Worst?
A. Hershey
Some I hate:
1 SSSnake
2 Spacechase
3 ET
4 Journey Escape
5 3-d Tic Tac Toe
Robert Morgan
I'll keep this to a top-5 I guess... and like the best games top-5, this is in
no particular order and subject to change on a whim.
Swordquest: Fireworld- bug-filled piece of junk. Atari really should have
known better.
BASIC Programming- I went through too much trouble finding keypads and making
my own overlays only to find out you really can't do anything of note.
Combat- Okay, it's fun with 2 players, but try being home with the flu when
you're 10 and the only game you have to play is Combat. All day. By yourself.
Not to mention it's so godawful common now that I'm a collector.
Sneak 'n' Peek- Surely the reason Quaker Oats didn't become the EA of the 80s.
any of those funky Euro games, like Bobby is Going Home- because they're sad
sad sad.
x 1
1. Coco Nuts
2. Night Driver
3. ET
4. Othello
5. Pinball
pblock
Worst is pretty strong language. What's a crappy game to one person is
something fondly remember by another.
I'd have to make the unpopular worst choice of the Swordquest series. The
game is unfathomable without the instructions or the comic book. At least I
don't get it. ANd I get the feeling that I wouldn't matter either.
Role-playing-type games don't work too hot on the 2600. I don't care for
Raiders of the lost Ark either, but it's better than Swordquest.
E.T is actually even better. The problem with these RPG games is it's hard
to tell by the information on the screen exacly what is going on.
Swordquest I gave up on. Fireworld IIRC. Maybe I should give it a chance,
but I don't know.
Raiders has a better this is here, that is there kind of feel, but it isn't
always so intuitive.
E.T. is pretty intuitive, but have flaws that keep it from being well-liked.
* The power "zones" is counter intuitive and probably confused the hell out
of more people than me.
* It's too damn easy to fall into those damned pits after you'd just floated
out of them.
Had they fixed these little problems, ET may not have flopped.
That said, there are some decent RPG-like games for the 2600, like Dark
Chambers and, of course, Adventure. ALL HAIL ADVENTURE!
Other worst games are games that tried to copy arcade game way to far beyond
the hardware's abilities to reproduce, even with workarounds or extra
boosters in the cart.
Double Dragon comes to mind. I never cared for the original, TBH but the
2600 game is a real dog.
Any game with an isometric perspective don't work so hot. The 2600 has
enough trouble with square corners. Probably why Zaxxon's perspective got
moved to behind the ship first-person-like. Desert Falcon, Crystal Castles.
It screen shots they look impressive, but they're a bitch to play because of
the perspective.
Pity, CC could've worked fine if they'd just ditched the 3/4 perspective.
But the absolute worst were quickie knock produced games which have a look
and feel that makes you say "I could program a better game!" or "I COULD
program this game." Depending on your programming skills.
These games are worse than the above because there is nothing redeeming
about them. It should've been impossible to do Double Dragon on the 2600.
But they did it. That ambition elevates it a bit in my book.
Some game, like Lost Luggage, which typically get panned have some redeeming
qualities. The airport luggage carosel is nice animation. Not super, but a
nice touch that didn't have to be there.
Even games like Jouney Escape have some redeeming qualities, like I can't
believe they made a video game base on a rock group. And it looks nothing
like the arcade version(!)
Then there are games with no ambition to speak of nor any nice touches to
make it seem worthwhile. Firefly and Sorcerer by Mythicon IIRC come to
mind. What cheesy games. Chase the Chuckwagon is no prize, either.
I suppose that in the end it's high subjective as to what's good and what's
bad. This is what I think is bad, but you probably disagree.
John in NH
Pac-Man
Defender
Ugh.
:_(
~~~
My arcade pics, links & FS/FT stuff (UPDATED 10/13/01):
http://members.aol.com/rushpage/collection.htm
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
-Robert Frost
Gregory D. George
> Any game with an isometric perspective don't work so hot. The 2600 has
> enough trouble with square corners. Probably why Zaxxon's perspective got
> moved to behind the ship first-person-like. Desert Falcon, Crystal Castles.
> It screen shots they look impressive, but they're a bitch to play because of
> the perspective.
