Top 100 2600 games of all time

[leestyx]

Here is my top 10.

 

1. Pitfall 2 Lost Caverns--Greatest Atari Game EVER

2. Adventure

3. Vanguard

4. Super Breakout

5. California Games

6. Pitfall

7. Video Pinball

8. Crystal Castles

9. Real Sports Tennis

10. Bowling

[homerwannabee]

Ok, I guess I will add my top 10

1.Megamania(fantastic game)

2.Pittfall 2(ahead of its time)

3.HERO

4.Galaxian

5.Stargate

6.Fast Food

7.Frogger

8.Donkey Kong

9.Adventure

10.Mrs. Pacman

[Joystick Jolter]

Wow, thanks for doing the update, I totally forgot about it! BTW, what´s a ballot?

 

 

Must be from Florida.....

[Lord Thag]

Guess I'll jump in here with my top ten:

 

1. Moonsweeper

2. Pitfall II

3. Solaris

4. River Raid

5. H.E.R.O.

6. Crystal Castles

7. Star Raiders

8. Beamrider

9. Cosmic Ark

10. Phoenix

 

It was tough to narrow down, and some titles I love (Adventure, Defender etc) I just don't play as much anymore, due to burnout I guess. There were several games like Galaxian, Megamania, Radar Lock and the like that are close runners up.

 

If we're making a list of homebrews, my fav's are:

 

1. Haunted Adventure II Redemption

2. Starfire

3. Go Fish

4. Thrust + Platinum Edition

5. Fall Down

 

Phasor Patrol is the best Starpath game, followed by Dragonstomper and Mindmaster, in that order.

[kirin jensen]

I thought about this for long time before responding.

 

Mostly to answer for myself: How would I judge the best 1o for the 2600? On what basis do I make my judgement?

 

Nostalgia was out. While I played a lot of the games back in the day I don't think that's the best way to determine the top games for the system.

 

My criteria came down to:

 

1) Graphics. Fairly self-explanatory.

2) Playability. Includes ease of play and challenge.

3) Depth. How many levels to the game? How many enemies?

4) Reward. What sort of reward is there for successful behavior?

 

Under that criteria, a lot of games that might qualify as 'classic' may not qualify as 'best, e.g., Space Invader or Asteroids.

 

Two games not on my list deserve mention: Space Shuttle and Shuttle Orbiter. Although they don't quite fit into the game category, if I wanted to blow someone's mind with what the 2600 could do, there's probably not a better place to begin than not one but two shuttle simulators.

 

My list

 

1) Beamrider.

99 levels, changing enemies and the 2600 version looks better than the original on the INTV. How often can you say the 2600 version of a game beats the Intellivision version?

Wait, see below.

 

2) Starmaster. 'Nuff said.

 

3) Subterranea. Underrated, and exciting. I can barely make it through the third set of enemies, but the constantly-changing enemies keeps you going.

 

4) Robot Tank.

 

5) Solaris.

 

6) Riddle of the Sphinx. Perhaps the first true modern RPG. All the elements are there: changing stats, the ability to exchange items for more powerful items, a tightly defined quest.

 

7) Laser Gates.

 

Demon Attack. Level after level of eye and thumb candy. And, yes, the 2600 version easily beats the INTV version.

 

9) H.E.R.O.

 

10) Jawbreaker. For all the talk of '2600 Pac-man isn't that bad' and 'Ms Pac-man is pretty good' (which always sounds to me like 'at least Ms. Pac-man doesn't suck as much as Pac-man'), here's truly great Pac-man style game for the 2600.

 

Homebrews

 

1) Oystron

2) Qb

3) Crazy Balloon

4) Man Goes Down

5) Flow. Man, does this game deserve a cart release.

Edited May 3, 2006 by kirin jensen

[Shark05]

asteroids X 100

 

Hey,i got a question. On the original asteroids,as you're playing the game & shooting the meteors,you ever pay attention to the sound of the game? Doesn't is sound like the theme music of Jaws?

 

Shark05

[Shark05]

I already posted my faves, but my wife wants to vote too:

 

1. Centipede

2. Millipede

3. Frogger

4. Seaquest

5. Ice Hockey

6. Tennis

7. Boxing

8. Circus Atari

9. Demon Attack

10. Super Breakout

 

Hey,I have a question about millipede & centipede. I know you are a cannon on both games. Your cannon only has a limited space to go around & shoot the worms. On Millipede,there is a shadow box that shows you,how much room,you have to shoot. On centipede,the box isn't there. Can you tell me,why that is & if both games have the same shooting space?

[+FujiSkunk]

Hey,I have a question about millipede & centipede. I know you are a cannon on both games. Your cannon only has a limited space to go around & shoot the worms. On Millipede,there is a shadow box that shows you,how much room,you have to shoot. On centipede,the box isn't there. Can you tell me,why that is & if both games have the same shooting space?

