I don't think any other console has had the absolute renaissance that the Atari 2600 has had. Many of the games that has come out in the last 12 years easily rival the best that were released it its heyday. With all of the tools and upgrades that modern programmers have at their disposal, they're able to produce stuff that simply weren't possible back then. Arcade ports like Mappy, Galagon and Gorf are just mind blowing. Original games like Stay Frosty 2, Thrust+ and Spies in the Night 2 are very playable today, and games like Pinfinger show what programmers can still do to make gameplay with less than 4k. Truly a fantastic time to be an A2600 gamer.
@ellaschroeder1617 true, but games like Pitfall 2 had special chips in them back then, as well. They're still games that run on original 2600 hardware, and look / sound great.
“I had never heard of Gorf before.” Oof, you just ticked off all the dads and grandads who grew up in the 1980s. Hah! Great video, keep up the good work.
lol... yeah, Gorf was a game-changer with the various changing level screens. It's the first game I remember seeing with speech in the arcade too. Did anything predate it?
Pinfinger was a little experiment on making a super simple game under 4k and try to add a good amount of options with that same kind of mind numbing gameplay like Flappy Bird. It was my attempt to learn how to use data tables. I think altogether it has 9 patterns (one being random), 3 speeds, single- or multi-hit, and one or two player modes. Thanks for showing it off!
You'd never heard of Gorf??? Seriously??? That was one of my favourite games in the arcades. So much so that I did buy the previous version that was released by CBS. The one thing that was missing from that version was the Galaxians level, probably because of rights issues. This Champ Games version seems to give the graphics a little bit of an upgrade and adds the Galaxian level.
Yeah, definitely. I had it. It was the weird one that lets you shoot at any time, but cancels your current shot when you do. One way to fight autofire :)
Gorf was officially ported by CBS Games back in the day, but due to licensing issues (and that it kept the ROM size down) the Galaxian level was left out. Also, it was a much simpler, stripped down game.
I was immediately sold on "Grizzards", and between this and the three Champ Games titles I have so far, I knew I had to get an AtariVox. And although it didn't make the list, it was amazing to see Bejeweled on the 2600 with "Blocks".
I was waiting to see how the Elevator port would look, it really looks great given the system's capabilities. Several of the other releases were also very good, it's really exciting to see that the Atari 2600 VCS lives on in 2023.
Aaaannnndddd now I need to pickup a Harmony Encore for my 5200's 2600 adapter.... I was so content with the homebrew Juno, I didn't think I was going to need more until now 🤯 another solid upload dude! Good to see that sub count rising even further, you more than deserve it! 😁👍
Regardless of what system best provides you with a hit of nostalgia, the modern homebrew scene never ceases to amaze. Thanks for featuring these great examples for the 2600 (which I never owned, but that comes from the era of my favourite games (heck, there's even a Lode Runner clone...2nd best game from the golden era (Randy Glover's Jumpman comes first)). Dissapointing that you had never heard of Gorf, considering how many quarters it stole from my pockets. Highly recommend you check out the original arcade version (even though this homebrew looks to have pulled it off quite nicely considering the more limited hardware) Also nice to see the Galaxian level.
When I heard that Atari finally made a new gaming system after so long I actually was hoping that their could be more games in the simple Atari pixely graphics from back then but I didn't think they'd be made this quick, ya know? 😆👾
Wow you didn't know about Gorf ( Galactic Orbiting Robot Force) I first played that on the Vic-20 before the C-64 was released, then they brought it out on the C-64 :) Basically its numerous game styles/feelings/types in one, Space invaders, Galaxian, Gyruss/Galaga/Phoenix it was just awesome love that game back in the early 80's.
holy crap, I've been trying to find what "elevator action" was called for 10 years now. Saw it titled "elevator" on a plug and play (it was the only decent game on it) but nobody could ever figure out what it was
Dark Keep looks absolutely gorgeous. It looks like those modern games that try to vaguely imitate a 2600 style aesthetics (a la Fist of Awesome or the minigame levels in Five Nights at Freddy's). I would never have guessed it's a real Atari game running on an actual TIA and 6507.