>
> Pity, CC could've worked fine if they'd just ditched the 3/4 perspective.
Really? I played that version of CC to death! It's a great conversion!
The only thing that kills it are the elevators.
--
Greg
"I fear that all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant, and fill it
with a desire for vengeance." - Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Tora Tora Tora
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pblock
"Gregory D. George" <gr...@ataritimes.com> wrote in message
news:3BE80BB8...@ataritimes.com...
> pblock wrote:
>
> > Any game with an isometric perspective don't work so hot. The 2600 has
> > enough trouble with square corners. Probably why Zaxxon's perspective
got
> > moved to behind the ship first-person-like. Desert Falcon, Crystal
Castles.
> > It screen shots they look impressive, but they're a bitch to play
because of
> > the perspective.
> >
> > Pity, CC could've worked fine if they'd just ditched the 3/4
perspective.
>
> Really? I played that version of CC to death! It's a great conversion!
> The only thing that kills it are the elevators.
Well, then you're a better man than I. 3/4 perspective with extremely block
resolution never worked for me.
And for what it's worth, the elevators in the arcade game always gave me a
pain in the ass. I think that was kinda the point, but I've always found it
tough to tell if I was standing on it or not.
pblock
"John in NH" <rush...@aol.com--SP4M--> wrote in message
news:20011106105332...@mb-mv.aol.com...
> E.T.
> Pac-Man
> Defender
>
Well, E.T.'s problems are a matter of record.
Pac-Man was a lousy translation of the arcade title, but not a totally
horrible game in it's own right. Not great, perhaps, but once you got past
it not being at all like the arcade game in look or feel, it's alright. As
OK as all of the Pac clones that showed up on the 2600
Defender was alright as far I'm concerned, but I was never much of a fan of
the original. I'm one of those guys who could never get the hang of those
controls. The 2600 version had easier controls, so it worked for me.
John in NH
>Defender was alright as far I'm concerned, but I was never much of a fan of
>the original. I'm one of those guys who could never get the hang of those
>controls. The 2600 version had easier controls, so it worked for me.
>
The having to go into the city or into the top of the screen KILLED that game
for me. Stargate, they got right - one of the finer ports ever for the 2600.
Jason Rein
<kenhe...@NOSPAMearthlink.net> wrote:
> What do you think are the worst 2600 games?
Alien - It's the concept of this game that makes it so bad, IMHO.
Pac-Man with a flamethrower? C'mon guys, let's show a little imagination.
Video Pinball - You can literally launch the ball, go make a sam'ich,
eat the sam'ich, watch the TV Guide channel scroll through 64 channels,
come back, and the ball will still be bouncing around.
re: Pac-Man and Defender, I always thought they stood well on their own.
I certainly enjoyed them when I was a kid. Same for E.T.
- Jason
Steve 'Flash' Juon
uhmblitt...@earthlink.net says...
> Video Pinball - You can literally launch the ball, go make a sam'ich,
> eat the sam'ich, watch the TV Guide channel scroll through 64 channels,
> come back, and the ball will still be bouncing around.
There was a C64 game that was just as bad - only I recall that you
played it with the paddles. Shoulda gone through carts while I was
home because I know I have it, but I can't remember the name. :P
--
"Besides, what is beer but steak in a glass?" -> shockzilla(OK)
PLEASE DIRECT REPLIES TO dj.f...@pobox.com
* http://www.OHHLA.com - "Lyrics to Go"
* http://www.RapReviews.com - comprehensive, honest, REAL
Bust a rhyme! http://www.rhymerator.com
IntelliSteve
Kool-Aid Man (because you lose control of K-AM so easily)
Basic Programming
any paper and pencil game (Hangman, Tic-Tac-Toe) - why bother? Might as well
have "guess a number between 1 and 10"
Smith-Perricone
>
Hey, I kinda like 3-D Tic Tac Toe!
Smith-Perricone
of
> >the original. I'm one of those guys who could never get the hang of
those
> >controls. The 2600 version had easier controls, so it worked for me.
> >
>
> The having to go into the city or into the top of the screen KILLED that
game
> for me.
