Atari 7800 - good purchase?

[paperghost]

I hope it is, I just got one off ebay for a tenner with a bunch of games (motor psycho,joust,fight night,scrapyard dog,xevious,alien brigade,mean 18 ultimate golf,food fight,desert falcon,pole position 2,tower toppler and choplifter), all boxed with instructions. I didn't know too much about it to be honest but saw some reviews and the games in motion and wanted to give it a try (apparently my 2600 games will work on it too which is an added bonus as my 2600 has died a horrible death).

But I'm interested to hear what people think from here about the console - good? bad? decent games?

[BigDeadFreak]

I've had one for a while now and not really devoted as much time to it as I should have. I can say that Impossible Mission is an excellent game and something that's well worth purchasing. Also Ballblazer is supposed to be superb in two player mode but I haven't got round to playing it yet.

I hope you enjoy your new console.

[cutmymilk]

Atari 2600 is a superb, timeless console in my eyes. Never had a 7800 but I assume the same.

Some of the early 80s arcade stuff still holds up today.

And because of how awesome it was at the time, 2600 Smurf is still a favourite of mine!

[Cauterize]

Nice find on Mean 18 Ultimate Golf, its one of the hardest to find on the system!
Be sure to track down Ninja Golf, just for the fact its a Golf/Fighting game!

[Mayhem]

Nah, Mean 18 is actually reasonably easy to find in PAL, only tricky (and valuable) on NTSC. When I was actively collecting PAL 7800 (before I got them all), I had about four copies of it through my hands! Same applies for Alien Brigade and Planet Smashers, both easier and cheaper to find on PAL.

Conversely Dark Chambers, Mario Bros, Midnight Mutants, Ninja Golf and Scrapyard Dog (which you got) are harder to find on PAL.

The 7800 is a curious machine, it had a lot of potential and never quite had the chance to shine due to the treatment by the Tramiels. Be sure to consider getting some of the excellent homebrew titles available including BonQ (Q-Bert) and Beef Drop (Burgertime). Or if you really want to splash out and can find one, a Cuttlecart 2 for all your ROM needs...

[paperghost]

Nice find on Mean 18 Ultimate Golf, its one of the hardest to find on the system!
Be sure to track down Ninja Golf, just for the fact its a Golf/Fighting game!

haha, i'm in luck - I'd been hunting for it and got nowhere save for one tatty copy from Italy - well, my sister saw it for sale brand new and sealed (PAL version) from a US seller for a tenner - so with any luck i'll have my hands on it soon. i'm just looking forward to being able to break out H.E.R.O. and a few others again.

[vanpeebles]

I used to have a 7800, was quite fond of it. Its worth getting one just for Food Fight, amazing game on the 7800. It had a good version of Galaga too.

[Dazzyman]

You need warlords its a classic

[paperghost]

You need warlords its a classic

only ever played it once or twice, will have to keep an eye out for the cart.

i'm looking forward to having a go of food fight, just saw a vid of it and it looks like fun.

[Baseley09]

is it possible to easily modify the 7800 for anything other than RF output?

Cool system imo, gotta get 2600 Solaris on there asap!

[ninjabearhug]

The 7800 is a great little console. I spent hours upon hours playing both Barnyard Blasters and Alien Brigade when i was a kid. It was the first machine i'd owned which had a light gun and i loved it, even though Barnyard Blasters is very repetitive.

[Cauterize]

is it possible to easily modify the 7800 for anything other than RF output?

Cool system imo, gotta get 2600 Solaris on there asap!

Not easy, well, by looking at this guide it isnt...
Its for S-Video! Hope it helps!

http://www.geocities.com/atari7800mod/7800_vidmod_construction.html