The mythical Atari 2600 did not lack video games, quite the opposite. One of the reasons why Atari’s great project fell apart was the total lack of control around the production and quality of its games. Something that, by the way, led to the great video game crisis of 1983. Although, in fairness, some of the biggest calamities on that console had the iconic Fuji logo on the box.
In many aspects, Atari was a box of surprises. Not only because it was the icebreaker when it came to bringing the passion for video games to millions of homes around the world, but because sometimes one was not very clear about what type of game would appear when turning on the console. Sometimes it could be a joy, like that brand new custom-made Star Wars; and others a commercial disaster of intergalactic proportions, such as ET the Extraterrestrial.
Because there was a time when the cover illustrations and the names of the video games were the only thing that served as a reference when buying a game, and capturing the interest of those who were curiously reviewing the shelves was everything. Consequently, the Atari 2600 received cartridges and video games that even 40 years later they do not go unnoticed. Both as for well and for worse.
In iGamesNews We are very Atari, we will not deny it. That is precisely why we have brought you together a selection of the most peculiar of their games including licensed video games, titles that do not appear in the official catalog and even projects born decades later at the hands of nostalgic people and fans of that iconic desktop. Some of these are wild ideas, some are really experimental and two or three way ahead of their time.
Without further ado, below you will find more than a dozen games that, believe it or not, came to be played on Atari 2600
Communist Mutants from Space
The people of Starpath decided to put together all the fears of the average American of the 80s in the same title, and although it is difficult to think of the father who would buy his son the game of the communist mutants from outer spaceIt must be recognized that something like this is not forgotten.
Deep down, and after that name, we fear that it is little more than a clone of the mythical Galaxian. Although that does not take away the privilege of being a rarity in the Atari catalog: the game made use of the Starpath Supercharger peripheral, an add-on produced by Starpath itself that added 6 KB to the 128 bytes of RAM of the Atari 2600.
Another curiosity: if during the process of turning on the console we press the fire button, the letters HI (high score) on the screen will be replaced by SHL, the signature of the programmer Stephen H. Landrum.
Human Cannonball, the bullet man game
It’s possible to do a video game about a bullet man? On the Atari 2600 yes. In fact, it was in the second batch of games on the console (or the first after the launch titles) and has the dubious honor of being within the first batch of titles not to be released again for the console.
With the background ahead, how do you approach the playability of such a game? Therein lies the grace: actually Human Cannonball It is a non-war variant that follows the formula of artillery games, that is, games in which we must calculate by eye the trajectory of a missile.
The objective is to launch our intrepid bullet man into a water tank based on the information and the angle displayed on the screen. However, the fun of the game had much less travel than our protagonist.
Mario Bros.
One of the keys to Atari’s success is that the Atari 2600 brought arcade hits into homes, and that included early Nintendo classics. From Donkey Kong to Donkay Kong Jr. passing by the superstar of the Big N: the very Mario Bros.
The Mario Bros. original – not to be confused with mythical Super Mario Bros. of NES – marked the introduction of Luigi and the consolidation of the king of platforms in a 100% arcade game with sensational competitive nuances at two controls. Although, in fairness, the look of the Atari version was several steps behind the recreational version.
The curious note is that its manual promised eight game variants which was actually the amount of possibilities resulting from adjusting the number of lives, players and the type of threats that would appear in the games.
Chuck Norris Superkicks
If Pelé the soccer king represented football in Atari 2600, being one of the brand ambassadors, in a matter of martial arts Xonox rose to the occasion in 1983 with Chuck Norris Official Video Game. And yes, spinning kicks were the bargaining chip at this mamporro festival.
The premise is exquisitely generic: Our hero, Chuck Norris, must reach a holy monastery before time runs out. On his way he will run into all kinds of thugs and ninjas to whom, of course, he will give what he deserves, concluding in an “epic” final battle against three enemies.
