Games You Should Have Played: A list. (This episode, Atari 2600)

[driph]

A couple weeks ago, while driving back from lunch, I was scolded by a coworker for having never played The Secret of Monkey Island, or any of the SCUMM games beyong Maniac Mansion and DotT. That weekend I threw a copy of ScummVM on the DS and started to play catchup. And it got me thinking.

We all have gaps in our history. Home computers we didn't grow up with, consoles we didn't have. Those two years of prime gaming missed while working the boats off the coast of Alaska. Whatever. We all have gaps in our history.

But what if there was a list to help you fill in those gaps, a sort of AFI top 100 for video games? To make it easy, what if we broke that list down by platform (and possibly time period, for the PC), so that when, for example, you completely missed out on the original Playstation, you could pull up the PS1 list and get cracking?

And hell, lists are fun.

Okay, so the rules. To keep the whole thing from becoming too unwieldy, let's limit each list to 10 items.

The games on the list should be either genre creators, blockbusters, revolutionary, just massively fun, or otherwise historically significant in some way. Additionally, the games need to stand the test of time; we want these lists to be enjoyable to play through, not a chore. A recent playthrough of an old favorite would probably be a good idea to makre sure nostalgia is clouding your judgement. Having a personal and huge nostalgic attachment to Pooyan because your grandma bought it for you that snowy day when you were home sick from school is wonderful, but don't mistake that for true historical value as far as the list is concerned.

My eventual goal is to end up with a list of lists, something for every platform out there. My personal goal is to play as many of the games on those lists as possible.



So, the first list. Let's start with a classic, the Atari 2600. Really easy to come by, and most cartridges are dirt cheap.


Atari 2600: 10 Games You Should Have Played
(in no particular order)
1. Warlords
2. Adventure
3. River Raid
4. E.T.
5. Combat
6. Solaris
7. Pitfall!
8. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
9. Yars Revenge
10. Kaboom!


Post a reply with any suggestions, and why they should be included (or if you disagree with a previous post, why they shouldn't). I'll edit the list as we go along, add [what I personally believe to be] the good ideas, and hopefully, once the dust is settled, we'll have ourselves a nice list (and only a few folks pissed that their suggestion isnt on it).

[driph]

I'll start with a few suggestions.


Warlords
While there's an arcade version, this is the one that most people played, and easiest to get ahold of. Raw fun, Warlords, especially with a full compliment of players around the tv, is a prime example of a game that still holds its own.

Adventure
An obvious one. Started a genre, introduced a bunch of firsts, etc etc.

River Raid
A granddaddy of shmups, the game is still fun today. Hugely popular, most people who had a 2600 had a copy of RR in the stack. Also, it was the first game by Carol Shaw after moving to Activision.

[Jain Zar]

It would probably be easier to just say "Almost everything by Activision and Imagic.  And Yar's Revenge".

But that would be cheating and lazy.

So here goes, with explanations to follow later.  (Im currently cleaning the HD of an older PC which may include a total format.  Kinda busy.)

1: Yar's Revenge
2: Pitfall
3: Pitfall 2
4: Cosmic Ark
5: Riddle of the Sphinx
6: H.E.R.O. (Best played on the C64 but whatever.)
7: Berzerk
8: River Raid
9: Chopper Command
10: Atlantis

Also rans: Defender, Asteroids, Missile Command, Battlezone, Kangaroo.  (In some cases more fun and accessible than their prettier arcade counterparts.)

The problem with the 2600 is many games had superior arcade or other machine counterparts and the few exclusives really weren't that great.

Its even worse for the Colecovision.  Most  notable games were arcade ports.  The Intellivision has the problem of mostly being outshadowed by later games doing the same things only better.

While I am a retrogamer, the golden age of videogaming was kind of butt consolewise.  Computers and Arcade games?  That's where the kickass was.

[Sky]

I don't think I'd have 10 Atari games that were must-play. Games were very repetetive and basic, got old very quick. You can see by my top 20 list I'm not exactly a fan of consoles. Even my favorite, Adventure, pales in comparison to what was going on with computer gaming or pencil & paper. Only the current gen of consoles is finally creating an experience that's close to what you can get on the pc.

[Surlyboi]

One word. One Game. Combat.

Maybe pitfall to break up the monotony, but that's it.

[WindupAtheist]

Solaris.  It didn't come out until 1988, by which time pretty much every 2600 in the world had been gathering dust for a couple years, but it's still the best game the system ever saw.

[Yegolev]

Nice high score.

I enjoyed Combat and Adventure a great deal.  I also played E.T. and I think everyone should have played it so that they have a reference point for absolute zero on the game quality scale.

