Pitfall, Qbert and Frogger were my faves!! Any more you would like to ad?

Pitfall was my fav too! I could never figure out how to end the game!!

Plus frogger, E.T., Donkey Kong.

i don't think any of those atari games had an end.

my faves...combat, pitfall, defender, battlezone.

http://www.matranet.net/BACK/JUL2K2/06/PMF.GIF

Pac Man was my favorite game. http://www.prowrestling.com/discuss/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif


Howard

I liked Yar's Revenge.

I liked Yar's Revenge.


I second that. :)  Most of the Activision games were quite challenging too.

Pitfall was my fav too! I could never figure out how to end the game!!

Plus frogger, E.T., Donkey Kong.

I LOVED ET, spaceship coming down, bringing the flower back to life :)

Asteroids, Atari Bowling, River Raid, M Network Football

Phoenix!  ;D

I second that. :)  Most of the Activision games were quite challenging too.
Activision DID have some of the best games for the 2600. I remember spending bored afternoons at my friend's house playing "Dragster." (I was the only one who actually figured out how to shift the thing, so I'd blow my friends' doors off!  :))

Hee hee...I actually liked Moon Patrol!

I remember I always wound up with severe blisters after using the joystick a lot. :P



Howard

Popey, Centepede, Qbert, Dig Dug, Joust

I remember I always wound up with severe blisters after using the joystick a lot. :P



Howard
Yes! Those things used to just KILL my wrists!

now you get nintendo thumb. same thing really.

i much prefered the old joysticks. i hated the atari ones, i made sure my dad bought me the wico joysticks. so much nicer...

Missle Command

That game always had an end. When all of your cities were destroyed it said THE END in red and white.

http://www.retrogames.co.uk/stock/assets/images/Mach_-_Atari_2600_Set_up.jpg


I think it was that red push button that gave me sores. ;D


Howard

asteroids, galaxian, and pacman.  as a genX'er, i am privileged to have played games since they first started and i still game.  but now its online with a pc.  i still kick a$$.

http://www.retrogames.co.uk/stock/assets/images/Mach_-_Atari_2600_Set_up.jpg


I think it was that red push button that gave me sores. ;D


Howard
Is that an Atari 2600 or 5200?

Just think like 20-25 years ago,we were playing Atari on a regular Apple and nowadays you can play Atari on the internet . :o ;D



Howard

Is that an Atari 2600 or 5200?



No Al,that's The Atari 2600. ;)



Howard

No,That was a frustrating game.The Yellow man always seemed to follow me everywhere I went. >:(



Howard

Megamania, River Raid, Frogger, and SUPER BREAKOUT!!  Seriously, how can anyone have loved ET.  It was so lame...even the company gathered up as many copies that it could, burned the lot, then buried it in the desert somewhere. Really!  Now that's bad.  But I own a copy.  heehee  8)

Super Breakout.I always used the paddleball for that game. :)



Howard

Let's see... we had COMBAT, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, Q-BERT, DIG-DUG, FROGGER, PAC-MAN (which sucked because there weren't any interludes after you beat three rounds or whatever), ASTEROIDS, MISSLE COMMAND, AIR SEA BATTLE, HAUNTED HOUSE, E.T., DEFENDER, SPACE INVADERS, PITFALL, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, DONKEY KONG (which sucked because there were only two levels)... there were probably others, but I can't remember.

Atari coin-op games have always been my favorites. So much, in fact, that I collect them. I also maintain a site for a former Atari coin-op game designer/programmer named Owen Rubin. He designed Space Duel, Major Havoc, Skydiver, and many others during his time at Atari. You can read about him at http://www.orubin.com.

i don't think any of those atari games had an end.

my faves...combat, pitfall, defender, battlezone.


I don't think they did either.  You played Atari games until you were bored and tired, then you played the next day. 

Having an "end" to a game and some kind of intriculate plot didn't really come around till the Nintendo and Sega era of the late 80s.

http://www.atarimuseum.com/orubin/owen1.jpg


So,who was actually Owen Rubin?
He was the maker of Atari games? ???