I absoltely LOVE the fact that the 2600 game programming is better NOW than it ever was back in the 80s. So many people, that i knew in high school saying, "Oh that system sucks and is so outdated. It's a door stop now. Might as well throw it in the closet" get to eat crow over this. I mean 4K Pac-Man (ruclips.net/video/yHX20qiIq_Q/видео.html&ab_channel=RetroBlissGaming) ALONE was enjoy to just make the nay-sayers shut up. It's not that the 2600 was "limited", it was the RUSH to get games out in the 1980s that killed it. Also, i believe if someone could re-write a "good" version of E.T. that the 2600 could be completely vindicated. The Homebrew scene is on the verge of topping the BEST of the commercial games, that's just AWESOME. nuff said?
Are all of these real? I always wonder what you can craft out of 128 bytes of RAM, a blocky playground, two not-so-blocky sprites, three 1-pixel-balls and probably a score board.... I made my own game with batari basic and it looks like an old atari game looks like: blocky and the sprites flicker... but the game works and is playable, but no two-player mode because I ran out of everything xD. With little need of editing the resulting assembly code. For a one-rainy-day fun project it's okay xD.
Первая игровая приставка которую я увидел в своей жизни был клон атари2600 назывался Рэмбо Видео Гейм. Взяли поиграть у соседей , они привезли ее от родственников из Польши. Интересно что у приставки была антенна которую клали рядом с телевизором и настраивали на нужный канал с игрой . Игры были встроенные , какой то совсем примитив. Мне запомнилось две игры. Одна была бокс с видом свеху (по пластилиновому мультику) а в другой нужно было угадать карту. Меня эта приставка тогда не впечетлила , играл в основном мой отец. Это был ориентировочно 1994 год. После уже пошли клоны Nes 8bit с нормальной графикой Dendy и Sybor.
of all here only 4 caught my interest: Dark Keep because of the many full screen artful graphics and Elevator Agent: very hard to believe it looks so much like the arcade (so colorful), Gizzards (for the RPG) and Spiders & Flies.
I still have my original CBS copy of GORF complete with box and instructions from when I was a kid, great game and this new one adds to the excitement of this classic game.
Wow, these games are so impressive! It’s hard to believe that they’re for the VCS. Great work to the developers who created these, and excellent work on the video. 👍
Gorf is an absolute arcade legend. You said that it wasn't ported to the 2600 but it was in 1982. It was also ported to several other systems including the Atari 5200, C64, VIC-20, and Colecovision.
@captianjack1 This channel is GREAT! I used to have a small channel 10 years ago, now defunct, called "Pirate Booty" where I focused on pirated and hacked games. It was nowhere near as good as your content. Still love hacks, but you do all the legwork. I can't understand why you have so few subs. That is a crime! Please keep doing what you are doing and I'm sure they will come!
I don't think any other console has had the absolute renaissance that the Atari 2600 has had. Many of the games that has come out in the last 12 years easily rival the best that were released it its heyday. With all of the tools and upgrades that modern programmers have at their disposal, they're able to produce stuff that simply weren't possible back then. Arcade ports like Mappy, Galagon and Gorf are just mind blowing. Original games like Stay Frosty 2, Thrust+ and Spies in the Night 2 are very playable today, and games like Pinfinger show what programmers can still do to make gameplay with less than 4k. Truly a fantastic time to be an A2600 gamer.
a hell of a lot of them are demos unfortunately or never get finished
but the champ games have special chips in cartridge to improve 2600 graphics/sound.
@ellaschroeder1617 true, but games like Pitfall 2 had special chips in them back then, as well. They're still games that run on original 2600 hardware, and look / sound great.
Gameboy & Gameboy Color are currently experiencing that
“I had never heard of Gorf before.” Oof, you just ticked off all the dads and grandads who grew up in the 1980s. Hah! Great video, keep up the good work.
lol... yeah, Gorf was a game-changer with the various changing level screens. It's the first game I remember seeing with speech in the arcade too. Did anything predate it?
Pinfinger was a little experiment on making a super simple game under 4k and try to add a good amount of options with that same kind of mind numbing gameplay like Flappy Bird. It was my attempt to learn how to use data tables. I think altogether it has 9 patterns (one being random), 3 speeds, single- or multi-hit, and one or two player modes. Thanks for showing it off!
It was actually really fun to play! Thanks for watching!
