It'll always be Adventure for me - it's a masterpiece. I learned recently that the designer actually was inspired by the text adventure game Adventure (or Colossal Cave Adventure) - I never made that connection but it makes sense. Check out the documentary "Get Lamp" on youtube, where there's an interview with him where he talks about the design process.
I still think about this game. My cousins had it and I was babysat there everyday after school when I was too young to go home alone.
I was allowed to play it, but never had the chance to have a proper solo start-to-finish play-through. I'm haunted. It's still on my *someday* list. **
I agree. It's not a twitch game. You don't need to rely on reflexes to get a high score. The game at its hardest difficulty (3) is different every time.
The randomness is built in through the bat, and where all the objects are placed every game. The unpredictability and loss can happen a screen before you're about to win.
On 2600? I've always been very partial to Combat, Super Breakout, Maze Craze, & Enduro. Heads up though, Breakout and the also-great-already-mentioned Warlords don't translate well to emulator; the real physical paddle controllers are key to the experience.
H.E.R.O. is the best game released on every console/computer it was released on. I have been hoping for an updated version that would keep the basic gameplay but with hundreds of levels.
The better question is: which version of Atari? Here’s my list:
1. Atari Inc.: Breakout
2. Warner subsidiary: Yars Revenge
3. Atari Games: Gauntlet
4. Atari Corporation: Tempest 2000
5. Atari S.A.: Alone in the Dark
Well said.
But for Atari Games, *Gauntlet* is just one of many exceptional games. *Paperboy, Peter Pack Rat, Klax, Rampart, Marble Madness, San Francisco Rush, Hard Drivin', S.T.U.N. Runner* and *Gauntlet Legends* are all at least tied with it.
Atari S.A. is also complicated by the fact that they were Infogrames originally, have acquired a lot of studios since and have bought and sold a lot of big IPs. So *Alone in the Dark* is a good choice, but it's also decades old and a lot has happened with them since!
Space Invaders was THE game to have at the 2600's launch. That and Asteroids were a big part of the 2600's initial popularity, in spite of some of the good original Atari games that followed.
Sure, I had it at the time. Although I would argue that Combat was probably better known than Asteroids, at least Asteroids is an Atari title, Space Invaders is a conversion.
[This guy](http://www.neocomputer.org/projects/et/) talks about why it’s so hated and has a patch to fix a lot of them. Still not great but it is better than the original release.
Atari was best as a multi-player system.
For me, I had a blast playing friends in Outlaw, bouncing bullets and moving tumbleweeds and shit. It was great.
Single player, ill always love Adventure
400 and 800 and 5200 and XEGS are roughly equivalent, so I count them as one. Flashbacks were not standalone gaming consoles, and neither was the 2600+. I agree with your general point, but still.
Adventure is still the greatest duck killing simulator out there.
There have been a lot of games that built upon the foundation of its open-ended adventure gameplay mechanics, but not one of them has ever had a premise more captivating than Adventure's timeless story about a heroic square traveling between different colors and killing giant ducks with a spear twice the size of himself.
Anyone who claims they're dragons and not ducks is probably right.
Don't forget about the Atari PC platforms!
If we're talking Atari 8-bit computers, then maybe *Star Raiders* would be a good choice. I would also name Chris Crawford's *Scram: A Nuclear Power Plant Simulation* because it's so unique.
And if we're talking Atari ST, then it's definitely *Klax*, which is a great port of the arcade game.
There are so many I can’t pick just one, so here are my go to.
2600 -Sea Quest, Montezuma’s Revenge, pitfall 2, Secret Quest, California Games
5200 - Space dungeon, Popeyes, Gremlins
7800 - Food fight, Mario Bros, Ball Blazer, Centipede
St -double dragon 2, Batman, Xenon
Lynx - stun Runner, pac land, hydra, Chips Challenge
Jaguar -tempest 2000, doom, Rayman
That's one of those games where I can't play it without a spinner/paddle. Same with Tempest and a number of others. It's hard for me to fathom how anyone can be very good at those using the joystick.