Howard

I don't think they did either.  You played Atari games until you were bored and tired, then you played the next day. 

Having an "end" to a game and some kind of intriculate plot didn't really come around till the Nintendo and Sega era of the late 80s.


I remember playing PacMan for almost 2 hours. :D


Howard

Anyone remember a game called Food Fight or Burger something?

You made food and it was slung at people.

Of course, I loved Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man

Tank Pong & whatever that cowboy jobbie was, for the 2600. Slow, but at least you didn't need to yank the joystick endlessly (oo-er) whilst waiting for the cursor to catch up....

Anyone remember a game called Food Fight or Burger something?

You made food and it was slung at people.

Of course, I loved Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man


I think you are actually thinking of two games.  Food Fight was a game where you threw food at chefs, and Burgertime was a game where you were a chef, and you stacked the parts of a hamburger.  Both of them are great games, and the arcade versions had fantastic cabinets.  Food Fight is one of my all time favorites.

Info on Food Fight here
http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=F&game_id=7837

Info on Burgertime here
http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=B&game_id=7238

Kevin
www.krakboi.com

I remember I always wound up with severe blisters after using the joystick a lot. :P



Howard


Especially when playing Decathalon!!!!

Especially when playing Decathalon!!!!


It's like my thumb would go into spasms.That was painful! :(


Howard

I think you are actually thinking of two games.  Food Fight was a game where you threw food at chefs, and Burgertime was a game where you were a chef, and you stacked the parts of a hamburger.  Both of them are great games, and the arcade versions had fantastic cabinets.  Food Fight is one of my all time favorites.

Info on Food Fight here
http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=F&game_id=7837

Info on Burgertime here
http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=B&game_id=7238

Kevin
www.krakboi.com


http://images.webmagic.com/klov.com/screens/B/zBurgerTime.png


Burger Time wasn't that hard of a game.I found it to be pretty easy to get thru the levels. :D



Howard

Thanks, Krakboi!

Howard, the atari games I played were really easy b/c I was young and they didn't require much skill at the time.

Tanya

Thanks, Krakboi!

Howard, the atari games I played were really easy b/c I was young and they didn't require much skill at the time.

Tanya



Yeah,I had the same feeling too when I grew up.


Howard

My favourite Atari game was "Food Fight".  I also loved the "Activision Decathalon", which was also the only Atari game that got me in a sweat. Moving the joystick back and forth so fast was so difficult .. it might actually be a good work out to build up those muscles  ;D

My faves were as follows . . . Ms.Pac-man, Frogger, Food Fight. Did anyone really enjoy playing Asteroids?

My faves were as follows . . . Ms.Pac-man, Frogger, Food Fight. Did anyone really enjoy playing Asteroids?


The 7800 version of Asteroids was OK, but the 2600 version got so boring after a while because your score would reset after you got all 9's

Wow this is a fun one!! my aunt and uncle used to work at atari and they had the actual arcade sized games in our garage! my fave was pole position, pacman,mrs pacman and centipede

[quote author=whis

Um, you do know asteroids has more than 1 level?  ;D  Actually a few games listed here were pre-1980.


Which version do you mean?


2600 Version                                      7800 Version
http://www.consoleclassix.com/info_img/Asteroids_2600_ScreenShot1.jpg http://www.atariprotos.com/7800/software/asteroids/Asteroids_4.png

With the 2600 version, the asteroids only move up and down.  In the 7800 version, they come at you from all directions, which is more challenging O0

[quote author=whis

Yeah, I know, but the 2600 version also has 66 different selections. 1-33 is single player, 34-66 are 2 player. Odd numbered ones are slow, even numbered are fast. In 7,8,15, 16, 23, 24, 31, 40, 41, 48, 49, 56, 57, 64, 65 and 32 you get no extra lives. 1-8, 34-41 have hyperspace feature, 9-16, 42-49 have shields, 17-24, 50-57 have flip, 25-32, 58-65 have no features. Selections 33 and 66 are for children.
Personally, I like the arcade version with it's old vector-graphics. Is defender/defender II available on the 7800? I bet it would be awesome.