Yea but who in the hell actually did that?!? Fly and shoot, fly and shoot.
I played the hell out of that game back in the early 80's.
Smith-Perricone
Aaack! Another one of my favorites!
(It had better be too; I had to drink gallons of the sickly sweet stuff for
the entire summer of '83 to get the damned thing!)
Steven V.
<kenhe...@NOSPAMearthlink.net> wrote:
>What do you think are the worst 2600 games?
>
1. Smurfs. Good graphics, but damn gameplay sucks. (and seems to be a
rip off of bobby is coming home)
2. Star Fox
3. X-man
4. Sorcerer
5. SQ: Any
Steven V>
IntelliSteve
console you at all.
If you didn't spend half the game helplessy bouncing around the screen,
Kool-Aid Man would be pretty good. But that total loss of control just bugs
the bejeesuz out of me for some reason.
-s
"Smith-Perricone" <ss...@NOSPAMenter.net> wrote in message
news:tuh7kpg...@news.supernews.com...
Richard Hudson
>1. Coco Nuts
>2. Night Driver
>3. ET
>4. Othello
>5. Pinball
Actually, I liked Pinball and Othello.
My five worst are.
Combat
All of the SwordQuest games
Snnake
Anything by mythicon
E.T
Richard Hudson
Chris
library is so big, it still leaves 100+ good titles!:) Bottom of the
list of bad games
ET
Donkey Kong JR
Mr DO!
Swordquest:all the lousy worlds
I'm tempted to sat pacman, but despite how much it sucked I played the
hell out of it when I was a kid, I mean hours and hours and hours....
Chris
On Tue, 06 Nov 2001 04:36:27 GMT, "A. Hershey"
<kenhe...@NOSPAMearthlink.net> wrote:
Jason Walters
Robert Morgan
>have "guess a number between 1 and 10"
I have a soft spot in my heart for these kinds of games- I cut my teeth on
computers when these kinds of games were the best thing going; played on
teletypes and the like.
Russ Perry Jr
> What do you think are the worst 2600 games?
I can't think of a fifth, but for sure the other four are:
5. MAYBE Chuck Norris Superkicks
4. Fire Fly
3. Sorceror
2. Star Fox
1. Sea Hunt/Skindiver/Scuba Diver (YUUCCCKKKKK!!!!!)
--
//*================================================================++
|| Russ Perry Jr 2175 S Tonne Dr #114 Arlington Hts IL 60005 ||
|| 847-952-9729 slap...@enteract.com VIDEOGAME COLLECTOR! ||
++================================================================*//
crymad
Russ Perry Jr wrote:
>
> 2. Star Fox
Huh? This is the second time Star Fox has been mentioned as worst. Why
the scorn? It's one of my favorites.
--crymad
Robert Morgan
>the scorn? It's one of my favorites.
I wouldn't put any Mythicon game in a top-games list, but they definitely don't
hit the bottom of the list, either. Most of the freaky German games are *much*
worse- gameplay's even more pointless, graphics are worse, sound effects are
more grating.
I'm kinda surprised Activision's Bridge hasn't been mentioned yet. It's a
competent adaptation, but so few people know how to play bridge anymore that I
figure it's the least played game in my collection, if not anyone else's.
crymad
Robert Morgan wrote:
>
> >Huh? This is the second time Star Fox has been mentioned as worst. Why
> >the scorn? It's one of my favorites.
>
> I wouldn't put any Mythicon game in a top-games list, but they definitely don't
> hit the bottom of the list, either. Most of the freaky German games are *much*
> worse- gameplay's even more pointless, graphics are worse, sound effects are
> more grating.
Sorry, I was confused -- SOLAR Fox is my fave game. STAR Fox is indeed
rubbish.
--crymad
John in NH
>I played the hell out of that game back in the early 80's.
Well, now you're talking Cobra Command or something. SB and hyper were key
elements of Defender. Atari f'ed that one up badly by requiring you to be in
specific areas to bomb or hyper - the idea was you could do those AT ANY TIME
to get out of a jam.
Bah.
Trevor
Haunted House
Raiders of the Lost Ark
ET.. for obvious reasons
Combat because I can't seem to get rid of 'em.
and any swordquest.
