Justin

The Atari XE has a nice version of Crystal Castles, the nicest released for an Atari home video game system - so far 

The Atari XE has a nice version of Crystal Castles, the nicest released for an Atari home video game system - so far 

Sub, that reminds me, I used to love Silent Service when I was younger.

Final Legacy is an absolute classic Atari 8-bit game.  It combines Star Raiders, Missile Command and Battlezone in one naval adventure.
And you only need a joystick to play, though to get out of the sub-games immediately you have to press the Space Bar.

Tapper. Straight up. It's a cool game. I have it for my A2600 Jr. and the Atari 8-bit. It's challenging, too.

Some of my favorites from retail:
XE Mario Bros.
Pole Position
Boulder Dash
Bruce Lee
International Karate
The Eidolon
Bop'n Wrestle
 

How could I forget "Rescue on Fractalus"?  The theme music alone is worth the price of admission. 

OK, I consider myself an expert on the Atari 8-bit computers because I had one since 82 and love it still.  There are TONS of great games, so it would be hard to give a limited list.  

Given that you know the 7800 so well, you should consider starting with the 7800 conversions.  One on One basketball (more stark graphics, but faster gameplay), Karateka (absolutely a classic on 8-bit, but you'll need a keyboard), Ballblazer (faster than 7800 on OLDER technology), Donkey Kong (faster, better sound), etc.  I think that will give you a great perspective on how well designed the 8-bits were.  
Beyond that and also beyond the great included games, you MUST check out Blue Max, Preppie 1 and 2, Archon, and many more.  
 

I'm sure I'm not alone here in getting the 400 mini and having no previous experience with the 8 bits.  I downloaded a ROM set of 5,000 games but I don't want that many on the unit.  So my question is simple; what are the must plays and what are the hidden gems on the Atari 8 bit computers?  Any and all recommendations appreciated!  Thank you!

It's not so easy to introduce in a post like this 😄
This video is testing the circuit for my own purposes, but the real use of the board is demonstrate in camera,
how the Lynx ROM cartridge address bus was bodged onto what was originally designed to be a cassette tape drive machine.
The Green row of LEDs is the eight bit data bus output from the Paperboy game ROM (which is what is stuck to the left side of the board).
Think of it as something like an eyecandy demo when it's done in software, but in hardware 😉
I’ve completed the longer video that the above clip is part of. The short clip may be deleted.
 
 

Out now!

I would expect the same product to play both systems.

I would expect the same product to play both systems.

I would expect the same product to play both systems.

She also could have used the technology to create some new crew members to replenish those they lost.  After asking for volunteers of course. 
 

From the Preface:
@Boris I absolutely love that you come out and say that upfront. Thank you for all the hard work you put into this gem of a book.

Had an awesome time with Raskull and ShotgunSean on That Gaming Show last night. Talked about the Circus Interstellar coming to the VCS, showed gameplay using the classic atari gamepad, watched some old alpha footage we found in the depths of our computer, and of course shooting the %!#$& over some cold brewski. 😉 

Circus Interstellar is really coming along, I think fans of the original Berzerk will really appreciate a modern take on the classic that doesn't lose the magic we all enjoyed from the OG. We are getting close to the deadline we've given ourselves to hand off the game to Atari for testing, after we square away any feedback we receive from them we will be announcing an official release date. Don't worry, the circus will be invading your VCS soon... 🤡

Chillin' w/ Ettinsoft - That Gaming Show Episode 60 (youtube.com)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc-fvKY3bq0&t=751s

 

Some progress is being made on the VCS port.
 

I always like to watch these videos to see what other people consider impressive games on the 2600.  It's a cool list of 2600 games and he includes my most favorite version of Frogger.
 

Janeway should’ve been dragged in and courtmartialed for what she did with Tuvix. Abominable. They could’ve Thomas Rikered Tuvix and returned the other back to Tuvok and Neelix. Nobody thought to take a deep breath, do some research and figure this out? Just unreal. Says a great deal imo about Voyager that Tuvix became one of the top episodes for reasons other than what the writers intended.
 

Janeway should’ve been dragged in and courtmartialed for what she did with Tuvix. Abominable. They could’ve Thomas Rikered Tuvix and returned the other back to Tuvok and Neelix. Nobody thought to take a deep breath, do some research and figure this out? Just unreal. Says a great deal imo about Voyager that Tuvix became one of the top episodes for reasons other than what the writers intended.