You'd never heard of Gorf??? Seriously??? That was one of my favourite games in the arcades. So much so that I did buy the previous version that was released by CBS. The one thing that was missing from that version was the Galaxians level, probably because of rights issues. This Champ Games version seems to give the graphics a little bit of an upgrade and adds the Galaxian level.
Yeah, definitely. I had it. It was the weird one that lets you shoot at any time, but cancels your current shot when you do. One way to fight autofire :)
My clone 2600 came with Gorf. I still have the Medal pin they sent me when I mailed in a photo of my high score.
Gorf was officially ported by CBS Games back in the day, but due to licensing issues (and that it kept the ROM size down) the Galaxian level was left out. Also, it was a much simpler, stripped down game.
Yep... and a bit of trivia - John Madden was the spokesperson for CBS Games in their ads!
I was immediately sold on "Grizzards", and between this and the three Champ Games titles I have so far, I knew I had to get an AtariVox. And although it didn't make the list, it was amazing to see Bejeweled on the 2600 with "Blocks".
I love seeing new games for the 2600. Thanks for the share
These homemade games shows that,the way of use 4 kilobytes of memory or less than that,is a kind of master piece.
I was waiting to see how the Elevator port would look, it really looks great given the system's capabilities. Several of the other releases were also very good, it's really exciting to see that the Atari 2600 VCS lives on in 2023.
I'm saving my pennies for lode runner. I just got a couple games from last year, robotwar and ladybug arcade, so gotta reset my gaming piggy bank
Aaaannnndddd now I need to pickup a Harmony Encore for my 5200's 2600 adapter.... I was so content with the homebrew Juno, I didn't think I was going to need more until now 🤯 another solid upload dude! Good to see that sub count rising even further, you more than deserve it! 😁👍
Fun fact: it's actually the enemies from Bomber Man that look like the ones from Lode Runner. The latter came way earlier in the Fami's life!
I just wish more homebrew games for the ColecoVision were more common. Also, I make games for the Atari 2600, ColecoVision, and Intellivision.
Regardless of what system best provides you with a hit of nostalgia, the modern homebrew scene never ceases to amaze.
Thanks for featuring these great examples for the 2600 (which I never owned, but that comes from the era of my favourite games (heck, there's even a Lode Runner clone...2nd best game from the golden era (Randy Glover's Jumpman comes first)).
Dissapointing that you had never heard of Gorf, considering how many quarters it stole from my pockets. Highly recommend you check out the original arcade version (even though this homebrew looks to have pulled it off quite nicely considering the more limited hardware) Also nice to see the Galaxian level.
When I heard that Atari finally made a new gaming system after so long I actually was hoping that their could be more games in the simple Atari pixely graphics from back then but I didn't think they'd be made this quick, ya know? 😆👾
Brilliant video my man. I've not spent a lot of time playing 2600 games in the last couple of decades, but I'm going to give a couple of these a go.
Wow you didn't know about Gorf ( Galactic Orbiting Robot Force) I first played that on the Vic-20 before the C-64 was released, then they brought it out on the C-64 :) Basically its numerous game styles/feelings/types in one, Space invaders, Galaxian, Gyruss/Galaga/Phoenix it was just awesome love that game back in the early 80's.
I like Champ games. They made some good Atari games. Lady Bug and Scramble are 2 I've played.
I am astonished you have never heard of gorf. It’s a pretty well known classic arcade game.
Lode Runner is brilliant. So glad I bought it. Lots of replayability
Dave the 8-bit Guy needs to have someone port PETSCII ROBOTS to the 2600
holy crap, I've been trying to find what "elevator action" was called for 10 years now. Saw it titled "elevator" on a plug and play (it was the only decent game on it) but nobody could ever figure out what it was
The technological wonder that is the Atari VCS.
I really like your videos Jack. You deserve a lot more subs for your presentation and sense of humor. Consider me a fan
Thank you very much! The presentation takes some time but is worth it!
Dark Keep looks absolutely gorgeous. It looks like those modern games that try to vaguely imitate a 2600 style aesthetics (a la Fist of Awesome or the minigame levels in Five Nights at Freddy's). I would never have guessed it's a real Atari game running on an actual TIA and 6507.