I'm not sure if Defender was made for the 7800, but there was a clone of it called Stargate.  It was quite similar, but instead of shooting all of the ships to advance to the next level, you had to collect all of the people that stood on platforms

Centipede(Atari also created the original ARCADE version!), Ms. Pac-Man, Defender, Pong, and Tank-Pong!

The 2600 had a nice,not really stiff, joystick. Today's game controls are so stiff they tire your thumbs and wrists out quickly!

The 2600 had a nice,not really stiff, joystick. Today's game controls are so stiff they tire your thumbs and wrists out quickly!


I never understood why the button was on the left side on a 2600 joystick.  They were always so hard to use :o

The 2600 had a nice,not really stiff, joystick. Today's game controls are so stiff they tire your thumbs and wrists out quickly!


Depends which version of the CX-40 you had. The first generation sticks were a little stiff due to having springs inside. Aftermarket sticks were the most comfortable.

Depends which version of the CX-40 you had. The first generation sticks were a little stiff due to having springs inside. Aftermarket sticks were the most comfortable.
I don't know if you have ever dealt with an XBox controller...anything the 2600 had is nowhere near as stiff as the modern game controllers are. I wish Microsoft would redesign the darned thing....My first Playstation's controller was great.

Kaboom, Space Invaders

OMG I can't believe there are 4 pages of this and NO ONE even mentioned Adventure the sound of those duck/dragons used to make me cringe!
http://www.homestarrunner.com/main13.html
move your pointer over the "email" button, hilarious!
or Custer's Revenge!
That one was so naughty! As kids it was the sexiest thing around!
The link is a tad bit explicit
http://www.classicgaming.com/rotw/custer.shtml
Of course Pitfall, Frogger and Q-bert!
One I remember very well was the Strawberry Shortcake game with the MOST annoying music imaginable. I distinctly remember my mom screaming from the kitchen "TURN THAT STUPID THING DOWN!"

OMG I can't believe there are 4 pages of this and NO ONE even mentioned Adventure the sound of those duck/dragons used to make me cringe!


HHzXN0NDlHw

Somebody get this freakin' duck away from me!

Oh man.  Adventure.  That game used to piss me off so bad.  It wasn't so much an Adventure when that stupid duck just showed up out of nowhere and took your key.  It was like in E.T., when that man keeps showing up and stealing your phone pieces >:(

  The duck?  I always thought it was a sea horse...

 

  The duck?  I always thought it was a sea horse...

 


The graphics were so amazingly lifelike, it was easy to tell it was a duck :D

Here's my favorite thread.  I love Atari.  I played Mouse-Trap, Journey, Ms. Pacman, Centipede, Donkey Kong, and Frogger.

HHzXN0NDlHw

Somebody get this freakin' duck away from me!


It's not a duck,it's a dragon or is it? ???

Oh man.  Adventure.  That game used to piss me off so bad.  It wasn't so much an Adventure when that stupid duck just showed up out of nowhere and took your key.  It was like in E.T., when that man keeps showing up and stealing your phone pieces >:(


I liked ET but I kept getting stuck in wells,trying to get up and that stupid man was annoying too.

Here's my favorite thread.  I love Atari.  I played Mouse-Trap, Journey, Ms. Pacman, Centipede, Donkey Kong, and Frogger.


Pac Man was ok too.

I liked ET but I kept getting stuck in wells,trying to get up and that stupid man was annoying too.


Aw man, I played ET back in the 80s as a child with my older brother, and that game sucked.  The only thing that I don't like about Atari was the graphic of the games.  Colecovision had graphic that was close to the Arcade.  I still like Atari though.

Aw man, I played ET back in the 80s as a child with my older brother, and that game sucked.  The only thing that I don't like about Atari was the graphic of the games.  Colecovision had graphic that was close to the Arcade.  I still like Atari though.



the boops and the bleeps were really catchy.

HHzXN0NDlHw

Somebody get this freakin' duck away from me!