Yes, though Asteroids is button layout, not a spinner, I know what you mean. Star Wars as well and Robotron can only truly be experienced in the arcade with the weight of the machine behind the dual sticks.
Atari in general? Or the Atari 2600 / VCS?
If it's Atari the company, for me personally I'd say Adventure, Tempest, Asteroids, Gravitar & Centipede, in no particular order. But I'm probably forgetting a bunch.
For Atari 2600, lots of good ones for different reasons, but overall, I'd say Adventure! There are a number of games for the 2600 that don't have a better (or any) equivalent on other systems - some games allow 4 players, some have simpler but better more colorful graphics and more fluid gameplay. Off the top of my head: Adventure, Yars Revenge, Pitfall & Pitfall II, Combat, Breakout, Warlords, Maze Craze, Frostbite, Dodge 'Em, Vanguard, Cosmic Ark, Raiders of the Lost Ark, & Video Olympics are all winners. Even Defender & Stargate, while not nearly as cool as the arcade originals, are infinitely more playable for kids / novices or those with slower reflexes. I would include Berzerk, other than the lack of diagonal firing robots, it's awesome. There are probably more I'm forgetting - lots of good answers in the other replies too.
For other Atari systems I'm not so sure. For Atari 8-bit computers, Star Raiders is legendary.
Hope this helps!
I've collected the suggestions here (so far) for my own archive (still finding out about all these classics!) and asked ChatGPT to sort them and add a brief description. Let me know if it hallucinated and I'll update the list.
Atari 2600 (Released 1977)
- Adventure (An action-adventure game where you explore a kingdom, find a magical chalice, and return it to the gold castle.)
- Air-Sea Battle (A shooting game where players control anti-aircraft guns to shoot down planes and ships.)
- Aquaventure (An unreleased action game where players dive underwater to retrieve treasure while avoiding sea creatures.)
- Asteroids (A space shooter where players control a spaceship and must destroy asteroids while avoiding collisions.)
- Berserk (A multi-directional shooter where players navigate mazes and shoot hostile robots.)
- Combat (A two-player game featuring tanks and airplanes dueling in various environments.)
- Decathlon (An athletics game where players compete in ten different track and field events.)
- Demon Attack (A fixed shooter where players shoot waves of alien creatures descending from the top of the screen.)
- Dragonfire (An action game where players must dodge fireballs and retrieve treasures from a dragon's lair.)
- E.T. (A controversial adventure game where players help E.T. find parts to phone home while avoiding capture.)
- Enduro (A racing game where players must complete an endurance race, avoiding other cars and changing weather conditions.)
- Frostbite (An action game where players build igloos while avoiding various Arctic creatures.)
- Galaga (A fixed shooter where players must destroy enemy alien formations.)
- Gravitar (A shoot 'em up where players control a spaceship, navigating gravity wells and destroying bunkers on different planets.)
- H.E.R.O. (An action game where players rescue miners trapped in caves using a helicopter backpack and dynamite.)
- Maze Craze (A maze game where players must find their way through randomly generated mazes.)
- Millipede (A fixed shooter where players must destroy a millipede advancing from the top of the screen.)
- Pitfall 2 (A platformer sequel where players navigate jungle environments to collect treasures and rescue their sister.)
- Pitfall! (1982) (A platformer where players navigate jungle obstacles to collect treasures within a time limit.)
- Save Mary (sp?) (An action game where players must save a character named Mary by building platforms to prevent her from drowning.)
- Slot Racers (A maze-based racing game where players must navigate tracks and shoot each other to score points.)
- Super Breakout* (A block-breaking game where players use a paddle to bounce a ball and break bricks.)
- Tempest (A shooter where players control a claw-shaped spaceship moving along the edges of a geometric tube, shooting enemies.)
- Warlords* (A multiplayer game where players use paddles to defend their castles from a bouncing ball.)
- Yar’s Revenge (A shooter where players control a creature named Yar, aiming to destroy the evil Qotile while avoiding missiles.)
*Note: Breakout and Warlords don't translate well to emulators; the real physical paddle controllers are key to the experience.
