Do you like any 2600 ports better than the arcade original?

[Scrabbler15]

I just happen to try the Galaxian port from 1983 (which I hadn't played before) and I was surprised that I liked it more than the original arcade game that I played in college. I know the graphics aren't as good and the sound isn't as good, but the port has a certain Atariesque charm that I found irresistable for some reason.

 

It just got me wondering if anyone else has a port that they like better than the arcade original.

[Ransom]

Berzerk comes immediately to mind.

[VectorGamer]

There's not a single arcade port on the 2600 that I like better than the arcade. The 2600 does not have enough machine to come close to being better than the arcade on any title.

 

There are two ports on the ColecoVision that I like better than the arcade: Mouse Trap and Space Panic.

[+Random Terrain]

I think Atari 2600 Solar Fox is more fun than the arcade version.

[Mxyzptlk]

No.

[SoundGammon]

What about Combat & Video Olympics? Certainly better than the original arcade versions! After all, the 2600 was DESIGNED to play those games!

[jetset]

Space Invaders and Asteroids just off the top of my head.

[Armonigann]

No. Not one.

[maiki]

I think those black & white Midway games are all in danger of being surpassed by VCS... for instance I find M-4 or Sea Wolf to be better on 2600, at least graphically...

Edited December 19, 2011 by maiki

[VectorGamer]

What about Combat & Video Olympics? Certainly better than the original arcade versions! After all, the 2600 was DESIGNED to play those games!

 

True, but there's nothing like playing Tank or Pong on those old retro cabinets with b/w TV screens.

[+thegoldenband]

I'm surprised that some people are so quick to give a categorical "no". Even if you leave out homebrews, Circus Atari, Space Invaders, Night Driver, and (more controversially) Frogger all came to my mind right away as possibilities, and I feel like there are more I'm forgetting.

[+LS650]

I'm also surprised by some of the emphatic 'no's.

I like several of the 2600 ports more than the arcade, but in particular Missile Command. I think the home version strikes a better balance of playability than the arcade original.

[AtariBrian]

well i never played the arcade version or if there is even one but gyruss comes to mind. the 2600 version i think is better than the coleco one.

[iesposta]

Yes! Millipede arcade is too hard and not worth an arcade quarter (awesome trak-ball though).

The 2600 Millipede is too hard also, but I end up going again and again.

[zylon]

Battlezone

[akator]

There are some 2600 arcade ports that are easier to play... but overall better, no.

 

That doesn't mean I don't enjoy the home versions on consoles, just that if I had to directly compare I would choose the arcade as the best version.

[BrianC]

well i never played the arcade version or if there is even one but gyruss comes to mind. the 2600 version i think is better than the coleco one.

 

If you find a machine, I highly recommend playing the arcade version. It's much better than both the CV and 2600 versions. There are also versions of it on XBLA, GBA, and PS1.

 

The 2600 Breakout is a very nice port with some extra modes. I like it better due to Breakthru and the timed modes.

Edited December 19, 2011 by BrianC

[Impaler_26]

I like 2600 Crystal Castles better than the arcade version.

[Tinman]

Space Invaders, Warlords.

[AtariLeaf]

I like a lot of them more - Asteroids, Space Invaders, Berzerk, Missile Command among others. I think the term "better" is too broad a term because it means different things to different people. Are they better in terms of graphics and sound? Of course not but in playability I think they win hands down. Don't forget, arcade games were designed to kick your ass so you'll keep pumping quarters into them. The home versions don't have that need so they can be challenging without being frustrating and, I think, much more enjoyable because of it.

[Cynicaster]

Another emphatic "no".

 

Personally, I always preferred the 2600 games that weren't ports at all, but original titles (Activision, I'm looking at you). The arcade ports were more of a "better than nothing" type deal for me.

 

To each their own, but I really don't understand how anybody could actively prefer a 2600 game to its arcade counterpart. Difficulty seems like a strange reason for preferring a port; the challenge of the arcade games is a big part of their charm. Controls are another thing. For example, when you take a game designed with a trackball in mind and turn it into a joystick game, it just feels like a compromise (and it is, IMO).

[+thegoldenband]

To each their own, but I really don't understand how anybody could actively prefer a 2600 game to its arcade counterpart.

 

Jeez, I can think of a bunch of possible reasons:

 

- Better-balanced difficulty (not necessarily easier or harder per se)

- Gameplay options not available in the arcade version (e.g. Space Invaders, Night Driver)

- Level designs not present in the arcade version

- Difficulty options not available to end-users in the arcade

- Retooled gameplay designed to reward sustained interest, rather than 3-minute sessions

- Retooled gameplay that fixes bugs or shortcomings in the original

- Superior graphics and/or sound (it's been known to happen, especially with homebrews)

- Simplified gameplay strips game down to its bare essentials, getting rid of aspects of the original that a particular player might not like

 

I mean, the list goes on and on, really! I don't see how the arcade versions of Space Invaders and Circus have an edge over the VCS versions -- at worst it's a draw. And personally I've always found VCS Frogger more fun than the arcade game, even if the latter is prettier.

[Emehr]

Space Invaders - the marching sound is very dramatic and really emphasizes the impending doom this game brings.

 

Missile Command (best played with Thomas' trackball hack) - The 'Game Over' sound effect makes me want to run out of the house and duck for cover.

 

Battlezone - The 2600 version has its own charm that I don't get from the arcade version.

 

Berzerk (voice hack) - It seems faster-paced than the arcade, especially in the later stages. Of course, I've only played the arcade version in emulation but there's this slight delay when you hit a robot that slows the action down. The lack of diagonally-shooting robots doesn't inhibit the challenge too much, but it'd still be cool to see a hack or rewrite that includes them.

 

I still love the arcade versions of these games, but I prefer to play the 2600 versions. They're not necessarily "better", just more fun.

[+Random Terrain]

To each their own, but I really don't understand how anybody could actively prefer a 2600 game to its arcade counterpart.

 

Have you played the arcade version of Solar Fox?

 

Another reason to love good quality Atari 2600 versions more than most arcade originals is because you can stay home and play as much as you want, pretty much whenever you want, and you don't need any quarters. You also don't have to go out and breathe in the stench of other teens or touch controls they have contaminated with their slimy hands that are covered in rancid food grease, pimple pus, boogers, eyeball goo, and crotch juice.

[NE146]

Aside from Mame (which of course doesn't really full duplicate the full arcade feel), most people today have little to zero chance of playing the arcade games unless they're collectors, or know somebody. So it might be hard to tell for some. Not like you could go down the street anymore and try out the Defender and Space Invaders cabinets.

 

For me though, I'd probably have to say Ms. Pacman. I'm no slouch at the arcade game (my high score is 300,000+) but there's just a charm at the 2600 version that I really like playing it, sometimes more than the original. I also do actually PREFER playing Parker Bros. 2600 Frogger over the original arcade game just by virtue of the way it plays. In the arcade version you have to get used to the frogs delayed jumping.

 

However, definitely NOT Space Invaders. There's just zero chance the 2600 version matches the arcade. And if you think it does you might as well play Intellivision Space Armada because it's about the same as the arcade as the VCS version is and maybe it will be better for you.

Edited December 19, 2011 by NE146