Trevor.
"A. Hershey" <kenhe...@NOSPAMearthlink.net> wrote in message news:<B80CD2ED.5900%kenhe...@NOSPAMearthlink.net>...
> What do you think are the worst 2600 games?
>
John in NH
I remember being "sick" the day after this came out just to stay home from
school and play it all day. . .
:)
Russ Perry Jr
> I wouldn't put any Mythicon game in a top-games list, but they definitely
> don't hit the bottom of the list, either.
No, that "honor" goes to Sea Hunt.
> Most of the freaky German games are *much* worse- gameplay's even more
> pointless, graphics are worse, sound effects are more grating.
But to me, they at least look like they TRIED. The Mythicon games
weren't even trying. That pisses me off. Now, most of those bad
German games I picked up for $5, so I didn't feel too ripped off.
But I picked up the Mythicon games for $1 new and I DID feel ripped
off... Ergo, they go near the bottom.
Richard Hudson
>pure...@cs.comfrobozz (Robert Morgan) wrote:
>> I wouldn't put any Mythicon game in a top-games list, but they definitely
>> don't hit the bottom of the list, either.
>
>No, that "honor" goes to Sea Hunt.
>
Hey, I loved that game.
There was another Activision game with a dolphin that I played that I just
could'nt get into. Now that was pretty bad!
Richard Hudson
Robert Morgan
Uhhh... Dolphin? Heh...
Smith-Perricone
> rubbish.
Strangely, I find the 2600 port of Solar Fox to be even more enjoyable than
the arcade original. It just has such a 2600 feel to it. One of my faves
as well.
jt august
"A. Hershey" <kenhe...@NOSPAMearthlink.net> wrote:
> What do you think are the worst 2600 games?
1) Fire Fly - most gorgeous label of all, but the game sux a donkey's ...
2) Atari Pac-Man. Must have been snorting an inferior coke that day.
3) ET - still haven't beaten it, and can't stand it long enough to try.
4) Space Shuttle - still can't fiogure out how to play it. I start a
descent, and the next thing I know, I've crashed.
5) Star Raiders - so pathetic next to Atari 8-bit version I still can't
get enough of.
--
The Starsabre is a British blade. Please reverse the r and e
to reply to me directly.
John in NH
>get enough of.
Given the limitations of the 2600, I thought that was a fine port. Still, the
computer version IS better, 'course.
~~~
My arcade pics, links & FS/FT stuff (UPDATED 11/03/01):
http://members.aol.com/rushpage/jamma.htm
Jason Rein
jt august <star...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
> In article <B80CD2ED.5900%kenhe...@NOSPAMearthlink.net>,
> "A. Hershey" <kenhe...@NOSPAMearthlink.net> wrote:
>
> > What do you think are the worst 2600 games?
>
> 4) Space Shuttle - still can't fiogure out how to play it. I start a
> descent, and the next thing I know, I've crashed.
I like Space Shuttle. It's amazingly chock full of detail for a 2600
title. For that you definitely need the manual to play. If anything just
to figure what you did wrong by "decoding" your score.
- Jason
Russ Perry Jr
> >pure...@cs.comfrobozz (Robert Morgan) wrote:
> >> I wouldn't put any Mythicon game in a top-games list, but they
> >> definitely
> >> don't hit the bottom of the list, either.
> >No, that "honor" goes to Sea Hunt.
> Hey, I loved that game.
Uh, are you sure you're not thinking of Sea Quest? Or Sea Hawk?
Or Sea Monster? Or ANYTHING ELSE?!?
> There was another Activision game with a dolphin that I played that I
> just could'nt get into. Now that was pretty bad!
Dolphin. That was fun, though we discovered that you could just
jump the barriers and get pretty far (300,000 easy, plus about
250,000 more on a second run with an odd trick that gave you another
go.
Richard Hudson
>Uh, are you sure you're not thinking of Sea Quest? Or Sea Hawk?
>Or Sea Monster? Or ANYTHING ELSE?!?
It was a game where you were a submarine and you had to keep coming up for air
everyso often or you blew up.
I don't remember the name.
