Video games are a multi-billion dollar industry where there’s no end in sight to what’s possible, all of which makes it even more impressive to look back on the gaming industry’s humble roots with Atari. Atari’s last genuine console was the Jaguar, whose brief run from ‘93 to ‘96 failed to properly compete with the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, and other fifth-generation gaming consoles, but the waves made by the Atari 2600 in ‘77 were massive.
The Atari 2600 helped bring console gaming into the home, and its scrappy start was instrumental in the medium’s evolution. Old Atari games fail to hold their own against modern gaming classics, but there are some weird, wild details in certain titles that make them worthy of deeper examination.
10 Atari 2600's Adventure Contains The First-Ever Easter Egg
Warren Robinett's Adventure may not be much to look at, but it helped open doors for the types of video games that were possible in the fantasy and adventure genres. A simple quest to retrieve a magical chalice and return it to its proper home drives Adventure forward, but it's also notable for its weird fourth-wall-breaking Easter Egg.
Atari wouldn't give programmers public credit for their games, so Robinett programmed a hidden room that just displayed his name. It's completely bizarre to those who don't understand its context, but it set the trend of Easter Eggs in media and even received a substantial shout-out in Ready Player One.
9 A Pepsi Version Of Space Invaders From Coca-Cola Exists
Space Invaders is a legendary video game that was one of the better-selling titles on the Atari 2600. What was much less popular was Pepsi Invaders, a re-skin of the classic fixed shooter that was commissioned by The Coca-Cola Company.
Pepsi Invaders turns the aliens from Space Invaders into letters that spell out Pepsi, Coke's primary rival and competition. It's extremely weird to shoot down floating letters that represent a soft drink and to be rewarded with "COKE WINS!" upon victory. Pepsi Invaders was only given to the 125 salespeople at a Coca-Cola sales convention in 1983.
8 E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Caused 1983's Video Game Crash
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is a formative film in Steven Spielberg's career, but its Atari 2600 port is notoriously known as one of the console's very worst games. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial hilariously distills the movie's story down to E.T. needing to find three pieces of a phone so he can "phone home" and return to his planet.
It's a weird visual, but the game's poor reception and major commercial failure were huge contributing factors to the video game crash of 1983. There were so many unsold copies of the game that they were actually buried in a landfill.
7 There's An Atari 2600 Mario Game
Super Mario is one of Nintendo's most successful first-party franchises. This makes it easy to forget that there was a brief period of time before Nintendo had a dedicated console that their games would show up in arcades or even on the Atari.
Mario Bros. is a 2600 port of Nintendo's iconic arcade game. The Atari 2600 struggles with this title, and it's just weird to see Nintendo's most popular character on another console with different controls. The Atari 2600 received Mario Bros. right before it would no longer be possible since their own console, the Famicom, would debut in the same year.
6 A Donald Duck Game Was Only Released In Brazil
It’s always fascinating to see how some pop culture figures can take on a whole new life in different cultures across the world. Disney games were prevalent in North America during the ‘80s and ‘90s, and a character like Donald Duck, one of Disney’s biggest players, is someone who video games would want to celebrate.
This makes it extremely weird that Donald Duck’s Speedboat is a niche Atari 2600 game that was only released in Brazil. Donald Duck is much bigger than Mickey Mouse in Brazil, but it’s still strange that Donald Duck’s Speedboat wasn’t made available elsewhere and that it was restricted to a smaller market.
5 One Game Contains 32 Different Games
Compilation titles that collect multiple games have always been popular, and many audiences appreciate their economical and convenient nature. A handful of Atari 2600 titles adopt this multi-game approach, but there's one game that puts the rest to shame, but also spreads itself ridiculously thin.
32 in 1 collects 32 different games that span a wide range of genres, from sports to educational entries. 32 in 1 was released in '88, so it benefits from being able to push the Atari 2600's hardware to its limits, but 32 games is such a weird agenda where many of the "games" lack substance and aren't worth it.
4 Three Games Were Produced Exclusively For Sears
The ways in which video games are purchased has completely changed since the days of the Atari 2600, which was a time when video game boutique shops seemed like an impossible venture. The Atari 2600 and other gaming consoles were typically purchased from department stores, like Sears.
The Atari 2600 could be purchased elsewhere, but Sears was so invested that there were three titles produced that were exclusive to Sears. Steeplechase, Stellar Track, and Submarine Commander are all fairly bland games, but their weirdest claim to fame is their connection to Sears. It’s as if Target produced a handful of PlayStation 5 originals.
3 There's A Graphic Texas Chainsaw Massacre Video Game
The Atari 2600 has its share of games that are based on popular feature films, but many of these titles are family-friendly affairs that can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages. Mature video games have always faced a bit more of an uphill battle, and one of the most graphic games on the Atari 2600 is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, based on Tobe Hooper’s unnerving slasher film.
The weirdest thing about this game is not only that it exists, but that players control the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface. The player's goal is to murder trespassers rather than play an innocent individual who must avoid Leatherface's attacks.
2 One Game Was Made With Only 13 Copies
Shoot-'em-ups were some of the more viable Atari 2600 titles, and Air Raid is a niche title from Men-A-Vision that does an impressive job with a basic alien invader scenario. Air Raid isn't demonstrably different from Space Invaders, Galaga, or a dozen other Atari 2600 shoot-'em-ups.
However, only 13 copies of Air Raid were produced for extremely limited distribution, which has turned the game into a weird gaming relic that now sells for tens of thousands of dollars. Other Atari 2600 games were only available through mail-in offers courtesy of the Atari Club, but Air Raid is the most obscure.
1 Double-Ended Cartridges With 2-In-1 Games Exist
There have been some creative approaches applied to the actual game cartridges that help them stand out from their peers, whether it’s the gold presentation of Legend of Zelda titles or Donkey Kong’s yellow cartridges. Some Atari 2600 titles took advantage of the cartridges’ designs and decided to release “reversible” two-in-one games.
This approach was taken with several games, and there would be a base game, like Artillery Duel, which would have a double-ended cartridge that’s shared with Chuck Norris Superkicks, Ghost Manor, or Spike’s Peak. It’s weird and ahead of its time to turn a cartridge over and be able to play a different game.