Rare Carts: Which are Worth the Money/Hunt?

[DuckandCover]

I've had an odd question in the back of my mind that I've been meaning to ask the knowledgeable folks here. Over the last couple of years, I've spent a fair amountof time and money expanding my 2600 collection, and have obtained most of the common and "scarce" games. (I just recently scored a Pressure Cooker cart on Ebay for 4 bucks--never played it before, and looking forward to its arrival. ) At this point, most of the carts I need are in the rare category, which means they're hard to find in the wild, and will cost a pretty penny on Ebay to own.

 

Please understand, I got into the hobby because I love playing 2600 games. I enjoy the thrill of collecting, but my main motivation is being able to burn some happy hours on my couch playing some awesome games. The thing I've noticed aobut some rare titles is...well, they're not very good games. Granted, I paid a fair amount for a copy of Crazy Climber, but have always felt it was worth it because I love playing the game. (I still can't get past the third building.) I've heard that Quadrun is a pretty solid title in terms of game play. However, outside of its value as a collectable, I have trouble with the idea of shelling out a lot of money for Swordquest: Waterworld because the Swordquest games just weren't much fun to play.

 

I guess I'm wondering, of the titles that are considered rare, which are worth hunting for, or paying good money for, from a player's point of view? Sure, I hope to eventually acquire as many 2600 carts as I can, but I'm mainly interested in great games to PLAY.

[ubersaurus]

Quadruns fun....I rather enjoy rescue terra 1, as well.

[Miles Tails Prower]

I say that Video Life is definitley worth the hunt

[SS]

I guess I'm wondering, of the titles that are considered rare, which are worth hunting for, or paying good money for, from a player's point of view? Sure, I hope to eventually acquire as many 2600 carts as I can, but I'm mainly interested in great games to PLAY.  

 

That's what emulators are for : to try out games before you waste valuable eBay money on a crapy title!

[JCroniger]

My vote is for Quadrun. It's great.

 

You should also check out Hozer. He makes rare games/carts that you can play on a real 2600. (Not sure about Video Life)

[Stella'sGhost]

Yes, you can always try Stella to check out games you have never heard or played.

 

I haven't played half of the Atari games out there, they are just too scarce, but when ever I do find a rare one, like a 6 and up they usually turn out to be lame. I'm beginning to think that the best games are the ones we all know, the ones we played when they were new, the big hits, however there are some rare games that are quite good, but if you have to pay more than you feel comfortable for one, than its not any fun. I'd buy a crappy game just to add to the collection, and I'll pay what I think its worth based on what I've seen and learned and know over the years, but if it's too much than forget it, I'll find it somewhere else eventually for cheaper. I always do!.......(ok, not always)

[MattG/Snyper2099]

Here are the rarer games that I play and enjoy very much (5's or higher)

Tapper

Up n' Down

Crazy Climber

Stargunner

Subterranea

Mr. do's castle

Starpath Frogger (for the supercharger)

Boing!

Bumper Bash

Gremlins

Mangia

Miner Volume II

River Patrol

Track and Field

X Man :-) (you knew that one was going to be IN THE MIX)

And not quite a five but it's so damn fun... BMX Airmaster!

 

kudos,

MattG.

[Heavy Sixer]

While they're not extremely rare or expensive (a la Waterworld), Montezuma's Revenge and Frankenstein's Monster are fairly uncommon and command higher prices than your average flea market fare. Both are great games and worth having. Boing! is a good Q*bert clone (I actually knew someone who had this game years ago), but this one goes for some serious $$$ due to its rarity.

 

 

HEAVY***6***er

[DuckandCover]

While they're not extremely rare or expensive (a la Waterworld), Montezuma's Revenge and Frankenstein's Monster are fairly uncommon and command higher prices than your average flea market fare. Both are great games and worth having.

 

I own a copy of Montezuma's Revenge and Frankenstein's Monster, and I completely agree...both carts are well worth having! The game play of Montezuma's Revenge is very addictive. It's an easy game to get immersed in for hours. Frankenstein's Monster is fun, but pretty tough. I've yet to beat it.

 

I'd never heard of Boing! prior to this thread, but I'll have to try to hunt it down (and make sure my wallet's full when I do. ) Everyone else listed several titles that I don't have. I'm really curious about Subterranea, Bumper Bash (I love pinball), and Rescue Terra I. Oh well, to be broke but happy...

[Chris++]

Definitely not Miner 2049'er...just got that one last week. The screens look okay, but Bounty Bob moves like he's drunk lots of beer and popped lots of speed, and can't decide if he wants to be jittery or sluggish.

 

I think Private Eye (a very recent acquisition) is terrific. I think that's a "5" on AA.

