Treksters Domain

My Memories:

  Sure this was by far not the best looking, sounding, or best gameplay on the Mighty 2600, but it was my first experience with a home console game system that did not involve pong. When I first set eyes on this game I was hooked and that was almost 30 years ago. I am still very much a fan of video games. This was my first true videogame moment of awestruck. No matter how far video games advance this was the first and will always give me the feeling as when Video Games was new when I play this game. 

History was made by Taito and Atari by bringing Space Invaders to the 2600, making it the first ever home conversion of an arcade game. Once this happened, sales of the 2600 immediately quadrupled, and it is easy to see why.

Space Invaders was the 2nd game I got for the 2600, in my mind that time I was one step closer to ARCADE PERFECTION, this game of course was no where near arcade perfect but at the time I would have argued tooth and nail with you if you tried to say otherwise!

The object in Space Invaders is simple. Aliens are about to invade your planet, and you have to blast them before they can land. You have a blaster and three lives to shoot them down as they slowly advance downward one at a time, while also shooting at you. As the invaders thin out, they start moving faster. Occasionally, a UFO flies by that you can hit for bonus points. You also have three shields in the air to protect you, but as they take fire, they slowly erode. The game has an infinite number of levels, and ends if either you lose all three lives or if the Invaders reach the surface.

What's amazing about 2600 Space Invaders is the various options. While most other games at the time had 5 or 10 options, or even 30, this game has 112(!) variations to choose from. They include moving shields, guided shots, invisible invaders, two-player options and more.

The graphics are simplistic, but each row of aliens look different. The sounds are good, with some neat noises for the advancing aliens, plus a little sci-fi sound for the UFO.

You can't call yourself an Atari fan if you don't have this cartridge. It's a great game, featuring simplistic but fun gameplay, plus the massive options give it replay value you can't find very often.

This is a game I most remember for some reason as one of those late night games. I remember that after STAR TREK went off around midnight and it was the weekend I would get to stay up as late as I wanted to play ATARI, this game I remember in Particular I could play for hours on end on a single game, it was never ending but that did not bother me in the slightest.

Asteroids Based on its arcade Parent is one of the oldest games for the Atari 2600!  In Asteroids, you control a spaceship in an asteroid field.  Your ship starts off in the middle of the screen.  You can rotate clockwise by pressing the joystick to the right or counterclockwise by pressing the joystick to the left.  Pressing the joystick forward allows you to move in whatever direction you are pointing.  Pulling back on the joystick has a different function depending on which of the 66 game variations you have selected (some variations allow you to warp through "Hyperspace", some give you "Shields" and some allow you to "Flip" your ship).  Your object is to shoot all of the asteroids without being hit by one of them.  Each time you shoot a large asteroid, it breaks into two medium size asteroids.  Medium size asteroids break into small asteroids when shot and small asteroids disappear.  In some game variations, there are also UFOs and satellites, both of which may fire back at you. 

Points are awarded as follows:

Large Asteroids       20 points
Medium Asteroids     50 points
Small Asteroids       100 points
Satellites               200 points
UFOs                   1000 points

Missile Command, I am  not sure the date I got this game but I am sure it was the 1st week it was released.

I first played it at a friends (Scott Cordell)  house as he got the game before I had. We had a sleep over and I remember a late night session into the wee hours of the morning, this game has weathered the test of time to this day even it remain very playable.

My Review:

8th grade, the most memorable times from this year of School are 2 things and they are NOT school related, 2600 version of Demon Attack and the Arcade Gyruss

I have a story on Gyruss but that's for another page. Demon Attack was a take off of Galaga and Phoenix

from the arcade but with it's original style of play. The graphics as you can see below are very crisp and the control

is right on the money.

REVIEW:

Compared to today's consoles, heck compared to consoles over a decade ago the trusty old Atari 2600 in this day and age appears primitive. Why? The emphasis is on polygon-pushing monsters that display rich, crisp graphics that push realism to the limits. The funny thing is, two-dimensional games like Demon Attack are fun as any game today in spite of the limited backgrounds and simplistic graphics. And, here's the real kicker -- this game is only four-kilobytes long. That seems truly odd when I consider a compact disc for the no defunct Sega Dreamcast can hold up to a gigabyte of storage.

Still, Demon Attack represents some of the most fun one can have with a four-kilobyte game. This thing features fast and frantic arcade action that's ensured the cartridge a spot close to the top of my 2600 software pile since I purchased this title back in 1982. In fact, Demon Attack is one of the best games available for the 2600 and a game that fans of that system just need to own. And, it's a pretty common cart, so it can be found at places like eBay for next to nothing.

Demon Attack is a space shooter with a few twists to keep it interesting. The player guides a shop along a horizontal plane at the bottom of the screen, while trying to blast enemy ships that look a heck of a lot like birds. The attention paid to the enemies really sets this game apart from other 2600 titles because they are very colorful and detailed. Also, there are plenty of different aliens to blast in each wave, so you rarely get that "same song, second verse" quality found in countless 2600 cartridges.

