Hey guys, I'm buying a Commodore 64!

[RyaNtheSlayA]

I've been eyeballing vintage computers for a while now. Flip-flopping back and forth between the Atari ST and Commodore, and I've finally made a decision.

Any awesome game recommendations? I know of a few but I'm sort of looking for hidden gems.

So far I think my first games will probably be a few of the following:

Ms. Pac Man
Test Drive 2
Legacy of the Ancients
Star Flight (if I can find it)
Sim City
Wings of Fury

A lot of the best games seem to be a bit hard to find, but with the C64 I don't think I'll be hunting for complete copies so it shouldn't be too hard.

[BurningDoom]

I spent soooo much time as a kid on Swiss Family Robinson, which I believe is a C64 exclusive. It's a text-adventure with onscreen graphics. They're just stills with a little bit of movement here and there, but still pretty impressive for the C64, IIRC. You start off with a shipwreck and have to find supplies to somehow make it to shore. You then have to find shelter and find the supplies to survive on the island you make it to. In the process, you also have to try and find a way off the island and on your way back home.

Blue Max was another I played a lot. Pretty good for an early shoot-em up.

B.C.'s Quest For Tires was a pretty fun platfomer, too. Kind of similar to Adventure Island in it's gameplay, and also in it's prehistoric setting.

Then of course there's the obvious arcade ports (most of which look great on C64).

[BoneSnapDeez]

Welcome to the club! I just got a C64 on Tuesday and I am pumped. I hooked it up last night and played some Winter Games (lol).

What I wanna play are the ports of classic games I've played on the NES: Contra, Ghosts n Goblins, etc...

Are you gonna get the datasette?

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Welcome to the club! I just got a C64 on Tuesday and I am pumped. I hooked it up last night and played some Winter Games (lol).

What I wanna play are the ports of classic games I've played on the NES: Contra, Ghosts n Goblins, etc...

Are you gonna get the datasette?

Not at first, and possibly not later either. A lot of times, I've heard it's more trouble than it's worth. If there are some really good datatape exclusives then I will probably end up getting one a little later on.

I really want to find the Pirates! port. Y u so hard to find.

Also is it worth getting a fast load cart?

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Just ordered my unit.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Welcome to the club! I just got a C64 on Tuesday and I am pumped. I hooked it up last night and played some Winter Games (lol).

What I wanna play are the ports of classic games I've played on the NES: Contra, Ghosts n Goblins, etc...

Are you gonna get the datasette?

Not at first, and possibly not later either. A lot of times, I've heard it's more trouble than it's worth. If there are some really good datatape exclusives then I will probably end up getting one a little later on.

I really want to find the Pirates! port. Y u so hard to find.

Also is it worth getting a fast load cart?

Yeah, I'm not sure how many games are exclusively on datatape. Something I need to research.

I own the fast load cart, but haven't been able to really test it thoroughly. I've only used my C64 for about 30 minutes total.

[Hobie-wan]

Also is it worth getting a fast load cart?

Yes. Though some later games include their own fast loader. I didn't have the Epyx cart, but I have a Final Cartridge III.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Good to know, I have the Epyx one. I thought it was going to be a game! (figured "Fast Load" would be some kind of shooter).

[Hatta]

Awesome! It's a great machine. The datasette really is more trouble than it's worth. Most games available on tape are also available as stand alone PRGs, which you can just store on a disk and run.

Most of the best games are pretty hard to find, and complete copies can get pretty expensive. Especially if you start looking for Ultima games and all the feelies they contained. I'd recommend saving up for a flash device unless you really have your heart set on originals.

Starflight might be one where it's really worth getting a complete copy though. There's a lot of hints in the manual, and a star map. You should add Pool of Radiance to that list, great western strategy RPG. Supremacy is a good choice for straight up strategy. Boulderdash and Lode Runner are great early platformers. The port of R-Type is surprisingly good. Thrust is obviously a classic.

I hear Giana Sisters and Mayhem in Monsterland are really good, but I haven't been able to find a version that will run on an NTSC machine. I'd also recommend trying some things out at random. There are sure to be hidden gems.

[Metal Jesus]

Here a little video of my favorite C64 games as a kid. I really would recommend Portal by Activision for something really different.