The 7800 is one of my favourite consoles. The versions of Centipede, Asteroids, Galaga and Pole Position II are all great. The fact that the 7800 is compatible with 2600 cartridges is a big bonus as well. Still playing it today via my original console, the 2600+ and the GameStation Pro. In fact it's probably the console I play the most on.
Centipede is good, but the 5200 version is better with graphics just as good (though arguably the 7800 is more authentic with its spider) and arcade PERFECT sound.
@@djankowski Nope, totally incorrect. The test market release for the Atari 7800 took place in Southern California in 1984 with a planned countrywide roll out for late September. All the consoles on sale during the test market sold out and it was deemed a huge success. When Tramiel Technology took over the Atari consumer division in May 1984 they planned to still go ahead with this but found that the creators of the 7800 GCC hadn't been paid in full yet and so Atari didn't actually own the 7800. The initial payments to GCC had been made through Warner Bros, not Atari, so GCC's contact was with them. This caused a big legal dispute between the new Atari Corp. GCC and Warner Brothers over who should pay and who actually owned the rights. This mess took 2 years to sort out and settle (Atari Corp ended up paying GCC) and that's what delayed the full release of the 7800, nothing else.
I’m always interested in it as well because I was completely unaware of it when it was out. I don’t remember seeing a single ad for it or seeing it in any stores.
My first gaming console was the 7800. I loved it. I loved the backwards compatibility with the 2600 titles and I managed to have a cool library of games. I inevitably got an NES for Xmas of '89, but the 3 years I had the 7800, man those were golden days. Priceless memories.
Great video, Laird! I’m somewhat surprised that 7800 Asteroids and Xevious didn’t place higher in the ratings. Those are MY killer apps, and Asteroids specifically sold me on the system. “Back in the day”, I didn’t own a 7800. I was on to the Atari 800 and 800XL at that point. But I played a 7800 with Asteroids at a Retrogaming show and was hooked. It’s a shame that some of the best carts (Alien Brigade, Midnight Mutants) are almost unobtanium in 2024. The 7800 was, and remains, a great system. Especially for those of us who aren’t fans of the NES.
I had an Atari 7800 i bought from ebay and resold it there. Loved playing Asteroids, Centipede and Ms.Pacman on it. I had matmania and never ever played it. Nice video laird. Brought back some nostalgia. thanks.
He ain't wrong...best home version of Joust that exists. NOT the same as the arcade, it actually has MUCH better physics and control. However as a serious 7800 fan...I can't say I have ever understood the LOVE for Food Fight. It's fine. Just fine. But the best game? I see a lot of people say it, but simply can't agree. Also, if you want to dip into the amazing 7800 homebrew scene....buy any game by Bob DeCrescenzo. They are all pretty great.
Everyone in the retro scene makes me proud to know that all over the world people use my homemade Retro Woodgrain TV Overlay! I made this 15 years ago... when I couldn't find one on the internet back in the day!
never got the retrograde step in audio on this machine, the 5200 had way better sound but they went back to the TIA with this? what were they thinking...
Well, the idea was the sound could be upgraded using on board chips like the POKEY and low cosy Gumby, but Jack Tramiel didn't want to pay extra to do that so cancelled the Gumby and only put a POKEY in 2 games.
I'm slightly amused that, of my small collection of 7800 games, all but Dig Dug made the top 20. 5 out of 6 isn't bad. I ironically voted only for one title in my collection toward the top 20, proving I have a wide gap in my collection to fill.
I'm surprised developers didn't find a way to hack the the chip to do more, akin to getting the PC speaker to play digital samples. Also curious why the pokey wasn't offered as a separate interposer cartridge, so you only needed the 1, and the games the use it could be made cheaper by not needing one in each cart. Bonus if the pokey add-on cart is backwards compatible with the 2600.
The 7800 having the same audio hardware as the 2600 was a major blunder. The chip was fine for the late 70's, but not for a console going up against the NES and Master System. Music from that era is so iconic, giving us the likes of Super Mario Bros, Zelda, Castlevania, and more. Any of those games without their music just wouldn't be the same. Requiring developers to put special hardware on the cart for music meant the carts would cost more, and thus very few developers opted to do it.
Appreciate an actual ranking based on collected data. I get a little bored of the 'no particular order' and 'just my opinion' lists. Man im happy to see this channel still going strong!