;D

About 5 years ago I created a dirty gritty techno ditty using some loops and beats from loopology, that sample and "duckjob".  8)

http://www.thommitchell.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/breakout.jpg

Who remembers Breakout?

http://www.thommitchell.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/breakout.jpg

Who remembers Breakout?


To tell you the truth, I 'm not familiar with that game, but I remember Galaxia though

To tell you the truth, I 'm not familiar with that game, but I remember Galaxia though


Breakout starts when you hit a ball and you have to smash all the bricks then it gets harder and harder as each level increases.

http://www.thommitchell.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/breakout.jpg

Who remembers Breakout?


Breakout was a good game, but the much better version was Arkanoid, which never made it to Atari, but was seen on later consoles.

About 5 years ago I created a dirty gritty techno ditty using some loops and beats from loopology, that sample and "duckjob".   8)


You type something like that and then fail to provide an MP3.  

I was going to put the theme from the 2600 port of Moon Patrol in everyone's head for the next week, but instead I'll keep a positive attitude about the whole thing.  As in...

XzxIetvuh4k

Positive Attitude, 2600

http://www.thommitchell.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/breakout.jpg

Who remembers Breakout?

I sorta do, altho I didn't play it till much later. I even have an Atari console with that as one of its games.




Breakout was a good game, but the much better version was Arkanoid, which never made it to Atari, but was seen on later consoles.

Yeah, I liked Arkanoid better too. O0 And I have played other variations.

http://www.consoleclassix.com/info_img/Donkey_Kong_2600_ScreenShot2.jpg


Donkey Kong

http://www.consoleclassix.com/info_img/Donkey_Kong_2600_ScreenShot2.jpg


Donkey Kong


Now this is what I'm talking about.  The graphics of that game sucked really bad, but the game is still all that.

someone got me interested in playing the game Berzerk and I play it on my computer.  Never had am Atari, just played Intellivision at my grandma's house.  I do have a CD of some Atari Games that I don't have in my computer.  One of them you can play with four players and you have to keep the ball from breaking the walls of your castle.

my computer still reads the disk.  The game I was thinking about was Warlords.  Oh Yeah Crystal Castles  I use to play that at Chuck E. Cheese's when I was young.

We used to play Yar's Revenge, which seemed pretty far out at the time!
8)

http://www.toy-tma.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/yars-revenge-atari.png

Do most people already know Nolan Bushnell founded Atari and Chuck E. Cheese?  I confess I did not know until I looked up Chuck E. Cheese (properly called "Chuck E. Cheese's") on Wikipedia.  
Smart idea: A controlled, family-friendly environment where you could take the kids for pizza and be divested of all your quarters.  Older teens dominated the games at regular pizza parlors and mall video arcades had sketchy characters drifting in and out of them.  Parents got nervous.  Younger kids were often restricted to certain hours at the arcades.  

I've actually never even been to Chuck E. Cheese.  I was a little old for it by the time it got established in our area.  I saw the first one in NH circa 1983.  It was in Manchester, IIRC.  Then there were more locations when we moved to Massachusetts...Methuen and Danvers.  My brother's friends had birthday parties there and whatnot.  My dad used to refer to it as "Chuck and Cheeses" (he confused the E for an ampersand), which made it sound like a steakhouse!
;D

http://www.coupondad.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/chuck_e_cheese.gif

I don't remember that if I once knew it.  Yar's revenge isn't on my disk and I don't know what that is so I'll see if I can find the game somewhere and try it out. 

Now this is what I'm talking about.  The graphics of that game sucked really bad, but the game is still all that.



I liked the Nintendo version that came out a few years later.

We used to play Yar's Revenge, which seemed pretty far out at the time!
8)

http://www.toy-tma.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/yars-revenge-atari.png


I hated Yar's Revenge,that ship always had trouble going through that fence.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KNZH403imb4/S98T68DYbvI/AAAAAAAAAdU/ID60e-4GYfE/s1600/boxing1981activision15ke.jpg

Now if Boxing isn't the most cheesiest game I don't know what is,A black and white player?  ::)

I liked the Nintendo version that came out a few years later.


