The 20 Best ColecoVision Games In Order Of Greatness

[@oldstylegaming]

ok can I get one thing straight here ...I know how ColecoVision is meant to be pronounced....and god I tried to say it, but when something is hardcoded in my brain I just cant get away with changing it...I could maybe get it right if I only mentioned it once or twice but not the amount of times I said it in this video....I mean it took me 3 times to say Atari 26 hundred and I always call it the 2 thousand 600...... I know I'm a nightmare sorry

[@AtariBorn]

The way you pronounce it actually makes sense. It was the Connecticut Leather Company, not "leether" company lol.

[@simplesimonhadapie]

God i know how you feel i often go to say one thing sometimes nice to my partner and the absolutely wrong thing comes out like a form of tourettes 😅

[@oldstylegaming]

@@simplesimonhadapie thats exactly it mate... its a nightmare for a creator

[@robbiereisman8954]

I actually love the way you pronounce it. It sounds much more awesome

[@oldstylegaming]

@@GP-sv9nh lol

[@MundoGamer-jfgalcantara]

List of games 01:12 20 - Smurfs 01:46 19 - Mouse Trap 02:22 18 - Venture 02:56 17 - Carnival 03:32 16 - Turbo 04:06 15 - Pepper 2 04:42 14 - Time Pilot 05:16 13 - Pitstop 05:52 12 - Space Fury 06:27 11 - Looping 07:01 10 - Cosmic Avenger 07:37 09 - Lady Bug 08:11 08 - Mr Do! 08:47 07 - Gyruss 09:21 06 - Frenzy 09:56 05 - Space Panic 10:31 04 - Donkey Kong 11:07 03 - Gorf 11:42 02 - Zaxxon 12:16 01 - Donkey Kong Jr

[@georginabensley9453]

i have nostalgia for the smurfs game because i was REALLY young when I had a colecovision and I loved the smurfs so I was into the game, but... would definitely knock it off the list in favor of Burgertime, Q*Bert, or Antarctic Adventure. Penguins forever!

[@kswarts]

I had every one of those games as a kid including the driving, roller, and of course the Atari accessory. I have to stay your list is spot on. The biggest challenge of most of those games was using the Coleco controller. It was one of the worst in history, yet when you finally get used to it it’s hard to not want to go back to it.

[@taltechchip5827]

Jumpman Jr. Is my favourite on the Colecovision. Thanks for making this nice video!

[@kevmc97]

Pepper II will always be my personal favorite! But ladybug is up there with that one as well as many of the other games bringing back fond memories for me.

[@MaximumRD]

Solid list, Mr. Do! on Colecovision is my all time favorite. 😎

[@off1k]

I had a ColecoVision back in the days, it was a hand-me-down from my oldest brother, had both expansion modules (Turbo steering wheel and Atari 2600) and about 20 games. Time Pilot was a favourite along with Mouse Trap and Lady Bug and totally forgot about Gyruss, what a classic. Only games on this list I didn't have were Pepper 2, Pitstop, Mr Do, Donkey Kong JR and Frenzy.

[@scarosone14]

Still play my Colecovision. So many great arcade games were made for it. Even today they are making great homebrewed fo it. Loved Q-Bert, Omega Race and Oils Well.

[@jay1177]

I loved my colecovision. Owned most of the games on the list. I would have included omega race on the list, excellent 2 player game 👍🏻

[@SEGAZombie]

Lady bug is one of the only early games that my 10 year old will play she enjoyed it so much on the Coleco I ended up getting the arcade pcb for the video master so she can play it on there lol I can remember bitd staying around a friend of the family’s house and them pulling out the Colecovision I was blown away back in the early 80s I remember telling all my friends at school about it and no one believed me back then that the Coleco existed or thought I was talking about an Atari hahahaah that’s how rare they were in my part of the U.K.. I’ve always had a love for the system I think because of the magic of that memory Some fantastic arcade ports and it blew the completion out of the water I agree mate zaxxon on the Coleco is my favourite port of the game

[@philippezsiga1125]

I think Tapper must be in the top 20

[@AtariBorn]

Donkey Kong on Colecovision is the best. The ladder climbing issue, I believe, is an input bug. The best way to tackle this is to start climbing, release the stick and then start climbing again. The motion seems to smooth out and you actually climb faster that way. It's strange but it was a guaranteed way to keep from "sticking" on the ladders.

