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EVERY Atari 2600 Game released in 1982 (Part 1)!

 

The Atari 2600's 45th Anniversary Countdown continues tonight with the first part all the classic 2600 games released to the public in 1982 such as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Defender, Yars' Revenge and Demon Attack! What is your favourite game from the first part of 1982? (list below)

 

Wed Jul 27, 2022 @ (LIVE @ 8PM PT | 7PM ET | 3AM GMT+1DAY
WATCH LIVE: https://twitch.tv/zeropagehomebrew/
WATCH LATER: https://youtube.com/zeropagehomebrew/

 

(WATCH AT 1080P60 FOR BEST QUALITY)

 

Spoiler
Air Raid Jan 1, 1982
Cubicolor Jan 1, 1982
Eli's Ladder Jan 1, 1982
Exocet Missile Jan 1, 1982
Phantom Tank Jan 1, 1982
Robot Commando Raid Jan 1, 1982
Seamonster Jan 1, 1982
Tax Avoiders Jan 1, 1982
Haunted House Jan 31, 1982
Spacechase Feb 6, 1982
Space Jockey Feb 9, 1982
Barnstorming Mar 7, 1982
Grand Prix Mar 7, 1982
Pac-Man Mar 16, 1982
Demon Attack Mar 28, 1982
Star Voyager Mar 28, 1982
Trick Shot Mar 28, 1982
Yars' Revenge Apr 21, 1982
Space Cavern May 13, 1982
Defender Jun 3, 1982
Chopper Command Jun 6, 1982
Lochjaw Jun 6, 1982
Racquetball Jun 6, 1982
Starmaster Jun 6, 1982
Lost Luggage Jun 13, 1982
Gangster Alley Jul 1, 1982
Planet Patrol Jul 1, 1982
Demons to Diamonds Jul 4, 1982
Math Gran Prix Jul 4, 1982
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Jul 8, 1982
Atlantis Jul 18, 1982
Cosmic Ark Jul 18, 1982
Donkey Kong Jul 21, 1982
Frogger Jul 21, 1982
Astroblast Jul 24, 1982
Space Attack Jul 24, 1982
Super Challenge Baseball Jul 24, 1982

 

  • Like 1
1 hour ago, ZeroPage Homebrew said:

The Atari 2600's 45th Anniversary Countdown continues tonight with the first part all the classic 2600 games released to the public in 1982 such as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Defender, Yars' Revenge and Demon Attack! What is your favourite game from the first part of 1982? (list below)

Let the glut begin! ;) 

 

I remember eagerly waiting for Chopper Command and Starmaster, since our local video store (Video Hut) had pre-release flyers for them (and I think Electronic Games may have run ads prior to their release too). Both very impressive games - Starmaster absolutely destroyed the recently-released Star Voyager and I also remember thinking "If Activision can make Chopper Command, why does Atari's Defender suck so bad?" ;) 

 

Speaking of Atari games that suck, I was able to try out most games before buying them at Video Hut. That still didn't stop me from buying Pac-Man though, because I hoped it would somehow be better when I got it home. It wasn't. I returned it (the store was very reluctant to take it back, but they knew I was going to turn around and immediately plunk down the money on something else). Atari really fell out of favor with me during this stretch. I don't think I bought Yars' Revenge until after the crash. Even then - not my favorite.

 

I bought Grand Prix because I loved racing games and it had amazing graphics. The gameplay was incredibly disappointing though. I hated the merciless collision detection.

 

I may be one of the few people who genuinely like Spacechase. Still do. Keep in mind that at the time, this was one of the earliest third-party games for the system, and the scrolling planet looked very cool (and with the right game variation, it actually plays pretty well).

 

As big of a Star Wars nerd as I am, truth be told - The Empire Strikes Back (as a 2600 game) was tedious and boring. One game, and I've pretty-much had enough of it.

 

Atlantis and Cosmic Ark were visually two of the most impressive games to come out at the time. But I don't particularly care for either one. I was never very good at either - the difficulty topped out too fast for me.

 

I have to give a shoutout to Super Challenge Baseball. It's still a really good baseball game, but really hurt by a lack of a single-player option.

