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What Atari 2600 arcade ports are superior compared to the actual arcade cabinet?


PlutoniumPasta

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Space Invaders without a doubt.

Asteroids and Battlezone...if you're not into the vector thing, they play just as well and are more visually appealing. 

Frogger but only the Starpath version.

Defender  I'm probably the only person in the world who thinks this.  It doesn't look or sound as good, but it's just more fun to play imo. 

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Just now, Turbo-Torch said:

Space Invaders without a doubt.

Asteroids and Battlezone...if you're not into the vector thing, they play just as well and are more visually appealing. 

Frogger but only the Starpath version.

Defender  I'm probably the only person in the world who thinks this.  It doesn't look or sound as good, but it's just more fun to play imo. 

Yea, 2600 Asteroids is in color which I prefer more then just the standard vector graphics of the original. Although I feel like 2600 Asteroids is a whole lot easier than the arcade version even with the highest difficulty, which can sometimes make the game boring. Maybe I just play Asteroids too much lol. Battlezone imo has got to be one of the best looking 2600 games on the system. I also think the 2600 Defender is better gameplay wise, mostly because i can actually get past the first level and keep getting bonus lives! :lolblue:

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Also I messed up the topic description :|. I meant to say what are some Atari 2600 arcade ports that yall currently think are the better than the arcade cabinets they were programmed after. I think the 2600 version of Space Invaders is much better than actual cabinet.  

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I agree 100 percent with Space Invaders.

Defender and Asteroids are 2 totally different games from the 2600 version compared to the arcade. I dont think its better or worse as I think both versions have their charms. I may also include Centipede with regard to this.

Ironically, I much prefer 2600 original Breakout as opposed to either version of the arcade ports

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Well for certain SpaceInvaders. The doubleshot trick, the smoother player shot to invader "interface" is more groovy and satisfying. So much less frustrating too. Targets feel a little bigger and that allows for some leeway, lets your concentration transition smoothly to the next task. Not always on edge. And then there are the colors, very appealing compared to the harsh ones in the arcade cab. And nothing was really removed from the game. The variations.. Ohh my! The variations.. A billion games in one cart. A killer app 2bshur

 

I also vote MissileCommand. Despite the few things taken out of the game, it played so much better to me as a kid. I could actually progress through levels and get a sense of accomplishment. I preferred the single base as opposed to managing three. And when the 400/800 version came out it kind of felt like a sequel.

 

And the same applies to Defender - though I would put the Atari 400/800 version (of Defender) at the top of the list. It is so much more eminently playable. Approachable. And it had natural joystick controls vs a clumsy ass buttonboard that so-called "veterans" call the real way to play. No. Nothing is better about it. 400/800 version was so much better at home, by lightyears even! The arcade's controls were incredibly cumbersome and un-natural. I played the arcade version exactly 2 times. Then no more. Leave that to the one-trick savants of the time. The smoothly progressing difficulty and gameplay on 400/800 was a boon to me. And at home, with the PointMaster joystick I was practically a circus monkey gyrating in every imaginable position on those then popular beanbags and the rest of the furniture.

 

I also liked Breakout. And it's simply about the vibrant colors and lower resolution. Seemed a little more abstract to me somehow.

 

Pac-Man on almost any home platform. It was a waste of time for me to play this in the arcade. As usual the difficulty was way too much for my infantile skills. Might as well give money away than to play this shit.

 

Asteroids on the VCS and play-alike clones on the Apple II gets mention for much the same reasons I've been stating, difficulty. I hated the controls too. Too many buttons like Defender. I also didn't go much for the monochromatic look either. And the bright dots - lots of scary radiation. Didn't like it.  Harsh. Glaring. The 2600 had color and was easier and had variations. Play & control was so much more pleasant with the joystick. When it came to the Apple II, Asteroids never had an official port, but had many spoofs. Apple-Oids, The Asteroid Field, Planetoids, and more. They were all in "vector" graphics and looked good on my 5" Trinitron monitor. Vector at home was still somewhat of a novelty.

 

In general, games at home were more customizable with variations and often had brighter more vivid colors, sans resolution of course. Then there was the difficulty. I loved going to the arcades, but sucked at 90% of the games. And finally I could throw a blanket over it all and say the home games all better than the arcades. They were convenient and free once the cartridge was purchased.

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Asteroids 2600 has ATROCIOUS collision detection and is full of bugs. I really can't stand to play it. But I'm glad other people enjoy it.

 

My vote goes to Gravitar. The arcade version is super cool (and maybe not as hard as Game 1 of the 2600 port) but the 2600 version is the one I come back to time and time again.

 

My second vote goes to Galaxian. The arcade version just feels awkward to me - the ship is too big and slow. Playing the 2600 port for HSC I really got to appreciate all the game modes and how much more fun it is. Granted, it's almost a different game entirely, but still.

 

I second Space Invaders and Defender (though the amazing sounds of both are missed). Missile Command I'm 50-50 on. I like them equally.

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29 minutes ago, jgkspsx said:

Asteroids 2600 has ATROCIOUS collision detection and is full of bugs. I really can't stand to play it. But I'm glad other people enjoy it.

 

 

Maybe thats true, but 2600 Asteroids is one of those very rare examples of it being 1000 times better than the 8 bit computer version of the game.

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Space Invaders  I'm not sure if the 2600 versions is actually better, but I think it is more iconic.   I'll go with it for that reason.

 

Pitfall II - One of those odd games that started on console and got ported to arcade.   The 2600 is the original, the way it was meant to be, so I like it best for that reason.