Asteroids highlights my biggest problem with this system. If you close your eyes, it is almost indistinguishable from its 2600 brother. Open your eyes and it’s only a slight visual upgrade. Cheaping out on that sound chip was a real mistake.
I only had a 2600 from about 83 to 87 and don't feel I missed much with rhe 5200 and 7800. NES was next followed by a 386 pc and then a Genesis, PSX, and thats about as far as I go. Own. PS2 and a see event game collection but only played DQ8.
Thanks! I got a Flashback 7800 Mini a couple of years ago and was disappointed to find that a lot of the games were 2600 games. I was hoping to find graphics superior to what I had on my old Atari 8-bit computers. I found I liked Centipede and Millipede the best on that unit. Last week I got my Atari computers and other stuff back from my sister after my brother-in-law took them all after I moved to California thirty years ago. Along with that stuff I also salvaged a 7800 with joysticks and a dozen or so cartridges. After I saw that the 7800 was designed to also use 2600 cartridges I understood the inclusion of 2600 games on the Mini. Unfortunately I didn't find the power adapter for it and I'll have to look again at the cartridges. A Lot of the titles you mentioned sound familiar. Asteroids and Joust look like what I was expecting as they are clearly superior to the versions I have on my Atari 8-bit computers. I'm still not into Food Fight, but that does seem to be all the rage these days.
7800 Donkey Kong & DKJr are both great. Probably the games ive enjoyed most on the system. 7800 Asteroids is good, the pacman titles too. Had fun with those for RetroAchievements. Food Fight. Arghhhh Food Fight. On RA theres an achievement to complete level 50 without throwing food. I took it as complete 1 - 50 without throwing food. Some of the levels were nearly impossible and took forever and really lucky attempts (using savestates) - finally get to 50 and its easy to do without throwing food. Go to RA to complain and realise it meant 50 only 😂 i was fuming 😂 This video very much explains why the system failed, unfortunately. Im absolutely stunned the DK titles are not on this list 😮😮😮 7800 DK is one of the best ports. Wow.
My Top 5 ⬇ 1. Rikki & Vikki 2. Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest 3. Impossible Mission (PAL edition) 4. E.X.O. 5. A.R.T.I. Next 20 (Top 25 Overall): HONORABLE MENTIONS: Attack of the PETSCII Robots, 1942, Commando, Ballblazer, Alien Brigade, Popeye, Joust, Xevious, Robotron 2084, Ninja Golf, Centipede, Donkey Kong PK, One-on-One Basketball, Pac-Man Collection, Ikari Warriors, Food Fight, Plutos, Asteroids, Midnight Mutants, Mario Bros. *** What the 7800’s original library did best was classic arcade ports done right like Asteroids, Joust, Xevious, Centipede, Food Fight, Galaga, Ms. Pac-Man, Robotron 2084, etc). It’s collection of “second wave” arcade ports unfortunately was what got compared to the NES and Master System library, mostly unfavorably (Double Dragon, Ikari Warriors, Rampage, Kung Fu Master, etc), though we’re a few notable exceptions that held their own (Commando, Xenophobe, Alien Brigade aka Operation Wolf). Then there were the computer ports, which were widely varying in quality from great (Ballblazer, Impossible Mission [PAL version], One-on-One Basketball) to good/decent (Summer/Winter Games, Tower Toppler, Choplifter, Hat Trick, Mean 18, Pete Rose Baseball), to outright bad or broken (Karateka, Fight Night, Jinks). Finally, there are the 7800 Originals, and that’s where the unique personality of the 7800 begins. (Midnight Mutants, Ninja Golf, Basketbrawl, Desert Falcon, Dark Chambers, Fatal Run, Motor Psycho, Scrapyard Dog). The rest of the library was mostly middling to bad light gun games or bad flight sim games. BUT THEN came what are, imo, some of the very best games on the system and continue to complete the true personality of the ProSystem - The Homebrews! Originals like Rikki & Vikki, Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest, E.X.O., A.R.T.I., Knight Guy: Castle Days, and then incredible arcade ports like Popeye, 1942, Pac-Man Collection, B*nq (Q-Bert), Froggie (Frogger), Beef Drop (Burger Time), Donkey Kong PK, Moon Cresta, Arkanoid, Keystone Koppers (Kapers), Space Invaders, Galaxian, etc. There are a LOT of great games on the 7800, and the homebrew continue to add to it’s legacy.
