In my previous retro gaming press review, I explored the April 1985 issue of Tilt—a legendary pioneer of video game journalism in France. This issue featured a “nostalgia” page dedicated to the Atari 2600 (also known as the Atari VCS), the living room star of the late ’70s and early ’80s, and inadvertently a symbol of the great industry crash of 1983. As the first console to be adopted en masse by the general public, the Atari 2600 is undoubtedly the best representative of the second generation of consoles… which Bob never really played. My gaming enthusiast journey began with the next generation (the NES), and although I did eventually acquire a 2600 at a flea market, I never really took to its games, which seem quite rudimentary today. Thus, the selection of games by a seasoned player seemed an interesting topic to explore further. To be clear: I have no intention of compiling a complete history of the 14 selected games, let alone finishing them one by one! It merely seemed interesting to try these games and compare the comments of that era with my impressions as a gamer who is admittedly old enough, but not quite for that era!
This article was made possible once again thanks to abandonware-magazine; the following link allows you to download the Tilt article (French only).
The 14 Chosen Ones!
| TITLE | COVER | SCREENSHOT | TILT’S OPINION | BOB’S OPINION |
| Astérix |  |  | It’s already well known, having been used for the grand Atari contest in 1984. | This is Taz reskinned as Astérix; a reflex-based game with the gameplay depth of a Game & Watch… |
| Beamrider |  |  | The most advanced space combat for the 2600. | Surprisingly not bad! The game has a perspective effect that reminds me of Axelay on the SNES. |
| Crystal Castles |  |  | The diamond-eating bear is unimpressed by caterpillars, bees, or even the terrifying witch Mathilda as it goes about its “harvest” across eight levels. | Honestly, I didn’t get into it; this type of game ages very quickly. |
| Decathlon |  |  | To experience the ten events of the decathlon with superb graphics and perfect simulation. | Released the same year as Konami’s legendary Track & Field, this Decathlon has nothing to envy; the graphics are good, though the game will destroy your controller T_T |
| Enduro |  |  | This rally car game boasts a very high level of simulation, even if the graphics remain average. Nighttime sprints follow snow specials, when fog isn’t a factor. The sound effects are very realistic. | The graphics haven’t improved, and the concept of a simulation level has somewhat evolved. Enduro is hardly enjoyable today. |
| Frogger II |  |  | The unfortunate frog once again risks its life to get home, crossing more roads and rivers. | Compared to the first Frogger on the 2600, the graphical leap is spectacular; in essence, Frogger remains a good game, and this version is enjoyable due to its execution. |
| H.E.R.O. |  |  | Save human lives by piloting your mini-helicopter with precision to the centimeter. | Not so bad and quite colorful. |
| Pitfall II |  |  | The valiant Harry Pitfall hunts for treasures in a labyrinth of caves. Spiders, scorpions, rotten ladders, precipices, nothing stops him. Graphics and sound effects are of very high quality, with an incredible number of rooms. | Even if the experience has aged, it’s easy to imagine the enthusiasm of players back then, as Pitfall II is clearly an ambitious game. But 40 years have passed. |
| Pole Position |  |  | The queen of circuit trials. Excellent graphics and very realistic handling. | A good sense of speed and inertia in the turns. Not so bad for a forty-something… |
| Popeye |  |  | Olive calls for help, and Brutus thinks he’s the king of the gunfight: our hero is barely holding his ground! Top-notch graphics and sound effects. | I don’t really share Tilt’s enthusiasm. Popeye was already outdated upon its release in 1983. So in 2025, it’s hardly enjoyable. |
| Q*Bert |  |  | Jump from cube to cube to change their color. But watch out for troublemakers. It’s a nearly everlasting game. | Here, I agree: Q*Bert is timeless and enjoyable on all machines because its concept is genius. A classic remains… |
| River Raid |  |  | Suicide mission for a fighter pilot, where low-level attacks are essential to achieve objectives. | Though technically weak, River Raid remains enjoyable for two reasons: firstly, it is smooth. Secondly, it adheres to the fundamental principle of any good shoot ’em up: dodging skill is as important as shooting accuracy. |
| Super Cobra |  |  | In command of a helicopter, you enter the enemy base. Just the piloting is challenging, and of course, you’re being shot at… | Meh. The scrolling lacks fluidity, and the attack system (straight gunfire and low-arcing grenades) isn’t the most enjoyable… |
| Tennis |  |  | While the graphics are relatively simple, the enjoyment of playing is complete. This tennis game allows for all the subtleties of the sport. | The game is smooth, fast, and readable (thanks especially to the shadow of the ball). It’s surprising, but its primitive execution does not diminish the joy of playing! |
Conclusion ?
Does my small experience merit a conclusion? Not really, but a few observations are warranted, as the process was interesting. I’m not very familiar with the first two generations of consoles because I didn’t live during those years. Although I’m aware of the consoles and major games of that era because I’m interested in the history of our microcosm, I don’t have the player’s memories or experiences concerning them. It might seem stupid, but I was surprised by the quality of several games in the selection, especially from a technical standpoint—I always thought the Atari 2600 could only produce monochromatic rectangular pixels. Admittedly, several of the most historically significant games (Pac-Man, Adventure, or E.T.) correspond to this prejudice. However, with 15 years of existence (1977-1992), the Atari 2600 slowly came to be dominated by developers, foreshadowing the classical cycles of upcoming machines. In fact, just comparing the games offered at the beginning and end of a console’s lifespan helps one understand (or remember) that over time, developers better master the hardware and have more advanced tools at their disposal. This is also true of the box covers, where the newer ones are more modern than I imagined for the Atari 2600. In short, a small lesson for old Bob!
To finish, here’s a small video showing the winners in action. And yes, I noticed that the video illustrating Astérix is of the original Taz version. But I realized after editing the video, creating the YouTube page, and deleting the montage files. So it will stay as it is!
Bob DUPNEU
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| Combat (Atari 2600 – 1977) | Solaris (Atari 2600 – 1986) |
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| Baseball (NES – 1983) | Batman Return of the Joker (NES – 1993) |
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| Altered Beast (Megadrive – 1988) | Comix Zone (Megadrive – 1995) |
Additionally
Today, video games are a mainstream media enjoyed by everyone; apart from a few out-of-touch politicians, no one questions the economic and cultural importance of this medium. However, in its early days, our hobby was the target of widespread criticism and wasn’t exactly seen as cool or trendy. It was considered a debilitating pastime for children or immature adults. The situation has greatly improved today, and that’s a good thing. All this is to bring up the Super Mario-themed Pringles cans you may have seen at the supermarket lately. It’s just a marketing campaign with no real importance, but you can’t imagine Bob’s joy every time he sees the video game microcosm spreading into the world. The trauma of a gamer ostracized in their youth—only the old can understand…
