Atari Alumni

The 2600’s game library, compared to the libraries of other videogame systems, is by far the strangest and most varied. The sheer number of games, which totals over 1000 cartridges by some estimates, coupled with the fact that pretty much anyone could make a 2600 game (there wasn’t really any licensing system, a mistake that was later corrected by next-generation systems such as the NES) made for some really weird stuff. The 2600 produced its share of great games, but the vast majority of 2600 games were cheaply made, trashy, and created simply to cash in on the videogame “fad.”

X-rated Games and Other Oddities

The Atari 2600 had the honor(?) of being the first system to feature “adult” videogames. These included X-Man, Beat ‘Em and Eat ‘Em, and various others. Although not very explicit (this is 4-bit graphics we’re talking about) and extremely trashy, these games were somewhat popular, for their “naughtiness” if nothing else. Of all the games ever released on the 2600, Custer’s Revenge caused the most controversy. The object of the game was to get an… excited… General Custer to the other side of the screen where a nude Indian maiden was tied up to a pole. If you “won,” you could rape the maiden by pressing the joystick button. Needless to say, many people found this and the other “adult” games very offensive. On the other end of the spectrum, there were Christian games such as Eli’s Ladder and The Music Machine.

Since almost anyone could make 2600 games, some companies decided to produce games for promotional purposes. Chase the Chuckwagon, which was offered by Ralston Purnia in exchange for a proof-of-purchase from its dog food, is one of the more valuable and sought after games today due to its rarity. Tooth Protectors was a mail-order promotion by Johnson & Johnson to customers who purchased its products (usually Crest toothpaste). The most popular promotional game was Kool-Aid Man, which was originally available in exchange for “Kool-Aid Points,” but was later sold in stores.

One of the more interesting game series for the 2600 came about as a result of the legendary “SwordQuest Challenge.” Launched in 1982, this contest would span four DC comic books and four game cartridges. There would be four parts of the quest, which were referred to as “worlds” (the four worlds being Earth, Fire, Water, and Air). For each world, there would be a separate prize and in the end, there would be a showdown between the four winners for the grand prize. What were the prizes? Get this: for each world, the prize was an 8-karat, jewel-encrusted, $25,000 artifact designed specifically for the contest. The artifacts were the Earthworld Talisman, the Fireworld Chalice, the Waterworld Crown, and the Airworld Philosopher’s Stone. The grand prize was a $50,000 “Sword of Ultimate Sorcery.”

So how’d the contest work? Well, you basically got the comic and the game and tried to solve the game by finding a certain phrase using clues in the comic to solve the game. Needless to say, this wasn’t easy. Earthworld was won by Steven Bell, Fireworld by Michael Rideout.

However, the contest was never completed. The Waterworld cartridge was released, but the prizes were never awarded (perhaps Waterworld went millions of dollars over budget… perhaps Kevin Costner was involved?). Actually the whole series was rather boring and the console market crash brought it (thankfully) to an early end. It was an extravagant and original idea, though, to say the least.

The Good, the Rare, and the Homebrewn

Activision made some of the best games for the 2600. As mentioned above, Activision was formed by some of Atari’s top designers. A few of their more popular games included Boxing, Commando, Decathlon, Dolphin, Double Dragon, Fishing Derby, Freeway, H.E.R.O., Pitfall!, Rampage, and River Raid. Not too surprisingly, Activision is one of the few 2600-era companies still in existence.

Games released during or after the crash of ‘84 are usually rare, and these include some pretty good games such as Q*bert’s Qubes, one of the more valuable 2600 carts. Z-Tack, Cakewalk, Stronghold, Sword of Saros, Video Jogger, Berenstain Bears, Boing!, Out of Control, Up ‘N Down and Mr. Do’s Castle are a few other examples.

source: http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=ConsoleMuseum.Detail&id=9&game=4