About NInja Golf: some voices say that it was created due to the disappointment that "Lee Trevino's FIGHTING Golf" made on all kids during the eighties! 🤣 If it's true, that was the best choiuce ever for a videogame! 😁 The 7800 has a certain appeal today: the fact it was marketed "downpowered" in the audio department makes it as a weird, upgraded version of 2600! When I was a kid I had a 2600 but the 7800 always had also some charm on me. Some games are not that great (I've always disliked Planet Smashers, a lot) but some other ones turned out to be really great, like Commando which was better than the NES counterpart, Dark Chambers, Midnight Mutants, Centipede, Asteroids, Mario Bros, Donkey Kong, Ms.Pac-Man (another effort better than the NES one), Ninja Golf, Xevious, Robotron 2084, Food Fight (one of the most addicting games ever made) or the amazing Ballblazer.
Yeah, that's not remotely true, lol! I have actually interviewed the programmer David Dentt and the story behind it is pretty interesting. Apparently Atari had a meeting with Blue Sky Software to discuss ideas around new games. They figured that both sports games and fighting games were popular at the time and thought it might be cool to combine them and thus Ninja Golf! He actually thought they were joking but the idea stuck and it came out pretty well!
Three of my picks made the list. I'd thought about Commando too, but I'd went with Ikari Warriors instead. It has a bit more variety of scenery and drivable tanks.😁Both are decent ports and great games for the system.
Days without mentioning Xevious: 0 Sorry! Wrong channel! 😆 God this makes me wish I still had my 7800. Had a few of these. Though the one I always wanted, and even without having a systems still want, is Midnight Mutants. But my God that is an expensive game!
By the time this system came out, the NES had changed games from being point based to goal based. This type of gaming was no longer interesting to most people.
I would argue that Centipede on the 5200 (with arcade perfect sound) is better than the 7800 version. I think Donkey Kong was better too. A bunch of others are.... close.
My very first console (that I regretted enough asking for I got an NES the following Christmas) 😅 I’ve always had a soft spot for as flawed as this machine is. It might have had a chance if it came out in 84 as intended and included the pokey chip. The latter choice just crippled It, and left the system feeling far less capable than it was It has the superior version of Ballblazer if nothing else
Nope, there is a 2600 version of Dark Chambers too, it's quite different. Dark Chambers is a scrolling dungeon crawler, not a maze game and the prequel to Gauntlet.
The 7800 is a fun console and being backwards compatible was a great move, but not having the Pokey chip in the console to cut costs was a pretty bad move. I had Mario Bros as a kid and while it honestly played better than the NES version it sounds heinous lol sticking with the same sound chip as the 2600 led to some awful sounding games more often than not.
Thought commando would of been near the top. The version you are playing is missing the music. obviously not being played on an atari 7800 console. Certainly not how i would rank my top 20
Its such a shame Atari never realised 2600 games with enhanced graphics wasnt going to be sufficient. 😢 Not having games with characters and world building in the early days that established their IP stable doomed Atari, as it meant games had nowhere to go but remakes of the original simple arcade games. Donkey Kong, with character and an obvious world beyond the game allowed games to be created that were not just DK arcade with better graphics every gen until the company went bankrupt.
4 minutes of important context to how the list was compiled. You can always tell the people who skipped it too because they are the ones moaning about the placings in the comments . . . . .
