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I believe this is the first year that 2600 games have been allowed in the competition, and since most 2600 games are 4K, this is why you see many 2600 homebrew authors submitting their games. The following list contains more information about each of the entries, including some that have not yet appeared on the Minigame Competition page:

Climber 5
Jammed
JoustPong
Gunfight
Qb
SCSIcide
Skeleton+
Space Treat Deluxe
Warring Worms

Additionally, many authors have released the source code to their games, which is invaluable if you're trying to learn how to program the 2600. Some examples relevant to the competition: Gunfight, Qb, SCSIcide, and Space Treat Deluxe.

And finally, some other links people may find useful:

Atari 2600 Emulators
List of Released 2600 Homebrews
Games in Development

Enjoy!

I believe this is the first year that 2600 games have been allowed in the competition, and since most 2600 games are 4K, this is why you see many 2600 homebrew authors submitting their games. The following list contains more information about each of the entries, including some that have not yet appeared on the Minigame Competition page:

Climber 5
Jammed
JoustPong
Gunfight
Qb
SCSIcide
Skeleton+
Space Treat Deluxe
Warring Worms

Additionally, many authors have released the source code to their games, which is invaluable if you're trying to learn how to program the 2600. Some examples relevant to the competition: Gunfight, Qb, SCSIcide, and Space Treat Deluxe.

And finally, some other links people may find useful:

Atari 2600 Emulators
List of Released 2600 Homebrews
Games in Development

Enjoy!

Many of the games submitted for the competition are available for download or, better yet, for sale. Most of the Atari 2600 titles can be bought as a real cartridge at the AtariAge Store. Of the submitted entries I own a hold-in-your-hand copy of Skeleton+ and Qb.

If i'm not mistaken was there not an overall time limit of like an hour on those games? I forget.

As I mentioned in the post below, I played the Atari 7800 version, so maybe the rules were different.

Instruction manual.

You have six hours total. Every time you fall through the floor or get zapped, you lose ten minutes. Each use of the phone costs two minutes. These add up pretty quickly, so it's not unusual for a game to end within an hour or so.

....And I don't think I've ever heard of ANYONE getting to the end of that game (though I imagine SOMEONE must have.)

At least it was something you could aspire to. Those of us saddled with the Atari 7800 version had no chance at all.

Interesting. Now I've got to go and read that box.

I bought a Jaguar about three months after it was discontinued. Got a console and about 10 games for $200. A great deal, IMO, since I still play some of those titles on a regular basis (I think Tempest 2000 is a great game even by today's standards.)

It's a real pity that Atari was never able to market their way back into the mainstream. While the 5200 had its share of problems (mostly related to the controller design), the 7800 and Jaguar were excellent systems.

But by the time these systems came out, Atari had lost their momentum, and in order to get it back, you can't just match the competition - you have to blow it away. And Atari was never able to develop to that extreme.

How on earth did this post get modded up to "informative"???? Practically everything in it is either partially or wholly inaccurate.

>This is the prime error Atari made. Back
>in the day, they let everyone make carts
>for the system.

Eh? The VCS was one of the first home gaming system with interchangeable games. I don't think anyone had given the slightest consideration at that point to locking down the system so that only the manufacturer could produce games for it. Atari didn't, "let everyone make carts for the system." The VCS came out in '77, and didn't have a huge hit until 1980, when Atari licensed Space Invaders. That was the same year the 1st 3rd party developer came online - Activision.

Check out this site for a capsule history of the VCS.

>The console remained on the market too long.
>Atari sat on its ass until sometime around late 83-84.

Huh? The 5200 came out in early-mid 1982. It was a huge improvement on the VCS, being based on Atari's line of 8-bit computers. Probably its only major failing - and this helped killed the system in the market - were the large, non-centering joysticks that were difficult to use in many games (Pac-Man being a fine example) and prone to failure.

Again, check out the same site for a capsule history of the 5200.

>Tramiel's bumbling. Jack Tramiel proved in 1983 that
>he was the worst manager in recorded history. He took
>a company that controlled 95% of its market and flushed
>it down the crapper. In 1983, Atari lost over 500 million
>dollars (and the whole industry at the time was only worth
>about (3 billion at best). At some points Atari was losing
>millions of dollars a day.

How could you be MORE wrong??? Warner Communications unloaded Atari on Jack Tramiel *because* it was losing $500 million and they had no idea how to stop the bleeding. Tramiel didn't even arrive at Atari until July of 1984, after he'd lost a fight with the board of directors at Commodore and left the company he'd started. It's a little hard to blame him for Atari's losing $500 million in 1983 . . .

