showing 14 games
| name | publisher(developer) arrow_downward | year | tags | description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commando | Activision;Salu | 1988 | firearms instantdeath lives militantprotagonist runandgun score | labelimageminimize | |
| Crystal Castles | Atari | 1984 | anthroprotagonist claiming instantdeath lives score ursineprotagonist walking | labelimageminimize | |
| Pac-Man | Atari | 1982 | claiming difficulty instantdeath lives pacman pacmanlike platformbestseller score | Published by Atari / Sears / CCE / Digitel***It's your job to keep Pac-Man as happy as possible. You must guide him around the maze so that he can eat video wafers and power pills. Protect him from the ghosts unless he has the super strength of a power pill. If he does have the super strength, help him chase the ghosts and gobble them up before they gobble him.*** [48]***Much-hyped at the time of its release - understandable, given that Atari had secured the home rights to the #1 arcade game of all time - the 2600 Pac-Man turned out to be a colossal disappointment. Not only did it bear but a superficial resemblence to the arcade original, but this new version wasn't even that much fun to play! Still, at the time a lot of people were willing to put up with it, and 2600 Pac-Man went on to become a best-seller (and the pack-in cart for the 2600 in '82). The fact that so many of those cartridges are now in thrift stores for fifty cents each is immaterial... | labelimagesubject |
| Galaxian | Atari;CCE;Digivision (General Computer) | 1983 | consoleclassix endless fixedshooter galaxianlike instantdeath lives score space techinnovation | Stangely, the screenshot shown in the review is from the C64 version; plus, it states that Galaxian "finally comes" to the Atari 2600 whereas the game was released the year before and already reviewed in an older Tilt magazine. Finally, the publisher is stated as "Imagic", which had not published this game. [48]*** [48]*** [48]***Technically minded observers may notice that that this game displays 8 multicolored enemies on the same horizontal line, 35 enemies total, the player and the player's 'missile' all on-screen at the same time without any flickering. That is, on a real 2600, most emulators don't display this game properly. At this time in Atari 2600 development, it was the consensus that any more than 4 moving multicolored sprites was not possible without flicker or 'venetian blinds' type effects. Mark Ackerman figured out away to 'freak out the graphics chip by strobing the registers in exactly the right order at the right times.' So unique was his technique that he was granted a US patent. In recent times programmers have been able to coax out of the 2600 hardware, 11 sprites per line and 48 total moving objects. [Zerothis] | labelimageminimize |
| Ms. Pac-Man | Atari;CCE;Video Game Program (General Computer) | 1982 | apples bananas cherries claiming consoleclassix femaleprotagonist ghosts instantdeath lives pacman pacmanlike score | Meet the queen of video games - Ms. Pac-Man! She's all dressed up - and hungry as ever! Score points as Ms. Pac-Man gobbles up dots, energy pills, fruit, pretzels, and of course, those grumpy ghosts. For one player.*** [126]*** [125]*** [48]*** [48]***With this game, Atari proved that the humble 2600 really *could* play a decent game of Pac-Man. As far off the mark as the original Pac-Man cartridge was from its arcade progenitor, that's how close Ms. Pac is to the original. Just about everything is here - the changing mazes, the moving fruit, the *correct* point values... everything, in fact, except the intermission screens. Well worth playing, even today! | labelimagesubject |
| Mario Bros. | Atari;CCE;Zirok | 1983 | comicalaction crabs endless instantdeath mario mario-universe score testudines | labelimageminimize | |
| Mappy | AtariAge (Champ Games) | 2019 | anthroprotagonist atarivox claiming domesticcats endless instantdeath lawenforcerprotagonist lives mansion mouseprotagonist nofalldamage platformer rodentprotagonist score walking | labelminimizeminimize | |
| Halo 2600 | Code Mystics;AtariAge | 2010 | aliens bodyarmor bossbattles difficulty firearms flipscreens handguns harmfultouch indoors instantdeath inventory joystick keys langinsignificant lives militantprotagonist music newgameplus nosaves outdoors platformreference powerups projectilelimit serious slowprojectiles title-animated unfixedbugs unlimitedammo unlockable-modes walking wintery | labelminimizeminimize | |
| Donkey Kong Jr. | Coleco;Atari;CBS Electronics | 1983 | cartoon consoleclassix deadlywater donkeykong falldamage instantdeath jumppads ladders lives mario mario-universe primateprotagonist rescue score | Mario has kidnapped Junior's Papa! Donkey Kong Jr. was originally released in the arcades in 1982 as a sequel to Donkey Kong. In this game, Mario plays the antagonist, finally having captured Donkey Kong, and has put the ape in a locked cage. As Donkey Kong Jr., players will have to make their way through four different levels (Vines, Springboard, Chains and Mario's Hideout) in an attempt to find keys to free the little monkey's father. Along the way, Mario will send out Snapjaws, swooping purple birds, and electric sparks in an attempt to stop Junior. Junior can defend himself by dropping fruit found around the levels on the heads of his foes. The more foes a piece of fruit hits in a falling sequence, the higher bonus points can be scored. Junior can also avoid enemies more easily by grabbing hold of two chains or vines at a time to climb away faster, or by jumping over his foes. However, any long fall or falling into the water on certain levels will mean the loss of a life for Junior. In the final cut scene, Junior will free Donkey Kong and both will escape after giving Mario the boot. Once all four levels are cleared, the game levels will start over at a higher difficulty. Like the original Donkey Kong, the earlier 1980's console versions do not have all of the levels and animations from the arcade.***Published by Coleco / Atari / CBS Electronics / CCE / Tron | labelimagesubject |