My Top 5 ⬇ 1. Rikki & Vikki 2. Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest 3. Impossible Mission (PAL edition) 4. E.X.O. 5. A.R.T.I. Next 20 (Top 25 Overall): HONORABLE MENTIONS: Attack of the PETSCII Robots, 1942, Commando, Ballblazer, Alien Brigade, Popeye, Joust, Xevious, Robotron 2084, Ninja Golf, Centipede, Donkey Kong PK, One-on-One Basketball, Pac-Man Collection, Ikari Warriors, Food Fight, Plutos, Asteroids, Midnight Mutants, Mario Bros. *** What the 7800’s original library did best was classic arcade ports done right like Asteroids, Joust, Xevious, Centipede, Food Fight, Galaga, Ms. Pac-Man, Robotron 2084, etc). It’s collection of “second wave” arcade ports unfortunately was what got compared to the NES and Master System library, mostly unfavorably (Double Dragon, Ikari Warriors, Rampage, Kung Fu Master, etc), though we’re a few notable exceptions that held their own (Commando, Xenophobe, Alien Brigade aka Operation Wolf). Then there were the computer ports, which were widely varying in quality from great (Ballblazer, Impossible Mission [PAL version], One-on-One Basketball) to good/decent (Summer/Winter Games, Tower Toppler, Choplifter, Hat Trick, Mean 18, Pete Rose Baseball), to outright bad or broken (Karateka, Fight Night, Jinks). Finally, there are the 7800 Originals, and that’s where the unique personality of the 7800 begins. (Midnight Mutants, Ninja Golf, Basketbrawl, Desert Falcon, Dark Chambers, Fatal Run, Motor Psycho, Scrapyard Dog). The rest of the library was mostly middling to bad light gun games or bad flight sim games. BUT THEN came what are, imo, some of the very best games on the system and continue to complete the true personality of the ProSystem - The Homebrews! Originals like Rikki & Vikki, Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest, E.X.O., A.R.T.I., Knight Guy: Castle Days, and then incredible arcade ports like Popeye, 1942, Pac-Man Collection, B*nq (Q-Bert), Froggie (Frogger), Beef Drop (Burger Time), Donkey Kong PK, Moon Cresta, Arkanoid, Keystone Koppers (Kapers), Space Invaders, Galaxian, etc. There are a LOT of great games on the 7800, and the homebrew continue to add to it’s legacy.
Great post! Lots of good games mentioned there, and you're right the 7800 does excel when it comes to homebrew. I think you were harsh on some games though, I think Kung Fu Master and Ikari Warriors are excellent ports with the latter being better than the NES version. I don't think Rampage or Double Dragon are that bad either and I really like Jinks.
Lack of a pokey on the console is an incredible blunder.
Okey dokey.
The 7800 is one of my favourite consoles. The versions of Centipede, Asteroids, Galaga and Pole Position II are all great. The fact that the 7800 is compatible with 2600 cartridges is a big bonus as well. Still playing it today via my original console, the 2600+ and the GameStation Pro. In fact it's probably the console I play the most on.
Centipede is good, but the 5200 version is better with graphics just as good (though arguably the 7800 is more authentic with its spider) and arcade PERFECT sound.
I'm always interested in videos about the 7800, because it's a system I know very little about. People keep forgetting it even existed
Trust me thats a good thing
Is like a Atari 2600 with a soul of NES
--removed as incorrect information--
@@djankowski Nope, totally incorrect. The test market release for the Atari 7800 took place in Southern California in 1984 with a planned countrywide roll out for late September. All the consoles on sale during the test market sold out and it was deemed a huge success. When Tramiel Technology took over the Atari consumer division in May 1984 they planned to still go ahead with this but found that the creators of the 7800 GCC hadn't been paid in full yet and so Atari didn't actually own the 7800. The initial payments to GCC had been made through Warner Bros, not Atari, so GCC's contact was with them. This caused a big legal dispute between the new Atari Corp. GCC and Warner Brothers over who should pay and who actually owned the rights. This mess took 2 years to sort out and settle (Atari Corp ended up paying GCC) and that's what delayed the full release of the 7800, nothing else.
I’m always interested in it as well because I was completely unaware of it when it was out. I don’t remember seeing a single ad for it or seeing it in any stores.
Full Atari 7800 Top 50 List:
50 - Sirius
49 - Planet Smashers
48 - Klax
47 - Baby Pac-Man
46 - Meltdown
45 - Touchdown Football
44 - Dungeon Stalker
43 - Title Match Pro Wrestling
42 - Motor Psycho
41 - Fatal Run
40 - Basketbrawl
39 - One-On-One Basketball
38 - Crossbow
37 - Rikki & Vikki
36 - Donkey Kong Jr.
35 - Bentley Bear's Crystal Quest
34 - Double Dragon
33 - Donkey Kong
32 - Choplifter
31 - Tomcat F14 Flight Simulator
30 - Popeye
29 - Scramble
28 - Time Salvo
27 - Kung Fu Master
26 - Scrapyard Dog
25 - Frenzy
24 - Dig Dug
23 - Tower Toppler
22 - Ikari Warriors
21 - Pac-Man Collection
20 - Alien Brigade
19 - Rampage
18 - Xenophobe
17 - Mario Bros.
