, and I don't think it plays well at all.

The Atari 7800 version is solid. The TI 99/4A clone TI Invaders is very good. The best thing you can say about the 2600 version is that it exists and is sort of playable.

[BoneSnapDeez]

I think the nostalgia/novelty factor is really high. It was one of the earliest notable arcade ports.

Personally, I like Space Invaders alright but there are fixed shooters that came shortly after that are much better. Sticking to the 2600 I'd rather play Galaxian or Centipede or Demon Attack.

[opa]

Space Invaders is playable, cheap, and easy to find. It generally gets a passing score Atari-wise.

I'd give games like Pac Man more credit if it were even remotely playable.