 

The "shadow box" is copied from the arcade. Arcade Millipede had it, and arcade Centipede didn't. As for why the arcade games were like that, I don't know for sure, but perhaps the Millipede programmers thought it would be an improvement to actually show the player's range, instead of just having a mysteriously invisible glass ceiling.

 

I believe both games offer roughly, if not exactly, the same range to move in.

Edited May 10, 2006 by skunkworx

[sku_u]

I know you are a cannon on both games. Your cannon only has a limited space to go around & shoot the worms.

 

You're actually an archer, not a cannon.

[+FujiSkunk]

I know you are a cannon on both games. Your cannon only has a limited space to go around & shoot the worms.

 

You're actually an archer, not a cannon.

 

Or an elf with a magic wand, depending on what story you believe.

[stop_rebel_scum]

an elf with a magic wand

 

KILLING HIS POLYMORPHED FORMER BEST FRIENDS

 

i can't play this game anymore after i learned those bugs were actually my bosom buddies and here I am mushrooming them (apparently irreversibly)

[stop_rebel_scum]

1. Montezuma's Revenge

2. Pitfall 2.

3. H.E.R.O.

4. California Games

5. River Raid

6. Megamania

7. Pitfall

8. dark cavern

9. frankenstein's monster

10. star wars DSB

[stop_rebel_scum]

oops and

 

1. Go fish!

2. Crazy Balloon

3. Oystron

4. Seawolf

5. Climber Five

 

I know thrust is excellent but I personally loathe gravitar, subterranea (genesis), solar Jetman (NES) and other such games so I can't get into thrust myself.

[BrianC]

1. Pitfall 2

2. Solaris

3. Crystal Castles

4. Jr. Pac-Man

5. Moon Patrol

6. Demon Attack

7. Ms. Pac-Man

8. Cosmic Ark

9. California Games

10. Summer Games

 

Homebrews:

1. Star Fire

2. Marble Craze

(List is short since it only has games I own in cart form, but out of the ones I played, but don't have on cart, Thrust+, Seawolf, and Oystron are my favorites.)

Edited May 15, 2006 by BrianC

[vdub_bobby]

Homebrews:

1. Star Fire

2. Marble Craze

(List is short since it only has games I own in cart form, but out of the ones I played, but don't have on cart, Thrust+, Seawolf, and Oystron are my favorites.)

How do you want me to treat this? Like this:

1. Star Fire

2. Marble Craze

3. Thrust+

4. Seawolf

5. Oystron

 

Or just ignore the last 3? Or something else?

 

Thanks.

[BrianC]

Homebrews:

1. Star Fire

2. Marble Craze

(List is short since it only has games I own in cart form, but out of the ones I played, but don't have on cart, Thrust+, Seawolf, and Oystron are my favorites.)

How do you want me to treat this? Like this:

1. Star Fire

2. Marble Craze

3. Thrust+

4. Seawolf

5. Oystron

 

Yeah, that should do. Thanks.

[vdub_bobby]

Update:

 

Original Carts:

1. Pitfall II (250 points, 32 votes, 11 first place votes)

2. Adventure (205 points, 31 votes, 8 first place votes)

3. Kaboom! (178 points, 26 votes, 7 first place votes)

4. River Raid (176 points, 29 votes, 3 first place votes)

5. H.E.R.O. (151 points, 25 votes, 2 first place votes)

6. Pitfall! (141 points, 24 votes, 3 first place votes)

7. Warlords (111 points, 15 votes, 4 first place votes)

8. Yar's Revenge (102 points, 16 votes, 1 first place votes)

9. Asteroids (98 points, 17 votes, 3 first place votes)

10. Solaris (96 points, 14 votes, 4 first place votes)

 

11. Space Invaders (95 points, 18 votes, 2 first place votes)

12. Ms. Pac-Man (80 points, 14 votes, 2 first place votes)

13. Missile Command (78 points, 13 votes, 1 first place votes)

14. Demon Attack (73 points, 15 votes, 2 first place votes)

15. Keystone Kapers (67 points, 10 votes, 1 first place votes)

16. Super Breakout (63 points, 13 votes, 0 first place votes)

17. Frogger (62 points, 14 votes, 0 first place votes)

18. Midnight Magic (54 points, 8 votes, 2 first place votes)

18. Millipede (54 points, 11 votes, 0 first place votes)

20. Seaquest (47 points, 6 votes, 1 first place votes)

 

21. Circus Atari (46 points, 10 votes, 0 first place votes)

22. Crystal Castles (45 points, 9 votes, 0 first place votes)

22. Defender 2 (45 points, 6 votes, 1 first place votes)

22. Starmaster (45 points, 6 votes, 1 first place votes)

22. Tapper (45 points, 8 votes, 1 first place votes)

26. Battlezone (44 points, 8 votes, 0 first place votes)

26. Cosmic Ark (44 points, 8 votes, 0 first place votes)

26. Phoenix (44 points, 8 votes, 0 first place votes)

29. California Games (41 points, 8 votes, 0 first place votes)

29. Enduro (41 points, 7 votes, 0 first place votes)

 

