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Let the wood-paneled fun begin!

[img width=640 height=420]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Atari-2600-Wood-4Sw-Set.jpg[/img]

For September's list, we're going back to one of the earliest consoles released, the Atari 2600. The 2600 had a vast library of games, arguably too vast, as a lack of quality control at least contributed to the video game crash of the early 80's.

But that also causes some great games of the era to be overlooked. Hope you'll join us in deciding what the best games from Atari's iconic system were.

Participants:

Crabmaster2000*
MetalFro*
shaggy*
singlebanana*
Fokakis79*
Normatron*

Want some thoughts on some of the best games for other systems? Check out what games were discussed in our previous lists:

Sega Saturn/TurboGrafx 16: http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index.php?topic=19360.0
Playstation: http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index.php?topic=19335.0
Game Boy: http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index.php?topic=19318.0
N64: http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index.php?topic=19297.0
Sega Genesis: http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index.php?topic=19279.0
Super NES: http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index.php?topic=19263.0
NES: http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index.php?topic=19248.0

For those new to the lists, happy to have you by the way, a quick rundown on how to participate:

1. Make an ordered list of whatever games are your favorites for the system being covered that month.

-Make your list about what games you think are the best that system has to offer, NOT necessarily the most important. (For example, Super Mario Bros. is one of the most influential games in VG history, but not many would call it a better game than SMB3)

-Also, your list needs to be limited to games you have personally played. Don't include a game just because you've heard it's good, include a game because you know it's good.

-For a few of the games, try to include a few thoughts on why that particular game made your list. That way, those not as familiar with the game can see why it's one they should put on their radar.

2. Personal Message EZ Racer with your ordered list.

Just put "Top 20 games for the (whatever system we're covering that month)" in the subject line. Throughout the month, I will be compiling the results, and release a full list based on votes sent in. I will be putting extra weight on games voted for the top of the lists, so please make sure that your games are listed in numeric order. The reasoning behind a private vote is so that each member's vote can be their own, not influenced by what they think others would want.

The voting cutoff each month will be the last day of the month at 11:59 EST.

Please stick to NA and PAL releases, later in the year we'll do some lists for Japan exclusives.

Looking forward to seeing everyone's thoughts on one of the earliest home consoles!

Sweet

Oh man, this might be a tough one. I can probably do the top 10 off the top of my head, but the rest I'll have to really think about.

This may be tough.

I know there's plenty of collectors on the site who like the 2600. Really could use some extra participation to make this list a good one.

List sent.

Oh goodie!  My favorite.

Got it narrowed down to my 20. Just need to figure out the order now

Can anyone participate in this? I sent a list but just now realized now that I may not be able to participate since I wasn't listed as a participant.

Anyone can.  He just posts at top who said they were participating and puts a * next to their name when they submit a list.

Oh okay, that makes sense. Thanks @shaggy

@Fokakis79- Sorry for delay in updating you on the participant list, didn't mean for it to cause confusion. Thanks for joining in this month.

Anyone is welcome to submit a list, and we could use a few more participants to really make a well-rounded final list.

@EZRacer,  No worries, it was me misinterpreting things.  Thanks for filling me in!  Glad to be aboard

List submitted

Submitted! Will be interesting to see how this list shakes out.

incoming.... holy crap, almost missed this... *yikes*

Glad you remembered. Psyched to see your list

So the Atari list ended up being very interesting because of some close finishes among some of the top games, but there were plenty of single votes to cover as well-


One 20th place vote


Outlaw

Asteroids

Montezuma's Revenge - "A great little action platformer that even had me mapping out the rooms a few years ago.  Super challenging, but if you're good enough, you can clear a few tombs."

Sky Jinks - "No enemies, only obstacles. This might seem like a boring game, but it's more a zen flying experience. This is Pilotwings before that existed. Simplistic, but still fun to fly over the basic landscape."



One 19th place vote


Lock n Chase

Space Invaders - "By the time I first played this game, there were so many more games with better graphics and action.  However, the game is a classic and the 2600 port is actually pretty good."

Donkey Kong - "This is a big nostalgia pick. There are much better versions of this game to play, but not knowing any better as a kid it was a lot of fun."



One 18th place vote


Keystone Kapers

Alien: - Its a Pac-Man clone but with an Alien the movie skin. The gameplay plays pretty well enough to make it fun.  The real reason I like it is cause its Alien.

