What's your favorite home console of the early video game age?

[The_Liquid_Laser]

Atari 2600 is the obvious choice. (The maker of the poll should consider adding the C64 and Apple II.) The 2600 was far more popular than any other system on the list. There were several games that I really loved playing on it back when it was a current system. However, the only game from it that I still play is Adventure, and even then there are plenty of NES games that I return to more often than Adventure.

Here is what I would like to impress on people who are too young to have experienced these earlier eras of gaming. The NES really was the pinnacle of gaming, and it redefined everything. I really loved Pitfall back on the Atari 2600, and it was the best selling game out of the "good" Atari games. However, Super Mario Bros totally blows away Pitfall. Even if both games were updated with the best graphics possible, SMB would still blow away Pitfall, and SMB 3 would also blow away SMB 1. It wasn't just the technology that improved on the NES, it was game design that improved. Similarly, The Legend of Zelda is far beyond Adventure (even though I occasionally play Adventure because it has a good randomizer). However, I also think Zelda 1 and SMB 3 are the peaks of these series. Game design did not substantially improve after the NES. It has changed a lot, but I can't say it is objectively better in most cases. But SMB is objectively better than Pitfall. Like if 100 people played both games cold, at leasat 95 would choose SMB. It's just that much better.

Anyway, here are my favorite Atari 2600 games from back when it was current:

1. Adventure
2. H.E.R.O.
3. Pitfall
4. Donkey Kong
5. Space Invaders