[@The_Real_DCT]

I don't know if they patched it out in later versions but my copy has no such issue.

[@ijhowle]

Montezuma's Revenge is my all time favorite Colcovision game.

[@Wyrdwad]

One game that never gets mentioned in lists like this, probably because it's a game you really CANNOT appreciate without reading the manual front to back and internalizing all of the game's various mechanics, is Alcazar: The Forgotten Fortress. Most people I see who play it seem to just think it's a rather bland attempt at doing what The Legend of Zelda's dungeons would later do so much better... but no, Alcazar is a STEALTH game, believe it or not! It's all about listening or looking for environmental clues as to what (or who) is in the next room, shooting enemies through the door with the weapon best suited to kill them so that they can die off-screen where they're no threat to you (or leading them into pits, if you're feeling daring!), and managing your resources carefully so you're able to conquer all the genies guarding the throne in Alcazar Castle at the end in order to win. It's a game you have to play on the highest difficulty level, too (where every enemy is MUCH faster than you, you get NO extra lives, and you have minimal ammo to start with), to fully appreciate. And it's procedurally generated, on top of all that, meaning you can replay it again and again for new challenges! But man, once you've learned the ins and outs of Alcazar, it is an absolutely STELLAR game. Like, I'd even say it's more addictive and handles stealth gameplay better than Metal Gear! I own the MSX version (which is a straight port of the Colecovision version), and it's honestly one of my favorite MSX1 games. The only reason it's not a beloved classic -- the ONLY reason, I feel -- is because it's not intuitive. It's one of the rare games of that era that you really HAVE to learn how to play in order to fully enjoy. I'm also surprised H.E.R.O. isn't on this list. Or Montezuma's Revenge. Or Jungle Hunt! Or Pitfall II! Definitely seems like platformers and non-shooter action games aren't really your thing, I guess! ;)

[@stephenrobertson6025]

I used to work in a computer shop that sold these. I even demonstrated the system for Coleco at a computer show once. One interesting fact is we had a lot of BBC Micro owners coming into the shop to buy the Turbo game, as it came with the steering wheel and pedal. They converted this to use on the BBC for the Racing game Revs! The system itself was impressive (it seems to be similar to an MSX computer in capabilities and had some ports of MSX games), except that it couldn't smooth scroll, which really spoiled some of the arcade conversions, especially Zaxxon which was otherwise very impressive.

[@brundlefly4294]

I loved Tarzan. It was a way more advanced version of Jungle Hunt.

[@patkelley8293]

Venture was a great arcade classic!

[@retro_reflections]

One of my fave systems ever - got to love conversions like Q*bert, Tutankham, Omega Race, Buck Rogers, Frogger, BurgerTime, Roc n' Rope etc. etc.

[@Simbabbad]

In Mouse Trap, you're supposed to switch the doors on and off, one button per color, it's the main gimmick of the game.

[@montana01971]

No, the main gimmick is the🐕

[@Simbabbad]

1) That's not a gimmick, that's Pac-Man. 2) The point of my comment is the player should have mentioned the doors, it's the main aspect of the gameplay.

[@montana01971]

@@Simbabbad I think we misunderstood each other. Maybe I should have been more clear and use text instead of 🐕 Wat I meant to say is, for me the main feature of the game is being able to morph into a dog on any moment of choice. I like that more than the doors. But he did mention the dog. I agree he should have referred to the doors.

[@skillet0666]

I loved my Colecovision. One of my favorite games that wasn't on your list was Destructor, which also required the steering wheel and pedals.

[@mikebell2112]

Find the pause button in Frenzy. Interesting music.

[@mrmojorisin8752]

Best, most atmospheric music/sound of any CV game.

[@8_Bit]

The C64 and ColecoVision versions of Pitstop (the original) are nearly identical. Pitstop 2's head-to-head racing was amazing at the time but looking back at both games now I actually find the original Pitstop to be more playable, if you don't have a friend to race against.

[@oldstylegaming]

Yeah its definitely the nostalgia factor of playing it with my best mate that makes me love Pitstop 2 ....i mean its the same with a lot of games, i have a real soft spot for pro ski simulator cos we used to hammer that all the time in 2 player...but most people hate it.

