7800 Cartridge Purchases

[Cryptocoffee13]

Hey everyone,

 I was curious to see how many people here have recently been acquiring loose or boxed Atari 7800 carts if you already didn't have any? I had a copy of Pole Position 2 that was part of a lot I purchased years ago, and I never got around to purchasing an original 7800 unit. Now that the Atari 2600+ is out, and I have one, I was able to play it, well, sort of as it currently isn't working with the Proline controller or any controller that I have tried with the 2600+, something I hope a firmware update will address in the future. I have purchased several 7800 carts prior to my receiving my Atari+ like Galaga, Robotron, Mrs Pac-Man and Food Fight. The few retro gaming places near me, and FB marketplace have no 7800 carts really, and Ebay prices have gone up on some titles that I am after, like Dig-Dug, Joust and Centipede. These are really the only three I really want to have and I am interested to see what everyone has seen out there, what other games I might want to consider having? I never had the 7800 growing up, had the 2600, the 2600jr, and the last one was the 5200 which I hardly every played back then. 

[RickR]

The buttons are reversed, so try pushing the right button to start a game.  OR get the new firmware update, which I think fixes that issue.

As for which 7800 games to get...I suggest going here and sorting by letter grade:  https://videogamecritic.com/7800.htm?e=79946

 

[RickR]

PS - Asteroids is a MUST on 7800.

[Atari 5200 Guy]

44 minutes ago, RickR said:

PS - Asteroids is a MUST on 7800.

I highly agree with this 100%!!  
 

Check out the For Sale section in these forums.  I believe Video 61 has a lot of boxed 7800 games for sale there.  The boxes might be a bit rough but are well worth it.  That’s where all of my 7800 games have come from, loose and boxed.

Personally, Xevious, Dig Dug, Joust, Centipede are great choices.  Give Jinks a try if you find it and Crossbow plays best on the 7800.  Also, the 7800 has the better Ballblazer port than all other Atari consoles.  It is missing the intro those have but it offers demonstrations and is a lot smoother.  The sound is the same as the 5200/A8 Ballblazers so you won’t miss anything there.

i will put it this way to make it simple…if you see an Atari 7800 game in the wild, even if you do have it, grab it!  You can use duplicate titles for trades.  Don’t pass up any titles you find if you can afford them.  

[Cryptocoffee13]

56 minutes ago, RickR said:

PS - Asteroids is a MUST on 7800.

Oh yeah! How could I forget that one! I hope to find it too! Good looking out. 

[Justin]

1 hour ago, Cryptocoffee13 said:

Hey everyone,

 I was curious to see how many people here have recently been acquiring loose or boxed Atari 7800 carts if you already didn't have any? I had a copy of Pole Position 2 that was part of a lot I purchased years ago, and I never got around to purchasing an original 7800 unit. Now that the Atari 2600+ is out, and I have one, I was able to play it, well, sort of as it currently isn't working with the Proline controller or any controller that I have tried with the 2600+, something I hope a firmware update will address in the future. I have purchased several 7800 carts prior to my receiving my Atari+ like Galaga, Robotron, Mrs Pac-Man and Food Fight. The few retro gaming places near me, and FB marketplace have no 7800 carts really, and Ebay prices have gone up on some titles that I am after, like Dig-Dug, Joust and Centipede. These are really the only three I really want to have and I am interested to see what everyone has seen out there, what other games I might want to consider having? I never had the 7800 growing up, had the 2600, the 2600jr, and the last one was the 5200 which I hardly every played back then. 

The Atari 7800 is my all-time favorite video game system so I have to be up front about my bias here. It’s an underrated system that’s only gained some of the recognition it deserves in recent years.

If you’re just starting out with the 7800, you can’t go wrong with the first dozen games released for the system. They’re mostly arcade games that in my opinion are largely well done and enjoyable to play:

• Centipede
• Asteroids
• Dig Dug
• Food Fight
• Galaga
• Joust
• Ms. Pac-Man 
• Pole Position II
• Robotron:2084
• Xevious
• Desert Falcon
• Ballblazer

 

[Cryptocoffee13]

15 minutes ago, Atari 5200 Guy said:

I highly agree with this 100%!!  
 

Check out the For Sale section in these forums.  I believe Video 61 has a lot of boxed 7800 games for sale there.  The boxes might be a bit rough but are well worth it.  That’s where all of my 7800 games have come from, loose and boxed.

