5 of the Worst Atari 7800 Games That You Should Avoid

[@DustinBatchelor]

I remember the day vividly when my dad bought our first video game system - an Atarti 7800. The local k-mart salesperson convinced my dad that the NES was garbage and the 7800 was far superior due to it being backwards compatible to the older Atari 2600 library. I still curse you to this day K-Mart salesperson. I should also mention, the game they sold us with the console was Karateka.

[@AcesnEights698]

LOL damn dude...

[@tonyp9313]

That was back in the day when you didn't know anything about a video game console. The sales person has a point though. Backwards compatibility is why a system is better. Again because Nintendo was new, you couldn't exactly tell him, the Nes games are Iconic lor Classics when the games weren't even out. So yeah the atari 7800 was the better choice just because if people like atari games better, it was like that. Not like today where you can research everything before buying.

[@quincy2686]

Quick note on Kareteka. You CAN advance and retreat when you are in the "fighting stance" by pressing and holding the left button while you move left or right on the joystick. I'm not saying this makes the game awesome or anything...lol. But it does help make it playable, at least. I played this game a ton on my 7800 as a kid. Love your videos, John! Enjoy your summer!

[@legionarybooks13]

Did you ever beat it? I once made it to the final boss, but where I kept getting murdered is that damn parrot that spawns at random and smacks the crap out of you. I remember beating one of the later enemies (I think there were only six altogether), and the parrot came out and killed me before I could advance to the next screen. Never did figure out how to get him to bugger off. I tried kicking, punching, or just running past him, mostly to no avail.

[@Jac2Mac]

Even then, Kareteka was NOT a game that could be ported properly to a home console and the NES version was never released in the US and the same thing applies to the Gameboy version as well.

[@Larry]

There's a pretty good port of Karateka on the Famicom too! Anyone who bought a Famiclone in the '90s definitely had it as one of the games.

[@luisreyes1963]

You don't say...but, HELLO YOU! 😁

[@MatadorMedia]

Are you telling me all these decades later there was an Atari light gun?! Do you know how many hours I raged on Crossbow trying to snipe meteors n shit with my controller? This is life changing.

[@bowds7]

Yes, I have w of them and one is still boxed

[@michaelsenko3177]

I loved Crossbow!!!

[@merman1974]

Hat Trick was by Sente in the arcade, formed by former Atari developers. The C64 version is a lot of fun, it even has a Zamboni cleaning the ice marks off the rink between periods.

[@jeremiahthomas8140]

The 7800 version has the Zamboni too.

[@MyBrothersKeeper101]

Love your shows Brother there's something about you that's kind of nostalgic yourself you feel like an old neighbor or something anyway it's all relative and it's all good thanks for the awesome content!

[@noshowjoe6596]

If you have one in your collection, you should do a video on the ATARI XE? That was my first console as a kid. There seems to be almost zero content on KZbin covering the console and it's exclusive games

[@RPKGameVids]

I used to play Karateka on the 800XL back in the day.

[@FourBudgies87]

So the name "Impossible Mission" isn't hyperbole, it literally is impossible.

[@andrewmarsh8498]

Dip stick, British bulldog and the bronx bomber. All great legends in boxing.

[@pryan609]

I had every single one of these growing up. I didn't really care for them, but I did get pretty good at Fight Night.

[@JolliAllGenGamer]

Hope you can also do a 5200 video too planning to get a 5200 and wanted to know games to avoid.

[@drno-xc1yt]

I'd never seen Hat Trick before. It definitely pales next to NES' Ice Hockey, but it looks like it does not even hold up with Activision's Ice Hockey for the 2600.

[@Scn64]

Kind of funny that a game named "Impossible Mission" just happens to be impossible to beat because of a bug.

[@mgoul78]

The 7800 was my first console that I got for my birthday in 1987. Of course, I wanted a Nintendo but my parents loved that they could buy a bunch of cheap games. I have mixed feelings about it, but I actually liked Karateka. Difficult, but I never felt the controls were bad … which I now feel as an adult playing it on MiSTer.

