Most Popular Atari 2600 Games - Page 2
Blackjack
1977
Blackjack
1977
star 3.4Atari's Blackjack employs a variant of blackjack rules that is so extremely unfavorable to the player, that it would almost certainly never be seen in a real casino because no one would play with them. Splitting pairs is not allowed, and even more substantially, draws are won by the dealer (your bet is not returned to you if you and the dealer get the same card total and neither busts). This represents over a 10% house advantage. The player uses the paddle controller to enter a bet of up to 25 chips from an initial pot of 200. An up card is then presented, and the player decides whether to "hit" (accept another card) or stand. The player breaks the bank by obtaining a score of 1,000 chips, or is "busted" upon losing everything. Due to a glitch in the program, while a player is selecting among the options of what to do with the current hand by pressing left or right with the paddle controller, the amount of the player's next bet is modified even though it is defined by a variable that will not be visible until theSolaris
1986
Solaris
1986
star 5.1Solaris is a space combat game for the Atari 2600 published in 1986 by Atari Corporation. It was developed by Doug Neubauer, who owns the copyright and the Solaris trademark. The game is a sequel to Neubauer's Atari 8-bit family game Star Raiders from 1979. Both games feature an enemy race known as Zylons, but Star Raiders uses a first-person perspective while Solaris is in third-person. Solaris was at one point going to be based on The Last Starfighter, while the Atari 8-bit version of The Last Starfighter was renamed Star Raiders 2.Frostbite
1983
Frostbite
1983
star 6.6You're an Eskimo who wants to build an igloo to live in during the cold season. To do this, you must jump from ice-block to ice-block, while avoiding wildlife such as birds and crabs. Coming with contact with any of these will cause them to push you off the block and into the deadly water. Once you have built your igloo, you must enter it to proceed to the next level. Remember, you must build it before the temperature drops to 0°. You have four lives.Chopper Command
1982
Chopper Command
1982
star 6.6Chopper Command is a video game by Activision released for the Atari 2600 in June 1982. It was designed and programmed by Bob Whitehead. In Chopper Command the player controls a military helicopter in a desert scenario protecting a convoy of trucks. The goal is to destroy all enemy fighter jets and helicopters that attack the player's helicopter and the friendly trucks traveling below, ending the current wave. The game ends when the player loses all of his or her lives or reaches 999,999 points. A radar, called a Long Range Scanner in the instruction manual, shows all enemies, including those not visible on the main screen. A player who achieved 10,000 points could send in a photo of the TV screen and receive a "Chopper Commandos" patch.Fishing Derby
1980
Fishing Derby
1980
star 6.9In Fishing Derby, two fishermen sit on opposite docks over a lake filled with fish (and a shark that passes through). Using the joystick the player is able to move his line left right and up and down in the water. When a fish is hooked, the line slowly comes up to the surface of the water. Pressing the fire button on the joystick reels in the fish faster. However, if both fishermen have fish hooked, only one person can reel theirs in (the one who hooked theirs first). The shark that roams the water will try to eat hooked fish before they surface. The objective for both fishermen is to reach 99 pounds of fish first. There are six rows of fish; the top two rows have 2 lb. fish, the middle two rows have 4 lb. fish, and the two bottom rows have 6 lb. fish. The more valuable fish sit at the bottom, but they are harder to bring in as they run a higher risk of being eaten by the shark. The game's two variants are simply single player and multi-player. In both games the objective is to reach 99 lb. of fish first.Freeway
1981
Freeway
1981
star 5.3Freeway is a video game designed by David Crane for the Atari 2600 video game console. It was published by Activision in 1981. One or two players control chickens who can be made to run across a ten lane highway filled with traffic in an effort to "get to the other side." Every time a chicken gets across a point is earned for that player. If hit by a car, a chicken is forced back either slightly, or pushed back to the bottom of the screen, depending on what difficulty the switch is set to. The winner of a two player game is the player who has scored the most points in the two minutes, sixteen seconds allotted. The chickens are only allowed to move up or down. A cluck sound is heard when a chicken is struck by a car. Comparisons are often made to Frogger, which has also features crossing a street filled with moving vehicles. Similarities did help sales when Frogger was popular in the arcades and a home version was not yet available. Freeway was made available on Microsoft's Game Room service for its Xbox 360 consolBowling
1979
Bowling
1979
star 5.8The game is based on the game of bowling, playable by one player or two players alternating. In all six variations, games last for 10 frames, or turns. At the start of each frame, the current player is given two chances to roll a bowling ball down an alley in an attempt to knock down as many of the ten bowling pins as possible. The bowler (on the left side of the screen) may move up and down his end of the alley to aim before releasing the ball. In four of the game's six variations, the ball can be steered before it hits the pins. Knocking down every pin on the first shot is a strike, while knocking every pin down in both shots is a spare. The player's score is determined by the number of pins knocked down in all 10 frames, as well as the number of strikes and spares acquired.Human Cannonball
1978
Human Cannonball
1978
star 4In Human Cannonball your goal is to fire a man out of a cannon and have him land in a bucket of water. To do this you need to adjust your cannon so the position, angle, and firing speed are just right. You score a point for each successful landing, and the game ends after seven attempts. Several game variations are included which allow you to have the position, angle and speed all set by the player, or have one or more of these in a fixed position, or have one or more of these randomly set by the computer. If you wish to make the game more challenging, you can also set a moving wall in front of the bucket which will make your timing more critical.Demons to Diamonds
1982
Demons to Diamonds
1982
star 5Players attempt to shoot demons in a "cosmic carnival" and then pick up the diamonds left behind by them, while dodging shots from enemy skulls. The player operates a laser base at the bottom of a multi-row playfield, using the paddle controller to move it from side to side and the controller's action button to fire a laser beam vertically up the playfield. The player can control how far onto the playfield the beam advances by releasing the button at the desired height. The player receives one point for each demon and ten points for each diamond successfully shot. Points are multiplied by the distance from the base to the target. For example, a demon shot one row above the player is worth one point, while a demon shot four rows above the player is worth four points. In multiplayer mode, the second player operates a laser base at the top of the screen, firing from top to bottom. Again, the second player must shoot demons that match the color of its gun in order to produce diamonds. However, diamonds may be shot byMissile Command
1981
Centipede
1983
Mario Bros.