 

So from this list, one game stands out as something I still enjoy playing to this day: Demon Attack. That's my favorite.

  • Like 3

Yeah. Defender was very disappointing. Using a sprite instead of the playfield to draw the Defender ship's lasers was an odd design choice. The invisibility and invincibility when the player shoots completely changes the game. It doesn't really feel like Defender.

 

Still better than Pac Man, though.

  • Like 1

Defender was a big one for me, really enjoyed that game and is a top pick when i feel like playing some 2600. I can excuse it's flaws as back then i never knew of any other version.

 

Planet Patrol i played a lot aswell although these days i get bored as there just isn't much to the game.

 

I can't wait for the StarMaster by activision review as i feel that's an underrated gem on the system. As a kid it really felt like i was on an galactic journey saving the universe :)

  • Like 1

Definitely Starmaster for me (with Cosmic Ark in 2nd place). For me it was the first game with strategic depth. That was very unique. And especially on Starmaster level, you need a lot of strategy (and skill) to rescue all four stations.

 

I owned only four carts back then (they were really expensive) and Starmaster was the most expensive one. But we swapped carts, so I played a few other games too.

  • Like 2

Just started watching the latest show. Air Raid is from the US, info can be found here. And the game uses Space Jockey code.

Edited by Thomas Jentzsch
  • Thanks 1
2 hours ago, Thomas Jentzsch said:

Just started watching the latest show. Air Raid is from the US, info can be found here. And the game uses Space Jockey code.

You're right, I think I was thinking of Extra Terrestrials, that's the rare Canadian game. I've make a note to correct that information in the next episode.

 

- James

EVERY Atari 2600 Game released in 1982 (Part 2)!

 

The Atari 2600's 45th Anniversary Countdown continues tomorrow morning with the second part of all the classic 2600 games released to the public in 1982 such as MegaMania, Pitfall!, Berzerk, The Riddle of the Sphinx and Mouse Trap! What is your favourite game from the second part of 1982? (list below)

 

Sun Jul 31, 2022 @ (LIVE @ 10AM PT | 1PM ET | 5PM GMT)
WATCH LIVE: https://twitch.tv/zeropagehomebrew/
WATCH LATER: https://youtube.com/zeropagehomebrew/

 

289315485_20220731-LetsPlay-AfterDark.thumb.jpg.ce64c0110070260d860d689936966afb.jpg

 

Spoiler
Super Challenge Football Jul 24, 1982
Sneak 'N Peek Aug 1, 1982
Word Zapper Aug 1, 1982
Berzerk Aug 8, 1982
Riddle of the Sphinx Aug 8, 1982
King Kong Aug 12, 1982
Lock 'n' Chase Aug 19, 1982
Cosmic Swarm Aug 20, 1982
Room of Doom Aug 20, 1982
Fire Fighter Aug 22, 1982
Star Raiders Aug 22, 1982
Threshold Aug 26, 1982
Infiltrate Aug 29, 1982
Pitfall! Sep 2, 1982
Communist Mutants from Space (cassette) Sep 3, 1982
Fireball (cassette) Sep 3, 1982
Phaser Patrol (cassette) Sep 3, 1982
Suicide Mission (cassette) Sep 3, 1982
Submarine Commander Sep 5, 1982
Venture Sep 5, 1982
Armor Ambush Sep 16, 1982
Beany Bopper Sep 16, 1982
Frogs and Flies Sep 16, 1982
Megamania Sep 26, 1982
Mouse Trap Oct 3, 1982
RealSports Baseball Oct 3, 1982
RealSports Volleyball Oct 6, 1982
Deadly Duck Oct 7, 1982
Fast Eddie Oct 7, 1982
Jawbreaker Oct 7, 1982
Worm War I Oct 7, 1982
Commando Raid Oct 9, 1982
Towering Inferno Oct 13, 1982
Swordquest: Earthworld Oct 17, 1982
Airlock Oct 21, 1982
Bugs Oct 21, 1982
Encounter at L-5 Oct 21, 1982
Sssnake Oct 21, 1982
Warplock Oct 21, 1982

 

  • Like 1
5 hours ago, ZeroPage Homebrew said:

What is your favourite game from the second part of 1982? (list below)

Berzerk really impressed me as Atari's closest-yet arcade port on the 2600, and Megamania was a great shooter... but I'm giving it to Pitfall!