Richard Hudson
A. Hershey
rhuds...@aol.com wrote on 11/9/01 10:31 PM:
Sounds like Seaquest to me.
jt august
rush...@aol.com--SP4M-- (John in NH) wrote:
> >5) Star Raiders - so pathetic next to Atari 8-bit version I still can't
> >get enough of.
>
> Given the limitations of the 2600, I thought that was a fine port. Still, the
> computer version IS better, 'course.
I can still sit down and play 8-bit Star Raiders for hours. To this
day, I have yet to make any real headway on the hardest level, but I
love the lower levels. Endless and addictive challenge. Given this, I
have yet to make it through a complete game of the easiest level on the
2600.
Matt G
>everyso often or you blew up.
>
>I don't remember the name.
That's SeaQuest. A classic. Not to be confused with Sea Hunt, which is
apparently what happened here.
mg
Otter
<star...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>In article <B80CD2ED.5900%kenhe...@NOSPAMearthlink.net>,
> "A. Hershey" <kenhe...@NOSPAMearthlink.net> wrote:
>
>> What do you think are the worst 2600 games?
>
>1) Fire Fly - most gorgeous label of all, but the game sux a donkey's ...
>
This sounds like a good jump off point for a new thread...
What cartridges have the coolest label art? (text labels and
screenshot labels obviously wouldn't qualify...)
My votes are a two-way tie between Marauder and Joust, with Defender a
close 2nd...
-- Otter
John in NH
>This sounds like a good jump off point for a new thread...
>
>What cartridges have the coolest label art? (text labels and
>screenshot labels obviously wouldn't qualify...)
>
>My votes are a two-way tie between Marauder and Joust, with Defender a
>close 2nd...
>
Always loved the real old-time hand-drawn labels like on Slot Racers, Human
Cannonball and the like.
A. Hershey
>> This sounds like a good jump off point for a new thread...
>>
>> What cartridges have the coolest label art? (text labels and
>> screenshot labels obviously wouldn't qualify...)
>>
>> My votes are a two-way tie between Marauder and Joust, with Defender a
>> close 2nd...
>>
>
I like the label art of data age's sssssssssnake. The game is such crap
though.
Jason Rein
> >This sounds like a good jump off point for a new thread...
> >
> >What cartridges have the coolest label art? (text labels and
> >screenshot labels obviously wouldn't qualify...)
> >
> >My votes are a two-way tie between Marauder and Joust, with Defender a
> >close 2nd...
> >
>
> Always loved the real old-time hand-drawn labels like on Slot Racers,
> Human Cannonball and the like.
Yeah, that's the stuff. Warlords, Defender, Space Invaders, Asteroids,
Combat, Haunted House, et. al. Good stuff. They really helped juice up
the imagination. I would look at the label art and *want* to play the
game.
For non-Atari carts I really like the 50's style bartender on Tapper.
Dragonfire's label also looks good.
I always liked the technical-style drawings of the robots in Berzerk's
manual too (at the risk of starting a new sub-thread:).
- Jason
phil mallory
--phil
Russ Perry Jr
> For non-Atari carts I really like the 50's style bartender on Tapper.
50s? I think the look is actually going for 1890s or so...
Any history buffs out there know for sure?
Russ Perry Jr
> >Uh, are you sure you're not thinking of Sea Quest? Or Sea Hawk?
> >Or Sea Monster? Or ANYTHING ELSE?!?
> It was a game where you were a submarine and you had to keep coming up
> for air everyso often or you blew up.
Seaquest. Yeah, that game was just fine.
If you have an emulator, and a strong stomach, check out Sea Hunt
to see why I think it's so bad. But only if you're brave. I
wouldn't wish that game on anyone but my enemies, so don't go
thinking I'm MAKING you play it, okay?
jt august
rush...@aol.com--SP4M-- (John in NH) wrote:
> >This sounds like a good jump off point for a new thread...
> >
> >What cartridges have the coolest label art? (text labels and
> >screenshot labels obviously wouldn't qualify...)
> >
> >My votes are a two-way tie between Marauder and Joust, with Defender a
> >close 2nd...
> >
>
> Always loved the real old-time hand-drawn labels like on Slot Racers, Human
> Cannonball and the like.