Actually, maybe you CAN pin the blame on him, since a lot of Atari's home videogame and computer sales were probably being lost to a little personal computer Tramiel's Commodore made. Perhaps you've heard of it. It was called the Commodore 64.

Again, here's yet another site, this one detailing the history of Atari's 8-bit computers, that brings up Tramiel's role in all of this (and some of the stuff he really did probably do wrong at Atari).

There are several other factual errors in your post, but I don't have the time this morning to correct the remainder. If Atari had made as many mistakes as your post did, they'd have gone out of business in the mid-'70s and we'd have never heard from them again.

How on earth did this post get modded up to "informative"???? Practically everything in it is either partially or wholly inaccurate.

>This is the prime error Atari made. Back
>in the day, they let everyone make carts
>for the system.

Eh? The VCS was one of the first home gaming system with interchangeable games. I don't think anyone had given the slightest consideration at that point to locking down the system so that only the manufacturer could produce games for it. Atari didn't, "let everyone make carts for the system." The VCS came out in '77, and didn't have a huge hit until 1980, when Atari licensed Space Invaders. That was the same year the 1st 3rd party developer came online - Activision.

Check out this site for a capsule history of the VCS.

>The console remained on the market too long.
>Atari sat on its ass until sometime around late 83-84.

Huh? The 5200 came out in early-mid 1982. It was a huge improvement on the VCS, being based on Atari's line of 8-bit computers. Probably its only major failing - and this helped killed the system in the market - were the large, non-centering joysticks that were difficult to use in many games (Pac-Man being a fine example) and prone to failure.

Again, check out the same site for a capsule history of the 5200.

>Tramiel's bumbling. Jack Tramiel proved in 1983 that
>he was the worst manager in recorded history. He took
>a company that controlled 95% of its market and flushed
>it down the crapper. In 1983, Atari lost over 500 million
>dollars (and the whole industry at the time was only worth
>about (3 billion at best). At some points Atari was losing
>millions of dollars a day.

How could you be MORE wrong??? Warner Communications unloaded Atari on Jack Tramiel *because* it was losing $500 million and they had no idea how to stop the bleeding. Tramiel didn't even arrive at Atari until July of 1984, after he'd lost a fight with the board of directors at Commodore and left the company he'd started. It's a little hard to blame him for Atari's losing $500 million in 1983 . . .

Actually, maybe you CAN pin the blame on him, since a lot of Atari's home videogame and computer sales were probably being lost to a little personal computer Tramiel's Commodore made. Perhaps you've heard of it. It was called the Commodore 64.

Again, here's yet another site, this one detailing the history of Atari's 8-bit computers, that brings up Tramiel's role in all of this (and some of the stuff he really did probably do wrong at Atari).

There are several other factual errors in your post, but I don't have the time this morning to correct the remainder. If Atari had made as many mistakes as your post did, they'd have gone out of business in the mid-'70s and we'd have never heard from them again.

If you're interested in learning more about homebrew games for classic systems, we have a wealth of information over at AtariAge. You can learn about games currently being written in our In Development section, browse our rarity guide for 2600 homebrew games that have already been released, discuss homebrew programming with various homebrew authors in our forums, and purchase new homebrew titles in cartridge form in our online store. Atari 2600 programmer Andrew Davie is writing a comprehensive 2600 Programming For Dummies tutorial for those who are interested in what makes the 2600 tick and want to try their hand at programming this beast. And several homebrew authors have released commented source code for their games, also helping to pave the way for those who would like to program these classic systems.

Right now we're holding a CVDRUM Splash Screen Contest, which lets anyone submit entries for a splash screen to be included in the upcoming ColecoVision CVDRUM homebrew release.

If you're interested in learning more about homebrew games for classic systems, we have a wealth of information over at AtariAge. You can learn about games currently being written in our In Development section, browse our rarity guide for 2600 homebrew games that have already been released, discuss homebrew programming with various homebrew authors in our forums, and purchase new homebrew titles in cartridge form in our online store. Atari 2600 programmer Andrew Davie is writing a comprehensive 2600 Programming For Dummies tutorial for those who are interested in what makes the 2600 tick and want to try their hand at programming this beast. And several homebrew authors have released commented source code for their games, also helping to pave the way for those who would like to program these classic systems.

Right now we're holding a CVDRUM Splash Screen Contest, which lets anyone submit entries for a splash screen to be included in the upcoming ColecoVision CVDRUM homebrew release.