 

The buzz around Pitfall! was huge when it came out, and I put it on my Christmas list that year. My parents bought it for me, and I remember being so blown away by that. Not just the game (which I spent hours upon hours playing and mapping out), but that my parents, who really didn't know anything about video games, braved going into a store somewhere (probably Sears) during the holiday shopping madness, and dealing with salespeople trying to sell them a kajillion other games, or other systems, or other games for other systems, wading through all of the confusion and craziness, and making sure they got the exact game I wanted. The right game, for the right system. Not being cajoled or duped into buying something else. That impressed me then, and I'm still deeply nostalgic for Pitfall! because of that.

 

And I had a lot of fun playing it, too.

 

Favorite Christmas present ever.

  • Like 4

Couple of good ones i had on the system BITD. I was lucky as my first 2600 was the JR in 87 so my mothers boyfriend gave me like 30 games in a plastic bag as hand-me-downs.

 

Bezerk was one from the list. Great fun "exploring" from room to room blasting robots trying to get a PB.

 

Megamania another i cherished and remember i used to think it was an Space Invaders type shooter on steroids. My mothers boyfriend had all these made up names for the enemies of each stage i found really funny. The game was solid and had decent enemy variety.

 

Mousetrap i liked the concept as you could save the bones and activate when near the cats rather than the mechanics Pac Man had.

 

Lastly Venture was another i really enjoyed exploring and collecting all the treasures. Only part i didn't like was there is only two stages so it left me wanting more variety.

 

As for Pitfall i always was jealous of a friend that had it. Sadly i never owned those till in the 90's when picking them up in a thrift store.

  • Like 3

I think that the only games I played by those years were Star Raiders and Berzerk, and I had fun with both.

 

BTW, the time converter link for today's show is wrong. Also, instead of PT time, the link should use GMT time to avoid international daylight savings confussions. So, the next show will be at this time. I hope to join at some point.

  • Like 1
1 hour ago, DaveM said:

I think you showed the wrong game today. You played Swordquest Fireworld instead of Swordquest Earthworld.

 

They both suck. ?

Agreed. I do see a grain of inspiration in there. It's just not realized. Needs to be revisited.

Neverending-Story-Last-Grain-of-Sand-of-Fantasia-Atreyu-22.jpg

6 hours ago, DaveM said:

I think you showed the wrong game today. You played Swordquest Fireworld instead of Swordquest Earthworld.

 

They both suck. ?

You're right, I grabbed the wrong terrible game! I'll make a correction in the next stream and we'll play EarthWorld right at the top. Fireworld isn't due until the beginning of 1983's games. So bad... so very very bad.

 

- James

9 hours ago, vitoco said:

BTW, the time converter link for today's show is wrong. Also, instead of PT time, the link should use GMT time to avoid international daylight savings confussions. So, the next show will be at this time. I hope to join at some point.

I've now changed all the times in the schedule to be in GMT since it doesn't have daylight savings time, thank you so much for the suggestion!

 

- James

Got some pretty good ones in that batch. :thumbsup:  

 

Berzerk, Megamania and Pitfall are classics.  :thumbsup:  I remember renting Towering Inferno and Venture for a dollar each I think  - both were lots of fun!  RS Volleyball was the best of the RS series IMO, and Worm War I and Commando Raid were favorites also.  Tops out of the bunch would have to be Berzerk though... nothing better than shooting robots and running away from Evil Otto! :D ?

  • Like 2
9 minutes ago, johnnywc said:

Got some pretty good ones in that batch. :thumbsup:  

 

Berzerk, Megamania and Pitfall are classics.  :thumbsup:  I remember renting Towering Inferno and Venture for a dollar each I think  - both were lots of fun!  RS Volleyball was the best of the RS series IMO, and Worm War I and Commando Raid were favorites also.  Tops out of the bunch would have to be Berzerk though... nothing better than shooting robots and running away from Evil Otto! :D ?