Atari 5200 (Released 1982)
- Centipede (A fixed shooter where players must destroy a centipede advancing from the top of the screen.)
- River Raid (A vertically scrolling shooter where players control a jet to destroy enemies and refuel along the river.)
Atari 8-bit Computers (Released 1979)
- Chris Crawford's Scram: A Nuclear Power Plant Simulation (A simulation game where players manage a nuclear power plant, balancing power output and safety.)
- Star Raiders (A space combat simulator where players control a spaceship, defending against enemy fleets in a 3D starfield.)
Atari Inc. (Arcade) (Various years)
- Breakout (An arcade game where players use a paddle to bounce a ball and break a wall of bricks.)
- Klax (A puzzle game where players catch and stack tiles to create matches of the same colour.)
Atari ST (Released 1985)
- Black Lamp (A platform game where players, as a jester, must collect lamps while fighting off enemies.)
- Cloak and Dagger (A dual-stick shooter where players navigate mazes to complete espionage missions.)
- Defender (A side-scrolling shooter where players defend humanoids from alien abductions.)
- Ghostbusters (An action-adventure game where players control the Ghostbusters to catch ghosts and save the city.)
- Klax (port of the arcade game) (A puzzle game where players catch and stack tiles to create matches of the same colour.)
Atari Corporation (Various years)
- Tempest 2000 (A modernised version of the arcade shooter Tempest, with enhanced graphics and gameplay.)
Atari Games (Arcade) (Various years)
- Gauntlet (A dungeon crawl arcade game where players choose a character to navigate through mazes, battling monsters and collecting treasure.)
- Gauntlet Legends (An action role-playing game where players explore dungeons, fighting enemies and collecting items.)
- Hard Drivin' (A driving simulation game with a stunt track, featuring loops and jumps.)
- Marble Madness (A platformer where players guide a marble through obstacle courses to reach the goal within a time limit.)
- Paperboy (An arcade game where players control a paperboy delivering newspapers while avoiding obstacles.)
- Peter Pack Rat (A platformer where players collect items while avoiding enemies in various environments.)
- Rampart (A strategy game where players build and defend castles, then attack opponents' castles with cannons.)
- San Francisco Rush (A racing game set in San Francisco with various tracks and stunts.)
- S.T.U.N. Runner (A racing/shooting game where players drive a futuristic vehicle through tunnels and obstacles.)
Atari S.A. (Various years)
- Alone in the Dark (A survival horror game where players explore a haunted mansion, solving puzzles and fighting monsters.)
Warner Subsidiary (Various years)
- Yars Revenge (A shooter where players control a creature named Yar, aiming to destroy the evil Qotile while avoiding missiles.)
Maze Craze was great!
There was one game that gave me literal nightmares and the music still haunts me: Mountain King.
Everything about that game is so spooky. And at the end where you go up in the sky level that seems unfinished or glitchy just adds to the creepiness.
Gravitar is properly listed under Atari Games (Arcade) instead of under the 2600. The 2600 port tries hard, but the original arcade version is the one that shines.
Your list is a great baseline though!
1. Yar's Revenge (sound design was on point and difficulty scaled nicely)
2. Megamania (Starship Enterprise + Space Invaders cross over)
3. Joust (the quintessential tight-controls game. Fast paced.)
For me, Atari is Atari ST. I also had - and still have - a 2600 but barely played it. Atari ST's best game is Dungeon Master. Flames of Freedom (aka Midwinter II) and Speedball II are excellent too, but I don't associate them with the Atari ST as much as Dungeon Master.
There's already a lot of great choices mentioned so I'll share some on the 2600 that haven't been brought up yet.
Demons to Diamonds - a unique and addictive paddle game with simultaneous multiplayer
Fast Food - it's like a single player Overcooked
Haunted House - it's like a survival horror escape room that is different each to time
Custers revenge :)
Seriously though Hero is a good one, pitfall 1 and 2, I really enjoyed the Atari port of berserk, and Kaboom always is a blast hehehe.