Yeah, the graphics of Donkey Kong in Nintendo is similar to the arcade.

Yeah, the graphics of Donkey Kong in Nintendo is similar to the arcade.


back in the mid 80's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HtdStfnI1w

Do most people already know Nolan Bushnell founded Atari and Chuck E. Cheese?  I confess I did not know until I looked up Chuck E. Cheese (properly called "Chuck E. Cheese's") on Wikipedia.  
Smart idea: A controlled, family-friendly environment where you could take the kids for pizza and be divested of all your quarters.  Older teens dominated the games at regular pizza parlors and mall video arcades had sketchy characters drifting in and out of them.  Parents got nervous.  Younger kids were often restricted to certain hours at the arcades.  


He's never really let go of that idea. The adult-foodie-trendy-fusion-cuisine version of Chuck E. Cheese was 2005's uWink. 

http://www.uwink.com/images/stories/yoogallery/hohidining2.jpg

I went to the San Jose one back in the day.  Neat idea.  It was a restaurant at which interactive touchscreens and surfaces could be used both for ordering and, of course, for games to facilitate social interaction between patrons.  (The problem with uWink may have been that the sorts of people who go to trendy restaurants to hook up don't need video games as an excuse to flirt, and the sorts of people who want to play video games while waiting for their meals tend not to be the sort of people who go to trendy restaurants.)

In defense of the concept, we've since grown pretty accustomed to being able to play games like Angry Birds on our phones or tablets during downtime, so perhaps uWink's problem was merely that it was five years ahead of its time.  Much like the arcades of yore - why go to an arcade to play someone else's games when there's an arcade's worth of gaming in your living room - why go to a restaurant to play games when you've got an arcade's worth of games on your own mobile device?  

His current venture is in brainteaser-type casual gaming, and while I don't think your brain cares very much about what games you play (as long as you keep shifting games and playstyles, forcing your brain to keep adapting and learning), I'll bet his games are still fun.  

He's never really let go of that idea. The adult-foodie-trendy-fusion-cuisine version of Chuck E. Cheese was 2005's uWink. 

http://www.uwink.com/images/stories/yoogallery/hohidining2.jpg

I went to the San Jose one back in the day.  Neat idea.  It was a restaurant at which interactive touchscreens and surfaces could be used both for ordering and, of course, for games to facilitate social interaction between patrons.  (The problem with uWink may have been that the sorts of people who go to trendy restaurants to hook up don't need video games as an excuse to flirt, and the sorts of people who want to play video games while waiting for their meals tend not to be the sort of people who go to trendy restaurants.)

In defense of the concept, we've since grown pretty accustomed to being able to play games like Angry Birds on our phones or tablets during downtime, so perhaps uWink's problem was merely that it was five years ahead of its time.  Much like the arcades of yore - why go to an arcade to play someone else's games when there's an arcade's worth of gaming in your living room - why go to a restaurant to play games when you've got an arcade's worth of games on your own mobile device?  

His current venture is in brainteaser-type casual gaming, and while I don't think your brain cares very much about what games you play (as long as you keep shifting games and playstyles, forcing your brain to keep adapting and learning), I'll bet his games are still fun.  


Nifty!  Can you play Chat Roulette!
:)

Asteroids was another of my favorites.

http://www.atariage.com/2600/screenshots/s_Asteroids_1.png

Asteroids was ano ther of my favorites.

http://www.atariage.com/2600/screenshots/s_Asteroids_1.png


OMG!!!! I remember that game!  I used to play this game with my brother.

OMG!!!! I remember that game!  I used to play this game with my brother.


That was an easy game.

You type something like that and then fail to provide an MP3.  



Shame on me.  NSFW and K & stuff.  That and I need to find it. I've switched PCs since then.  It may be on my external HD.

I have an astroids game on my CD and it's not colorful.  They the same games?  Anyone ever play a game like Missile Command?

http://anonym.to/http://www.play-free-games.org/swf/berzerk.swf is where I play brezerk  think I'll go play it now.

