Hello to you and how you be… Dan Ryan here… you there. Thank you so much for checking out this post and if you like what you see please share around. A few years ago we started a segment on the pod called Stone Age Starter Kits. The idea was Kris and I would pretend we had $100, in this economy?, to start a retro game collection with. The question was, if you had the console and the controllers, what games would you/could you get? Price charting was our reference point and we only concerned ourselves with loose copy prices. The entire piece of business took a few years to complete since we started with the 2600 and went all the way up to the last generation, Generation 8. (PS4/XBone/WiiU) Now, we didn’t cover each and every system released in each generation since one, we didn’t have the necessary experience to cover say the Amstrad GX4000 and two, that would have been inauthentic and you all deserve more than that. All that being the case I thought a good idea for a new segment on the pod would be the Stone Age Standouts; the top 5 games you should buy for each system regardless of price. We would again start with the 2600 and work our way to the 8th generation. And, since we have some really outstanding ways to play many of the titles covered in the show, wouldn’t it be a good idea to make this post, recapping the episode and letting non-listeners in on the fun? Submitted below in alphabetical order and in no way ranking them, for your approval, this is Stone Age Standouts: 2600.

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Adventure: One of the most influential and important releases ever, Adventure is a must have for the 2600. What Robinet, the games designer, was able to accomplish in such a small package is truly astounding. Here you have the first persistent, multi-screen world in gaming. Here you have the first “easter egg”, a trope that would become not just important in gaming but in pop culture full stop. Here you have one of the first examples of what is now referred to as emergent gameplay with that damn item taking bat. Here you have the first graphics based adventure title, moving beyond the imagination into physical space. And all of that on only 4kb of ROM!

Asteroids: One of the key selling points of the 2600 was its ability to bring the arcade to the living room. And while there were certainly some games where you had to squint and take more than a few grains of salt, Asteroids was not one of those. One of the coolest aspects of the 2600 port was how many different ways there were to play the game. Not only did you get a faithful, minus the vector graphics, version of the arcade experience but you got over 60 different, new ways to play. Asteroids had to be good. It ended up being legendary.

Pitfall: One of the pioneers of platform gaming, Pitfall was so much more than just a quick-twitch experience. Featuring 255 screens for players to navigate and survive, Pitfall was one of the 2600’s biggest adventures. Super Mario Bros. gets the credit and it should, but Pitfall drew the map. While “hard”, not soulslike hard but hard for the time, it is also one of the most enjoyable experiences on the 2600. Pitfall Harry was cool, the game sounded great, and the gameplay loop was super satisfying. The 20 minute timer was an interesting addition to the formula as it gave you an additional goal to shoot for and a way to race against your friends. Pitfall really showed just how far the 2600 could go as David Wise squeezed every drop possible here.

Space Invaders: In theory, every system has that one killer app, the game you NEED! to have. For the 2600 that was and is Space Invaders. Space Invaders dominance in the arcades cannot be understated. It is estimated that by the end of 1979, a year after the cabinet's release, north of 750,000 had been sold. Atari saw the success and licensed the title for the 2600. (the first deal of its kind) Sales were fantastic as the game delivered not only the same gameplay from the arcades but additional modes as well. In the burgeoning market, Space Invaders cemented home console gaming as a fixture by showing that the arcade experience really was something you could get in your very own living room. (which used to be really, REALLY important) And while there have been countless clones, nothing hits quite like the OG.

Warlords: By far one of my favorite titles on the system, Warlords just might be the best multiplayer experience on the system. (yes I hear you about Combat, yes I said what I said) Using the paddle controller to bounce a ball into friends' castles was, is, hours of fun. Rudimentary graphics aside, the gameplay in Warlords is incredibly satisfying and with support for 4 people, a family affair. So much more than a simple Pong clone, of which there were many, Warlords took the gameplay into new spaces. Your goal is simply to defend your castle and smash the others. Which sounds simple and is until 3 other people are shooting flaming balls around and you’ve got to defend from all angles. It’s absolute madness in the best way. And honestly, it holds up better than maybe any other game on this list.

And that’s my list. Nothing too daring, sure but I’d argue that if you picked up these 5 titles for your brand new 2600, you had nothing but joy in front of you. To hear what Kris had to say and his reasoning behind having California Games on his list, make sure to check out the pod through whatever catcher you use or on our very own Youtube channel. But I want to know what you think. Join the Stone Age Gamer discord, or you can find me on Bluesky to let me know your thoughts. In the immortal words of Billy Joel, “Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes; I'm afraid it's time for goodbye again.” See you soon.