16 - Desert Falcon
15 - Impossible Mission
14 - Dark Chamber
13 - Ballblazer
12 - Midnight Mutants
11 - Commando
10 - Centipede
9 - Asteroids
8 - Pole Position II
7 - Ms. Pac-Man
6 - Galaga
5 - Ninja Golf
4 - Joust
3 - Xevious
2 - Robotron 2084
1 - Food Fight
My first gaming console was the 7800. I loved it. I loved the backwards compatibility with the 2600 titles and I managed to have a cool library of games. I inevitably got an NES for Xmas of '89, but the 3 years I had the 7800, man those were golden days. Priceless memories.
Great video, Laird! I’m somewhat surprised that 7800 Asteroids and Xevious didn’t place higher in the ratings. Those are MY killer apps, and Asteroids specifically sold me on the system. “Back in the day”, I didn’t own a 7800. I was on to the Atari 800 and 800XL at that point. But I played a 7800 with Asteroids at a Retrogaming show and was hooked. It’s a shame that some of the best carts (Alien Brigade, Midnight Mutants) are almost unobtanium in 2024.
The 7800 was, and remains, a great system. Especially for those of us who aren’t fans of the NES.
Yeah I am glad I completed my 7800 collection back in 2005 before prices went insane.
I loved the atari consoles, ive had all, 2600, 5200, 7800 pro, xegs, jaguar and others. Fun times.
I had an Atari 7800 i bought from ebay and resold it there. Loved playing Asteroids, Centipede and Ms.Pacman on it. I had matmania and never ever played it. Nice video laird. Brought back some nostalgia. thanks.
He ain't wrong...best home version of Joust that exists. NOT the same as the arcade, it actually has MUCH better physics and control.
However as a serious 7800 fan...I can't say I have ever understood the LOVE for Food Fight. It's fine. Just fine. But the best game? I see a lot of people say it, but simply can't agree.
Also, if you want to dip into the amazing 7800 homebrew scene....buy any game by Bob DeCrescenzo. They are all pretty great.
There were 8 homebrews in the wider Top 40 and most of them were his.
Everyone in the retro scene makes me proud to know that all over the world people use my homemade Retro Woodgrain TV Overlay! I made this 15 years ago... when I couldn't find one on the internet back in the day!
Wow, you made that? If so thank you because its been amazingly useful for me!
never got the retrograde step in audio on this machine, the 5200 had way better sound but they went back to the TIA with this? what were they thinking...
Well, the idea was the sound could be upgraded using on board chips like the POKEY and low cosy Gumby, but Jack Tramiel didn't want to pay extra to do that so cancelled the Gumby and only put a POKEY in 2 games.
I'm slightly amused that, of my small collection of 7800 games, all but Dig Dug made the top 20. 5 out of 6 isn't bad. I ironically voted only for one title in my collection toward the top 20, proving I have a wide gap in my collection to fill.
Fancy keeping the same sound chip as the VCS. Nuts.
Cost cutting? Yes. Stupid? Definetily! POKEY should've been used instead of TIA chip.
Yes, that really drags the system down.
I'm surprised developers didn't find a way to hack the the chip to do more, akin to getting the PC speaker to play digital samples. Also curious why the pokey wasn't offered as a separate interposer cartridge, so you only needed the 1, and the games the use it could be made cheaper by not needing one in each cart. Bonus if the pokey add-on cart is backwards compatible with the 2600.
@@cobrag0318it just was completely over for the 7800 as far as developers were concerned before there was time for any of that to happen
The 7800 having the same audio hardware as the 2600 was a major blunder. The chip was fine for the late 70's, but not for a console going up against the NES and Master System. Music from that era is so iconic, giving us the likes of Super Mario Bros, Zelda, Castlevania, and more. Any of those games without their music just wouldn't be the same. Requiring developers to put special hardware on the cart for music meant the carts would cost more, and thus very few developers opted to do it.
So glad to have pre-ordered Food Fight 7800 (I have the 2600+) on Amazon the new physical version, never played that game.
Pole Position II for me.
Appreciate an actual ranking based on collected data. I get a little bored of the 'no particular order' and 'just my opinion' lists.
Man im happy to see this channel still going strong!
My First System, Still Have it.
If only this console hadn't had C64-level pixels as large as cats, it might have been able to compete. It looks like playing a CPC but fast.