If you're interested in learning more about homebrew games for classic systems, we have a wealth of information over at AtariAge. You can learn about games currently being written in our In Development section, browse our rarity guide for 2600 homebrew games that have already been released, discuss homebrew programming with various homebrew authors in our forums, and purchase new homebrew titles in cartridge form in our online store. Atari 2600 programmer Andrew Davie is writing a comprehensive 2600 Programming For Dummies tutorial for those who are interested in what makes the 2600 tick and want to try their hand at programming this beast. And several homebrew authors have released commented source code for their games, also helping to pave the way for those who would like to program these classic systems.

Right now we're holding a CVDRUM Splash Screen Contest, which lets anyone submit entries for a splash screen to be included in the upcoming ColecoVision CVDRUM homebrew release.

If you're interested in learning more about homebrew games for classic systems, we have a wealth of information over at AtariAge. You can learn about games currently being written in our In Development section, browse our rarity guide for 2600 homebrew games that have already been released, discuss homebrew programming with various homebrew authors in our forums, and purchase new homebrew titles in cartridge form in our online store. Atari 2600 programmer Andrew Davie is writing a comprehensive 2600 Programming For Dummies tutorial for those who are interested in what makes the 2600 tick and want to try their hand at programming this beast. And several homebrew authors have released commented source code for their games, also helping to pave the way for those who would like to program these classic systems.

Right now we're holding a CVDRUM Splash Screen Contest, which lets anyone submit entries for a splash screen to be included in the upcoming ColecoVision CVDRUM homebrew release.

If you're interested in learning more about homebrew games for classic systems, we have a wealth of information over at AtariAge. You can learn about games currently being written in our In Development section, browse our rarity guide for 2600 homebrew games that have already been released, discuss homebrew programming with various homebrew authors in our forums, and purchase new homebrew titles in cartridge form in our online store. Atari 2600 programmer Andrew Davie is writing a comprehensive 2600 Programming For Dummies tutorial for those who are interested in what makes the 2600 tick and want to try their hand at programming this beast. And several homebrew authors have released commented source code for their games, also helping to pave the way for those who would like to program these classic systems.

Right now we're holding a CVDRUM Splash Screen Contest, which lets anyone submit entries for a splash screen to be included in the upcoming ColecoVision CVDRUM homebrew release.

If you're interested in learning more about homebrew games for classic systems, we have a wealth of information over at AtariAge. You can learn about games currently being written in our In Development section, browse our rarity guide for 2600 homebrew games that have already been released, discuss homebrew programming with various homebrew authors in our forums, and purchase new homebrew titles in cartridge form in our online store. Atari 2600 programmer Andrew Davie is writing a comprehensive 2600 Programming For Dummies tutorial for those who are interested in what makes the 2600 tick and want to try their hand at programming this beast. And several homebrew authors have released commented source code for their games, also helping to pave the way for those who would like to program these classic systems.

Right now we're holding a CVDRUM Splash Screen Contest, which lets anyone submit entries for a splash screen to be included in the upcoming ColecoVision CVDRUM homebrew release.

If you're interested in learning more about homebrew games for classic systems, we have a wealth of information over at AtariAge. You can learn about games currently being written in our In Development section, browse our rarity guide for 2600 homebrew games that have already been released, discuss homebrew programming with various homebrew authors in our forums, and purchase new homebrew titles in cartridge form in our online store. Atari 2600 programmer Andrew Davie is writing a comprehensive 2600 Programming For Dummies tutorial for those who are interested in what makes the 2600 tick and want to try their hand at programming this beast. And several homebrew authors have released commented source code for their games, also helping to pave the way for those who would like to program these classic systems.

Right now we're holding a CVDRUM Splash Screen Contest, which lets anyone submit entries for a splash screen to be included in the upcoming ColecoVision CVDRUM homebrew release.

If you're interested in learning more about homebrew games for classic systems, we have a wealth of information over at AtariAge. You can learn about games currently being written in our In Development section, browse our rarity guide for 2600 homebrew games that have already been released, discuss homebrew programming with various homebrew authors in our forums, and purchase new homebrew titles in cartridge form in our online store. Atari 2600 programmer Andrew Davie is writing a comprehensive 2600 Programming For Dummies tutorial for those who are interested in what makes the 2600 tick and want to try their hand at programming this beast. And several homebrew authors have released commented source code for their games, also helping to pave the way for those who would like to program these classic systems.