The game starts out quite simple in that birds hover around and are easy to blow out of the sky. As the waves progress, the enemies assume various and increasingly-frustrating characteristics. Some of them divide in half when shot, thus forming two smaller birds that try to swoop down on the player. Some of them expand and contract in size, making it difficult to hit them. The enemies even have different types of weapons -- some shoot long lasers while others shoot scattered bits of energy that remind me of a shotgun blast. That variety is what makes Demon Attack such a fantastic title.

Unique, too, is the way in which the enemies appear. Three show up on the screen then are replaced as each wave progresses. The enemies roar in quickly, with a nifty effect which looks like the ships materialize from bits draw in from either side of the screen. Extra lives are awarded at the end of each wave, providing the player didn't lose a ship during that particular attack.

I've mentioned the graphics, but I can't stress enough how impressive they are on the 2600. The enemy ships actually look like birds made up of many different colors of light. There's not a whole lot of screen flicker here, either, and the pace of the game isn't slowed when a good number of enemy ships are on the screen.

As for sound, that's the typical stuff for the 2600. A pulsing, "doop, doop, doop" is constant in the background and reminds the player that the birds will eventually get him. Bleeps and bloops go off when shots are fired, and the player gets an anger-inducing splash of sound when his last ship is eliminated.

If you are an active 2600 player and you don't have this game, you need to go find it. I'm amazed at just how much fun Imagic managed to cram into four kilobytes with this one, and this game never disappoints.

Phaser Patrol Memories:

In the beginning there was STARMASTER, STAR RAIDERS, & STAR VOYAGER and they were played and it was good. Then it came to pass a new breed of this space shooter SHMUP for the Mighty VCS, This same type of game but with much more power. To sum it up: better graphics, better sound better & more in depth gameplay was PHASER PATROL.

Phaser Patrol (Arcadia/Starpath 1982)
8/24/2003
Phaser Patrols far and away is the best first-person space shooter for the Atari 2600, standing superior to Star Raiders (Atari), Starmaster (Activision), and Star Voyager (Imagic). Not only is the gameplay more advanced, but the sharp visuals put those other titles to shame. Arguably this is much more impressive looking than the Atari 5200/800 version. It features a highly detailed control display that is well-designed and chock-full of useful indicators, and incoming messages are displayed in legible text. Gameplay is a-typical to other games of its genre, where you patrol the galaxy for aliens and return to your star bases to refuel and repair. Phaser Patrol does has a few extra elements that set it above the rest. Your "rangefinder" (aiming reticule) turns red when an enemy is inside of it, and firing a shot precisely at this time will cause your torpedo to be guided to its target. The torpedoes that miss detonate with an explosion that can also take out enemy ships. Aliens tend to appear two at a time and are aggressive. The separate sector map screen displays your star bases and enemies you know about, but initially most of the map is full of "unknown" sectors, which adds an element of mystery and exploration. During the game, you'll use the left difficulty switch to access the map screen, and the color switch allows you to shut down your shields. You can actually see the shield raise and lower, a grayish hue raises and lowers when this happens. This is just another way this gives you the "I am in the game feeling". There are two difficulty levels, and at the end of the game you are awarded a rank and level. Phaser Patrol is extremely hard to find. Originally available only on cassette. If you have not played this then try to obtain it! If this is not an option then I suggest to play it emulated, even today it is still a fun and challenging game. Emulation is great but sometimes to play on the actual hardware well, you just can't beat the retro nostalgic rush you get.

Starmaster for me was my first ever experience playing a space flight sim shootem up. It had great graphics and sound and is fun to play even to this day. STARMASTER was the one of the best at the time of the release, arguably STAR RAIDERS which was released the same year for the 2600 had the Control Panel which was very kewl, but did not necessarily make it a better game each was extremely fun to play in there own rights. For me, before there was Phaser Patrol there was Starmaster.

My Memories:

This game I can remember oh how I can  remember waiting for it to make it to my MIGHTY ATARI. I had spent a huge pile of quarters in the arcade playing this, and to have it at home was more than I could ever hope for. I remember getting and ripping into the game packaging like there was no tomorrow, I shoved it into the 2600 and turned on the console,  and to  hear the first few tones of famous STAR TREK theme this alone was more than worth to me. I made no initial attempt to read the game instruction manual as I knew the arcade by heart every level every sound, as I played I was overwhelmed by the look and the feel, but as I played I also realized there was even more to this than that of  the arcade, more color and more types of levels, sure there was no voices as in its arcade parent  but that was to be expected. Clearly they had done an incredible job of arcade to home translation. I remember the next day at Church I was able under the cloak of my church clothes sneak in the precious top secret game instruction manual, if there could have been a way I swear to you here and now there would have been a 2600 in the church pew playing that game. I don't remember the sermon by by the time church was out I had read everything from the Front Cover  to the Copyright notice at the end TWICE, I was even more excited to get home to take care of the Klingon's and wipe out Nomad!