There is a high res mode too, but it's not used much and can't display as many colours.
Thanks!
Thanks so much for your support!
Very surprised not to see Ikari Warriors, Dig Dug and Donkey Kong in the top 20!
IMO, the 7800 port is the best port of Asteroids.
Asteroids highlights my biggest problem with this system. If you close your eyes, it is almost indistinguishable from its 2600 brother. Open your eyes and it’s only a slight visual upgrade. Cheaping out on that sound chip was a real mistake.
Food Fight is the epitome of game crash games. I saw it once in a chuck e cheese clone pizza place and never saw it again
For a moment there I was thinking Food Fight didn't make the cut and it ended up being number 1 haha
It still blows my mind that they didn't put a POKEY in the 7800.
If you read about the strange history of the 7800, it will start to make more sense...
I only had a 2600 from about 83 to 87 and don't feel I missed much with rhe 5200 and 7800. NES was next followed by a 386 pc and then a Genesis, PSX, and thats about as far as I go. Own. PS2 and a see event game collection but only played DQ8.
Very cool thanks 🧡🙏🏼
Thanks!
I got a Flashback 7800 Mini a couple of years ago and was disappointed to find that a lot of the games were 2600 games. I was hoping to find graphics superior to what I had on my old Atari 8-bit computers.
I found I liked Centipede and Millipede the best on that unit.
Last week I got my Atari computers and other stuff back from my sister after my brother-in-law took them all after I moved to California thirty years ago. Along with that stuff I also salvaged a 7800 with joysticks and a dozen or so cartridges. After I saw that the 7800 was designed to also use 2600 cartridges I understood the inclusion of 2600 games on the Mini.
Unfortunately I didn't find the power adapter for it and I'll have to look again at the cartridges. A Lot of the titles you mentioned sound familiar. Asteroids and Joust look like what I was expecting as they are clearly superior to the versions I have on my Atari 8-bit computers.
I'm still not into Food Fight, but that does seem to be all the rage these days.
7800 Donkey Kong & DKJr are both great. Probably the games ive enjoyed most on the system.
7800 Asteroids is good, the pacman titles too. Had fun with those for RetroAchievements.
Food Fight. Arghhhh Food Fight. On RA theres an achievement to complete level 50 without throwing food. I took it as complete 1 - 50 without throwing food. Some of the levels were nearly impossible and took forever and really lucky attempts (using savestates) - finally get to 50 and its easy to do without throwing food. Go to RA to complain and realise it meant 50 only 😂 i was fuming 😂
This video very much explains why the system failed, unfortunately.
Im absolutely stunned the DK titles are not on this list 😮😮😮 7800 DK is one of the best ports. Wow.
My Top 5 ⬇
1. Rikki & Vikki
2. Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest
3. Impossible Mission (PAL edition)
4. E.X.O.
5. A.R.T.I.
Next 20 (Top 25 Overall):
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Attack of the PETSCII Robots, 1942, Commando, Ballblazer, Alien Brigade, Popeye, Joust, Xevious, Robotron 2084, Ninja Golf, Centipede, Donkey Kong PK, One-on-One Basketball, Pac-Man Collection, Ikari Warriors, Food Fight, Plutos, Asteroids, Midnight Mutants, Mario Bros.
***
What the 7800’s original library did best was classic arcade ports done right like Asteroids, Joust, Xevious, Centipede, Food Fight, Galaga, Ms. Pac-Man, Robotron 2084, etc).
It’s collection of “second wave” arcade ports unfortunately was what got compared to the NES and Master System library, mostly unfavorably (Double Dragon, Ikari Warriors, Rampage, Kung Fu Master, etc), though we’re a few notable exceptions that held their own (Commando, Xenophobe, Alien Brigade aka Operation Wolf).
Then there were the computer ports, which were widely varying in quality from great (Ballblazer, Impossible Mission [PAL version], One-on-One Basketball) to good/decent (Summer/Winter Games, Tower Toppler, Choplifter, Hat Trick, Mean 18, Pete Rose Baseball), to outright bad or broken (Karateka, Fight Night, Jinks).
Finally, there are the 7800 Originals, and that’s where the unique personality of the 7800 begins. (Midnight Mutants, Ninja Golf, Basketbrawl, Desert Falcon, Dark Chambers, Fatal Run, Motor Psycho, Scrapyard Dog).