 

Whoa!  You could rent Atari games?  That's Awesome!  That never happened around here...Until the NES...I bought Towering Inferno one day on a whim (and nothing else on the shelves I wanted) and was glad I did!

45 minutes ago, GoldLeader said:

Whoa!  You could rent Atari games?  That's Awesome!  That never happened around here...Until the NES...I bought Towering Inferno one day on a whim (and nothing else on the shelves I wanted) and was glad I did!

Ah, you have triggered a memory for me! I remember my parents renting an Atari 2600 and some games for my 10th birthday party in 1983. I can only remember renting Stampede amongst the games, not sure what the other ones were.

 

That's too bad I didn't remember this story for the stream while we were playing Stampede!

 

- James

  • Like 2
58 minutes ago, johnnywc said:

Got some pretty good ones in that batch. :thumbsup:  

 

Berzerk, Megamania and Pitfall are classics.  :thumbsup:  I remember renting Towering Inferno and Venture for a dollar each I think  - both were lots of fun!  RS Volleyball was the best of the RS series IMO, and Worm War I and Commando Raid were favorites also.  Tops out of the bunch would have to be Berzerk though... nothing better than shooting robots and running away from Evil Otto! :D ?

Some very good games in the batch today (and some VERY bad ones).

 

RS Volleyball was a great surprise! It had a very "realistic" feel to it, probably the only thing missing was diving for the ball!

 

Berzerk is always excellent and I *love* Megamania such a great shooter. Communist Mutants from Space was probably a big standout for me today, some great things going on in that game!

 

- James

3 hours ago, ZeroPage Homebrew said:
5 hours ago, DaveM said:

I think you showed the wrong game today. You played Swordquest Fireworld instead of Swordquest Earthworld.

 

They both suck. ?

You're right, I grabbed the wrong terrible game! I'll make a correction in the next stream and we'll play EarthWorld right at the top. Fireworld isn't due to the beginning of 1983's games. So bad... so very very bad.

Just please don't blame me for having to play 5 minutes of Earthworld. It is better than Fireworld, but that's not saying much.

 

Quick Fireworld story - When our family went shopping as a kid, I always bugged my mom to get me an Atari game, and most of the time, the answer was no.  But, I saw Fireworld, and I knew it had a contest connected to it, so I told my mom I could win $25,000 by playing the game, so she plunked down the $30 or whatever it cost and bought me the game.  I was so excited - I finally got my mom to buy me a game!  I got home, immediately stuck the cartridge in, started playing, and what a piece of crap it was.  Despite that, I must've played for hours.  Never got one clue to appear on screen.  I then went through the manual and the comic book looking for help.  I then had a look at the contest rules.  The deadline for the contest had passed 3 months prior.  ?  I had never been so mad in my life.  FINALLY got my mom to buy me a game, and not only is it a piece of crap, but the contest had expired.  ?

  • Like 3
1 hour ago, ZeroPage Homebrew said:

Some very good games in the batch today (and some VERY bad ones).

Yeah... get used to that. :roll: 

1 hour ago, ZeroPage Homebrew said:

RS Volleyball was a great surprise! It had a very "realistic" feel to it, probably the only thing missing was diving for the ball!

I've always enjoyed that game. If you wait long enough, the sun sets and a shark swims by.

1 hour ago, ZeroPage Homebrew said:

Berzerk is always excellent and I *love* Megamania such a great shooter. Communist Mutants from Space was probably a big standout for me today, some great things going on in that game!

The one thing that bugged me about Megamania (and does to this day) is that when you die, everything just stops. No explosion. No debris. No nothing. Just *stop* and fade-out. It's very un-satisfying. Especially after the spectacular player-ship explosion in Demon Attack.

 

Not a fan of Communist Mutants at all. I felt it was a massive step back, in that you were just shooting blocks that looked like they were from Breakout, and the aliens looked no better than 2600 Space Invaders had two years earlier. Where was all this vaunted graphics power the SuperCharger was supposed to bring? Completely underwhelmed.

  • Like 2

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