 

Battlezone - Maybe the gameplay isn't better, but damn it looks really good for a 2600 game!

 

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Just now, Keatah said:

 

 

I also liked Breakout. And it's simply about the vibrant colors and lower resolution. Seemed a little more abstract to me somehow.

 

Pac-Man on almost any home platform. It was a waste of time for me to play this in the arcade. As usual the difficulty was way too much for my infantile skills. Might as well give money away than to play this shit.

 

 

I agree, the colors on Breakout, are waaay more appealing than the arcade version. I actually enjoy Pac-Man both in the arcade and the 2600 version. Mostly because I'm pretty good at the arcade and can easily get past the mazes on the 2600 version. However, even though the 2600 version is frowned upon by most people, I enjoy it more than the arcade version. The 2600 Pac-Man just has that 2600 charm that most arcade ports by Atari had back in the day. 

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Also I don't know if anyone mentioned this game, but Q*Bert for the 2600 imo is an awesome arcade port! Parker Brothers was able to include most of the gameplay and sounds of the original! Although it does take time to get use to the awkward controls. But once you get that part out of the way, it's a great 2600 port! I'm not quite sure if I would say its better than the arcade cabinet, since it's really just the arcade version but with some features removed because of the capability of the 2600. Another great 2600 port is Joust! I think Joust is better because it's a lot easier than the arcade version. And the sounds for the game are just awesome for the 2600! The animations are also quite smooth. The best part is you can either fight or work together with another player in the 2 player modes. That is something very few 2600 games had. Most 2600 games with 2 player modes had the players either take turns, fight each other, or work together.  

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Seems some choices on here are based because of the control scheme from the arcade to more of a simplified version on the 2600.

 

I still prefer the arcade on the majority of these...

 

Space Invaders while a good port, something about the added deep bass from the arcade makes it more enjoyable for me

 

Asteroids...nothing will ever trump vector monitors, more points for the deep bass from the arcade version.

 

My choices are some the earlier black and white arcade games. Sears Target Fun/Air Sea Battle with the added different target choices over Atari Antiaircraft; Combat over the earlier Kee Tank games which also includes Atari Jetfighter and Biplane crammed into one cart.

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On 11/29/2022 at 1:30 PM, PlutoniumPasta said:

Also I don't know if anyone mentioned this game, but Q*Bert for the 2600 imo is an awesome arcade port!

I’m with you!!

 

Quote

Another great 2600 port is Joust! I think Joust is better because it's a lot easier than the arcade version.

… okay you lost me. The 2600 port is a very fun game and I like it a lot but it’s not a patch on the arcade game. The arcade version is all physics and the 2600 port has no physics to speak of.

 

… the Lynx version, though…

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On 12/6/2022 at 7:54 PM, jgkspsx said:

 

… okay you lost me. The 2600 port is a very fun game and I like it a lot but it’s not a patch on the arcade game. The arcade version is all physics and the 2600 port has no physics to speak of.

It might be because I'm use to the 2600 version. I played the 2600 version before I played the arcade cab. 

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On 11/29/2022 at 12:02 PM, zzip said:

Pitfall II - One of those odd games that started on console and got ported to arcade.   The 2600 is the original, the way it was meant to be, so I like it best for that reason.

The Sega arcade game is not really a port of the Atari 2600 game. It was kind of a mash up of the first two Pitfall! games with quite a bit of extra stuff.

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I dont know how many times this question has been asked but the answer is and will forever  be NO! 

 

No Atari 2600 port was better than its arcade counterpart... not technically, not gameplay wise, not audio, not video, period. 

 

Good to close topic now that this has been settled once and for all.

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On 11/28/2022 at 8:34 PM, Turbo-Torch said:

 

I've owned the actual arcade game for about 25 years now, and no matter how much I play it, it still kicks my ass. :)

looks like you have 3 games...as do I ms.pacman/galaga cocktail 25th anniversary, Donkey Kong(actually got a switcher and a DKJ board set too)and Gorf.

 

I agree on Space Invaders.

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On 12/19/2022 at 6:09 PM, 4ever2600 said:

I dont know how many times this question has been asked but the answer is and will forever  be NO! 

 

No Atari 2600 port was better than its arcade counterpart... not technically, not gameplay wise, not audio, not video, period. 

 

Good to close topic now that this has been settled once and for all.

I think the term "better" is subjective here.

 

Are the arcade ports of Defender and Asteroids superior as far as graphics and sound go? Of course they are. But...I personally get so much more enjoyment playing these games on the 2600 as opposed to the arcade ports. There might be people out there who would say a game like Defender or Space Invaders is "better" on the 2600 due to its fun factor as well as control (joystick as opposed to buttons).

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There are cases were sometimes the home ports are better than the arcade originals in gameplay.  My favorite examples are Donkey Kong on the Atari 8-bit and SoulEdge Blade on the Playstation. (Might as well include SoulCalibur for the Dreamcast as well...)

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3 hours ago, Flyindrew said:

I think the term "better" is subjective here.

 

Are the arcade ports of Defender and Asteroids superior as far as graphics and sound go? Of course they are. But...I personally get so much more enjoyment playing these games on the 2600 as opposed to the arcade ports. There might be people out there who would say a game like Defender or Space Invaders is "better" on the 2600 due to its fun factor as well as control (joystick as opposed to buttons).

Look I'm just busting balls.  This debate always comes down to opinion as to what people like as stated in the title.  No matter how right or how insane your take is, there are no wrong answers.

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