Introduction
Usually for January, we go with the theme of “New Year, New Games”. I stumbled on an article a couple of weeks ago that inspired me to change that theme slightly. The article talked about “lost classics” on one of the consoles from my childhood. Why not, I thought, expand on that by focusing on one console per month this year. I can write articles, post YouTube videos and shorts. Heck, I can even break those videos into smaller clips for my TikTok account. So, this month, I start with Atari 2600 hidden gems.
O(riginal) G(amer)
Those who spend any time around me will eventually hear about how I played the Atari 2600 as a child. The original. With the wood grain and everything. I have fond memories of Frostbite, Pressure Cooker, and even E.T and Pac-Man. My first experience with Mario came as a result of the blocky graphics of the Atari 2600.
Even so, I missed some of the great games for one reason or another. The great thing about living in the future is that I now have the opporunity to go back and remedy those oversights. So, in that spirit, I present 5 Atari 2600 hidden gems. The list is in alphabetical order. Check out the YouTube or TikTok in a few days to see my rankings.
Top 5 Atari 2600 Hidden Gems
H.E.R.O: This game gets a “they made this on the 2600?” from me every single time. The sheer number of levels in the game is astounding. When you add in the fact that they gave you true vertical movement up and down cements this as a great game. SInce the game came out after the “great crash”, many missed it the first time around. Don’t make that mistake again.
River Raid II: I loved the original River Raid. Like many, I never knew a second one existed. Long after the NES hit the scene, someone programmed a love letter to the Atari 2600 in the form of River Raid II. More than just a sequel, this improves the original in every way.
Seaquest: An Activision title that fell to the second (or maybe even third) tier under monsters like PItfall and others. But, this game takes a simple formula, adds just a little bit of pizzaz and shoots this game into a whole different level of gaming joy.
Solaris: Another one that flew under my radar. While a late entry into the market, we never got an NES until several years after it released. So, while others moved on to the better graphics and more robust game play, I simple played through the games that we owned. After playing this, though, I love everything about this game.
Stampede: One that I played over and over as a kid. I also use it as a test whenever I receive a new emulator for the Atari 2600. It seems like a such a simple concept that i much more than the sum of its parts. It plays great on the system and spawned a modern revolution in gaming.
The Verdict
There are many other games that I never played on the Atari 2600. However, I think that these five represent a good cross section of what constitutes a hidden gem. Some games I never played. Some I never even heard of until doing the research for this article and video. One, River Raid II, exists completely out of time even now. There’s not even a Wikipedia page for it. Can you believe that?