Atari2008 Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Hey Everyone, So I discovered the 2600 later on in its life, so I realized that most of the games I've played were titles that were released in the 80s. Being that the 2600 was released in '77, I'm curious to try out the earlier titles released in the 70s. Any recommendations for games from that era that are fun? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homerwannabee Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 The 70's games for the most part are 2 player games, and probably the best 2 player games for the system. When it comes to individual games it does lack a bit. But there are a couple of exceptions. These are Breakout, and Adventure. Definitely worth a try in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ransom Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Here are some 70s games I think are particularly worthy: Adventure Basketball Bowling Circus Atari Dodge 'Em Indy 500 Night Driver Space Invaders Super Breakout Others you may wish to consider include: Air-Sea Battle Canyon Bomber Casino Human Cannonball Hangman Maze Craze Outlaw Othello Sky Diver Superman Surround Video Olympics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacobZu7zu7 Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Here are some 70s games I think are particularly worthy: Adventure Basketball Bowling Circus Atari Dodge 'Em Indy 500 Night Driver Space Invaders Super Breakout Others you may wish to consider include: Air-Sea Battle Canyon Bomber Casino Human Cannonball Hangman Maze Craze Outlaw Othello Sky Diver Superman Surround Video Olympics That is definately THEE list to follow. These games are oldies but goodies. Perfect list by Ransom, no need to even help out further PS, I find that Maze Craze and Air Sea Battle kinda bite when played with only one player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacobZu7zu7 Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 (edited) Othello is quite a great game, baised on the old board game. Playing it against the computer is a lot of fun, normally you can't say that against the AI. But I thought it was awesome when I first got it. My first time playing it was ON the Atari 2600. Edited February 11, 2010 by JacobZu7zu7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ransom Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I find that Maze Craze and Air Sea Battle kinda bite when played with only one player. Good point; I should have mentioned that. I'm glad you did! (But I still play 'em alone sometimes...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pioneer4x4 Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I am a big fan of Sky Diver for head to head play. I have never been able to get a 99 on it though, I always end up blowing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jozz Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 (edited) Don't forget Combat. I always quite liked it. Edited February 11, 2010 by Jozz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opeygon Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Here are some 70s games I think are particularly worthy: Adventure Basketball Bowling Circus Atari Dodge 'Em Indy 500 Night Driver Space Invaders Super Breakout Others you may wish to consider include: Air-Sea Battle Canyon Bomber Casino Human Cannonball Hangman Maze Craze Outlaw Othello Sky Diver Superman Surround Video Olympics these are the best releases for the 2600 imo. if you havent played these yet, youre missing out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 What? No love for Star Ship or Slot Racers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philflound Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Superman is a lot of fun, and takes awhile until you get the hang of it. It's always nice kissing Lois. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassGuitari Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Why not just try all of them? For what it's worth, my favorites from the '70s are: Star Ship Night Driver Video Olympics Air-Sea Battle Home Run Breakout Maze Craze Sea Bomber (the "B-Side" to Canyon Bomber) Outlaw Honorable mentions include: Basketball Street Racer Combat Football Indy 500 Blackjack/Casino (Didn't Adventure and Space Invaders come out in 1980?) As mentioned, these games are generally best played (and in some cases, ONLY played) with two or more players. 4-player Foozpong gives Warlords a run for its money, imo. The only ones I would NOT recommend are Basic Math and Hangman, and maybe Codebreaker and Brain Games (unless you like number/puzzle types of games). Otherwise, the early Atari games, all things considered, are generally pretty decent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari2008 Posted February 13, 2010 Author Share Posted February 13, 2010 Here are some 70s games I think are particularly worthy: Adventure Basketball Bowling Circus Atari Dodge 'Em Indy 500 Night Driver Space Invaders Super Breakout Others you may wish to consider include: Air-Sea Battle Canyon Bomber Casino Human Cannonball Hangman Maze Craze Outlaw Othello Sky Diver Superman Surround Video Olympics Thank you for this list and for everyone who contributed suggestions! I had no idea that there were so many games released for the 2600 during the 70s. I pretty much figured that even though it didn't take off until Space Invaders, that the 2600 was the leading system of the 70s but had no idea that they had released so many games. Lately, I've been curious to experience what home gaming was like in the 70s. I caught the tail end of the 80s and have been able to pretty much catch up on games of that era, but I realized the 70s is one era that I've been pretty much clueless about. I've played the Channel F and Astrocade, and almost forgot about the 2600 since I see it as such an iconic machine from the 80s. I actually may try all of them except the ones that don't sound like much fun like Brain Games and Basic Math. It might be a bit of a challenge for me to find two or more players but being that the 2600 tends to be the most popular system in my collection it may not be that hard. I can't believe how many classic 2600 games I've missed out on. Of the list, I only have Combat, Circus Atari, and Night Driver. Circus Atari and Night Driver, I can't play right now since my paddles are jittery and Combat I was able to play for the first time when a friend came over a few weeks ago. Good stuff. I also thought that Adventure and Space Invaders were released in 1980... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pioneer4x4 Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Circus Atari and Night Driver, I can't play right now since my paddles are jittery and Combat I was able to play for the first time when a friend came over a few weeks ago. Good stuff. A good thing to try for jittery paddles is to simply turn them back and forth continiously. The wiper contact will usually clean itself off from the friction. Keep turning them for a minute or so, and try it. If you notice that they jitter in a certain area, just work on that portion or the rotation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ransom Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Thank you for this list and for everyone who contributed suggestions! No problem! I'm having fun with the 70s games right now, so it was fun to put the list together. I also thought that Adventure and Space Invaders were released in 1980... Honestly, I wasn't sure either. But the boxes I have say "Program and Audiovisuals ©1978." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari2008 Posted February 13, 2010 Author Share Posted February 13, 2010 Circus Atari and Night Driver, I can't play right now since my paddles are jittery and Combat I was able to play for the first time when a friend came over a few weeks ago. Good stuff. A good thing to try for jittery paddles is to simply turn them back and forth continiously. The wiper contact will usually clean itself off from the friction. Keep turning them for a minute or so, and try it. If you notice that they jitter in a certain area, just work on that portion or the rotation. Thanks! I tried your suggestion and my paddles work great now! I enjoyed a nice extended session of Circus Atari (what an addicting game) and Night Driver (very cool and ahead of its time). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari2008 Posted February 13, 2010 Author Share Posted February 13, 2010 Thank you for this list and for everyone who contributed suggestions! No problem! I'm having fun with the 70s games right now, so it was fun to put the list together. I also thought that Adventure and Space Invaders were released in 1980... Honestly, I wasn't sure either. But the boxes I have say "Program and Audiovisuals ©1978." I played Circus Atari and Night Driver last night and they were addicting and fun. Definitely need to get my hands on the others. Hmmm, I'm wondering if the boxes are referring to when the games were released in the arcade? I know that Space Invaders was a late 70s arcade release maybe the box is referring to that, and I'm wondering if perhaps Adventure was conceived in the late 70s but not completed till 1980? Who knows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GameGirl420 Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 I thought Adventure came out in 1979 and Space Invaders was '80. Anyways I've got only Sky Diver and Combat but rarely play either because one I don't understand how to play Sky Diver(the little parachute people keep falling to the ground) and two ,Combat seems only cool with another person who is into playing a game like that. I guess they made Combat before computers actually had the ability to play against you? I do remember growing up and playing Combat alot with my family.....that was a cool game for it's time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ransom Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Maybe they were just blindly putting ©1978 on everything at the time they printed the boxes I have? Because the manuals do indeed say ©1980 for both. (Note to self: always look at the manuals for the copyright date.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pioneer4x4 Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 I don't understand how to play Sky Diver(the little parachute people keep falling to the ground) Sky Diver is one of my favorites. Push the button to jump from the plane, then pull down to upen your parachute. Then steer left or right to land on the pad that matches your color. Watch the flag for wind direction and speed. The longer you free fall, the more points a landing is worth, up to a maximum of 11 points. I think you get -4 points for not opening your chute, and 0 if you land, but miss the pad. Great head to head game, especially on game 5 where only the first person on the middle pad get's any points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari2008 Posted February 13, 2010 Author Share Posted February 13, 2010 Maybe they were just blindly putting ©1978 on everything at the time they printed the boxes I have? Because the manuals do indeed say ©1980 for both. (Note to self: always look at the manuals for the copyright date.) That's interesting. Maybe they had printed 1978 on a bunch of boxes before personalizing them, and just used them later on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+HatNJ Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 nope Adventure was after Space Invaders and Maze Craze, Dodge 'Em, Circus Atari and Othello was 1980 late 1980 I think and Super Breakout was 1981 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ransom Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Hmmm. You're right. But the Atarimania database needs to be updated for all of those. Shows 1978 as the earliest release year. They must have been going off the back of the box like I was. Dodge 'Em Maze Craze ..etc.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ransom Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 From the catalogs, what should be the definitive list (I just put the added games under each year): 1977 Air-Sea Battle Basic Math Blackjack Combat Indy 500 Star Ship Street Racer Surround Video Olympics 1978 (Early) Basketball Breakout Codebreaker Football Hangman Home Run Hunt & Score Outlaw Space War 1978 (Late) Brain Games Flag Capture Slot Racers 1979 Backgammon Basic Programming Bowling Canyon Bomber Casino Human Cannonball Miniature Golf Sky Diver Slot Machine Superman Video Chess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ransom Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 And just for the fun of it: 1980 (Early) 3D Tic-Tac-Toe Adventure Circus Atari Golf Night Driver Space Invaders 1980 (Late) Championship Soccer Dodge 'Em Maze Craze Video Checkers 1981 (1) Asteroids Othello Video Pinball Warlords 1981 (2) Missile Command 1981 (3) (No new games) 1981 (4) Defender Haunted House Pac-Man Super Breakout Yars' Revenge 1982 Berzerk Demons to Diamonds Math Gran Prix Star Raiders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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