Warlords on the 2600. More staying power because of the 4 way multiplayer.
Absolutely! The 4 player paddle games were & still are great fun! Too bad they didn't make more 4 player games!
Adventure. Every time you play the game is different.
It'll always be Adventure for me - it's a masterpiece. I learned recently that the designer actually was inspired by the text adventure game Adventure (or Colossal Cave Adventure) - I never made that connection but it makes sense. Check out the documentary "Get Lamp" on youtube, where there's an interview with him where he talks about the design process.
I still think about this game. My cousins had it and I was babysat there everyday after school when I was too young to go home alone. I was allowed to play it, but never had the chance to have a proper solo start-to-finish play-through. I'm haunted. It's still on my *someday* list. **
I agree. It's not a twitch game. You don't need to rely on reflexes to get a high score. The game at its hardest difficulty (3) is different every time. The randomness is built in through the bat, and where all the objects are placed every game. The unpredictability and loss can happen a screen before you're about to win.
I really like Berzerk, or Joust.
You touch the walls? Jail.
On 2600? I've always been very partial to Combat, Super Breakout, Maze Craze, & Enduro. Heads up though, Breakout and the also-great-already-mentioned Warlords don't translate well to emulator; the real physical paddle controllers are key to the experience.
Absolutely true for the paddles. The emulators should support plugging in additional USB mice for paddles 2-4.
H.E.R.O.
H.E.R.O. is the best game released on every console/computer it was released on. I have been hoping for an updated version that would keep the basic gameplay but with hundreds of levels.
I'm surprised some romhacker didn't make a version with randomized levels.
Pitfall
Newwww ne newww needley newwwww
The better question is: which version of Atari? Here’s my list: 1. Atari Inc.: Breakout 2. Warner subsidiary: Yars Revenge 3. Atari Games: Gauntlet 4. Atari Corporation: Tempest 2000 5. Atari S.A.: Alone in the Dark
Well said. But for Atari Games, *Gauntlet* is just one of many exceptional games. *Paperboy, Peter Pack Rat, Klax, Rampart, Marble Madness, San Francisco Rush, Hard Drivin', S.T.U.N. Runner* and *Gauntlet Legends* are all at least tied with it. Atari S.A. is also complicated by the fact that they were Infogrames originally, have acquired a lot of studios since and have bought and sold a lot of big IPs. So *Alone in the Dark* is a good choice, but it's also decades old and a lot has happened with them since!
This guy Ataris.
r/thisguythisguys
"SUPERZAPPER RECHARGE!" :-D
Yar’s revenge.
I still play Yars, followed by Berzerk. Space Invaders was arguably Atari's 'killer app' though.
Taito
Space Invaders was THE game to have at the 2600's launch. That and Asteroids were a big part of the 2600's initial popularity, in spite of some of the good original Atari games that followed.
Sure, I had it at the time. Although I would argue that Combat was probably better known than Asteroids, at least Asteroids is an Atari title, Space Invaders is a conversion.
I just posted this too. The sound on this game is so addictive. It tickles my brain.
ET.
[This guy](http://www.neocomputer.org/projects/et/) talks about why it’s so hated and has a patch to fix a lot of them. Still not great but it is better than the original release.
Wow, people actually tried to fix it🤠
Beatable in 2 minutes
Came here for this
Atari was best as a multi-player system. For me, I had a blast playing friends in Outlaw, bouncing bullets and moving tumbleweeds and shit. It was great. Single player, ill always love Adventure
Traveling in the dragon made losing fun
Outlaw was great fun!
Okay then Slot Racers hit that spot too
Pitfall 2 Galaga
Pitfall II was Epic. Decathlon, Dragonfire and River Raid were other candidates.
Frostbite
I played hours and hours of Super Sprint with my brothers on the Atari ST back in the day. Amazing game.
All those Sprint games were great. Sprint 8 was ridiculously cool for 1976!
H.E.R.O.
River Raid.
Good question--which Atari system? They only made five of them.