Personally, Xevious, Dig Dug, Joust, Centipede are great choices.  Give Jinks a try if you find it and Crossbow plays best on the 7800.  Also, the 7800 has the better Ballblazer port than all other Atari consoles.  It is missing the intro those have but it offers demonstrations and is a lot smoother.  The sound is the same as the 5200/A8 Ballblazers so you won’t miss anything there.

i will put it this way to make it simple…if you see an Atari 7800 game in the wild, even if you do have it, grab it!  You can use duplicate titles for trades.  Don’t pass up any titles you find if you can afford them.  

Good info. I do have a duplicate copy of Robotron, may hand on to it just because I love that game, and using two controllers with it is fun. I looked into trading it at a local retro place that sells Atari games, but they don't have any 7800 games, and I was offered $1 so, they sell for around $10-$20 loose so kept it. 

[Cryptocoffee13]

1 minute ago, Justin said:

The Atari 7800 is my all-time favorite video game system so I have to be up front about my bias here. It’s an underrated system that’s only gained some of the recognition it deserves in recent years.

If you’re just starting out with the 7800, you can’t go wrong with the first dozen games released for the system. They’re mostly arcade games that in my opinion are largely well done and enjoyable to play:

• Centipede
• Asteroids
• Dig Dug
• Food Fight
• Galaga
• Joust
• Ms. Pac-Man 
• Pole Position II
• Robotron:2084
• Xevious
• Desert Falcon
• Ballblazer

 

Ok, this is a definitive list. So yes, Asteroids has to be part of my collection for sure, same with Centipede. I don't care for Desert Falcon on the 2600 so I never considered the 7800 version but I will check it out. Ballblazer was not on my radar, but if I see it, I may pick one up. Thanks,

[Justin]

8 minutes ago, Cryptocoffee13 said:

Asteroids has to be part of my collection for sure, same with Centipede.

Absolutely.

 

10 minutes ago, Cryptocoffee13 said:

I don't care for Desert Falcon on the 2600 so I never considered the 7800 version but I will check it out.

I can’t say Desert Falcon is for everybody but it’s far more interesting to play on the Atari 7800 than the 2600. It’s an isometric shooter like Zaxxon with an Egyptian theme featuring Sphinxes, Pyramids, hieroglyphs, jewels, etc. For sure part of a good 7800 collection.

 

13 minutes ago, Cryptocoffee13 said:

Ballblazer was not on my radar, but if I see it, I may pick one up.

Ballblazer is cool! I wasn’t able to find Ballblazer until 1995 just before I got the first PlayStation. It may sound silly today, but at the time I was totally blown away by how good a 10 year old Atari 7800 game looked and played. With its pseudo polygons and Super Nintendo Mode 7-like gameplay, I thought it was incredible.

 

35 minutes ago, Atari 5200 Guy said:

Personally, Xevious, Dig Dug, Joust, Centipede are great choices.

These are huge reasons to even get an Atari 7800. That’s the point. When it was set for release in 1984 it was like the Neo-Geo of its time, an arcade machine for the home.

 

36 minutes ago, Atari 5200 Guy said:

Check out the For Sale section in these forums.

Absolutely! Check out our Swapmeet page which aggregates the latest of what’s for sale and trade in the forums. There’s been a ton of good stuff recently from other members and vendors. It’s a good place to start your journey into the world of Atari 7800.

As you build your collection you can share it with us in our Recent Pickups thread!

[RickR]

13 minutes ago, Justin said:

Ballblazer is cool! I wasn’t able to find Ballblazer until 1995 just before I got the first PlayStation. It may sound silly today, but at the time I was totally blown away by how good a 10 year old Atari 7800 game looked and played. With its pseudo polygons and Super Nintendo Mode 7-like gameplay, I thought it was incredible.

Don't forget there is an NES version of Ballblazer that pales in comparison to the 7800 version in every regard.  The same goes for the Commodore 64 version (say it like Charles Barkley:  Turruble)

[Justin]

24 minutes ago, RickR said:

Don't forget there is an NES version of Ballblazer that pales in comparison to the 7800 version in every regard.

I would say that about a few 7800 games vs NES but many would disagree.

There was a reason why when presented with the Famicom (Japanese NES) in 1983 many Atari engineers saw the MARIA (7800) as being more advanced. Other issues were at okay in that decision as well, but when properly programmed and not penny-pinched to death in RAM and sound, Atari 7800 can be tremendously capable. 