[@LeoDavidson]

Played Pitstop 1 & 2 so much back in the C64 days. Super Cycle was great as well. Still is!

[@transit000]

I'd have Jumpman Jr as number 1 and probably move Pepper II up the list.

[@retroguygg]

I was hoping to see Miner 2049er on the list but otherwise spot on!

[@chezchezchezchez]

You forgot miner 2049er. Incredible game.

[@Lucasrainford]

Cool machine the ColecoVision, I remember playing a few games in Dixons on the display model in the early 80's and thinking it was great! Played a few games round a friends too, Donkey Kong was one that stuck in my mind as looking so like the arcade game. Some great games here, nice list :)

[@Edgel-in6bs]

How did you resist the temptation to quit the game, then 10 print "Dixons is shit", 20 Goto 10

[@Lucasrainford]

@@Edgel-in6bs Lol, I didn't! I remember doing that, the screens were always displaying swearwords, had to be done! ;)

[@Edgel-in6bs]

@@Lucasrainford best ever was a salesman telling us off for hanging around the computers. 10 print "the salesman is a knob"

[@AtariBorn]

@@Edgel-in6bs That's hilarious

[@ToxicStatistic]

I grew up playing the Colecovision and had many of these games. Cosmic Avenger was one of my favorites.

[@Trenchbroom]

My spoiled cousin had a Colecovision, and I was so jealous I worked all summer, 1984 mowing lawns to buy the last example on our local toy store shelf. Loved it. Burgertime was great, and Wargames (licensed game from the classic movie) was a lot of fun and a nail biter at times.

[@Fox8ball.]

Gnite mate thanks for the upload PS Zaxxon I really remember playing

[@ShaneBro]

Had this system as a kid. Venture was my game. I played that until I quit. I had so many lives and Coleco thumb. Yes, that was a thing.

[@vcv6560]

What impressed me was seeing a friends system with the Head-2-Head Baseball. Its screen with the 3 on-base positions in windows and the batter-pitcher in foreground was incredible. Those games were so complex they came with a custom joystick with four extra triggers. At least check out a video of it. I don't know how well the others of the series (Boxing was one, Sylvester Stallone was on its artwork) were, but the Baseball was my high water mark for the system visually other than Zaxxon.

[@mrmojorisin8752]

Did you actually PLAY CV Baseball? It looks good, but it hasn’t exactly gone down in history as a great playing game, or “don’t miss” for CV. Rocky is much, much better-real fun game, great graphics for the time.

[@vcv6560]

Yes @@mrmojorisin8752 I even bought a system over the Usenet in the pre-Ebay 90s. The screen updates slowly, but for that time 83-84, its split multiwindow was amazing.

[@captainbeastazoid7084]

Just got a Colecovision. I agree! Fantastic gameplay! I think it's the best system of that era, by far. And some really great homebrews for it as well. I really liked Sir Lancelot. Similar to Joust but I think I prefer it to Joust

[@swk38]

my cousins had the colecovision console and we spent our christmas break playing bump-n-jump tournament style, then we would marathon it to see how far we all could get, crazy good memories

[@astroworfcraig9164]

My brother and I spent countless hours playing on his Colecovision. Our favorite was the baseball game with special controllers.

[@vcv6560]

yes, the Head-2-Head series, I mentioned it above as well.

[@RyanDanielG]

Always thought there was a gap of coleco content out there. Thanks!

[@robertgijsen]

Great list and a great system. I love playing my ColecoVision, I have the steering wheel as well as the atari expansion. And the action controllers (I think I have even two). My list would certainly have included H.E.R.O. and Tarzan, Tarzan, on spot 1 and 2, Tarzan probably on 1. It's underrated and fairly complex for the system. H.E.R.O. is a great port and identical to the MSX version I played a lot as a kid. We had a ColecoVision but we sold it to raise for an MSX2 at the time.

[@mrmojorisin8752]

I enjoyed the video, though I disagree with many of the choices. It is safe to say, in most cases, that if you like the arcade game, you’ll like the Colecovision version. A few games I’d put on the list are Oil’s Well, Frogger, Q*Bert, and Spy Hunter. (And, as you mentioned, Popeye and Tapper). I wasn’t crazy about Space Fury or Space Panic.