| Donkey Kong | Coleco;Zellers;Star Game (Coleco) | 1982 | animals bludgeons cartoon consoleclassix constructionsite did donkeykong donkeykonglike earth elevators harmfultouch instantdeath jumping ladders langinsignificant lethalobjects lives mario mario-universe powerups primates rescue score walking | You are Mario and that big old gorilla, Donkey Kong, has run off with your girlfriend. It's up to you to struggle up those ladders and balance on those beams to rescue your lady fair. She's held captive at the very top. But Donkey Kong is not ready to giver her up so easily. He's tossing barrels and fireballs at you at every turn. It's up to you to outmaneuver that wily ape. Good luck, your lady awaits.***Published by Coleco / Zellers / Star Game / CBS Electronics / Pet Boat*** [48] | labelimagesubject |
| Red Sea Crossing | Inspirational Video Concepts | 1983 | archers christian clams dodging entityvnatural flipscreens giantanimals harmfultouch instantdeath jumping neareast ocean predictablenpcs score snakes walking | MSRP: $34.95 Play as Moses crossing the Red Sea. This is a homebrew, [b]from 1983[/b]. Steve Schustack created a few hundred of these. It was advertised in a christian magazine. Only 2 copies has ever been found. | labelimageminimize |
| Frogger II: ThreeeDeep! | Parker Brothers | 1984 | alligators amphibianprotagonist animalprotagonist birds frog frogger froggerlike instantdeath lives score testudines timelimit underwater | labelimageminimize | |
| Popeye | Parker Brothers | 1983 | cartoon claiming comic harmfultouch instantdeath ladders lives platformer popeye score | labelimageminimize | |
| Star Wars: Ewok Adventure | Parker Brothers | 1983 | boarding bomberaircraft bombs bossbattles energyweapons flying gliding hijacking hoverbike instantdeath lives movie prototype score starwars walkers | This game was ready for release but Parker Brothers executives thought the control scheme was too difficult. The author knew gamers would appreciate the control scheme but the decisions were made and neither party would budge. The control scheme in question concerns the Ewok glider. Push left or right on the joystick to turn. Push down to dive and gain speed, up to climb and lose speed (Switch A-B to swap up and down controls). It's a glider, so it is constantly loosing altitude. Turning and climbing makes it worse. Loading it with rocks (ammunition) makes it worse. Using rocks (reducing weight) helps a bit. Updrafts are a welcome boost to altitude. Fortunately, the game corrects for pilot error so the maximum possible altitude is always available. Also, The level design never seems to allow an obstacle to be located where the glider cannot climb enough to pass over it (if the player flies right). The execs wanted no altitude concerns and the glider going where the joystick points. The execs were willing to compromise and have their preferred controls as an alternate mode. LG wouldn't accept that (and later apologized to gamers). This description applies to the final NTSC prototype. The sound for the final prototype is finished. LG would have liked to have included a full musical score but could not fit it into 8k with the game. Navigate through 256 flip screens if game world collecting rocks to fling at stormtroopers, AT-ST walkers, speeder bikes, and of course the shield generator. Destroying the shield generator is ultimate goal. Location of shield generator facility is always indicated by the arrow-radar. Glider altitude, indicated by shadow, is critical to each task. Updrafts provide altitude boosts. Landing outside ends the game, so don't. Once you have found the Ewoks ground forces after they have collected the explosives for you to take, fly perpendicularly into the entrance of the shield generator facility to find and destroy it. Pickup the explosives, land inside the shield generator, to set them. Advanced strategy includes matching the height of an enemy vehicle to land on, board, and commandeer it. As the player is controlling an Ewok having no formal training to pilot imperial vehicles (and lacking legs long enough to reach the pedals), the controls are non-intuitive and unpredictable. But squeezing gun triggers is simple enough; allowing much more damage to be unleashed on the enemy (especially inside the shield generator). It is much safer to pilot an imperial vehicle into the building and destroy it. The overwhelming task of piloting an imperial craft will eventually prompt an Ewok to return to gliding. An extra life is earned for every 10,000 points. 50 Gathering Rocks 100 Shooting Storm Troopers 250 Shooting AT-STs 400 Shooting Speeders 1000 Commandeer an AT-ST 2000 Shield Generator Destruction Once you have destroyed 5 or more shield generators, go left 224 screens or right 32 screens to score 3,200 points and see the author's initials. Games 1-4 are 1 player. Enemy aggressiveness, loss of altitude, and world size (12, 25, 35, 256) are easiest on 1 and hardest on 4. Games 2-8 are versions of games 1-4 with 2 players taking turns. Games 4 and 8 also increase difficulty every time a shield generator is destroyed and the game starts over. Games 1,2,3,5,6, and 7 are considered practice levels by LG. | labelimagesubject |