1983
Donkey Kong
1982
Donkey Kong
1982
star 7.6The Atari 2600 port of the hit arcade Donkey Kong differs from the original version in gameplay and has two stages instead of the original four.Tennis
1981
Tennis
1981
star 4.5Tennis offers singles matches for one or two players; one player is colored pink, the other blue. The game has two user-selectable speed levels. When serving and returning shots, the tennis players automatically swing forehand or backhand as the situation demands, and all shots automatically clear the net and land in bounds. The first player to win one six-game set is declared the winner of the match (if the set ends in a 6-6 tie, the set restarts from 0-0). This differs from professional tennis, in which player must win at least two out of three six-game sets.Dolphin
1983
Dolphin
1983
star 5.6Listen! An endangered dolphin is calling you! Only by learning the dolphin's sonic language can you guide her through schools of seahorses, battling a monstrous squid, to gain magic powers from and elusive seagull. Hurry! Lend an ear... You will guide your dolphin through openings in the seahorse schools by listening to sonic tones and catching waves. Pay attention to the following: THE SEAGULL: Periodically, a seagull will fly overhead. You'll know he's coming when the squid changes color. Have your dolphin leap up, touch the seagull and then quickly turn and chase the squid. This is the best way to gain points. Also, the game resets at the next difficulty level putting distance between your dolphin and the squid. THE SLIP: Another great way to outsmart the squid is by giving him "the slip". If the squid is right on your tail, wait until he catches a good wave. Then, reverse your dolphin's direction and swim under him immediately. As long as the squid's good wave remains on the screen, he won't be able to reverMiniature Golf
1979
Miniature Golf
1979
star 4.1This is a computer game simulation of a miniature golf course. It attempts to refine your sense of timing and your perceptiveness in judging distance. As in a traditional miniature golf course, a variety of obstacles are placed in your path to the cup. Depending on the game that is selected, the course can be played solo, or a two player competition can be initiated.Home Run
1978
Home Run
1978
star 4.2This is the first of three iterations of baseball from Atari and is the most simple. The pitcher pitches and controls the direction of the ball. The batter hits and keeps running until he's made to stop. There are up to 3 defensive players that can try to get the batter out after he hits. All hits are grounders and defensive players can't throw the ball.Plaque Attack
1983
Plaque Attack
1983
star 6Plaque Attack is a 1983 video game for the Atari 2600 that was made by Activision. Loosely based on Space Invaders, the player must prevent food from destroying teeth in a person's mouth. Steve Cartwright, who designed the game, said that game was meant to help people develop good dental habits.Laser Blast
1981
Laser Blast
1981
star 5.5The object of Laser Blast is to destroy a series of land-based enemies. The player controls a fleet of flying saucers, operating one at a time. On the planet surface below are a group of three mobile laser bases, guarded by an invisible force field that prevents the player's saucer from getting too close to the surface. Both the player and the enemy bases are armed with laser blasters, which may fire a single continuous beam at a time. If the player's saucer is hit, it will lose altitude and crash to the ground; however, the player may direct this fall, potentially into one of the bases, destroying it as well. Each succeeding wave of enemy bases moves faster and targets the player's saucers more quickly, while the force field becomes stronger and decreases the amount of space in which the saucer can move. Players score points for each base destroyed, with points multiplying each wave up to a maximum of 90 points per base. Players earn extra flying saucers with each 1000 points scored and may keep a maximum of six eCommando Raid
1982
Commando Raid
1982
star 5.7You are in defense of your buildings which have come under attack by android commando raiders. Without warning they appear, intent on capturing your buildings and destroying your gun emplacement. First the troop carrying helicopters fly in dropping android paratroopers to test your defenses. Soon the sky is filled with fluttering helicopters and wave after wave of android paratroopers. They must be destroyed! Each paratrooper allowed to land on a building destroys a portion of that building. If three paratroopers land on a building. It will be totally destroyed and must be considered under commando control. Worse still, the androids can now tunnel towards your gun emplacement. Each paratrooper who lands on that building expands the tunnel. If they are not stopped, they will plant an explosive charge under the gun. In the midst of the battle, an aircraft may appear. It will drop a devastating bomb which can destroy all buildings and the gun emplacement. You must shoot it down or at least shoot the bomb it drops.