Review by -=TREKSTER=-

Welcome to the bridge. Your mission is to travel from sector to sector, eliminating Klingon incursions into Federation space without getting your ship and crew destroyed. Friendly Starbases offer aid and allow you to make re-supply stops so you can keep up the good fight. During your Mission you will have to traverse asteroid / Meteor fields and go toe to toe with the ultimate Nemesis NOMAD.

 There are 10 sectors of action and adventure each sector has 6 different rounds.

The game includes a overlay which some critics claim is useless, well of course you will

soon learn the game and it will not be needed, but they miss most of the point, it is a KEWL

nostalgic STAR TREK collectible and goes nicely with the general look feel and flow of the game

 (Sega, 1983)

My Memory:

I remember I had been on a summer trip and when I got back my mom had surprised me with this little gem unexpectedly. The game was a Star Wars version of Defender. The game play was top notch, but after a huge amount of time it tended to get tedious. If you play it today and you use enough imagination its like the the Hoth level in Rogue Squadron III... well maybe not, but for the time it had a neat Star Wars feel especially when you had the force and the the Star Wars Theme was playing.

Review -=TREKSTER=-

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is a pretty good game.  It's similar to the game "Defender", but it has quite a few differences.  You pilot a Snow-speeder on the frozen planet Hoth.  Your mission is to try to destroy a line of giant Imperial Walkers (all terrain armored transport), also known as AT-AT's, (which basically look like 4 Legged Mechs) before they reach the rebel base (you're base).  You have a radar at the bottom of the screen which lets you know how close the walkers are to your base.  It takes 48 to blow one up unless you hit them just right, but they are kind enough to change colors to let you know how you are doing.  They start off black and turn red then orange through a variety of shades as you get closer to destroying them.  If you can avoid being hit for 2 minutes,you will be overcome with "The Force" and will be invincible few seconds.  You will know that you have "The Force" because music will start playing and your Snow-speeder will start flashing. The others sounds are quite adequate you will hear laser sounds from the Snow-speeder and the thunderous sounds of the AT-AT's metallic footsteps.

There are 32 game variations: 16 for one player and 16 for two players. The variations include four levels of difficulty, smart bombs fired by Walkers, and solid Walkers. That is, in normal game variations your ship can fly right over the body of the Walker you are trying to destroy. In the solid Walker variation, you can only fly through the legs. Hitting the Walker's body will destroy your ship-although it will also damage the Walker. The difficulty switches changes the size of the valley where you land for repairs.

One tip if you all but destroy the lead AT-AT it will slow its progress to the power generator and thus the other AT-AT's will be slowed as well.

Overall, the graphics are well defined and the gameplay is on the money.

My Memory:

This is another one of my favorite memories with the Mighty VCS. The game was good and fun but not my top pick as you can tell if you have read my other reviews/pages, but it did  have its own Touchpad Hardware, this  was so Very Kewl that it would be a lie to say its not on my list of all time favorites for the 2600.

Review by ATARI INVADER

One of the most well known titles released for the 2600, Star Raiders was a real foray into the unknown as Atari designed a game that required two different types of controllers to play. The addition of the Video Touch Pad acting as your command console always imparted a truly involved feel to a game that was at heart a plain old shoot ‘em-up. The fact that systems could be left automated or operated by the player broadened the already rather intimate control feel and allowed players a free hand to customize their game play to as never before experienced limits. Star Raiders involves quite a high level of game knowledge from players too, as different hazards can cause anything from minor energy loss from the Star Fighter, to the failure of a critical system or even destruction of the ship. Considering the aspects of ship maintenance in combination with other highly important factors, such as the enemy (Krylons) being hell-bent upon the destruction of your all-important Starbase (repair & refueling center) delivers a strain of mini-mission digressions to game. Like all other shooter style games, the crux of Star Raiders is to shoot as many opposition ships while avoiding being blasted in turn. Once again the color coded target & scope, with distinctive behavior of the various enemy craft prove that relatively small but well thought ideas can tip what might have been humdrum into the realms of something quite special. In many ways, the sorts of attributes that are normally considered to define whether a title is good or otherwise, such as graphics or FX don’t seem to apply all that strictly to Star Raiders. The visuals and audio of the game are in fact fairly average but the game has so much scope – from the at-hand controls of the Star Fighter to the display of the galactic map, proves that a game with several engaging layers to it can and will always come up trumps when compared with a piece of narcissistic blandness. To put that final sweet cherry on the cake, Star Raiders is one of the most commonly available 2600 games that entails no need for extended searches nor for any prospective Star Raiders owner to take out that second mortgage just in order to have a bit of Atari luxury. In a purely subjective view, a touch more color and a few more rocking explosions would have earned Star Raiders full marks but perhaps that is just being plain picky? This is a remarkably good title.

I hope you have enjoyed my Atari 2600 Top 10 games Pages, there are at least 50 more or so I could rattle on about how great they were but I think I have made my point. The Atari 2600 will never die, it will be honored for generations to come.

News as of 11/20/04 I WON a Mint Atari Version. Including the following on Ebay for .99 + 3.50 for S&H what a DEAL!

Cartridge

Video Touch Pad

Overlay

Instructions