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Aug 14, 2002 · Welcome, classic Atari gamer, to The Top 20 Greatest Games for your Atari! All of the games on this list should be recognizable to anyone who has ever played an Atari system. There aren't many surprises here, which just goes to show you how important these games are!
- Breakout
- Asteroids
- Battlezone
- Centipede
- Missile Command
- Tempest
- Star Wars
- Marble Madness
- Paperboy
- Gauntlet
Designed by Steve Wozniak (later of Apple fame), who was duly ripped off by Steve Jobs (also later of Apple fame) over development bonuses, Breakout is one-player Pong. It’s basic fare, but tough and compelling. Play it with a spinner for best effect.
Arriving a year after Space Invaders, Asteroidsmade Taito’s title look archaic. In place of doddering and chunky foes was a field of asteroids you blasted to smithereens – and a sneaky saucer determined to turn you into so much space dust.
One of the earliest first-person shooters, Battlezoneplonked you in a tank and had you roam the landscape looking for other tanks to destroy. It was considered so realistic at the time that a version was worked up for the US Army.
Another title that reimagined Space Invaders, Centipede’swormy foes sped across the screen, inconveniently breaking in two when you shot them. The title’s breakneck pace and blink-and-you-die gameplay ensures it holds up today.
Released during the Cold War, Missile Commandtasked players with fending off waves of missile attacks. Chillingly and matter-of-factly stating ‘The End’ instead of ‘Game Over’ summed things up when all your bases were nuked.
More Space Invaders? Yep, but now in a tube and across varied geometric ‘webs’. Creator Dave Theurer’s additions (spikes, smart bombs, varied foes) ramped up the tension. Years later, Jeff Minter remade the game as Tempest 2000– aka the main reason to buy an Atari Jaguar.
Forget your Battlefronts and TIE Fighters (actually, don’t, because they were fab), because this vector classic made you feel like you were right there in the movie, blasting enemies to pieces, and making that famous trench run. “Use the force, Luke!”
The visually spectacular isometric levels in Marble Madnessbring to mind Escher-like landscapes as you attempt to coax your marble along narrow pathways and around plentiful hazards. Terrifyingly, experts can blaze through the entire game in three minutes.
British kids used to wonder what US newspapers were made of when they went through windows in this high-octane arcade game. It remains fun, though, not least when you reach the stunt course at the end of the street.
This dungeon crawler was a rarity at the time, in offering four-player co-op – and ratting you out if you kept shooting or eating all the health-replenishing food. The game itself ate coins, marking the start of pay to play.
- Craig Grannell
Dec 6, 2005 · I guess I do it for a few reasons. First, when you don't have a ton of time, current gen systems just don't work, they have loading time, intro screens, and usually are more involving so you can't just pick up an play a quick round. Second, is the obvious warm fuzzy from playing a game from my youth.
You can play many of the games and look at the manuals, but even cooler is its museum-style presentation that tells the history of the games and the company and includes video interviews with the creators.
- Pitfall! One of the best-selling titles on the seminal console, Activision's Pitfall! put the publisher on the map and showcased just how entertaining these downsized arcade ports could be.
- Combat. A pack-in title that shipped with almost every Atari console released before 1982, most gamers who grew up with the console likely have fond memories of battling friends and siblings in the iconic multiplayer title Combat.
- Kung-Fu Master. Originally released in 1984, the Atari 2600's Kung-Fu Master was a loose adaptation of the Jackie Chan movie Meal On Wheels, which debuted the same year.
- Pole Position. Compared to its arcade counterpart, 1982's Atari 2600 rendition of the hit game Pole Position was pretty lacking. That said, attempting to portray a real-world environment with any sense of depth on the console was ambitious, and the port definitely deserves praise for maintaining the look and feel of the original title given the extremely limited hardware on which it ran.
Jan 2, 2024 · Today, we're all about "Rediscovering the 80's: Best Atari Video Games" and delving into "Atari's Greatest Hits: 1980s Gaming Icons." Buckle up, fellow retro enthusiasts, as we explore some of the most iconic Atari games that defined a generation.
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If his TV has an ntsc RF tuner, you can connect an old Atari 2600 directly to the TV. Make sure to include paddle controllers for Warlords, Breakout, Circus, Kaboom, Tac-scan. Each person has favourites but I'd include Space Invaders, Phoenix, Boxing, Battlezone, Solaris, Pitfall II, Hero.