The rest of the library was mostly middling to bad light gun games or bad flight sim games.
BUT THEN came what are, imo, some of the very best games on the system and continue to complete the true personality of the ProSystem - The Homebrews!
Originals like Rikki & Vikki, Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest, E.X.O., A.R.T.I., Knight Guy: Castle Days, and then incredible arcade ports like Popeye, 1942, Pac-Man Collection, B*nq (Q-Bert), Froggie (Frogger), Beef Drop (Burger Time), Donkey Kong PK, Moon Cresta, Arkanoid, Keystone Koppers (Kapers), Space Invaders, Galaxian, etc.
There are a LOT of great games on the 7800, and the homebrew continue to add to it’s legacy.
Heck Mario Bros was on the 2600 as was Donkey Kong, Nintendo had far less control in those days.
I’m surprised Toobin’ and Smash TV weren’t released on the 7800
About NInja Golf: some voices say that it was created due to the disappointment that "Lee Trevino's FIGHTING Golf" made on all kids during the eighties! 🤣 If it's true, that was the best choiuce ever for a videogame! 😁 The 7800 has a certain appeal today: the fact it was marketed "downpowered" in the audio department makes it as a weird, upgraded version of 2600! When I was a kid I had a 2600 but the 7800 always had also some charm on me. Some games are not that great (I've always disliked Planet Smashers, a lot) but some other ones turned out to be really great, like Commando which was better than the NES counterpart, Dark Chambers, Midnight Mutants, Centipede, Asteroids, Mario Bros, Donkey Kong, Ms.Pac-Man (another effort better than the NES one), Ninja Golf, Xevious, Robotron 2084, Food Fight (one of the most addicting games ever made) or the amazing Ballblazer.
Yeah, that's not remotely true, lol!
I have actually interviewed the programmer David Dentt and the story behind it is pretty interesting. Apparently Atari had a meeting with Blue Sky Software to discuss ideas around new games. They figured that both sports games and fighting games were popular at the time and thought it might be cool to combine them and thus Ninja Golf! He actually thought they were joking but the idea stuck and it came out pretty well!
@@TheLairdsLair LOL, that's even weirder than the fake news!
Love the commercials 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
Three of my picks made the list. I'd thought about Commando too, but I'd went with Ikari Warriors instead. It has a bit more variety of scenery and drivable tanks.😁Both are decent ports and great games for the system.
Ikari Warriors was 22nd, missed out by just 2 points.
You'd probably see more homebrews getting placed if the roms were sold and people actually had a chance to play them...
I had an atari 400, but not the 7800. Ball blazer was great. So was archon.
I still have a 7200 and a bunch of carts but it wont work with modern TV's as the PAL RF out is crap. Nice system.
Days without mentioning Xevious: 0
Sorry! Wrong channel! 😆
God this makes me wish I still had my 7800. Had a few of these. Though the one I always wanted, and even without having a systems still want, is Midnight Mutants. But my God that is an expensive game!
By the time this system came out, the NES had changed games from being point based to goal based. This type of gaming was no longer interesting to most people.
I would argue that Centipede on the 5200 (with arcade perfect sound) is better than the 7800 version. I think Donkey Kong was better too. A bunch of others are.... close.
My very first console (that I regretted enough asking for I got an NES the following Christmas) 😅
I’ve always had a soft spot for as flawed as this machine is. It might have had a chance if it came out in 84 as intended and included the pokey chip. The latter choice just crippled
It, and left the system feeling far less capable than it was
It has the superior version of Ballblazer if nothing else
Food Fight and Dark Chambers are my favourites on this system. Not a fan of Xevious either.
Am surprised donkeykong didn’t hit the top 20 list bit mariobros from that top 20 list is definitely my favorite game for it😁👍
Donkey Kong was in 33rd place.
Aha, oke no problem with that😁
Love Rampage!
What is the digital lady saying in the intro? "Welcome gun runner"??
"Welcome STUN Runner" taken from the Atari Lynx port of the awesome arcade game.
Dark Chambers is just like this game I had on the 2600 called Dark Cavern. Probably the same game with better graphics
Nope, there is a 2600 version of Dark Chambers too, it's quite different. Dark Chambers is a scrolling dungeon crawler, not a maze game and the prequel to Gauntlet.