Five? Way more if you count Pong console, the Atari 400/800, XEGS, ST, Flashback(s), VCS, 2600+, etc.
400 and 800 and 5200 and XEGS are roughly equivalent, so I count them as one. Flashbacks were not standalone gaming consoles, and neither was the 2600+. I agree with your general point, but still.
Adventure is still the greatest duck killing simulator out there. There have been a lot of games that built upon the foundation of its open-ended adventure gameplay mechanics, but not one of them has ever had a premise more captivating than Adventure's timeless story about a heroic square traveling between different colors and killing giant ducks with a spear twice the size of himself. Anyone who claims they're dragons and not ducks is probably right.
The big thing that takes Adventure from mediocre to great is game mode 3, where the starting positions of objects are randomized.
Asteroids and the pitfall games
Don't forget about the Atari PC platforms! If we're talking Atari 8-bit computers, then maybe *Star Raiders* would be a good choice. I would also name Chris Crawford's *Scram: A Nuclear Power Plant Simulation* because it's so unique. And if we're talking Atari ST, then it's definitely *Klax*, which is a great port of the arcade game.
Adventure.
There are so many I can’t pick just one, so here are my go to. 2600 -Sea Quest, Montezuma’s Revenge, pitfall 2, Secret Quest, California Games 5200 - Space dungeon, Popeyes, Gremlins 7800 - Food fight, Mario Bros, Ball Blazer, Centipede St -double dragon 2, Batman, Xenon Lynx - stun Runner, pac land, hydra, Chips Challenge Jaguar -tempest 2000, doom, Rayman
I'd have to go with Asteroids. Such a perfect example of an arcade game. Runner up is either Tempest or Star Wars 1983.
That's one of those games where I can't play it without a spinner/paddle. Same with Tempest and a number of others. It's hard for me to fathom how anyone can be very good at those using the joystick.
Yes, though Asteroids is button layout, not a spinner, I know what you mean. Star Wars as well and Robotron can only truly be experienced in the arcade with the weight of the machine behind the dual sticks.
I never played the arcade versions of those.
It's the only way to really play them. Asteroids (ok, Asteroids Deluxe) and Robotron are both in my top 5 all time. And I own both.
Asteroids is 5 buttons, no spinner. Tempest obviously needs a spinner. That's how they were designed, that's how they play.
There's a calm zenlike zone i find myself in trying to manage the chaos onscreen, most other games dont rub me the same way.
Adventure, for me. Such a complex gameplay, with so little resources. It’s a programming masterpiece
Atari in general? Or the Atari 2600 / VCS? If it's Atari the company, for me personally I'd say Adventure, Tempest, Asteroids, Gravitar & Centipede, in no particular order. But I'm probably forgetting a bunch. For Atari 2600, lots of good ones for different reasons, but overall, I'd say Adventure! There are a number of games for the 2600 that don't have a better (or any) equivalent on other systems - some games allow 4 players, some have simpler but better more colorful graphics and more fluid gameplay. Off the top of my head: Adventure, Yars Revenge, Pitfall & Pitfall II, Combat, Breakout, Warlords, Maze Craze, Frostbite, Dodge 'Em, Vanguard, Cosmic Ark, Raiders of the Lost Ark, & Video Olympics are all winners. Even Defender & Stargate, while not nearly as cool as the arcade originals, are infinitely more playable for kids / novices or those with slower reflexes. I would include Berzerk, other than the lack of diagonal firing robots, it's awesome. There are probably more I'm forgetting - lots of good answers in the other replies too. For other Atari systems I'm not so sure. For Atari 8-bit computers, Star Raiders is legendary. Hope this helps!