 

 

CF, who's not terribly helpful today

[Big Player]

H.E.R.O. is the best 2600 game IMHO. Definitely pick it up if you don't have it already.

 

Quadrun is not a good enough game if you are more a player than a collector. My brother has it and he might put it up on eBay sometime in the next week. (Cart only.)

[ROBERT]

Hello DuckandCover:

 

Like yourself, I am a huge 2600 collector, and invested some substantial bucks just to get titles that I wanted to send Ron Corcoran, the Twin Galaxies Atari referee, world record submission attempts on. However, not every rare title was worth it.

 

Here are the ones I've enjoyed the most. And by "Rare" I mean like a Nexus rating of 5/6 or better.

 

Death Trap - this is a great challenge...you are in a very tight area battling to knockout two computers/machines on top of you while barriers close in on you from both the top and the bottom, and you have to duck bullets fired from the machines that home in on you. To make things tougher, every bullet/hit causes less of a window to shoot at them through as moving barriers of obstacles travelling in opposite directions block your efforts. Quite the challenge and worth the bucks.

 

Room of Doom - a "CommaVid" title and I think one of the best from that manufacturer. Fans of "Berzerk" will love this one as there are so many variations. You are in a room with some central obstacles to avoid in certain stages, and robots hiding behind doors around all four screen edges shoot lasers at you through opening and closing portals, while a "room monster" that you can shoot chases you incessantly. But after two minutes, you can no longer shoot the room monster !! Each game variation has sixteen progressively harder rooms, and there are three major variations that I play in combination...fast/slow enemy fire, doors open/close or are always open, and straight/angle enemy fire for the ultimate challenge. Yes, guided missile fire is also an option, but is a very easy and cheesy way to play such a game. This is a great one !!

 

Robin Hood - I bought both the single Xonox title and the double-ender with I think "Sir Lancelot" which is a lot like Joust. This one is enjoyable and worth the purchase price. Do try it out first, however, on STELLA as the controls are sometimes difficult to get used to.

 

Tunnel Runner - this one sometimes costs extra due to the additional RAM, but is a great buy and challenge especially at faster levels, but I do recommend trying it out first on STELLA. You are navigating through a series of tunnels while shooting your way past laser screens and enemies that drain your energy. Very intense once you get to the highest stage of difficulty.

 

Gremlins - not as great as the other three, but a decent challenge. Fans of games that are fast will appreciate this one, once you get the 75K and up range that is.

 

Frankenstein's Monster - a gem of a title !! Six (6) simple (?) stages that can tax even the most hardcore gamer's patience. And an odd premise...you start the stage with points, and a death or any collission causes you to lose points. In effect you can finish any stage with a lower score than when you entered it...even reaching zero, for that matter !! All I can say is that the game is simpler than it looks, but is HIGHLY annoying.

 

Demolition Herby - a bit like "Amidar", but harder and more fun when played at the Twin Galaxies standard difficulty settings. Playing at the easiest is marathonable and boring. You drive your cab around a grid and try to drive around entire blocks and sections for points and gas while avoiding several vehicles on the playfield.

 

Private Eye - not extremely rare, and usually $15-25, but well worth every penny of it !! I have a lot of fun with this one and highly recommend it

 

Spy Hunter - usually found for $20-30, this title has provided me with many hours of fun, based on the arcade classic

 

Now...here are some higher priced ones, at least they usually start this way, that are NOT worth the cost...

 

Springer - UGH !! What a terrible variation on Miner 2049'er. The gameplay is just plain lousy...trust me. You are a rabbit. That's about it. The rest of the game is not even worth mentioning. Get Miner 2049'er instead.

 

King Kong - this has got to be the WORST version of "Donkey Kong" that this gamer has ever seen. And the gameplay is just plain annoying. Only play this one on STELLA as it typically fetches in upwards of $20-30 on Ebay.

 

Gas Hog - I was not at all impressed with this one...quite a dull title for the money I paid for it.

 

Texas Chainsaw Massacre - regardless of which version you purchase (there are actually two...and the MUCH rarer prototype sold last year on Ebay for several hundred dollars...this title spews chunks big time. Typically fetching anywhere from $75-$150+ depending on box/instructions present, and no way to really determine if it is a fake or not, it's best just to use STELLA for this one as it is also a very annoying title that typically lasts less than 3-4 minutes a game.

 

I don't know how "Halloween" is, the other Wizard title, but will definitely use STELLA first before contemplating the purchase, as that one typically sells for $25-50 more than "Texas Chainsaw" does.

 

Just my two cents.

 

Robert T Mruczek

Twin Galaxies - Editor and Chief referee

Star Wars classic arcade champion

rmruczek@doremus.com (work E-MAIL)

 

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