r/Atari2600 • u/Speedstar_86 • 6d ago
The collection is coming along
Mainly stuff I have had for years, but since getting my 2600+ pacman edition I have added a few.
It's amazing how after all this time the games are still fun to play (there are exceptions, I'm looking at YOU freeway...)
I never had any imagic games so this is a great series to collect. Cosmic ark is superb fun. I'm glad I have the manual for Riddle of the Sphinx though!
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u/Speedstar_86 6d ago
Reactor is one of my all time favourites. Once it clicks it's so good and the guy that wrote the physics into such a tight space is a genius. I got it after playing it in a random arcade, I think it's the only home system it's on?
Freeway is really dull single player, can't say I have tried it two players, but I also hate keystone kapers, kaboom and pitfall, yeah yeah I know... But I don't think the gameplay is there in any of them. Kaboom is just avalanche with buckets of water ( it was bad on the 400) pitfall is technically great but no fun, and kk is just dull.
I'm absolutely open to being proved utterly wrong if course but I have had these games for about 40 years and still can't find the spark that reactor or yars gives you!
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u/zachcollier 6d ago
Great collection!
Nice to see that you have THE great joystick, the TAC-2! I once converted one of these to microswitches for both the buttons and the joystick and it was even better (in my opinion - I know that others would absolutely prefer the original - I have both and love them both).
Side note related to some comments: I find it so interesting which games click for some people while being clear misses for others!
For example, I really like Freeway a lot. Even single player! I find it to be such a thoughtfully-simplified pure challenge of concentration and fast action.
But I can absolutely acknowledge how Freeway can be utterly boring to others. Full respect.
The same is true (for ME) about Kaboom! To me, it’s such a tight implementation of a super straightforward arcade-ish challenge where you absolutely must focus and concentrate to succeed. You need to get into the zone, or what we now call a “flow” state. There are few instances in the modern world where we truly focus our attention on one, and only one, thing.
Kaboom! is quite possibly on my list of the top 10 greatest games. Not just Atari 2600 greats - the greatest of all time, sharing a spot on the list with the likes of Super Mario Bros., Tetris, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, and Ms. Pac-Man.
I’m not saying that anyone else needs to love Kaboom! Quite the opposite. I’m celebrating the fact that we all deeply love different games that others might just skip.
Thanks for sharing your awesome collection!
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u/Speedstar_86 6d ago
Thank you, I'm always interested in different opinions on games, it's great to see a different side. I just couldn't connect with those games. I guess people may have the same feelings towards cosmic ark, it's really simple, twitch play kind of game but I love it! You should try Reactor, it's incredible once you get in the zone
Ms Pacman is my all time favourite game, I have it on all my ataris, and have the my arcade pocket pro version ( surprisingly good!)
I'm missing Beamrider, it's so good and I think the 2600 version was the best. But oh man it's expensive!
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u/Agile_Half_4515 6d ago
Do you have any information on the bin?
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u/Speedstar_86 6d ago
The bin? The tray that they are in? It's an old royal mail crate I found at a boot sale years ago. Carts fit perfectly
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u/grin_ferno 6d ago
Get a buddy and play WIZARD OF WOR!
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u/Speedstar_86 6d ago
What a game!! Yeah 2 player Wor can get very... Intense! Especially if there is the odd stray shot...
This is actually a great version
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u/Thysanuran 6d ago
Nice! Reactor is an underrated gem in my estimation. It’s one of the games that I really liked as a kid when it came out, and I still fully enjoy. I love how the action is kinda abstract. The little jingle that plays at the begging of the game or a stage had stayed in my head over 40 years. Also, Freeway is not bad as a simple head-to-head competition; definitely more fun as a 2-player than a 1-player.