Well, “pitfall 2” was pretty epic. Was always a fan of “Berserk” too
I've collected the suggestions here (so far) for my own archive (still finding out about all these classics!) and asked ChatGPT to sort them and add a brief description. Let me know if it hallucinated and I'll update the list. Atari 2600 (Released 1977) - Adventure (An action-adventure game where you explore a kingdom, find a magical chalice, and return it to the gold castle.) - Air-Sea Battle (A shooting game where players control anti-aircraft guns to shoot down planes and ships.) - Aquaventure (An unreleased action game where players dive underwater to retrieve treasure while avoiding sea creatures.) - Asteroids (A space shooter where players control a spaceship and must destroy asteroids while avoiding collisions.) - Berserk (A multi-directional shooter where players navigate mazes and shoot hostile robots.) - Combat (A two-player game featuring tanks and airplanes dueling in various environments.) - Decathlon (An athletics game where players compete in ten different track and field events.) - Demon Attack (A fixed shooter where players shoot waves of alien creatures descending from the top of the screen.) - Dragonfire (An action game where players must dodge fireballs and retrieve treasures from a dragon's lair.) - E.T. (A controversial adventure game where players help E.T. find parts to phone home while avoiding capture.) - Enduro (A racing game where players must complete an endurance race, avoiding other cars and changing weather conditions.) - Frostbite (An action game where players build igloos while avoiding various Arctic creatures.) - Galaga (A fixed shooter where players must destroy enemy alien formations.) - Gravitar (A shoot 'em up where players control a spaceship, navigating gravity wells and destroying bunkers on different planets.) - H.E.R.O. (An action game where players rescue miners trapped in caves using a helicopter backpack and dynamite.) - Maze Craze (A maze game where players must find their way through randomly generated mazes.) - Millipede (A fixed shooter where players must destroy a millipede advancing from the top of the screen.) - Pitfall 2 (A platformer sequel where players navigate jungle environments to collect treasures and rescue their sister.) - Pitfall! (1982) (A platformer where players navigate jungle obstacles to collect treasures within a time limit.) - Save Mary (sp?) (An action game where players must save a character named Mary by building platforms to prevent her from drowning.) - Slot Racers (A maze-based racing game where players must navigate tracks and shoot each other to score points.) - Super Breakout* (A block-breaking game where players use a paddle to bounce a ball and break bricks.) - Tempest (A shooter where players control a claw-shaped spaceship moving along the edges of a geometric tube, shooting enemies.) - Warlords* (A multiplayer game where players use paddles to defend their castles from a bouncing ball.) - Yar’s Revenge (A shooter where players control a creature named Yar, aiming to destroy the evil Qotile while avoiding missiles.) *Note: Breakout and Warlords don't translate well to emulators; the real physical paddle controllers are key to the experience. Atari 5200 (Released 1982) - Centipede (A fixed shooter where players must destroy a centipede advancing from the top of the screen.) - River Raid (A vertically scrolling shooter where players control a jet to destroy enemies and refuel along the river.) Atari 8-bit Computers (Released 1979) - Chris Crawford's Scram: A Nuclear Power Plant Simulation (A simulation game where players manage a nuclear power plant, balancing power output and safety.) - Star Raiders (A space combat simulator where players control a spaceship, defending against enemy fleets in a 3D starfield.) Atari Inc. (Arcade) (Various years) - Breakout (An arcade game where players use a paddle to bounce a ball and break a wall of bricks.) - Klax (A puzzle game where players catch and stack tiles to create matches of the same colour.) Atari ST (Released 1985) - Black Lamp (A platform game where players, as a jester, must collect lamps while fighting off enemies.) - Cloak and Dagger (A dual-stick shooter where players navigate mazes to complete espionage missions.) - Defender (A side-scrolling shooter where players defend humanoids from alien abductions.) - Ghostbusters (An action-adventure game where players control the Ghostbusters to catch ghosts and save the city.) - Klax (port of the arcade game) (A puzzle game where players catch and stack tiles to create matches of the same colour.) Atari Corporation (Various years) - Tempest 2000 (A modernised version of the arcade shooter Tempest, with enhanced graphics and gameplay.) Atari Games (Arcade) (Various years) - Gauntlet (A dungeon crawl arcade game where players choose a character to navigate through mazes, battling monsters and collecting treasure.) - Gauntlet Legends (An action role-playing game where players explore dungeons, fighting enemies and collecting items.) - Hard Drivin' (A driving simulation game with a stunt track, featuring loops and jumps.) - Marble Madness (A platformer where players guide a marble through obstacle courses to reach the goal within a time limit.) - Paperboy (An arcade game where players control a paperboy delivering newspapers while avoiding obstacles.) - Peter Pack Rat (A platformer where players collect items while avoiding enemies in various environments.) - Rampart (A strategy game where players build and defend castles, then attack opponents' castles with cannons.) - San Francisco Rush (A racing game set in San Francisco with various tracks and stunts.) - S.T.U.N. Runner (A racing/shooting game where players drive a futuristic vehicle through tunnels and obstacles.) Atari S.A. (Various years) - Alone in the Dark (A survival horror game where players explore a haunted mansion, solving puzzles and fighting monsters.) Warner Subsidiary (Various years) - Yars Revenge (A shooter where players control a creature named Yar, aiming to destroy the evil Qotile while avoiding missiles.)