Chuck Norris Superkicks It has two curiosities: to start with, several of its copies took advantage of the Xonox double cartridge system to offer two games in one. A very convenient thing when the superstar’s license expired and the game was given new commercial life as Kung Fu Superkicks.
Halo 2600, Eddie Fries’ video game
Halo on Atari? Definitely yes, and not from anyone’s hands: the game bears the signature of Ed Fries, who was vice president within Microsoft’s video games division and who, by the way, took part in the acquisition of the license of Bungie itself.
The game was released in 2010 and, under the AtariAge label, released in cartridge form (you can buy your copy for 30 dollars) offering the ability to fight as the Master Chief in 64 scenarios. Once we overcome them we will have access to a new level of Legendary difficulty.
Although the existence of the game is a curiosity in itself, the truth is that its legend does not end there: in 2013, the same year that the cartridges were put on sale, the Smithsonian art museum included its own Halo 2600 in its display The Art of Video Games. Making it one of the best tributes ever made to the cult saga.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring y Journey to Rivendell
The Lord of the rings made it to the Atari 2600, though the JRR Tolkien characters took their time completing the journey: Parker Brothers licensed the book and planned the release of the official console adaptation around Christmas 1983. A terrible year to launch any video game.
The game was renamed several times, its last name being The Lord of the Rings: Journey to Rivendell. Finally, and despite several changes in production, it was decided to cancel its launch. But, sure, this is a list of the games to which yes it is possible to play in Atari 2600.
Coinciding with the fever unleashed by the premiere of Peter Jackson’s film saga, Adam Thornton released his own version of The Fellowship of the Ring in 2002, turning Professor Tolkien’s work into a text adventure from a modified version of Dark Mage.
Unlike the original adaptation, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring it did end up being published in cartridge format under the AtariAge label. And although its presentation is little more than a handful of letters, in its own way it is also a milestone, considering that the entire plot of the first book was adapted.
Pepsi Invaders
An absolute rarity whose premise is impossible to imagine today: Pepsi Invaders is, in essence, a cheeky clone of Space Invaders produced by Atari itself at the express request of Coca-Cola. Now, in this clone the invaders are not aliens, but five very specific letters: P E P S I. Chance? Absolutely.
Pepsi Invaders It never came out commercially, but was produced for its executives and commercial representatives on the occasion of the company’s 1983 convention. Something that makes it one of the most sought-after games on the console, since only 125 copies were produced.
The most curious thing of all is that many of the beneficiaries of such a curious gift they showed no interest in the cartridge and they disposed of it like any free souvenir or souvenir obtained from a convention. After all, those were other times.
Star Wars: Jedi Arena
The phenomenon of Star Wars It was lived with great force on Atari consoles: not only were there an awful lot of games, but there were many pioneering experiences on the Atari 2600, including the first video game in which the lightsabers appeared: Star Wars: Jedi Arena.
The game is simple and original, although it is a bit difficult to understand what is happening: two Jedi (blue and red) must deflect the rays of a training sphere, having several protection shields as health indicators. The main player is the blue one, while the red one can be a second player or the AI itself.
After posting Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Parker Brothers continued to exploit that phenomenon in a year in which the release of Return of the jedi. Something that, logically, would be used as a hook in the title of the game itself.
Bola Extra: Wolfenstein VCS: The Next Mission
We close with the singular case of Wolfenstein VCS: The Next Mission, which is a triple jump with a corkscrew: it is the improved version and launched in a cartridge (you can get it for 25 dollars) from Wolfenstein VCS, which in turn is a modified version of the classic Venture.
The truth is that the Castle Wolfenstein The original Muse Software did come out for Atari systems. Specifically for the 8-bit Atari. Being Wolfenstein VCS: The Next Mission at the same time lucky remake de un demake and, in both cases, a very curious tribute.
What does this cartridge version provide in addition to the tagline The Next Mission? Layers with scenarios were doubled, color has been better used, more actions were added for patrols, a high difficulty by limiting the total number of bullets to eight per weapon and the inclusion of two frames Extra animations for each enemy. All a curiosity.
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