[@chrislex2598]

Speaking of ladders in Donkey Kong, I figured out quickly by accident when I first got my Coleco Vision that if you start to climb, hesitate for a moment, then start climbing again you'll actually climb at something like 2x the speed.

[@scottbreon9448]

Hope you do one for Mattel Intellivision as well

[@chrislaustin]

This was my first console that was all mine, as my first gaming experience was on my Dad's Apple computer in the late 70's. Then in the early 80's, he got me and my sister an Apple II computer that we shared, but I used it mostly for gaming(**** schoolwork). LOL Once I saw the Colecovision, I had to have one, and the Xmas when I finally got it, my parents bought me tons of games, probably 8-10. It was my only system until I finally sold it to buy an NES, and by that time, I had all the expansions and close to 30 games(plus a good amount of 2600 games, thanks to the expansion for that). It really was way ahead of it's time, as nothing came close until the NES hit shelves after the market crash. So many great memories, and fun that I had for so many years, probably my top moment of my childhood was owning a Colocovision. I'm pretty sure I had every game on your list except for Pitstop, but one I didn't see that was amazing, and probably my last purchase, was Spy Hunter. As it was compatible with the Play Action Controller, and allowed for all the vehicles weapons to be used with a single button press. Give it a look if u get the chance, it was an amazing arcade port.

[@Francois424]

Remember a lot of these games. Damn I loved my ColecoVision. I also remember playing a game called "Combat" on it with my uncle (who was only like, 18 at the time). Good times ! Thanks for the video !

[@patsfan4life]

Turbo (with the steering wheel module) was easily the best home console driving game of the 80’s….. great port of a great arcade classic.

[@gleaming999]

I played Mousetrap for hours and hours.

[@dallase1]

DK Arcade is home brew for Intellivision better than the Coleco version of Donkey Kong since it plays more like the real Donkey Kong even if graphically it's not as good looking. The Coleco version of Donkey Kong only had 3 boards that looping the same order over and over again, had not Cement Pie Factory and no cut scene after the rivets board and no How High can you get screen. DK Arcade for Colecovision by Opcode that was recently released is now definitely the best home version of Donkey Kong since it looks practically identical to the Arcade and could easily fool someone if it was put in a arcade cabinet with a Colecovision inside it and a Colecovision compatible Arcade style Joystick. Only if you listen real close can you hear it's not the actual arcade version.

[@LeviathantheMighty]

I remember we liked playing Burger Time on this console. COnnecticut LEather COmpany is the full name. Coleco vision

[@AtariBorn]

Yeah, a good competitor system to the Atari 2600, considering Coleco was a toy company, rather than an electronics company. They made their money from Cabbage Patch Kids and decided to get into the home video game business, based on the profitability alone. I love how they made an Atari adapter from off the shelf parts and beat Atari in court because they didn't use any Atari proprietary devices. Genius.

[@manuelrodriguez9972]

I finally found it!! Mr. Do!!!! With this video. I forgot the name and I have it on my arcade. I was born in 1979; Excellent console “ColecoVision” good memories. Thank you!

[@Fox8ball.]

Yoo OSG wassssup my man hope you are well. I was just about to watch something else as I jumped in bed but this is a better bedtime story than what I had planned ♥️💪😎

[@samusvikerness661]

Maybe I'll get a Colecovision some day. I picked up an Atari 2600 and Intellivision years ago when I was trying to collect older systems and I'm very glad I did. I was a 90s kid so I didn't grow up with this generation. I just love the history of video games.

[@jeremycline9542]

Only got to play the system a few times at a friend's house and I remember a lot of these games fondly

[@aquamarine2044]

Always loved the Colecovision! Better then the Intellvision! As a PC user I'm glad they have Colecovision emulators for it.

[@m0nde]

I always wished I had a Colecovision and later the Adam, well, until I got my C64.

[@eskey691]

Well am back to seeing this video late but am here now, only ever had a go at pit stop on this system an i have to say it was fun. Great stuff as always buddy always love seeing a system i never used all that much back in the day, as always keep up the boss work and roll on the next video. Until then take it easy man 🙂

[@raggeragnar]

Oh how we played Gorf , Zaxxon , Pitstop and both Donkey cong games. Brilliant machine indeed.