I absoltely LOVE the fact that the 2600 game programming is better NOW than it ever was back in the 80s. So many people, that i knew in high school saying, "Oh that system sucks and is so outdated. It's a door stop now. Might as well throw it in the closet" get to eat crow over this. I mean 4K Pac-Man (ruclips.net/video/yHX20qiIq_Q/видео.html&ab_channel=RetroBlissGaming) ALONE was enjoy to just make the nay-sayers shut up.
It's not that the 2600 was "limited", it was the RUSH to get games out in the 1980s that killed it. Also, i believe if someone could re-write a "good" version of E.T. that the 2600 could be completely vindicated.
The Homebrew scene is on the verge of topping the BEST of the commercial games, that's just AWESOME.
nuff said?
Are all of these real?
I always wonder what you can craft out of 128 bytes of RAM, a blocky playground, two not-so-blocky sprites, three 1-pixel-balls and probably a score board....
I made my own game with batari basic and it looks like an old atari game looks like: blocky and the sprites flicker... but the game works and is playable, but no two-player mode because I ran out of everything xD. With little need of editing the resulting assembly code. For a one-rainy-day fun project it's okay xD.
I had Gorf on my Vic20 - probably my most played game lol. CBS Games made a port on the 2600 way back then too.
Awesome !
Yeah - you go get that ground!
hmm, I have the video at 60fps and I'm still getting flashing...
Первая игровая приставка которую я увидел в своей жизни был клон атари2600 назывался Рэмбо Видео Гейм. Взяли поиграть у соседей , они привезли ее от родственников из Польши. Интересно что у приставки была антенна которую клали рядом с телевизором и настраивали на нужный канал с игрой . Игры были встроенные , какой то совсем примитив. Мне запомнилось две игры. Одна была бокс с видом свеху (по пластилиновому мультику) а в другой нужно было угадать карту. Меня эта приставка тогда не впечетлила , играл в основном мой отец. Это был ориентировочно 1994 год. После уже пошли клоны Nes 8bit с нормальной графикой Dendy и Sybor.
3:11 OMG! Frogs and Flies. I haven't seen that game forever
İ had gorf on 2600 back in the day only had 3 level's
Captain Jack.
I pledge my allegiance to you- you gamin terrapin you....
Had to look up what "terrapin" was, very nice.
of all here only 4 caught my interest: Dark Keep because of the many full screen artful graphics and Elevator Agent: very hard to believe it looks so much like the arcade (so colorful), Gizzards (for the RPG) and Spiders & Flies.
3:28 - Does the spider "make a lunge at you" or "make a lunch outta you" :D
I was probably trying to say "lunge"
@@CaptainJack1 I hear it as Lunge. I like it as Lunch too.
I programed GORF on a C64 as a kid, typed it all in.
“Not given out sparingly” means “you get it a lot.”
Outside of Champ games where do you get these games?
I still have my original CBS copy of GORF complete with box and instructions from when I was a kid, great game and this new one adds to the excitement of this classic game.
The only way to save game stage is to use UPS.
Excellent video thanks. That's my Friday night sorted ;)
A restaurant in my home town had a full cabinet GORF game. I played it constantly. I didn't realize that it was an obscure game.
It's amazing to me that they can do Lode Runner on the 2600... imagine if these games could have been created back in the day...
Wow, these games are so impressive! It’s hard to believe that they’re for the VCS. Great work to the developers who created these, and excellent work on the video. 👍
this is 21st century ganes or 79?
Pinfinger = "mumbleypeg"
Hi there! Where can I get all these games?
I was just watching VCG, and the voices are so similar that I got confused for a second.
What's VCG?
@@CaptainJack1 VCG Construction is a tool review channel.
Gorf is an absolute arcade legend. You said that it wasn't ported to the 2600 but it was in 1982. It was also ported to several other systems including the Atari 5200, C64, VIC-20, and Colecovision.
None of them had the Galaxian stage though
Perfectly made summed up video!
Elevator agent looks amazing!
raptor's really good
I Agree
Yeah we had Gorf back in the day. It just sucked compared to this new one.
@captianjack1 This channel is GREAT! I used to have a small channel 10 years ago, now defunct, called "Pirate Booty" where I focused on pirated and hacked games. It was nowhere near as good as your content. Still love hacks, but you do all the legwork. I can't understand why you have so few subs. That is a crime! Please keep doing what you are doing and I'm sure they will come!
😃👍
cool stuff