I have an astroids game on my CD and it's not colorful.  They the same games?   Anyone ever play a game like Missile Command?

http://anonym.to/http://www.play-free-games.org/swf/berzerk.swf is where I play brezerk  think I'll go play it now.


Missle Command was a good game,kinda slow.

When are they gonna release a version of E.T. for PS3?  ::)

When are they gonna release a version of E.T. for PS3?  ::)


or how about PS2?  ???

One of them you can play with four players and you have to keep the ball from breaking the walls of your castle.


That game was called Warlords.


We used to play Yar's Revenge, which seemed pretty far out at the time!
8)

http://www.toy-tma.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/yars-revenge-atari.png


That game was so simple, it was excellent.  If you stand in the rainbow force field, that little white line can't get you lol

When are they gonna release a version of E.T. for PS3?  ::)


They had one for the Game Boy Advance, and it SUCKED lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpfBoGWZZ68

The BEST ever game for the Atari was Food Fight for the Atari 7800.  The goal was to get the kid to the ice cream before it melts, while tossing food at chefs who gets in your way.  If you did certain moves, you would get a surprise ...

Check out the Instant Replay at 1:55

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ8qNjya0B0

We used to play Yar's Revenge, which seemed pretty far out at the time!
8)

http://www.toy-tma.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/yars-revenge-atari.png

I hated Yar's Revenge,that ship always had trouble going through that fence.

It would seem confusing to me, since it looks like a wall of randomly colored sections!

^ The colored wall acted as a shield.  As long as you were within it, that little white line that followed you around could not do any harm.  As well, if you were in it, you were not able to shoot, so it was primarily a safe zone, but the red fireball that was shot from behind the red shield could still hurt you

Ah...thankx for the clarification. So the player is the little thingy on the left side of the screen?

Yes.  The little angel looking thingy.  The object was to shoot away the shield, and then destroy the center via a laser beam that would appear on the left side when you got close to the inside of the shield

They had one for the Game Boy Advance, and it SUCKED lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpfBoGWZZ68


Wow that game is awful.

The BEST ever game for the Atari was Food Fight for the Atari 7800.  The goal was to get the kid to the ice cream before it melts, while tossing food at chefs who gets in your way.  If you did certain moves, you would get a surprise ...

Check out the Instant Replay at 1:55

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ8qNjya0B0


such a cool game back then.

Who remembers BurgerTime? ???

Space Invaders--Pac Man--Centipede--Missile Command--Warlords--Outlaw--Centipede

That decathlon was one sure way to work up a sweat.  By the time you got to the 1500 and the speed switched for the final "?" yards, I could hardly continue to toggle that thing back and forth without cramping up.  Warlords made it cool to "sneak attack" your ally when he wasn't paying attention.  There also was some motorcycle game that went only left to right and you could build your own track.  Could have been called motobike...that wasn't too bad.   

Who here played E.T.the worst Atari video game ever produced?

I did. I even might have a copy down in the basement somewhere.


http://scifiblock.com/images/top10s/e-t-2.png

How was it like playing it? ???

  There also was some motorcycle game that went only left to right and you could build your own track.  Could have been called motobike...that wasn't too bad.   


Excitebike for the Famicom/NES?  The 2600 wouldn't have been able to save player-created tracks, but the Famicom version did.

Who here played E.T.the worst Atari video game ever produced?


E.T. wasn't the worst game Atari ever produced.  That title would go to the awful 'Dragster' from 1980, a game that you can finish in under 10 seconds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L64-DpklZrw

To be fair, Dragster was an Activision release, but still.  When you think of the price of this game back then vs. the amount of play time, it was a total rip off.  With E.T., you could get a bit of longevity out of it. 

E.T. wasn't the worst game Atari ever produced.  That title would go to the awful 'Dragster' from 1980, a game that you can finish in under 10 seconds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L64-DpklZrw

To be fair, Dragster was an Activision release, but still.  When you think of the price of this game back then vs. the amount of play time, it was a total rip off.  With E.T., you could get a bit of longevity out of it. 


Dragster sounds like a cheaply made game.