The 7800 is a fun console and being backwards compatible was a great move, but not having the Pokey chip in the console to cut costs was a pretty bad move. I had Mario Bros as a kid and while it honestly played better than the NES version it sounds heinous lol sticking with the same sound chip as the 2600 led to some awful sounding games more often than not.
the writing over the game play then only showing a few seconds of game play clear ruined it for me mate
Thought commando would of been near the top. The version you are playing is missing the music. obviously not being played on an atari 7800 console. Certainly not how i would rank my top 20
The clips use emulation. This is based on the votes of over 300 people.
@@TheLairdsLair certainly not my choice
Its such a shame Atari never realised 2600 games with enhanced graphics wasnt going to be sufficient. 😢 Not having games with characters and world building in the early days that established their IP stable doomed Atari, as it meant games had nowhere to go but remakes of the original simple arcade games. Donkey Kong, with character and an obvious world beyond the game allowed games to be created that were not just DK arcade with better graphics every gen until the company went bankrupt.
Atari have never gone bankrupt, just a series of mergers and sales.
As a 7800 fan i have to say Ninja Golf is a fairly bad game. It seems to get lots of attention due to obscurity but in reality it's very overrated.
Yeah, don't agree with that, it's a brilliant game and one of my most played 7800 titles.
I feel sorry for kids in the 80's who had to play this crap..only if we could send an ps5 or Xbox series X back in time..
I feel sorry for you thinking this is a valid opinion.
Bad graphics and actually having to use your imagination and skill? If you think thats lame, youre not a real gamer, youre a clone.
4 minutes of bs before any real content.
4 minutes of important context to how the list was compiled. You can always tell the people who skipped it too because they are the ones moaning about the placings in the comments . . . . .
My Top 5 ⬇
1. Rikki & Vikki
2. Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest
3. Impossible Mission (PAL edition)
4. E.X.O.
5. A.R.T.I.
Next 20 (Top 25 Overall):
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Attack of the PETSCII Robots, 1942, Commando, Ballblazer, Alien Brigade, Popeye, Joust, Xevious, Robotron 2084, Ninja Golf, Centipede, Donkey Kong PK, One-on-One Basketball, Pac-Man Collection, Ikari Warriors, Food Fight, Plutos, Asteroids, Midnight Mutants, Mario Bros.
***
What the 7800’s original library did best was classic arcade ports done right like Asteroids, Joust, Xevious, Centipede, Food Fight, Galaga, Ms. Pac-Man, Robotron 2084, etc).
It’s collection of “second wave” arcade ports unfortunately was what got compared to the NES and Master System library, mostly unfavorably (Double Dragon, Ikari Warriors, Rampage, Kung Fu Master, etc), though we’re a few notable exceptions that held their own (Commando, Xenophobe, Alien Brigade aka Operation Wolf).
Then there were the computer ports, which were widely varying in quality from great (Ballblazer, Impossible Mission [PAL version], One-on-One Basketball) to good/decent (Summer/Winter Games, Tower Toppler, Choplifter, Hat Trick, Mean 18, Pete Rose Baseball), to outright bad or broken (Karateka, Fight Night, Jinks).
Finally, there are the 7800 Originals, and that’s where the unique personality of the 7800 begins. (Midnight Mutants, Ninja Golf, Basketbrawl, Desert Falcon, Dark Chambers, Fatal Run, Motor Psycho, Scrapyard Dog).
The rest of the library was mostly middling to bad light gun games or bad flight sim games.
BUT THEN came what are, imo, some of the very best games on the system and continue to complete the true personality of the ProSystem - The Homebrews!
Originals like Rikki & Vikki, Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest, E.X.O., A.R.T.I., Knight Guy: Castle Days, and then incredible arcade ports like Popeye, 1942, Pac-Man Collection, B*nq (Q-Bert), Froggie (Frogger), Beef Drop (Burger Time), Donkey Kong PK, Moon Cresta, Arkanoid, Keystone Koppers (Kapers), Space Invaders, Galaxian, etc.
There are a LOT of great games on the 7800, and the homebrew continue to add to it’s legacy.
Great post! Lots of good games mentioned there, and you're right the 7800 does excel when it comes to homebrew.
I think you were harsh on some games though, I think Kung Fu Master and Ikari Warriors are excellent ports with the latter being better than the NES version. I don't think Rampage or Double Dragon are that bad either and I really like Jinks.