Right now we're holding a CVDRUM Splash Screen Contest, which lets anyone submit entries for a splash screen to be included in the upcoming ColecoVision CVDRUM homebrew release.

If you're interested in learning more about homebrew games for classic systems, we have a wealth of information over at AtariAge. You can learn about games currently being written in our In Development section, browse our rarity guide for 2600 homebrew games that have already been released, discuss homebrew programming with various homebrew authors in our forums, and purchase new homebrew titles in cartridge form in our online store. Atari 2600 programmer Andrew Davie is writing a comprehensive 2600 Programming For Dummies tutorial for those who are interested in what makes the 2600 tick and want to try their hand at programming this beast. And several homebrew authors have released commented source code for their games, also helping to pave the way for those who would like to program these classic systems.

Right now we're holding a CVDRUM Splash Screen Contest, which lets anyone submit entries for a splash screen to be included in the upcoming ColecoVision CVDRUM homebrew release.

1. The color scheme. Take a look at these screenshots to see what I'm talking about. While I know that they probably couldn't have gotten arcade colors, they CERTAINLY could have at least made it a bit more aesthetically pleasing.

2. Tablets! I know that the Atari could resemble something at least a LITTLE closer to dots. They could have at least shrunk up those godawful things a couple of pixels.

3. North/south transport? Talk about something that didn't need to be changed.

4. Speed. I played a lot of games that moved at a decent clip on the 2600 (watch the bomber on high levels of "Kaboom!" by Activision for an example).

5. Sound. The Atari 2600 was by no means an audio giant but the sounds on that game were about as annoying as Atari sounds got. It almost made me want to just run the guy around areas I'd already eaten through just to take a break from the clunky chomp sound.

Again, it's not about being untrue to the arcade version - it's about a classic game being turned into a crapfest. Ms. Pac-Man didn't have arcade-quality graphics either, but it was not only playable on the 2600 but was enjoyable (I managed to resign myself to the oblong pellets). To my mind, Pac-Man was neither.

If Atari had taken even an extra WEEK (their development time on titles was often measured in DAYS), they probably could have made a much better game. Sadly, we'll never know.

1. The color scheme. Take a look at these screenshots to see what I'm talking about. While I know that they probably couldn't have gotten arcade colors, they CERTAINLY could have at least made it a bit more aesthetically pleasing.

2. Tablets! I know that the Atari could resemble something at least a LITTLE closer to dots. They could have at least shrunk up those godawful things a couple of pixels.

3. North/south transport? Talk about something that didn't need to be changed.

4. Speed. I played a lot of games that moved at a decent clip on the 2600 (watch the bomber on high levels of "Kaboom!" by Activision for an example).

5. Sound. The Atari 2600 was by no means an audio giant but the sounds on that game were about as annoying as Atari sounds got. It almost made me want to just run the guy around areas I'd already eaten through just to take a break from the clunky chomp sound.

Again, it's not about being untrue to the arcade version - it's about a classic game being turned into a crapfest. Ms. Pac-Man didn't have arcade-quality graphics either, but it was not only playable on the 2600 but was enjoyable (I managed to resign myself to the oblong pellets). To my mind, Pac-Man was neither.

If Atari had taken even an extra WEEK (their development time on titles was often measured in DAYS), they probably could have made a much better game. Sadly, we'll never know.

Mr. Bushnell has a selective memory. Outlaw (the Sears version was Gunslinger) featured a pair of gunfighters trying to shoot each other. They looked human, as much so as anything could on an Atari 2600.

Mr. Bushnell has a selective memory. Outlaw (the Sears version was Gunslinger) featured a pair of gunfighters trying to shoot each other. They looked human, as much so as anything could on an Atari 2600.

Your examples:
Texax Chainsaw Massacre

Custer's Revenge

... neither was made by Atari. You can't exactly blame Atari for 3rd party games, can you.

Your examples:
Texax Chainsaw Massacre

Custer's Revenge

... neither was made by Atari. You can't exactly blame Atari for 3rd party games, can you.

It seems Mr. Bushnell must have forgot about Outlaw. The only goal in the game is to cap the other human in the dome. No tanks, cars, or planes to worry about at all, just bullets to the brain.

That was the game of Outlaw. It was manufactured by Atari and mimicked arcade games of the same theme. I had to make sure there was nothing in the manual about robot gunslingers, and there isn't. It's definitely human murdering human.

Various other people-killing games were not by Atari. It's commented further down about Custer's Revenge and such. They don't count. However, the Circus Atari and Sky Diver games had the people go splat if they hit the ground.