[Atari 5200 Guy]

13 hours ago, Cryptocoffee13 said:

Oh yeah! How could I forget that one! I hope to find it too! Good looking out. 

Lemme look through my dups.  What 7800 games do you have?

[Atari 5200 Guy]

13 hours ago, Cryptocoffee13 said:

Good info. I do have a duplicate copy of Robotron, may hand on to it just because I love that game, and using two controllers with it is fun. I looked into trading it at a local retro place that sells Atari games, but they don't have any 7800 games, and I was offered $1 so, they sell for around $10-$20 loose so kept it. 

By trading I was meaning trading with other members here or elsewhere.  Like trade a game for a game?  No money involved other than shipping?  Something like that.

[Atari 5200 Guy]

I’ve been looking for Desert Falcon and Xenophobe for the 7800.  

[Justin]

25 minutes ago, Atari 5200 Guy said:

By trading I was meaning trading with other members here or elsewhere.  Like trade a game for a game?  No money involved other than shipping?  Something like that.

Members trade games with each other in the forums all the time 🙂

[RickR]

I'll try to check my dups box later today, but I don't recall having any 7800 extras.  I *do* have some extra 7800 game manuals if anyone would be interested in those.  Free for the cost of shipping or some kind of trade for atari.io friends. 

 

[Sabertooth]

On 12/9/2023 at 8:19 AM, Cryptocoffee13 said:

Hey everyone,

 I was curious to see how many people here have recently been acquiring loose or boxed Atari 7800 carts if you already didn't have any? I had a copy of Pole Position 2 that was part of a lot I purchased years ago, and I never got around to purchasing an original 7800 unit. Now that the Atari 2600+ is out, and I have one, I was able to play it, well, sort of as it currently isn't working with the Proline controller or any controller that I have tried with the 2600+, something I hope a firmware update will address in the future. I have purchased several 7800 carts prior to my receiving my Atari+ like Galaga, Robotron, Mrs Pac-Man and Food Fight. The few retro gaming places near me, and FB marketplace have no 7800 carts really, and Ebay prices have gone up on some titles that I am after, like Dig-Dug, Joust and Centipede. These are really the only three I really want to have and I am interested to see what everyone has seen out there, what other games I might want to consider having? I never had the 7800 growing up, had the 2600, the 2600jr, and the last one was the 5200 which I hardly every played back then. 

I have some duplicate loose 7800 games, including Dig Dug and Centipede. I'll take a look and put something up in the Trading post.

[Cryptocoffee13]

On 12/9/2023 at 11:36 AM, Justin said:

The Atari 7800 is my all-time favorite video game system so I have to be up front about my bias here. It’s an underrated system that’s only gained some of the recognition it deserves in recent years.

If you’re just starting out with the 7800, you can’t go wrong with the first dozen games released for the system. They’re mostly arcade games that in my opinion are largely well done and enjoyable to play:

• Centipede
• Asteroids
• Dig Dug
• Food Fight
• Galaga
• Joust
• Ms. Pac-Man 
• Pole Position II
• Robotron:2084
• Xevious
• Desert Falcon
• Ballblazer

 

Well, I purchased a lot of 7800 games that includes Joust, Dig Dug, Asteroids and Centipede. 

 

[Justin]

On 12/10/2023 at 4:19 PM, Cryptocoffee13 said:

Well, I purchased a lot of 7800 games that includes Joust, Dig Dug, Asteroids and Centipede. 

 

Sounds like you’re off to a good start on your journey into the World of Atari 7800! I think those games are awesome on the 7800 and will bring you lots of arcade fun for years to come 

[Atari 5200 Guy]

13 hours ago, Cryptocoffee13 said:

Well, I purchased a lot of 7800 games that includes Joust, Dig Dug, Asteroids and Centipede. 

 

And that takes away some of the duplicate games I have.  I think I still have a few you don’t have.  You will have to update us on what games you have now.

[Cryptocoffee13]

On 12/10/2023 at 12:36 AM, Atari 5200 Guy said:

Lemme look through my dups.  What 7800 games do you have?

I just bought a Lot of 10 games that I should get my the end of the month. I have Pole Position 2, Robotron, Mrs Pac-Man, Galaga, Food Fight, Dig Dug, Joust, Asteroids and can't recall the other titles coming. 

[Atari 5200 Guy]

Those were the only duplicates I would have had.  So I don’t have any extras I can send you.  Sorry.