The Atari 2600 just might be the most iconic home console ever released.
It debuted in 1977 to moderate success, before finally going on to sell over 40 million units
worldwide.
It was so popular in the 80’s; Atari was basically synonymous with video gaming in
general.
Today, the Atari brand doesn't carry the same weight it once did, and gaming tastes have
changed quite a bit over the past 40 years.
However, some games have aged remarkably well.
So, on today's episode of 5 Games I present 5 Good Atari 2600 Games.
Demon Attack is a classic single screen arcade shooter from developer Imagic.
As one might expect from the title of the game, there are demons and they are attacking.
While fairly similar to other wave style shooters of the time, there are a few things Demon
Attack does which I appreciate.
First, the demons materialize from the sides of the screen.
I don't know why I find this so cool, but something about materializing from both sides
of the screen, into a demon, is pretty sweet.
Next, the enemies are somewhat complex, featuring strange hovering patterns making them tough
to shoot down.
As Demon Attack progresses, the demons attack with more powerful weapons, including lasers.
Enemies even split in half, with their offspring, or whatever, also attacking with more powerful
weapons, in addition to a final kamikaze attack.
The graphics are definitely above average with nice looking demons featuring plenty
of colors, and everything hums along rather smoothly.
The sound is also what you would expect, with a repetitious background beat and classic
explosions.
If you're new to the Atari 2600 and looking for a good $1 title, look no further than
Demon Attack.
Next up we have Joust from Williams Electronics.
Perhaps more than any other game on this list, Joust is a game that could have only come
out of the 1980's.
You play the role of a knight riding an ostrich around a static playfield.
Your goal is to defeat the other jousters also riding around on giant birds.
To successfully defeat an enemy, you need to hit them, but you have to be at a higher
vertical level than them.
If you're on equal footing, you'll both bounce back.
Hit below them, and you lose the joust.
After getting in a successful hit, your enemy turns into an egg.
You have to grab this egg quickly; otherwise it will simply hatch into a brand new enemy.
If this wasn't weird enough, if you take too long to clear a level a pterodactyl will come
flying at you.
Trippy stuff.
In addition to the far out concept are some unique controls.
Much like flappy bird, you have to press the action button to flap your wings.
Combine this with some awesome momentum physics, a great walking animation, and you have one
of the deeper gaming experiences of the early 1980's.
While super hero games are fairly common in today's marketplace, they were a bit harder
to come by on the Atari 2600.
Thankfully, Spider-Man from Parker Bros. is both fairly cheap, and pretty good.
The name of the game here is very simple.
First, use your web slinging power to scale up a tall skyscraper.
At the top of the skyscraper is second tower to scale.
Near the end you'll have to avoid the Green Goblin.
Finally, navigate to the super bomb at the top of it all to clear the stage.
Spider-Man’s web slinger actually works pretty well and navigating the vertical playfield
feels smooth and responsive.
It is not easy however, and you can't swing off windows, or the air, obviously.
The hit detection can be a bit wonky too, and it can take a few rounds to get a feel
for how to take down an enemy in a window, or diffuse one of the bombs.
Missing a web sling or getting hit by an enemy will send Spider-Man falling and finally,
the timer at the bottom of the screen moves faster with each passing level.
It's certainly not the deepest game I've ever played, but there is something inherently
charming about playing a Spider-Man game on such primitive hardware.
While the original Pac-Man on the Atari 2600 might have been a critical failure, Namco's
classic Ms. Pac-Man is anything but.
In fact, Ms. Pac-Man on the Atari 2600 is actually quite remarkable.
The jingle is awesome, the munching sound is fantastic, the boards are taken straight
from the arcade game, and most important, the game play is excellent.
Seriously, this is a great playing game of Ms. Pac-Man.
Now I'm not a Pac-Man aficionado by any stretch of the imagination, and perhaps the ghost
behavior isn't perfect or something like that, but the game gives me a good run for my money,
and sooner or later, those pesky ghosts always manage to trap me, leading to the death of
poor Ms. Pac-Man.
Like all good Pac-Man games, Ms. Pac-Man is an extremely addicting experience.
Collecting dots, timing the power pellets to maximize points, or get yourself out of
a jam, and trying to outsmart the relentless ghosts is one of the very best gaming experiences,
of all time.
Last but not least is Taito's Space Invaders.
This licensed port is often credited as truly putting the Atari 2600 on the map.
While most ports of Space Invaders stress me out, this slightly scaled down port featuring
fewer enemies actually makes the game a ton more manageable for me, and therefore, a ton
more fun.
You see, Space Invaders is both simple and complex, all at the same time.
There is a hoard of enemies coming at you, moving from one side of the screen, to the
other.
When they reach the edge of the screen, they shift downward.
If they reach the bottom of the playfield, you die.
The combination of having a safe zone, and the enemy’s ability to fire at you was revolutionary
at the time.
The fact you can only fire a single shot at a time makes each shot you fire of critical
importance.
Also important is how you decide to tackle the hoard.
You need to clear out the bottom rows so they don't reach the bottom of the screen.
However, knocking out an entire column of aliens on the edge of the hoard will save
you some precious time, as it now takes them longer to move side to side.
All of this adds up to a game that is very easy to play, but with plenty of little nuances
making for a very deep experience.
Add in the constant noise of the aliens shifting, which gets faster as the game progresses;
creates a sense of urgency and excitement.
And all of this is captured perfectly in this Atari 2600 port.
Not only is Space Invaders dirt cheap, it is easily one of the best games on the system.
So there you have it, five good games for the Atari 2600.
Now, this is not a definitive list, nor is it intended to be a best-of, and the Atari
2600 has far more than 5 good games.
So, be sure to leave a comment and let me know which Atari 2600 games you enjoy.