[@fentazen2677]

Jinks has such a “WTF is this?!” factor that I find it a bit interesting. I don’t have any idea what I’m looking at to even begin to know what I think of it, yet I still find it kind of playable.

[@adm712]

As always..another great video. Thanks I have very fond memories of playing Karateka on my Atari 130XE. As far as Fight Night..I got that as a birthday gift in 1987. At the time I thought it was an ok game, but man oh man, it has aged horribly lol. As far as the 7800, Donkey Kong always got on my nerves due to the sound. It's like nails on a chalk board.

[@brent.bouchard]

i had Karateka as a kid. i was that guy who had an atari 7800 while all my friends had a NES. but i tried so hard to complete that game. I could get to about round 5 or 6. then some bird comes in an kills you and i would always rage quit. fun times.

[@michaelsenko3177]

I can relate. I never completed that game and I was a loyal Atari owner when NES was gaining traction with my friends. I even skipped the NES and went to the Genesis.

[@MountainHomeJerrel]

Great video, John. Interesting showcase. Even if the games aren't good, it's still cool to see vintage games I've never heard of before.

[@johnhancockretro]

I like to share the oddball and you are most welcome.

[@Jibeker]

Gonna absolutely be using your channel to find games to play for mine! Love your content my dude

[@matthewlane518]

I only ever got to play baby Pac-Man a couple times when I was little at Showbiz pizza, but it is by far my favorite Pac-Man game, what I wouldn't give to have my own cabinet/table

[@RichardKelly]

I want to say Fight Night was originally on the Commodore 64. Karateka was a lot better on 64 as well. And lastly NOTHING tops Blades of Steel!! 1000's of hours spent battling on that one!

[@merman1974]

Yes, the 1985 date refers to the original Fight Night for C64 and Atari 8-bit computers released by Sydney Development/Accolade. So it was bascially three years old when it was finally released on 7800

[@jeremyhansen2611]

Same here for blades of steel

[@lazarushernandez5827]

@@merman1974 Yeah I remember playing that boxing game on my 800XL, it was fine for its time (85) but was eclipsed by offerings on the NES and SMS by the time it showed up on the 7800.

[@buckeyechad1]

I fell in love with Karateka on Apple IIe at school. Had to get it on my C-64. Pirated copy, of course. I was bad then I guess. Lol

[@jeremiahthomas8140]

Agree 100% on Karateka. Agree 90% on Jinks and 80% on Crack'ed. Jinks and Crack'ed are not great games, but I have had some fun with them. I have not played a lot of Fight Night, but it was okay from what I played. Completely disagree on Hat Trick though. I always have fun with that one.

[@patsfan4life]

Great list John. All were fair critiques. I feel there could have been 5-10 more on here.

[@marklechman2225]

Jinx is so dull. So very dull. Loved Hat Trick, however, I was so disappointed that they didn't include the players' skate tracks on the ice. That was one of the coolest parts of the arcade version at the time, believe it or not. The 7800 version still has the Zamboni come out and clear the ice at the end of the game, but without any tracks to wipe up, what's the point? As for Karateka, by buddies and I spent hours playing that on my Apple II+. It was a fantastic version and very groundbreaking at the time, especially with that amazing rotoscoped animation. I still remember the first time I approached princess Mariko without exiting my fighting stance and, well...

[@petercorsi7454]

Thank you for being straight gaming entertainment and not bringing politics into the videos as EVERYONE else seems to be doing. I've watched your channel for a long time and appreciate you staying on track. Take care.

[@gawrkonatsu]

I love these kinds of videos 😄👍

[@caseystrange]

When my grandfather died in 2009, my aunt found an Atari 7800 in his basement and a bag of 2600 games in his garage. I've casually played the console since. Another friends dad gave me some controllers and games for the 7800. It's not an NES but still a fun console.

[@jsttv]

In addition, to those games Double Dragon. IMO.

[@mrmojorisin8752]

Hat Trick is fun. The 7800 port is a good arcade conversion. I’m guessing you wouldn’t like the arcade game any more than the 7800 cart. I’m with you on the comparison to NES Hockey, however. NES Hockey was insane fun and still holds up today. Karateka has got to be one of the worst retro games ever made.

