What Are The Hidden Gems of the Atari 2600?

[Hatta]

Yeah, the Supercharger definitely deserves mention in one of these articles. It might fit best in the "push the limits" article, as it adds extra program storage space that really expands what the 2600 can do.

One gem on the Supercharger is Konami Frogger. So much better than the common Parker Brothers Frogger. Also look at DragonStomper (already mentioned) and Phaser Patrol.

Here's a couple more for a stock 2600 setup. Frankenstein's Monster, Pressure Cooker, Solar Fox, Stargate, Beamrider, Midnight Magic. Those are all top tier games that aren't necessarily the first thing that pops to mind when you say "Atari 2600".

[Opa Opa]

A very early "E-Reader". Maybe the Starpath Supercharger? The games can be converted to load off a CD or MP3 player.

Reminds me of some of the Commodore games. And I think you might be able to load off a pc as well through a headphone jack.

[donssword]

I seriously suggest emulating most of these to try them out

I completely agree. Some of the better games are rare, and can get a little expensive (or competitive on ebay) to pick up--games like Tapper for instance. There are 2 Stella emulators on the Wii that work great, and the Wii controller or a Wavebird feel infinitely more comfortable that an Atari Joystick.

Watch out for Activision carts--while they defined the 2600 half-way thru its life, those circuit boards are just too thin. If they were not stored under controlled conditions, then getting them to play consistently can be a real chore--be prepared to buy 2 to 4 copies of key titles that you want, to ensure you get one that works.

Some of the 2 Players games are real stand outs:

• - Armor Attack gives us the sequel to Combat we always wanted.

• - Activision's Fishing Derby is lots of fun and very competitive for light hearted fun.

• - And Frogs and Flies by M-Network is awesome on so many levels (gameplay, artwork, competitiveness)--just be sure to set the Difficulty button for Player 1 to "A" for Advanced so you have full control over the angle and height of your jumps.

Single player games I still love: No Escape! from Imagic, Stampede, Tapper, Empire Strikes Back, Q*Bert, Circus Atari, and Tunnel Runner, Mountain King and Wizards of Wor all from CBS.

I strongly recommend you pick up some Atari/Genesis extension cords (same ports) off of ebay. They will reduce the amount of wear-and-tear that occurs from plugging in joysticks and paddles to your console's ports--this is a common place for damage to occur on your 2600 over time as the welds of the ports to the mother board start to break. This break can be easily remedied with some elementary soldering, but all the same it can be avoided with extension cords.

[Hatta]

A very early "E-Reader". Maybe the Starpath Supercharger? The games can be converted to load off a CD or MP3 player.

Reminds me of some of the Commodore games. And I think you might be able to load off a pc as well through a headphone jack.

Yes, you can load from an MP3 player if you want. There's even software to load 2600 ROMs on the Supercharger. Although today the Harmony cart is the better option, it even supports Supercharger games out of the box.

[Metal Jesus]

I recently created a short YouTube video of the Atari 2600 Games That Don't Suck. Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVpMBx8BF6c

[da66en]

Ms. Pac Man or Jr. Pac Man

Yes, it's Pac Man and everyone knows Pac Man. But after the original Pac Man for 2600 was so bad people may have ignored these versions. These versions fixed everything that was wrong with first Pac Man 2600 port.

I find the 2600 ports of Ms. Pac Man and Jr. Pac Man very endearing, with a lot more retro chic then ports to the more advanced consoles.

[valgalder]

Midnight Magic for sure! One of my favorite video pinball games of all time, and still holds up today as being super fun and competitive.

[racketboy]

I recently created a short YouTube video of the Atari 2600 Games That Don't Suck. Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVpMBx8BF6c

Thanks -- I just subbed you

[mepoorgamer]

My hidden gems - not on your "defined list" - in no particular oder:
Jungle Hunt
California Games
Mario Bros.
Chopper Command
Snoopy & the Red Baron
Space Jockey
Vanguard
Joust
Home Run
Solaris
Gopher
Pressure Cooker
Grand Prix
Centipede

[BEERS AND VIDEOS]

Any chance that we'll see a "Games That Pushed the Limits" for the 2600?