31. Beamrider (40 points, 6 votes, 2 first place votes)

32. Centipede (38 points, 6 votes, 1 first place votes)

33. Defender (36 points, 6 votes, 0 first place votes)

34. Frostbite (34 points, 7 votes, 0 first place votes)

34. Raiders of the Lost Ark (34 points, 7 votes, 0 first place votes)

36. Combat (33 points, 7 votes, 0 first place votes)

37. Megamania (32 points, 7 votes, 1 first place votes)

38. BMX Airmaster (30 points, 6 votes, 0 first place votes)

38. Jr. Pac-Man (30 points, 6 votes, 1 first place votes)

38. Q*bert (30 points, 5 votes, 0 first place votes)

 

41. Galaxian (28 points, 6 votes, 1 first place votes)

42. Berzerk (27 points, 4 votes, 0 first place votes)

43. Ice Hockey (24 points, 5 votes, 0 first place votes)

43. Montezuma's Revenge (24 points, 3 votes, 1 first place votes)

45. Adventures of Tron (23 points, 4 votes, 0 first place votes)

46. Stampede (21 points, 3 votes, 0 first place votes)

46. Subterranea (21 points, 3 votes, 0 first place votes)

48. Solar Fox (20 points, 2 votes, 2 first place votes)

49. Klax (19 points, 3 votes, 1 first place votes)

49. Vanguard (19 points, 4 votes, 0 first place votes)

 

Pitfall II has really extended its lead. A few other small movements within the top 20; notably Solaris moves into the top-10, bumping Space Invaders, and H.E.R.O. jumps over Pitfall! into 5th place.

Other stuff: The top 10 is evenly split between Atari and Activision games. The first non-Activision/non-Atari game is Demon Attack, by Imagic, at #14, then Frogger (Parker Brothers) at #17.

 

Supercharger tapes:

1. DragonStomper (34 points, 9 votes, 3 first place votes)

2. Frogger: The Official Version (25 points, 6 votes, 4 first place votes)

3. Escape From The Mindmaster (24 points, 6 votes, 2 first place votes)

4. Communist Mutants From Space (22 points, 6 votes, 2 first place votes)

5. Phasor Patrol (13 points, 3 votes, 2 first place votes)

 

Phasor Patrol moves into the top five, bumping Rabbit Transit.

 

Homebrews:

1. Star Fire (34 points, 8 votes, 4 first place votes)

1. Thrust+ (34 points, 9 votes, 3 first place votes)

3. Qb (27 points, 8 votes, 3 first place votes)

4. Oystron (23 points, 7 votes, 3 first place votes)

5. Fall Down (18 points, 5 votes, 2 first place votes)

5. Seawolf (18 points, 6 votes, 0 first place votes)

7. Go Fish! (12 points, 3 votes, 1 first place votes)

7. Marble Craze (12 points, 4 votes, 0 first place votes)

9. Gunfight (11 points, 3 votes, 2 first place votes)

10. Man Goes Down (10 points, 4 votes, 0 first place votes)

 

Starfire moves into a tie for first with Thrust+, not many other changes here. I think there is enough voting now to show the top 10, rather than just the top 5.

[Lucky Man]

Phasor Patrol moves into the top five, bumping Rabbit Transit.

[rocky412]

1-Pitfall

2-Asteroids

3-Space Invaders

4-Defender

5-Missle Command

6-Bezerk

7-Pressure Cooker

8-Miner 2049'er

9-Star Wars-The Arcade Game

10-Pole Position

[atarimind]

Number 48..... Is it Solar FOX? or Solar STORM?

Edited May 29, 2006 by fedechab

[atarimind]

Is strange the Solar Storm didn't make it to the top 50.

[+atari2600land]

I'm gonna open this topic again and add my 10 cents:

1. Video Pinball

2. Freeway

3. Asteroids

4. Realsports Football

5. Pole Position

6. Ms. Pac-Man

7. Street Racer

8. Berzerk

9. Air-sea Battle/Target Fun (same game, right)

10. Super Breakout

[Bucket]

1. Warlords

2. Combat

3. Video Pinball

4. Mario Bros.

5. Maze Craze

6. Asteroids

7. Donkey Kong

9. Slot Racers

10. Indy 500

 

I hope those are the right names...

I'm sure my list would've looked a lot more like everyone else's if my parents weren't such tightwads back then. The only things I ever got more than 10 games for were the Commodore 64 (because my dad could get pirated copies) and the Playstation 2 (by spending my own money).

[Cybergoth]

Number 48..... Is it Solar FOX? or Solar STORM?

 

Solar Fox is Solar Fox.

[vdub_bobby]

1. Warlords

2. Combat

3. Video Pinball

4. Mario Bros.

5. Maze Craze

6. Asteroids

7. Donkey Kong

9. Slot Racers

10. Indy 500

You only listed 9 games there.