[@johnhancockretro]

I’ve played the arcade game, and respect it more due to being released in 1984. Way better sound too.

[@awwrelic]

The Atari 7800....I got mine back in the mid-1990s from a local Goodwill, in a box with another (broken) 7800 and two copies of Pole Position II for $4.99. Even though I've had mine for over 25 years I still don't have very many games for it, 19 (of which 12 are boxed). It's a good system despite the 2600 sound and knuckle-busting controller (I usually use it with a Genesis controller). And on Karateka I agree 100%. It doesn't look great, and with the standard controller (for some reason I couldn't use the Genny controller with this game) it kills my hands after a couple of minutes. Just unplayable for me.

[@jeremiahthomas8140]

Karateka requires two buttons, the Genesis controller can only replicate one of the buttons (without an adapter).

[@michaelsenko3177]

Wait, I could have used my Genisis controller? Mind blown!

[@djross2000]

Karateka was one of the first games I got on the 7800, and I absolutely remember how atrocious the controls were. I would find out later, when I got the Apple II version for my IIc, exactly just how messed up the controls were. Instead of throwing punches and kicks, the fire buttons were used for holding down to move in the attack stance (left button) and switching stances (right button). You actually had to wiggle the joystick back and forth to throw punches and kicks - punches were thrown by moving the joystick left, and kicks right. It was so hard to get the timing down to get one decent combo in, and I don't think I ever made it past the courtyard on the 7800 version, because it was so frustrating. The Apple version, on the other hand, had the buttons mapped to kick and punch - you still needed the joystick, but in conjunction with the buttons - mashing the buttons let you attack in rapid succession, and you could shift the joystick's positions between upper right and lower right while punching or kicking to easily mix your attack combo up. You held up to assume the standing position, and as soon as you let the stick go back to center, you dropped right back into the fighting stance automatically. It was just so much more fluid, and while it was still a tough game (I can't tell you how many times I got killed on the spike gate), I did eventually beat Akuma multiple times (and the first time, got the bad end by approaching Mariko in the fighting stance - wrong move!).

[@Windsail7]

Karateka is a must have on 7800. It’s super hard and random. Solid port.

[@Bigbacon]

Played the hell out this as a kid. It wasnt bad once you got used to it. That bird though.

[@edladdin]

Thanks for this video! I think all of the fighting and flying games on the 7800 are terrible, with the exception of Super Huey's arcade mode. I DO think Hat Trick is lots of fun when you are playing against a human opponent. Lots of laughs in that head-to-head situation.

[@notthehelper6289]

I just cannot ever get into the 7800 because they used the 2600 sound trip. The sound effects just kill it for me.

[@rpgspree]

While there were a few games with an alternate sound chip in the cart, it's not really worth getting just for those.

[@patsfan4life]

If you play 7800 roms (old & new) on a good emulator, you'll find there's quite a few fun games both 1 and 2 player & you won't spend a bunch of $$ doing it

[@captaindelimeat]

LOVE the hat!!!! How can I get one?!?!

[@4nthonylol]

This and the Lynx are two of my favorites that don't get a lot of attention. Some real gems, but some real stinkers. I feel like Cracked would have been fun with a light gun on 7800, but yeah. Just awful controls ruin it.

[@MaarioS]

I played Karateka on NES (Famiclone to be exact because it's a Japanese exclusive)- this is the best port for me

[@kjhoskins]

Those are some stinkers. I player Kareteka on the C64 as well as Impossible Mission. Loved them both. I never had a 7800--always wanted one but got a Commodore 64 instead. No complaints there, but I feel I missed out on some great 7800 games. Thankfully, Evercade has made them available, and I finally get to experience them. Food Fight is my favorite. Thanks for the video, John.

[@SquarePegs]

As a hockey fan, I am offended by what I just saw with Hat Trick. Good lord.

[@crash5522]

LOL.. so sad. I actually remember hat trick.

[@DreamcastQ]

Ohhh, Atari. Great video of some terrible games!