I guess violence against people is a sliding scale, after all. However, in a game where human peril is part of the action, isn't it appropriate to show the consequences? If not, you get the Tom & Jerry effect (spoofed on Simpsons by Itchy and Scratchy) where people complain about examples of violence with no consequences. I think all this proves is that people will complain about games for the sake of complaining.

Lemonade? Please!

That was the game of Outlaw. It was manufactured by Atari and mimicked arcade games of the same theme. I had to make sure there was nothing in the manual about robot gunslingers, and there isn't. It's definitely human murdering human.

Various other people-killing games were not by Atari. It's commented further down about Custer's Revenge and such. They don't count. However, the Circus Atari and Sky Diver games had the people go splat if they hit the ground.

I guess violence against people is a sliding scale, after all. However, in a game where human peril is part of the action, isn't it appropriate to show the consequences? If not, you get the Tom & Jerry effect (spoofed on Simpsons by Itchy and Scratchy) where people complain about examples of violence with no consequences. I think all this proves is that people will complain about games for the sake of complaining.

Lemonade? Please!

That was the game of Outlaw. It was manufactured by Atari and mimicked arcade games of the same theme. I had to make sure there was nothing in the manual about robot gunslingers, and there isn't. It's definitely human murdering human.

Various other people-killing games were not by Atari. It's commented further down about Custer's Revenge and such. They don't count. However, the Circus Atari and Sky Diver games had the people go splat if they hit the ground.

I guess violence against people is a sliding scale, after all. However, in a game where human peril is part of the action, isn't it appropriate to show the consequences? If not, you get the Tom & Jerry effect (spoofed on Simpsons by Itchy and Scratchy) where people complain about examples of violence with no consequences. I think all this proves is that people will complain about games for the sake of complaining.

Lemonade? Please!

That was the game of Outlaw. It was manufactured by Atari and mimicked arcade games of the same theme. I had to make sure there was nothing in the manual about robot gunslingers, and there isn't. It's definitely human murdering human.

Various other people-killing games were not by Atari. It's commented further down about Custer's Revenge and such. They don't count. However, the Circus Atari and Sky Diver games had the people go splat if they hit the ground.

I guess violence against people is a sliding scale, after all. However, in a game where human peril is part of the action, isn't it appropriate to show the consequences? If not, you get the Tom & Jerry effect (spoofed on Simpsons by Itchy and Scratchy) where people complain about examples of violence with no consequences. I think all this proves is that people will complain about games for the sake of complaining.

Lemonade? Please!

We had over 2,000 people attend the first annual Austin Gaming Expo two weeks ago, and this was only the show's first year. The show featured a mix of classic and modern games, and all the classic systems on display were getting tons of attention. You can look here for picture galleries and recaps of the show.

Additionally, there is a large groundswell of homebrew development taking place for systems such as the Atari 2600, 5200, ColecoVision, and so forth. Numerous homebrew games are released every year and many of them equal or better the games that were released commercially back in the early 80s. We have a section on AtariAge that lists Atari-related titles in development, and we also sell homebrew games in cartridge form through our online store.

As long as people continue to play classic games (whether it be through emulation or on real hardware), I don't see them going away anytime soon!

We had over 2,000 people attend the first annual Austin Gaming Expo two weeks ago, and this was only the show's first year. The show featured a mix of classic and modern games, and all the classic systems on display were getting tons of attention. You can look here for picture galleries and recaps of the show.

Additionally, there is a large groundswell of homebrew development taking place for systems such as the Atari 2600, 5200, ColecoVision, and so forth. Numerous homebrew games are released every year and many of them equal or better the games that were released commercially back in the early 80s. We have a section on AtariAge that lists Atari-related titles in development, and we also sell homebrew games in cartridge form through our online store.

As long as people continue to play classic games (whether it be through emulation or on real hardware), I don't see them going away anytime soon!

The AtariAge 8-bit forum.

Just to let you know, the Doom cart is a fake. It don't be workin', it don't be doin' nothin', it don't be existing, so to speak.

However, on the subject of hi-res "games" on older hardware like the Intv and the 2600, there have been a couple carts released that feature a ridiculously pretty still image.

Yeah these japanese teens might do some IMing and write a few essays, but how about cutting some serious Atari 2600 BASIC code with a numeric keypad (circa 1978).

Yeah these japanese teens might do some IMing and write a few essays, but how about cutting some serious Atari 2600 BASIC code with a numeric keypad (circa 1978).

