Main

What's New

Import Stores

Import Reviews

Import Cover Archive

Special Features

Games

The Top 100

Video Game Fiction

Wanted!

Acknowledgements

Forum

Links

Activision's take on Space Invaders has to be one of the best overhead shooters for the 2600. The... unusual cast of characters that you have to destroy just add to the game's charm (space dice, anyone?).

14. Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi: Death Star Battle - Parker Bros. - 1983

Out of all of the Star Wars games released for the 2600, this one is definitely one of the best, coming in just below Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Based on the Battle of Endor sequence from the film - specifically the space battle - you must pilot the Millenium Falcon and destroy the second Death Star.

13. H.E.R.O. - Activision - 1984

One of Activision's most innovative games ever, you must guide Roderick Hero (aka R. Hero - get it?) through the mineshafts of Mount Leone in search of trapped miners. Using your laser helmet and dynamite, you must blast your way through the caverns, killing creatures and destroying walls in order to reach the miners. I had never played anything quite like H.E.R.O., and to this day, I have yet to find anything to match it.

12. Pitfall! - Activision - 1982

Some consider this to be Activision's finest hour on the 2600. This was one of the first games that actually went beyond the traditional one-screen type of game that had been so common during the first era of video games. It truly was a trailblazer - and it was damn fun to boot. It remains one of the best games ever released for the system.

11. Cosmic Ark - Imagic - 1982

Cosmic Ark is the sequel to the fantastic game Atlantis, although you'd never guess it by looking at the game. While Atlantis was a Space Invaders style of shooter, Cosmic Ark had a truly unique concept - you had to abduct aliens from other planets to help repopulate your race, which was destroyed at the end of Atlantis. You also had to protect the Ark from meteors - and you could kiss it goodbye if you were outside the ship when a meteor hit. To this day, I have yet to play another game that lets me abduct innocent aliens from their homes...

10. Haunted House - Atari - 1981

This was one of the first 2600 games I ever played. I can't tell you how much time I would spend exploring the house, avoiding the tarantulas, the vampire bats and the ghost of old man Graves in an attempt to reassemble the magic urn and get out in one piece. It was definitely one of the more unique games for its time, and remains very fun to play.

09. Snoopy And The Red Baron - Atari - 1983

Snoopy has always been one of my favorite comic strip characters, and the Red Baron sequence from It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is one of the reasons I love that holiday special as much as I do. Naturally, when I found out there was a game for the 2600 based on Snoopy's quest to shoot down the Red Baron, I had to get it. It turned out to be a solid shooter, and swiftly became one of my favorite games for the system.

08. Riddle Of The Sphinx - Imagic - 1982

Touted by Imagic's ads of the time as being near impossible to solve, Riddle Of The Sphinx wasn't quite that hard, but it could still be tricky if you didn't know what items to offer to the Egyptian gods. Take away all of the item offering, though, and you have a fun overhead shooter with a few innovative ideas that use the Egyptian setting to the best of their ability.

07. Mountain King - CBS Electronics/E.F. Dreyer - 1983

I'd never heard of a game based on a piece of classical music until I played Mountain King. Guiding the explorer through the mountain in search of the lost treasure - the Golden Crown - and trying to find all of the "hidden" areas never seems to get old. This was definitely one of the most memorable 2600 games ever.

06. Adventure - Atari - 1978

Adventure is one of the most fun 2600 games I've ever played. The quest to bring the Enchanted Chalice back to the Golden Castle while avoiding the dragons Yorgle, Grundle and Rhindle (and that damn item stealing bat) still keeps me coming back for more, even now.