Header text
Established 1997
The Atari 2600 was my first console
back in 1985. My father, who had
purchased it cheap from a man at
the place where he worked. It came
with one game ‘Pac Man’.
Replacement Boxes give some
of the games in our Atari 2600
collection a nearly new feel.
Some of my personal favourites, that are still
playable today:
1.
Defender
2.
Frogger
3.
Super Cobra
4.
Pressure Cooker
5.
Pitfall II
6.
Missile Command
7.
Enduro
8.
Dodge ‘em
9.
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
System: 2600 / VCS
•
Manufacturer: Atari
•
Launch Date: 1977
•
CPU: 8-bit MOS 6507 @ 1.19
MHz.
•
Original RRP: $199
•
Rarity: Low
Data
One of the best games made
for the Atari 2600,
certainly in our house, was:
Star Wars:
The Empires Strike Back.
Pitfall II, a classic, we all know
that. But like a lot of 2600
games, it’s playable today.
Far from arcade perfect, the
2600 version of Defender
is still pretty good and pretty
playable.
Super Cobra is rarely
mentioned today,
but it’s still
instantly
addictive.
The Atari 2600 does not have the greatest looking games.
Even back during its day, however it does have an impressive
number of addictive games and arcade conversions, that while
visually far from the arcade origins, manage to capture the
spirit and the fun of those games. Missile Command, Frogger,
Dodge ‘em, Pressure Cooker.
Not widely considered
the best implementation
of Pac-Man, this game
was dearly loved in our
house.r.
Interesting Games
Pressure Cooker. I seem to be
on a one man crusade to put
this addictive little game into
everyones collective memory.
One brave soul has
endeavoured to put Shadow of
the Beast on the 2600. And fair
play to him, he has…
https://aeriform.itch.io/beast
Pac-Man. Playing this game today, it’s clear it has been burnt into
my muscle memory.
Enduro. Another game that spent exactly too long playing.
Surprisingly beautiful too, in my opinion.
Dodge ’em. All I remember really is the arguments the two player
version helped instigate.
So, you’ve acquired some ROM images
of 2600 games, that once you’ve
evaluated over a 24hour period, you
intend to delete to help maintain
copyright. But how to play them? The
Harmony cartridge from Atari Age is the
answer. I’ve various flavours of these,
but the Harmony is the best.
Armed with the requisite £9.99, my brother and I ventured to the one locale we knew
still trafficked in Atari 2600 games: Burton Upon Trent Market. In the year of 1985,
whispers of a game called Star Wars Arcade reached us, though we had no certainty
of its existence. We diligently searched the market stand, fueled by the hope that if
such a game were real, it would certainly be found there. After accepting the stark
reality that no such game graced the shelves, we settled on a copy of Space Shuttle: A
Journey into Space. Given the considerable sum of £9.99, we committed ourselves
wholeheartedly to mastering the game. Utilizing every button and switch on the 2600,
the act of launching and docking the shuttle, and then skillfully landing it, captured
our imaginations completely. It was only a decade ago that I uncovered the truth—the
2600 had indeed been graced with a version of Star Wars Arcade!
While I have no qualms about downloading ROM images of 40 year old games, I do
draw the line at extended evaluations of games still being produced today. Especially
when it’s the work of some developer working in their free time to bring great games
to systems like the 2600.
Nintendo games? On the Atari
2600? Sure, the 2600 version of
Donkey Kong is not the prettiest,
but it plays fine.
Star Wars Arcade is not the
easiest, prettiest or best game on
the system.
I wasn’t officially allowed to play
this game because of parents
religious beliefs. Doesn’t mean I
didn’t. (We also lent it to the vicars
sons…)
My mother and father were
still quite young in ‘85. In their
early 30s in fact. Once, they
spent an entire night once,
until 6am playing Pac-Man on
the 2600 to see what would
happen when the got past
9,999,999 points. The answer
being: Nothing.
You keep must your 2600
looking tip-top.
The Empire Strikes Back
Pitfall II
Defender
Super Cobra
Soul of the Beast
Pressure Cooker
Harmony Cartridge