[@montana01971]

Your list is pretty spot on. These are the best games. Only I would have placed lady bug and gyrus above mr do, frenzy, space panic and donkey kong, these 2 games are fantastic especially lady bug was a fantastic arcade port. That also goes for 1 great game missing here, burger time was a fantastic port on colecovision, best of all, even better than on nes, belongs in top 10 at least.

[@BlackArroToons]

Solid list of top games on Colecovision. I'll add Heist and Destructor as two of the greatest games ever on Coleco also, in addition your cool list that includes Frenzy, Time Pilot, etc.

[@kirkclarke7396]

Fantastic video. Thanks for sharing

[@SaturnJap]

I'm always been theoretically interested with Colecovision (I remember the 80s old commercial, especially the Smurfs), but I never owned one. My mum gave me a Vic 20 in the '82 (I was 9) and I must say I still prefer Gorf on that machine, especially for the large "sprites" (redefined characters, I know), the colors and the sound fx.

[@jps6704]

And on Vic 20 you can code your own games (or code what you want). I was 9 also in '82, and i remember starting coding 2 years later on Amstrad CPC. Only basic things, but it was a game in itself.

[@urbanknish]

Gorf, Avenger (Space Invaders), Omega Race - all games on the Vic that were probably superior to everything that came before and after IMO!!! I believe if the 64 didn't push development away from the Vic, that it could have done some amazing things.

[@Dorelaxen]

Didn't make your list, but I absolutely adored Nova Blast back in the day. Me and a friend would spend hours taking turns on it.

[@EvanBly]

Great list! Some of my other favourites: "Squish 'em, Sam!", "Rocky" (based on the movie), and the double sided cartridge of "Chuck Norris" and "Artillery Duel"!

[@theminimalistgamer4201]

Yeah, definitely rare to have one back in the day in the UK but luckily my family got one. I still love the games today. Great list, I was wondering where DK jr was and then there it was exactly where I would put it too No1!

[@TheDnurk]

Fantastic video and my favorite system growing up. Hard to emulate to their sports games with the super controller were revolutionary. Football and baseball were SO much better than anything else at the time.

[@robbiereisman8954]

Great video! You need to try Spy Hunter for the Colecovision. It's amazing !

[@oldstylegaming]

I loved it but was told it was a msx port. I did like it though

[@robbiereisman8954]

@@oldstylegaming it is actually not an MSX port. It's pure Colecovision, designed with the Super Action Controller in mind. It's better than the arcade original, in my opinion.

[@DavidMiller-zz7nh]

I remember Jumpman Jr., Mountain King, and Slither (with the Roller Controller?). From this list, Zaxxon, Ladybug, Pepper II, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., and Mr. Do were played regularly growing up with my brothers. I found a “version” of Mr. Do called “Mr. Doodle” in the App Store. Any other games available to play on an iPad?

[@Edgel-in6bs]

Love these more unusual videos- superb. More obscure ish systems please!

[@AtariBorn]

B.C.'s Quest for Tires would have to be on the list for me, just under Mr. Do! Sure, it's another level repeater but the difficulty ramp, after completing a level, was more acceptable than Smurf Adventure

[@Devo_gx]

Absolutely! One of my most-played Coleco games

[@RetroUnlim]

Great job mate! Thank you 👍

[@sturkrazee288]

Played the crap out of mine 2049er, popeye, and donkey Kong. Was fortunate enough to own the Adam computer, and the closeness to the arcade editions were even better with some games having speech. Very underrated system for its time.

[@ClassicCo-op]

Do you know if any co-op games on colecovision? Trying to compile a list but haven’t found any yet.

[@mrmojorisin8752]

@neb6 He said co-op.

[@PedroFerreira-sx2gd]

Love the console. It is the pinnacle of Simple early arcade games. Loved the list. My face One is Frenzy.. Also love junpman and burgertime.

[@EsmeAmelia]

The ColecoVision was before my time, but it's a system I love learning about. Are you going to do a vid for the IntellaVision too?

[@patsfan4life]

Wouldn’t get a lot of views

[@oldstylegaming]

Maybe

[@jhammond8888]

my FAV's on this system were Frogger, Tutankham, Beamrider, Spy Hunter, Popeye, & Burgertime.