[@RGGeek]

I remember trying so hard to best Impossible Mission as a kid. Just thought I wasn't smart enough. Funny to think there was no Internet back then to look it up and discover it was unbeatable. 😱

[@captaindelimeat]

LOVE the hat!! How can I get one?!?

[@johnhancockretro]

Email me, my info on my Twitter profile.

[@Evercade_Effect]

Wow those are some stinkers. Always fun to see you showing us these bad games

[@kevinroberts1888]

When I saw the video title Karatica was the first to come to mind. I have this one in my collection and it's a shame how bad it is on the 7800. I also agree that the 8bit computer versions are far superior, especially the Atari verson. I've played through that on several times. I also played the C64 and the Famicom (which I also have in my collection,) version, but still feel that the Atari 8-bit version is the best.

[@winstonsmith478]

Exactly how did those games pass play testing? That would be an interesting thing to know. On "Impossible Mission," I guess the name is accurate then?

[@PeBoVision]

Surprised to see an Accolade title on the list. Accolade was a publisher that usually ensured a great (and sometimes groundbreaking) game in the 8 bit era.., Turrican, Hardball I, II, III, IV & V, Test Drive I, II & III, Mean 18 AND Jack Nicklaus,The Games (Summer & Winter Challenges), (and fight night)

[@enfieldjohn101]

I got a 7800 from my wife for Christmas this year. We found one that has been modified by an Airforce veteran electronics technician so that it works with the RCA jacks on a modern TV. I grew up with a 2600 since 1980 and I remember thinking about getting a 7800 back in the day, but never did, so I'm thrilled to have one now. It really is an amazing console that has so much better graphics capabilities and better joysticks than the 2600. Interesting games! I can see why you don't like them. I love the manuals for Atari games! Sometimes, the manual and the box and cartridge art are the best parts of them. This really seems to be the case with Jinks. The description from the manual sounds very cool. Too bad the actual game is nothing like that. Glad that I saw this before I was tempted to get Karateka or Impossible Mission. I'll avoid them. I'm looking for the good games for the 7800, both official and homebrew while trying to avoid the stinkers. Glad to find this video.

[@chauncy2315]

I love this channel... the end...🧐👏👏👏

[@BCFerguson]

I’ve got ALL five of these games in my collection!! I actually agree with your choices!! I remember trying to buy up as many titles as I could at the Dollar General store in either 89 or 90… I actually bought my 7800 which was bundled with three games at the same store as well!!

[@michaelsenko3177]

I played Karateka a lot, and I was never able to get past the second fighter with a bird. It was impossible for me. The difficulty never felt fair.

[@johnlouisgood]

Sounds like Scott the Woz has more chicken shoot to play.

[@rpgspree]

Crack'ed: While it's not a great game, it does take awhile to get good at it. One of the things you can do is hold down the button on a falling egg to catch it and move it back to a nest--something that would have been impossible with a lightgun. Fight Night: The only way to win is to learn combos that weren't properly explained in the manual. Though the game is a little sluggish, I think the controls would have been OK on a thumbpad controller. The 7800 joystick is kinda crap general, but it's fairly useless at fighting games like Fight Night and Karataka. Hat Trick: Is an OK game, but I agree that the gameplay is rather shallow compared to similar titles on other platforms. It might have been OK for a few quick rounds in the arcade, not so much at home. Karataka: Aside from the issues with the crap joystick, it's possible to move while in the fighting stance--just _very_ slowly. I think that's similar to other versions, but the animation isn't nearly as good.

[@rpgspree]

If I were to pick a garbage games for the 7800, Barnyard Blaster would be near the top of the list. It's basically just a few minigame demos for the lightgun.

[@TheWoody0007]

i was able to grab some popcorn before the show started, LFG

[@elektrosoundwave]

The problem with Karateka was that it was one of the games I had as a kid on the 7800, so I had no choice but to play it,nas that's what we had. I will have to give the other versions a shot

[@mtshark7]

Nice picks John!

[@JayRCela]

Thanks for another great video, and forgive me if I missed a previous, what are in your opinion the best Atari 7800 games?

[@johnhancockretro]

A video I should do

[@jeremiahthomas8140]

@@johnhancockretro Would the entire video be devoted to Robotron: 2084?