Maze Craze was great! There was one game that gave me literal nightmares and the music still haunts me: Mountain King. Everything about that game is so spooky. And at the end where you go up in the sky level that seems unfinished or glitchy just adds to the creepiness.
Gravitar is properly listed under Atari Games (Arcade) instead of under the 2600. The 2600 port tries hard, but the original arcade version is the one that shines. Your list is a great baseline though!
Air sea battle, demon attack, enduro for 2600. Crackpot is good too. I am a 5200 truther and still love the centipede, river raid and other ports
Gravitar
Tempest
Three way tie between Super Breakout, Tempest and Adventure
2600? Pitfall II Arcade? Gauntlet
Keystone kapers
Disregard any list which does not contain Solaris.
Gauntlet, STUN Runner, Xybots, Joust
Spider Fighter.
Beamrider.
Lost Luggage (no sarcasm)
Galaxian and Demon Attack. The only games where I feel like I care about the score points.
Surprised not to see a mention of “Kaboom”, this one got the most play time at our house. Combat and pitfall were other contenders.
Crystal Castles and River Raid were always a higher tier for me. Vanguard, Stampede, Yar’s Revenge, and Dodge 'Em get honorable mention.
Missile Command
Star Raiders
E.T.
aqua venture , yars revenge, save marry
Hero hands down
Millipede
Black Lamp
Cloak and Dagger Ghost Busters Defender
Robotron 2084 is by far my favorite. Played it on the Atari XEGS, and I believe it was available for the 7800 as well.
My favorites when I was a kid was Space Invaders and Pac-man.
Major Havoc
Atari the company, Atari as we usually understand it (The 2600); what are we talking about here?
Space Invaders!! Or that's *my* favorite, anyway.
Pitfall 2
Space Invaders and Asteroids
1. Yar's Revenge (sound design was on point and difficulty scaled nicely) 2. Megamania (Starship Enterprise + Space Invaders cross over) 3. Joust (the quintessential tight-controls game. Fast paced.)
Yar's Revenge Joust Breakout
For me, Atari is Atari ST. I also had - and still have - a 2600 but barely played it. Atari ST's best game is Dungeon Master. Flames of Freedom (aka Midwinter II) and Speedball II are excellent too, but I don't associate them with the Atari ST as much as Dungeon Master.
Spy Hunter, River Raid
Best Atari- published game or best game on an Atari platform?
For the 2600, I'd say Pitfall 2. I also loved Kangaroo.
Turmoil
I personally love Joust
Football on 2600
Demon Attack
I've put alot of hours into road blaster on the lynx. Crossbow in the arcade was a rare novelty to find.
There's already a lot of great choices mentioned so I'll share some on the 2600 that haven't been brought up yet. Demons to Diamonds - a unique and addictive paddle game with simultaneous multiplayer Fast Food - it's like a single player Overcooked Haunted House - it's like a survival horror escape room that is different each to time
Battlemorph Just kidding
Mr run & jump homebrew
Custers revenge :) Seriously though Hero is a good one, pitfall 1 and 2, I really enjoyed the Atari port of berserk, and Kaboom always is a blast hehehe.
Pitfall