[WayAbvPar]

The ones that leap to mind for me (most have been mentioned)-

Adventure
Combat
Missile Command
Pacman (I can STILL hear the awful sound it made when you ate a 'dot')
Asteroids

[driph]

Yeah, I think either Pac Man or ET deserve a spot on the list just to show how not to push out a license (although one was hugely successful, the other not so much). Probably ET, due to its infamy.

One word. One Game. Combat.

Maybe pitfall to break up the monotony, but that's it.

Combat is a good one for the list.

Solaris.  It didn't come out until 1988, by which time pretty much every 2600 in the world had been gathering dust for a couple years, but it's still the best game the system ever saw.

I haven't played Solaris, although the screenshot looks a lot like Buck Rogers. What makes it a worthy entrant?

[Yegolev]

Pac Man was crappy but E.T. was a historical disaster that will occupy a spot in future Gaming curricula.  I don't think there's any question here.  I'd bet there are a few film professors that assign Ed Wood movies, and this would be similar.

[Sauced]

Vanguard!

[driph]

Vanguard!

I love that commercial.

[driph]

Okay, I've updated the list.

Jain Zar, I know a few of yours should be on the list for sure... waiting on your followup post. :]

[Lounge]

Worst case could always add some of these titles to the list.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/23884.html

[Jain Zar]

Okay, I've updated the list.

Jain Zar, I know a few of yours should be on the list for sure... waiting on your followup post. :]

I'm really not sure what to write about them at the moment.  They are all excellently coded and playing games on hardware that frankly sucks total ass.
Easy to learn but hard to master, and many of them have play mechanics that were totally new for the time.

[WindupAtheist]

I haven't played Solaris, although the screenshot looks a lot like Buck Rogers. What makes it a worthy entrant?

Graphics and sound are quality, as would be expected given the late date of release.  But what sets it apart is the scope and the open-endedness of the game.  You control your course from this grid map:

(Edit:  Stupid anti-bandwidth theft measures!  Well, it's an 8x6 grid with little symbols all over it, some of which look suspiciously like Klingon warships and old Cylon basestars.)

This is one sector out of the sixteen (I think) that make up the game.  You choose your location, warp to it with a neat little effect where your ship splits into two translucent images and you try to keep them lined up as one while you warp, and then shoot your way through whatever you landed on.  The symbols for enemies correspond to fleets of different types of ships, which move around the grid in real-time, at a rate of one square every few minutes or so.

Most sectors have one friendly planet you can land on to refuel, which the enemy fleets will attack if left to their own devices.  Once the friendly planet has been destroyed, the sector goes into a sort of storm effect.  Space turns red, lightning flashes, and all your controls are reversed.  There are also enemy planets with prisoners to rescue for points, wormholes that teleport you, and so forth.

It has a lot more going on than most shooters of the era, even on the more modern systems that had come around by then.

[Margalis]

I was going to mention Combat but...it's in the picture!

[Phildo]

I remember absolutely loving Moon Patrol and Jungle Hunt as well.

We actually discussed how awful E.T. was in the first month of my recording program.  That's how terrible it was.

Vanguard was the original Star Trek theme?

[Yegolev]

It's good to know E.T. is getting the recognition it deserves.  Fuck, did you try to play it?!  Worst.  Game.  Ever.

[Tebonas]

Just wanna say here River Raid was the only game my mother played - ever.

Not Solitaire, not Mahjongg, non of those cutesy housewife games, but River Raid (on the Commodore VC20).

I'm baffled to this day.

[driph]

It's good to know E.T. is getting the recognition it deserves.  Fuck, did you try to play it?!  Worst.  Game.  Ever.

Yeah, I'm somewhat loathe to include it, but I think its being a huge historical landmark in 2600 gaming and lore is enough to overcome the crappiness of the game, and the rest of the titles are very enjoyable.

Empire Strikes Back is another I'm considering, as an example of licensed games of the time done right.

[Zetleft]

It's good to know E.T. is getting the recognition it deserves.  Fuck, did you try to play it?!  Worst.  Game.  Ever.

Yeah, I'm somewhat loathe to include it, but I think its being a huge historical landmark in 2600 gaming and lore is enough to overcome the crappiness of the game, and the rest of the titles are very enjoyable.

Empire Strikes Back is another I'm considering, as an example of licensed games of the time done right.

Was that the game with the endless waves of AT-AT with the glowing weakspot to shoot...... I LOVED THAT GAME.

[driph]

The list is done, I think that's a pretty solid selection for someone that's interested in dipping their toes into the 2600 scene.

Thanks all for the suggestions!