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showing 13 games

name	publisher(developer)	year	description
Codebreaker	Atari	1978	Variations on Mastermind for the Atari 2600. Your goal is to guess a 3 or 4 digit secret code which is generated by either the computer or another player. Depending on the difficulty setting, the player has either 8 or 12 guesses to figure out the code by entering in values with the keyboard controller. After each guess, the computer analyzes your input and displays results which indicate if you have a correct digit in the correct position, a correct digit in the wrong position, or no correct digits at all. Points are scored based on how many turns it takes to correctly identify the code. A second game variation called Nim is also included. In this game, two players take turns removing items from a stack. On each turn, a player must take at least one item from a stack, and the player who removes the last item from the screen wins. You can have the computer set up the stacks automatically or set them up manually, and a variation is included where the player who removes the last item from the screen loses rather than wins.*[media=youtube]QUhjQ7V8REI[/media]*[media=youtube]5If_L-45v6s[/media]
Hunt & Score	Atari;Sears (Atari)	1978
Brain Games	Atari	1978	Brain Games has been suggested in the 1984 book Clinical Management of Memory Problems as an effective clinical device for memory retraining exercises. Noted for having a variety of useful games, patients would be faced with auditory and visual cues that may improve spatial reasoning.*Compilation of memory games. Touch Me: The computer will play a sequence of tones. Each button on the controller represents a different tone, and by pressing the correct button you need to recreate the same sequence. Count Me: The computer will display a sequence of numbers. Using the controller, you need to press the numbered buttons in the same order the computer displayed them. Picture Me: The computer will display a series of symbols. It will then scramble the order they are displayed in, and you need to reorder the symbols back into their original configuration. Find Me: The computer will display a series of objects on the screen, and you need to select the object which is dissimilar from the others. Your score is based on how fast you can successfully do this. Add Me: The computer will display a list of numbers. You need to enter in the sum of the numbers before the timer runs out. Play Me: This game allows you to play your own songs in free form mode; each button on the controller represents a musical note. Both controllers can be used for a duet, and several example songs are included in the instruction manual.[media=youtube]DwhFKJj1yZg[/media]**Uses keypad controllers.
Basic Programming	Atari;Telegames	1979	The following example of a Pong game is provided. 1 Hor2←2+Key 2 IfVer1>90ThenVer1←88 3 IfHitThenVer1←9 4 Ver1←Ver1+IfVer1Mod2Then8Else92 5 Hor1←Hor1+7 6 Goto1***A Programming IDE for a BASIC-like language. Pong as source code is an included game. An historically significant title. An Atari VCS & this game cart were cheaper than a computer thus an introduction to programming was made widely available to whoever was interested learning how to create their own games (or applications). Some programmers that grew up in the early 80s got their first programming experience using this product. It doesn't really teach BASIC so much as it teaches how some aspects of programs work. The computer language used superficially resembles BASIC but has some similarities to assembly language; though it is not either. More impressive than the language is the interface. It really is a rudimentary IDE. There are 6 'regions' to the interface that are expanded or hidden as needed. Sizing was done automatically to facilitate the current task. The user had control for manually showing or hiding the individual regions. (This was before GUI. Today this arrangement might be called stacked tiled hide-able frames). The program's execution or lack thereof is unaffected by the view of regions (multitasking! On the VCS!). The regions are, Program, Stack, Variables, Output, Status, and Graphics. Program is where the user actually entered and saw their application's code. Stack showed what the program was doing as it ran (it stepped through the program at the rate determined by a SPEED value). Variables is a watch list that displays all variables and their current values. Output is the ext display that programs can manipulated and show; this is where you see the text of the game. Status shows just home much resources of the poor VCS are left available and the current execution speed. Graphics is where two sprites can be manipulated and shown (this is where you see the graphics of the game). Applications could mathematically and logically manipulate and compare variables, do if..then..else statements, print text, move the sprites. Several sample applications are included in the manual. The most impressive of which is Pong with sound. Uses a very innovative interlaced display mode for text display. [Zerothis]
Star Raiders	Atari	1982	[48]***Came with a custom keypad and overlay, game (but not the overlay) works with a regular keypad and joystick controller at the same time. Followed by a sequel, [game=#41988]Solaris[/game] [Zerothis]
Alpha Beam with Ernie	Atari	1983	[126]* [48]*Designed for Kid's Controllers, works with standard keypads. [Zerothis]
Big Bird's Egg Catch	Atari	1983	[126]* [125]* [48]*Designed for the Kid's Controller, works with standard kepads. [Zerothis]*Play as Sesame Street's Big Bird and catch the falling eggs with the basket on your head. [Jacquismo]
Cookie Monster Munch	Atari	1983	[126]* [48]*Designed for the Kid's Controller, works with standard keypads. [Zerothis]
Holey Moley	Atari	1983	CX26130 designed for the Kid's Controller, works with standard kepads. [Zerothis]
Grover's Music Maker	Atari	1983	A prototype dated "12-29-82" was the basis of cartridge actually sold to customers by Best Electronic. Best Electronics is officially a distributer and the game remains unpublished (technically). In addition to the a teaching mode games, there is a free play mode, and a name that song game mode (unequivocally a game). The most complete prototype actually includes 20 songs. The final game was slated to include 26 (A-Z keys). An extremely impressive number for the humble VCS. [spoiler=Show Song List [wip];Hide Song List]A) Old MacDonald Had a Farm B) Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star C) Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush D) Over the River and Through the Woods E) Hush Little Baby F) The Itsy Bitsy Spider G) My Hat Has Three Corners H) Skip To My Lou I) Three Blind Mice J) Hickory Dickory Dock K) Do You Know the Muffin Man? L) A-Tisket, A-Tasket M) Go Tell Aunt Rhodie N) Sur le pont d'Avignon (Over the bridge of Avignon) O) I'm a Little Teapot P) Go In and Out the Window Q) This Old Man R) (unidentified as of 2015) S) (unidentified as of 2015) T) Bobby Shafto U) (not included) V) (not included) W) (not included) X) (not included) Y) (not included) Z) (not included)[/spoiler] Developed as Monkey Music before the Sesame Street license was applied and the game was retitled. The latest prototype is dated "1-18-83"***Designed for the Kid's Controller, works with standard kepads. [Zerothis]
Monstercise	Atari	1984	Prototype. Uses the Kid's Controller.
Oscar's Trash Race	Atari	1984	Designed for the Kid's Controller, works with standard kepads. [Zerothis]
Peek-a-Boo	Atari	1984	Prototype Cartridge. Designed for the Kid's Controller, works with regular kepads. [Zerothis]

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