Back in the day, I was involved with a company that developed TI-99 and
Atari 8-bit games - quite unsuccessfully I hate to admit. Anyway, after
spending weeks on end developing an il-fated TI title called Star
Sentinel, one of the partner's spouse did up the cover art design for
the package. A beautiful sci-fi shooter 3-D perspective, hand drawn
water color over the shoulder of the player's fighter, shooting towards
the enemy craft. The artwork far outshined the game, and didn't even
closely reflect the actual game.
My brother asked why all these computer and video games had artwork that
made the games seem like they were going to be a lot more than they
really were. It took me a while to verbalize my responce, but I finally
realized that it was the marketing that was selling, not the games
themselves. I remember this every so often when I look at gorgeous
artwork on some of these games over the years.
Jason Rein
Perry Jr <slap...@enteract.com> wrote:
> Jason Rein <uhmblitt...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> > For non-Atari carts I really like the 50's style bartender on Tapper.
>
> 50s? I think the look is actually going for 1890s or so...
> Any history buffs out there know for sure?
Oops, I should've been clearer. Actually I meant the artwork style, not
necessarily the clothes that the bartender is wearing. It just looks
like something I'd see in an old Mechanix Illustrated or some such
publication of the 50's.
- Jason
Richard Hutnik
> "John in NH" <rush...@aol.com--SP4M--> wrote in message
> news:20011106105332...@mb-mv.aol.com...
> > E.T.
> > Pac-Man
> > Defender
> >
>
> Well, E.T.'s problems are a matter of record.
>
> Pac-Man was a lousy translation of the arcade title, but not a totally
> horrible game in it's own right. Not great, perhaps, but once you got past
> it not being at all like the arcade game in look or feel, it's alright. As
> OK as all of the Pac clones that showed up on the 2600
>
> Defender was alright as far I'm concerned, but I was never much of a fan of
> the original. I'm one of those guys who could never get the hang of those
> controls. The 2600 version had easier controls, so it worked for me.
This reminds me, Pac Man on the 2600 got better the further one got
away from the original Pac Man :-). By the way, one thing Pac Man has
going for it, is that the sound from the game pops up from time to
time whenever videogames are shown in TV shows and ads (I believe the
last time was in a Best Buy ad).
- Richard
Richard Hutnik
> Strawberry Shortcake (whaaat?)
> Kool-Aid Man (because you lose control of K-AM so easily)
> Basic Programming
> any paper and pencil game (Hangman, Tic-Tac-Toe) - why bother? Might as well
> have "guess a number between 1 and 10"
Guess a number from 1 to 10? Wasn't that one of the games on the
Odyssey 2 cart that came with the system?
- Richard Hutnik :-)
Mike Price
>
>Haunted House
Hey! I loved HH. Probably second only to HERO for me.
Erik Mooney
wrote:
>This reminds me, Pac Man on the 2600 got better the further one got
>away from the original Pac Man :-). By the way, one thing Pac Man has
>going for it, is that the sound from the game pops up from time to
>time whenever videogames are shown in TV shows and ads (I believe the
>last time was in a Best Buy ad).
This is a constant theme (heh heh) around here... The 2600 Pac-Man and
Donkey Kong sounds are not heard everywhere because the games are such
classics that directors and producers the world over recognize and
remember them. Most TV and ad directors haven't ever played a single
video game older than Madden '98 or something. The sounds are just
included as "Videogame Sound #" in the standard sound effects packages
used by everybody in Hollywood. And it is because of their use there that
they're ingrained in the public's mind as what videogames sound like,
despite nothing since the 7800 using that horrible polynomial synthesis.
Trevor
> going for it, is that the sound from the game pops up from time to
> time whenever videogames are shown in TV shows and ads (I believe the
> last time was in a Best Buy ad).
yeah. I heard pac/kong sound effects in a circuit city commercial
recently. I guess it'll take a little while longer for the public to
realize that Pac-Man isn't the latest game on the market.
Trevor.
Spitfire 1500
An episode of Mr. Wizard's world taught you how to successfuly win the game
in the fewest tries though.
pblock
for the most part, actually LOOKED LIKE the game. But I also thought the
silly rainbow effect was cool, too.