[@foulchild]

Can we get a quick update on the Museum? Has it acquired Non-Profit status? It's a cool idea for sure.

[@johnhancockretro]

Update planned by the end of the year. Long term project.

[@ps-lover8380]

I played Kareteka on famicom multicart

[@JohnRiggs]

I wanna like Jinks but it's so cumbersome.

[@Bigbacon]

I was kid who asked for NES and got a 7800 because it was on sale for peanuts.

[@treyslay753]

I just managed to pick up an Atari 7800. Thanks for the warning, I will avoid these games at all cost.

[@dpgreene]

I kind of like Jinks just because it’s such a bizarre aimless experience I find it mesmerizing. It’s almost an anti-game, the audacity to even release it astounds me.

[@julaizaya7946]

Your hat !! awesome !!

[@EugenioAngueira]

Most of the games you did not like have one thing in common: issues with control. I have to agree with you on these, though I tolerate Jinx a bit more than other other games on the list.

[@vintagedread]

Popcorn time 🍿

[@wizard3z868]

I was to young to remember when we got the 2600 I vaguely remember getting the the 7800 but it was so cheap and atari games for both systems where only a cple of bucks in clearance bins with some 7800 titles being like no more than $10. Only had like 4 7800 games none where these thank God lol

[@TheSkinYard]

yeah those games are terrible. hey john in your garage do you keep it at a certain temp/humidity all year round?

[@johnhancockretro]

I have my garage sealed.

[@TheSkinYard]

@@johnhancockretro ok. just curious. thx for responding

[@chrlpolk]

I… umm…. I want to play Fight Night now. Lol. Gonna emulate it when I get home from work!

[@PACKYCSONE80]

I own the 7800 over the NES back in the 1980's, and yes, I was an moron, and I only saw the end of Karateka via KZbin. Karateka is one of the worst games I ever played. I also owned Impossible Mission back in the day and it was one of most looking games on the 7800

[@martinaurik2189]

I don’t no much about Atari 7800 games Thanks for warning me for some bad games.

[@scarosone14]

I am surprised that neither the football or baseball game made it. One major problem with the 7800 was its sports games were bad.

[@johnhancockretro]

Both are not good at all. I almost chose touchdown football.

[@asa-punkatsouthvinland7145]

When I bought an Atari 7800back in the day I did so because I'd been a HUGE 2600 fan. I thought the 7800 would come out then wipe Nintendo off the map because Atari was the established big dog... Had I only known 😂 The system definitely had potential. I had played Karateka on my friend's Apple II & was hyped to get it for my Atari. Looked good but the controls could not have been worse! Not only a stupid setup but unresponsive to boot! What a shame it could have been a classic! Also a shame Atari didn't keep up with game trends & make more modern games like Zelda & Super Mario. Midnight Mutants & Scrapyard Dog were decent but MM was too short & SD just wasn't as fun or fast as SMB.

[@arcadeguy781]

Karateka is so bad!!!!! I liked Hat Trick, but other than that, I agree that the other four games are bad. Touchdown Football is pretty bad too. Great video as always, John

[@larrystarstruck]

I agree one hundred percent about Fight Night. I tried playing that on my retro system and agree, the controls are very sluggish. The c64 version is okay. Yes, definitely not the best boxing game of that time.

[@Polecat666]

Fight Night was decent on the C64.

[@loganjorgensen]

Shame they couldn't get more popular games that appeared on C64 or CPC since the 7800 library size couldn't afford bad games in hindsight. I don't know if some of these were cheap to make but it wasn't worth the bargain bin quality. I have Karateka not for it's quality but rather it was the best cart I could find among slim pickings heh. ;)

[@jackofallgamesTV]

You got the right sysyem for a better hockey game. But it's not Nintendo that made the better hockey game. I prefer Konami's Blades of Steel. The best part is, if you get in a fight, fight to win because the loser has to "heal" (play shorthanded) for 2 minutes. During the N64 Era when Konami made NHL Blades of Steel, taking out that feature, to me, ceased to make it Blades of Steel. That was the defining characteristic of BoS, the penalty for LOSING the fight. Otherwise it's a Konami made NHL game on the N64

[@Delekhan]

Thanks for another awesome vid! Everyone is entitled to their opinion and of the games I've played on this vid: I totally agree! Oof. Just oof. Take care man! Keep 'em coming...