Dig Dug - Same as DK, a passable port, but great memories attached to it.

Q*bert - A solid version of the arcade game.



One 17th place vote


Grand Prix

California Games - "A surprisingly fun title.  Hacky sack is a cool event, but the downhill BMX course is where the real fun is at."



One 16th place vote


Star Raiders - "How do you do a space ship simulation on the 2600? Include a peripheral with more buttons! This game shouldn't work on the 2600, but somehow manages to."

Flash Gordon - "a little more complex version of Defender with a cool theme attached to it."



One 15th place vote


Indy 500 - "Great two player action. Easy to pick-up and play."

Star Wars: the Arcade Game - "pretty impressive for the hardware port of the arcade classic"



One 14th place vote


Chopper Command



One 13th place vote


Crystal Castles

Beam Rider - "an interesting take on the Galaga formula that locks you and your enemies onto a set of rails you can transfer between."

Solar Fox - "Another arcade port by CBS Electronics.  Fly your ship to collect cells and speed up and slow down to avoid enemy fire. Fast-paced and fun!"



One 12th place vote


Snoopy and the Red Baron

Spider-Man - "takes the cool swinging from Pitfall and lets you scale building with it!"



One 11th place vote



Star Wars Return of the Jedi Death Star Battle - "a little bit Defender a little bit Yar's Revenge with a great Start Wars license thrown on top"

Mario Bros. - "A surprisingly good version of the Nintendo arcade game, despite being very scaled back. It retains the core game play, and is still a fun game."

Single votes in the top 10-


One 10th place vote


Pengo - "A pretty nice arcade port that's on the more uncommon side.  Crush all the Snobees to clear a stage, but earn extra points by lining up the marked blocks before you do."


One 9th place vote


Maze Craze

Turmoil - "A fun little left to right shooter that doesn't get a lot of attention, but it loads of fun."


One 8th place vote


Breakout

Riddle of the Sphinx - "A bold adventure on the console that, while somewhat obtuse, is fun to play and discover solutions to the game's puzzles."

Dark Cavern - "A bit of a Pac-Man clone with paralyzing spiders, guns, and killer robots.  Keep a good stock of ammo and take out as many robots as you can to score high."


One 7th place vote


Texas Chainsaw Massacre - "Its stupid but its kinda fun in a silly way."


One 6th place vote


Entombed - "One of my favorite games on the 2600 and it gets even better when in two player mode. Travel south through a scrolling maze, avoid enemies, and break walls when you get stuck.  Hit the top of the screen and it's game over."


One 5th place vote


Tempest - vector graphics were and still are super interesting to me.  The gameplay is quite fun as well.


One 4th place vote


Stampede

Megamania

Enduro - "The best racing game on the 2600. Way ahead of its time, with changing day/night cycles and weather conditions, this game predated Outrun, and was a good precursor, with a very strong driving experience, even using the joystick, instead of the paddle controller."


One 3rd place vote


Frogs and Flies


One 2nd place vote


Chuck Norris Superkicks

Jawbreaker - "A little known game from TigerVision.  Lots of fun playing as a big set of chompers and brushing your teeth after every stage still cracks me up."

Phoenix - "Had a friendly competition with singlebanana on this one years ago and got hooked. Had never played it prior to that and he turned me into it. Definitely consider it a must own on the system now."


That takes care of the single votes. More to come...

Heartbroken Pheonix didn't make the list. Thought singlebanana at the least would have given it a spot in his 20 :(

I'm not familiar with the 2600 version of Phoenix. A bit of a blind spot for me in the library. I already see a lot of my picks that I didn't expect to make the top 20 listed above, so I'm curious to see how it shakes out.

Its fun to see all these eclectic choices.

Here's what my list looked like:

1.Adventure - just enough complexity to make for a fun little adventure finding items, escaping dragons and getting to the castle. Really unique for the system.
2.Phoenix - Had a friendly competition with singlebanana on this one years ago and got hooked. Had never played it prior to that and he turned me into it. Definitely consider it a must own on the system now.
3. Kaboom! - Just a fun reflex reaction game. Looks like a precursor to a high level Guitar Hero style game when watching others play.
4. Frostbite - My first ever video game as a kid. Takes a little inspiration from Frogger and Q Bert to create it's own puzzle platforming game.
5. Pole Position - Rad Racer style game that was pretty darn impressive on the 2600
6. H.E.R.O. - cool little exploration action game
7. Moon Patrol - that dinosaur game when your browser can't connect to the internet, but still better than that in every way ;)
8. Yar's Revenge - simple concept shmup game in the vein of Galaga, but with its own unique style.
9. Pitfall! - such a vibrant and interesting game on the 2600. Very impressive for its time.
10. River Raid - my favorite pre NES scrolling shmup.
11. Star Wars Return of the Jedi Death Star Battle - a little bit Defender a little bit Yar's Revenge with a great Start Wars license thrown on top
12. Spider-Man - takes the cool swinging from Pitfall and lets you scale building with it!
13. Beam Rider - an interesting take on the Galaga formula that locks you and your enemies onto a set of rails you can transfer between.
14. Star Wars Empire Strikes Back - this is one of my favorite "Defender-clones". What better theme for that style of game than the battle of Hoth.
15. Star Wars Arcade - pretty impressive for the hardware port of the arcade classic
16. Flash Gordon - a little more complex version of Defender with a cool theme attached to it.
17. Missile Command - another ok port of the arcade game.
18. Dig Dug - Same as DK, a passable port, but great memories attached to it.
19. Donkey Kong - This is a big nostalgia pick. There are much better versions of this game to play, but not knowing any better as a kid it was a lot of fun.
20. Super Breakout - pretty slow and painful to go back to now, but growing up was a lot of fun

Here's my list:

1. Yar's Revenge This was a tough decision between this and Pitfall! for my number 1 slot.  This game is loads of fun and takes some precision shots but it is so satisfy when you get that shot to hit it's mark.  This is definitely a game that you need to play if you haven't.
2. Pitfall!
3. Frogs and Flies
4. Stampede
5. Kaboom!
6. Combat  This, I believe, is the first game I have ever played.  My Grandma and Grandpa had an Atari 2600 and there was always excitement going to their house so we could play the Atari.  Playing with against my brothers and my cousins in the basement of their house was a blast and really brought us all together.  Such a great game and great fun.
7. Frogger
8. Breakout
9. Maze Craze
10. Kangaroo
11. Adventure
12. Centipede
13. Crystal Castles
14. Warlords
15. Haunted House
16. Berzerk
17. Circus
18. Keystone Kapers
19. Lock 'n' Chase
20. Asteroids

Here is my list

1. Pitfall! : Great Fun Sound. The gameplay is out of this world, and is great for beginners and skilled players. Feels to me like I am on an actual jungle adventure while playing.
2. Yar's revenge : Very challenging gameplay. The amount of effort that went into the story is really awesome, of course you have to read it. But when you read the story before
                          playing the game really comes alive.
3. Combat : Classic, fun, competitive two player action. Many modes to play.
4.  Super Breakout : I have always loved these style of games from Breakout to Arkanoid.  Super Breakout is super fun, and things get fun and hectic. My favorite part is just
                              the simpleness of it and the concentration it takes.
5. Tempest: vector graphics were and still are super interesting to me.  The gameplay is quite fun as well.
6.  Frogger : Fun graphics, and absolutely great music
7.  Texas Chainsaw Massacre : Its stupid but its kinda fun in a silly way.
8.  Berzerk: Quite challenging fun gameplay. Like the robot run amok theme.
9.  Joust: A another fun two-player game
10. Circus Atari: It kind plays like breakout which I said before I really like.  This one just has scary clowns to add to the fun.
11. Haunted House: Haven't played too many adventure games on Atari. I played this one and Indian Jones. I like this one more than Indiana Jones.
12. Jungle Hunt: Its fun fast paced action keeps you on your toes. The sprites are great and fun to look at.
13. Pole Position: Great fun racing. I like the third person view, makes it easy to play.
14.  Moon Patrol: Nice side scroller that has great music
15.  Indy 500: Great two player action. Easy to pick-up and play.
16.  Demon Attack: Fun, I like it more than Space Invaders if we are comparing with other space shooters I have played.
17.  Missile Command: The game was fun and had this grim content about nuclear annihilation which was a real fear people had at the time. It made me feel heroic when I
                                  could beat a level without losing a city. I am terrible at this game.
18.  Alien: Its a Pac-Man clone but with an Alien the movie skin. The gameplay plays pretty well enough to make it fun.  The real reason I like it is cause its Alien.
19.  Empire Strikers Back: Plays like defender which is a fun game, I like this one a little more cause of the Star Wars sprites.
20.  River Raid:  nice sprites, fun fast paced action.