[@marcraygun6290]

My neighbour had one and brought it over I loved it, they had the 2600 adapter for it too

[@mamehaze]

I didn't know about some of these arcade ports, I'm really surprised Looping got ported, that's super obscure. Might have to cover some of these on a stream if I get back to doing them.

[@PixelsNcreatureS]

I was hoping to find a hidden gem in this video but I own all but 1 of these 😂 great video

[@gumdeo]

Mr. Do! is my fave on this list.

[@Klinkerklunk]

Some good games listed here. Some others might be Spy Hunter, Bump n Jump, Super Cobra, and Jungle Hunt. Whatever might be said about the actual game quality, Dukes of Hazzard had some impressive for the system 3D first person driving perspectives.

[@merman1974]

Good stuff, I never got to play Coleco back in the 1980s, I've only seen it at retro events. Would love to add one to my collection.

[@IntoTheVerticalBlank]

Good subject! The Coleco is a fun system to play and collect for. These are great! Carnival used to be a really fun game to waste a couple quarters (10P) on in the USA arcades. I always have a soft sport for it on computers and consoles. The GORF is the best version there is!

[@bjbell52]

Space Panic = Miner 49'er on the Atari 8-bit computer. This is the first time I've seen the ColecoVision version and it looks pretty good.

[@johnathanstevens8436]

Also try Qbert's Cubes

[@houseoftheted637]

Burger Time was my favourite Colecovision game. Absolutely brilliant 😎👍

[@charliefaro6555]

great list!!!!

[@DixieBoy380]

Just bought a ColecoVision just for the Smurfs game. Already picked up Donkey Kong, :Zaxxon and Mouse Trap

[@tonedef71]

My friend and I used to play Fortune Builder over and over for hours. I would load up the roads on the map with toll booths. The little sim citizens of the game must have hated me. I also loaded up the waters with fishing boats... not exactly a pretty sight. We did these horrible things to out earn each other. Good times. LOL

[@sc192i]

Defender is worth a try too … better than the NES version 👍🏼 (IMHO)

[@jerrystouten5136]

Really loved montezuma's revenge back in the day, and a bit surprised it didn't make it into your top10

[@kranibal]

An amazing top 20. I would’ve seen 2001 Space Odyssey I there. How did you find it yourself? Subroc comes to my mind also.

[@JGreen-le8xx]

When you talk about graphics in games, back in its day the Colecovision was a monster. It put everything to shame at that time. Sad the crash of '83 hit the very next year after its launch....😧

[@marksprinkle]

A list without Roc 'N Rope can't be taken seriously.

[@dj10bear]

I played a lot of Popeye, HERO, Beamrider and Win War on the CV

[@Theclarklove]

Mad to hear my home town called out, but there's a HUGE North East/Scottish community in Nuneaton. My family are from up Durham. My first game was the ever popular 'Space Invaders' in the local working mens club. Do you remember folk lining their 10p coins up along the bottom of the screen back in the day? 😊

[@oldstylegaming]

yeah we used to do that in the YMCA youth club :-)

[@gdizzzl]

Qbert

[@randycharlesjohnson6248]

I'm sorry to disagree with you but Donkey Kong for the Colecovision was not the best home version. Donkey Kong for the Atari 8 bit computers was much better.

[@VintendoVaultz]

Cool list here. My favorite game is called “rock n bolt “. It’s so unique and under rated . Wasn’t distributed well it seems even though it is an activision game. It never makes top lists or even gets mentioned but I think it’s the best game on colecovision. There’s a really good video about the sega sg-1000 version that goes in depth about the gameplay on YT. I did some gameplay on a video as well

[@oldstylegaming]

I played that it was pretty good

[@rajreddy288]

love how u introduce these crappy games first

[@Hounddoggy33]

I had Mouse Trap for the Atari 2600. It was miles ahead of the Pac-Man conversion :)

[@michaelparker5640]

GYRUSS 🧐💪💪💪

[@dirtface5923]

dam no love for buck rogers and sub rock . good video man.

[@patsfan4life]

Have you played the NES version of DK Jr? As a long-time DK Jr fan (going back to the coin op days), I found it to be excellent and prefer it to the arcade. (I did of course own and play the heck out of this version as well, back in the day)

[@oldstylegaming]

Yeah ive played it, i still find this version and the c64 one better though but maybe thats cos i have no nostalgia for it