The Atari 7800 never had a chance. Stacked against the dominant NES and a stubborn Master System, Atari's competitor was doomed to fail. The console was created in 1983 for full release the following year, but the faltering videogame market forced Atari to full it back. The ascension of the NES proved that consoles were still quite viable (if marketed correctly with good games), so Atari dusted off its shelved system. By the time it was released in 1986, the 7800 was saddled with tech a few years behind the curve. The comparisons between the 7800's launch library -- which was also completed in 1984 -- and the games burning up the NES and SMS were dismal. The system suffered little third-party support. It was eventually binned in 1991.
It can be argued, though, that the 7800 never exactly got a fair shake. Atari actually listened to all complaints about the 5200 and address many with the 7800, such as the return to digital joysticks and near-complete 2600 compatibility. And the machine actually turned a profit since it was cheap to manufacture and sales were decent, thanks to consumers readily identifying the brand. And while the overall 7800 catalog does not even belong in the stadium as the NES, there are still several charmers in there that were fun in 1986 and are still enjoyable today.
If you love to collect failed systems, the Atari 7800 belongs in your library. And here are the top 10 Atari 7800 games you should pick up. Lucky for you, most are cheap. Most.
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Forge of the Fae just hits all the right notes. Everything I've seen makes me want it.
Retro is good.
Granted it is packed away, retro games are still a lot of fun. Food Fight is definately a great game.
A lot of people just play these games and other retro titles on emulators however.
Heh my very first system...I have to put Ms. Pac-man, Donkey Kong Jr., and Pole Position in that list as well. I bet alot of people didn't know they can hook up their Sega Genesis controller in the 7800 port either, it works too