It looks and feels like a TV remote control. Ugh.

You'll need an Atari 2600 so you can learn BASIC. Otherwise, hell, you might as well be programming for a Commodore 64 or something insane like that.

Remember that the system has only 128 bytes of RAM, no interrupts, and horizontal positioning is performed by timing rather than by value.

There actually is a great deal of homebrew development going on for the 2600 right now. In fact, quite a few games have already been released in cartridge form. We use new circuit boards, create high-quality labels and manuals, and only have to recycle cartridge shells. There are some fantastic homebrew games on the 2600 that easily rival the best commercial releases of the past. Some info about our homebrew services can be gleaned here.

There actually is a great deal of homebrew development going on for the 2600 right now. In fact, quite a few games have already been released in cartridge form. We use new circuit boards, create high-quality labels and manuals, and only have to recycle cartridge shells. There are some fantastic homebrew games on the 2600 that easily rival the best commercial releases of the past. Some info about our homebrew services can be gleaned here.

There actually is a great deal of homebrew development going on for the 2600 right now. In fact, quite a few games have already been released in cartridge form. We use new circuit boards, create high-quality labels and manuals, and only have to recycle cartridge shells. There are some fantastic homebrew games on the 2600 that easily rival the best commercial releases of the past. Some info about our homebrew services can be gleaned here.

You mean like this? This is a hacked version of Atari's Ms. Pac-Man, and is a much better version of Pac-Man than the one Atari originally released. There is also a version of Pac-Man programmed from scratch by Ebisoft, but only a few copies were made.

You mean like this? This is a hacked version of Atari's Ms. Pac-Man, and is a much better version of Pac-Man than the one Atari originally released. There is also a version of Pac-Man programmed from scratch by Ebisoft, but only a few copies were made.

You mean like this? This is a hacked version of Atari's Ms. Pac-Man, and is a much better version of Pac-Man than the one Atari originally released. There is also a version of Pac-Man programmed from scratch by Ebisoft, but only a few copies were made.

You mean like this? This is a hacked version of Atari's Ms. Pac-Man, and is a much better version of Pac-Man than the one Atari originally released. There is also a version of Pac-Man programmed from scratch by Ebisoft, but only a few copies were made.

For game reviews, gamefaqs. The FAQs are great, but it is also a great place for reading user reviews. If I need more reviews, I head to Amazon.

For screenshots/video, I refer to the "biggies": gamespot and ign.

For Game Boy Advance, I go to: gbacentral.

For Dance Dance Revolution: DDRFreak

However, my favorite site at the moment is for the ol' Atari 2600: Atari Age

AtariAge is amazing: screenshots of almost every Atari 2600 game, very active forums, store that sells cartridges for new "homebrews", etc.

--
jason

i cant believe no one has mentioned the unholy ET and M&M atari game. not only was it blatant advertising, but the damned game was imposssible to play

E.T. was impossible to play because the only developer had to complete the thing in 6 weeks to cash in on the movie premiere. Now, licensed games are completely different than in-game ads, please don't confuse the issues.

And if you're willing to go back as far as the Atari 2600, you'll find stuff like Kool aid man, Ralston-Purina's Chase the chuckwagon, and one of the worst marketing ideas of all time, Coke wins.

i cant believe no one has mentioned the unholy ET and M&M atari game. not only was it blatant advertising, but the damned game was imposssible to play

E.T. was impossible to play because the only developer had to complete the thing in 6 weeks to cash in on the movie premiere. Now, licensed games are completely different than in-game ads, please don't confuse the issues.

And if you're willing to go back as far as the Atari 2600, you'll find stuff like Kool aid man, Ralston-Purina's Chase the chuckwagon, and one of the worst marketing ideas of all time, Coke wins.

Random Atari Link

Custer's Revenge [atariage.com]. I can't imagine seeing this one on the big screen.

This game must have been written by some real men then:

TunnelRunner Screenshots

Now these guys did "cheat" a little in that the cartridge had a little bit of extra ram in it. But hey!, we're talking about a first person game on a 2600 that isn't a low detail flying game. Tunnel Runner came out in '83 as well. The object of the game was to find the key that would let you go to the next maze. Three differently colored pac-man like Zots chased you and got in the way. Each Zot had it's own theme music that varied in intensity as you got closer to it. It made for some nice tension. Much like Adventure, they varied in speed/intelligence. Of course, the Red one was the most dreaded of all. It also had a random teleporter and the ability go through a door to the previous level. Not too shabby at all.