Hobbies And Interests
Paddle Games
Many consider "Pong" the grandaddy of video games. One of the first to achieve mass appeal, the concept of this game was simple -- a ball bounced around the screen and two players used paddle controllers to block the ball from their goal while directing it at their opponents' goal. "Breakout" turned the formula vertically, as you used a paddle to knock a ball toward the top of the screen while trying to keep it from falling to the bottom. The ball continually bounced off bricks, all of which you must eliminate to advance to the next level. Perhaps the greatest homage to "Breakout" are all of the similar games that this original spawned, including the smartphone hit "Brick Breaker."
Adventure Games
In "Pitfall," you ran "Pitfall" Harry to the left or right, jumping over such obstacles as barrels, crocodiles and tar pits to advance screens and collect treasures. Due to its side-scrolling adventure and diverse terrain, this title falls on most top ten lists. "Pitfall II: The Lost Caverns" expanded the formula, creating a larger world that you could explore both vertically and horizontally with advanced graphics and music. The simply titled "Adventure," which The Atari Times tabbed as its all-time best Atari game, tasked you with moving a large dot across dozens of screens, collecting keys to open doors while avoiding attacking dragons as you explored the world.
Arcade Classics
Just as with the arcade versions, the Atari port of "Ms. Pac-Man" is considered vastly superior to "Pac-Man," with better mazes, controls and ghost artificial intelligence. "Space Invaders" required you to shoot down slowly-falling aliens before they land on Earth. This first arcade port for home consoles drove some people to buy the Atari 2600 just to play it, according to the website Classic Gaming on GameSpy. In "Centipede" you must shoot centipedes, spiders and other critters as they scroll down the screen toward your dot character. Space rocks surround you in "Asteroids." Rotate your ship and move it across the screen as you shoot asteroids to bits before they blow up your spacecraft.
Shooters
Pilot a jet flying over enemy territory in "River Raid." Avoid the shores, blow up the bridges and down enemy ships and aircraft in this vertically-scrolling game that featured strong graphics as a later-generation Atari 2600 title. "Combat" came with the Atari 2600 and let two players drive tanks across maps in an attempt to blow up their opponent, making it one of the top multiplayer titles for the console. Take control of a fly in "Yars' Revenge" as you whittle down the shield of the Quotile before blowing up the core with a cannon.