[@mitchellazevedo6637]

How Touchdown Football and Kung-Fu Master are conspicuously absent from your list is beyond me....

[@johnhancockretro]

Touchdown Football is bad but I like Kung Fu Master.

[@mitchellazevedo6637]

@@johnhancockretro I like Kung-Fu Master too on any other system. The Atari 7800 port is the one of worst that exsists. Contact and hit detection are terrible and hey, how about using both them buttons they got there? But no, very little effort went into this port.

[@testvideo44]

Never liked any of the Atari consoles except the Lynx and Jaguar. Colecovision, Vectrex and Commodore were my bag in the 80s

[@Cp-71]

"Impossible Mission is literally impossible" (laughs in PAL)

[@landmind666]

It makes me laugh that my 7800 came with 2 of these games

[@Ghost01702]

Jinks looks absolutely miserable

[@shawdawg3675]

Played both Fight Night and Karateka on Atari 8bit. Beat Karateka and yeah, Fight Night was lacking, but it played and looked better on Atari 8bit. Still not a great game though.

[@eightbit1975]

OMG Do I HATE "Fight Night". This game should be the #1 worst game on the list. But, yeah, good call.

[@rodmccall4881]

I recently bought a German/Austrian issued 7800 which came with a selection of games for the region (I think). They are several times worse than the ones you have here! These look wonderful by comparison.

[@johnhancockretro]

You mean the 32 in 1 game cart? Those are 2600 games ;).

[@rodmccall4881]

@@johnhancockretro Thanks for your reply and also your video. No sadly, it is not the 32 in 1 games, they are on separate cartridges. They may be 2600 games originally, I did a quick translation now. They are: Fast Food, Bobby Goes Hone, Underwater Beasts, Bast Attack, Star War. I guess they were just in the box, but no machine was indicated on them.

[@johnhancockretro]

@@rodmccall4881 yeah those are 2600 games.

[@retronemesis7064]

I knew karateka would be #1. It is my pick for worst game of all time. That I've owned at least.

[@scottmichaelhedge5055]

Nice hat :)

[@BURRITO44]

What was Atari thinking using the same sound chip as the 2600. They were nuts. Jinx looks ugly !!!!! Who ever designed and programmed this game should be fired !! Karateka is awful on the 7800.

[@johnhancockretro]

Saving money when it came to the sound chip. They should have installed the pokey chip used in the 5200.

[@hectormontalvo5565]

I never even saw a 7800! The only reason Atari released the 7800 was because Nintendo released the NES they were NOT going to release it. I had the first GamePros and EGMs and I remember the 7800 games being covered and they looked primitive in comparison to the NES. The only "saving grace" was that it could play 2600 games. Anyway good reviews of awful games and cool video John!👍

[@branden32210]

Let me ask mr.hancock if Atari had released the panther the 32 bit machine would things had been different

[@johnhancockretro]

Nope

[@AlphaPapa69]

I avoid all 7800 games just to be on the safe side 😅

[@XennyOfRage]

These are all weak Atari Corp games and from what i see outsoused games at that, old Jacky boy sold off Atari games to focus on computers so thats that! i dont have any of these games as the 7800 to me is a original GCC developed system and i love all their original line up for the 7800, thats all i care to have for it too. to me i fancy calling it the GenComp 3200 lol its my favorite GCC product along with the 12 - 13 Games they released, plus even more i can play all the great GCC 2600 releases as well too!!!

[@rolljack4779]

Karateka is garbage on every system,and if you want to really go for it check this out: m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKCUgYyhgLppmc0

[@aaronreid8375]

The Apple II computer version is an all-time classic

[@MrNightshade2010]

fight night has better graphics than nintendo and the arcades ring king played karateka on the c64 and apple 2e

[@tonyp9313]

I' ve never heard of these games. They look awful.

[@kevinstrade2752]

Yeah...the 7800 had some stinkers.