DCEmu Asks - Atari2600 a History & Whats the greatest Atari2600 Game Ever ?

***wraggster*** · January 1st, 2008, 23:06

Continuing our network wide feature for just about every console thats emulated and that we own, in time it can be used as a reference point for people to look at what games are the very best on each system

Firstly heres a look at each system and a description to remind you of the history of the console.

Atari VCS / 2600
Atari VCS..later called the 2600 was released in 1977 and became the dominant console in the 1970's. The Atari 2600 boasted amazing specs for it's time, and amassed a library of thousands of games. The popularity of the 2600 grew even further when the arcade game "Space Invaders" was ported for the first time to a console. The success was also in part to the many arcade and movie licenses acquired by Atari. These licenses gave Atari the marketing edge over other consoles of it's time. The console introduced an enormous variety of games and controllers and was the console of choice well into the early 80's even when graphically out performed by newer consoles.

The success of Atari spawned many console redesigns. One example was the reduced sized Atari 2600 Jr. (Shown on left) released in 1986 as part of a campaign to rekindle the console's success. Also the Atari 2800, which essentially was the same build, but offered 4 controller ports instead of 2. The controllers were also redesigned to be a hybrid of both a joystick and paddle. The 2800 model was sold in the US under the Sears label Telegames II. This model was also the first official Atari release in Japan in 1982, and retailed for 24,800 Yen.

The success of Atari 2600 also triggered it's fall from glory. The console spawned numerous clones and adapters (These adapters allowed 2600 software to be played on other consoles). The Atari 2600 cart format also contained no restrictions, which allowed anyone to make their own 2600 games. These factors contributed to the fall of Atari in early years, and played a role to the "Videogame Crash of 1984".

FACT: The Atari 2600 was the first console to play adult type games such as Bachelor Party and the infamouse Custers Revenge.

***wraggster*** · January 1st, 2008, 23:07

Hmm for me a toss up between Pacman and Space Invadors.

OK ill go with Space Invadors

**JKKDARK** · January 1st, 2008, 23:46

I wasn't interested in this system. Last year I got a collection of Atari 2600 games for PSX, really good and I liked Pitfall!, that's a classic.

**SSaxdude** · January 1st, 2008, 23:49

I can't decide between Pitfall! and Yar's Revenge. I love my woodgrain 6 switch VCS.

**____anders____** · January 2nd, 2008, 00:45

i remember back in the days when i played bowling, human cannonball, dig dug, combat and other fun games..

it was very fun, and now i'm reliving these days on the atariDS emulator on my ds where i have dig dug, bowling and human cannonball..

still very fun to play sometimes..

**parkermauney** · January 2nd, 2008, 01:00

I can't decide between ET and Michael Jackson.
Very tough choice.

**midget35** · January 2nd, 2008, 01:17

never will it fail to amaze me - Adventure is the most overrated game imagineable.

**DCergo** · January 2nd, 2008, 01:57

Probably Pitfall, but other notables are Yars Revenge, Hero, and Adventure.

Originally Posted by midget35

never will it fail to amaze me - Adventure is the most overrated game imagineable.

That statement strikes me as kind of silly. Was there another action adventure game (Adventure was considered the first of this genre) in 1979 that was better? Was there another game that allowed you to pick up, use and drop various objects in a variety of ways, back then? It was also one of the first games to give us easter eggs. It was a game like Adventure that inspired games like Zelda.