ATARI 2600 GAME GENRES Last updated April 27th, 1997 Adventure and Exploration Different screens must be navigated to reach some sort of goal. - Adventure, Superman, Haunted House, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Krull, Riddle of the Sphinx, Atari Video Cube, Dark Chambers, Dragonfire, Entombed, Fathom, Ghost Manor, H.E.R.O., Ghostbusters, Jungle Hunt, Montezuma's Revenge, Mountain King, Pitfall!, Pitfall II, Private Eye, Robin Hood, Secret Quest, Skateboardin', Smurf Rescue in Gargamel's Castle, Solaris, Sorcerer, Tunnel Runner, Tutankham, Venture Swordquest Earthworld, Swordquest Fireworld, Swordquest Waterworld Arcade Translations Any game that was first in the coin-op parlours. - Space Invaders, Asteroids, Defender, Defender II, Stargate, Missile Command, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Junior, Mario Brothers, Burgertime, Q*Bert, Popeye, Frogger, Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Junior Pac-Man, Mousetrap, Centipede, Millipede, Mr. Do!, Mr. Do!'s Castle, Crystal Castles, Berzerk, Dig Dug, Moon Patrol, Galaxian, Gorf, Kangaroo, Jungle Hunt, Joust, Sinistar, Venture, Pengo, Crazy Climber, Amidar, Battlezone, Blueprint, Breakout, Buck Rogers, Bump'n'Jump, Spy Hunter, Carnival, Commando, Congo Bongo, Double Dragon, Front Line, Gravitar, Gyruss, Kung-Fu Master, Phoenix, Pole Position, Pooyan, Rampage, Reactor, Roc 'n Rope, Star Trek, Star Wars: The Arcade Game, Super Cobra, Time Pilot, Tutankham, Vanguard, Warlords, Wizard of Wor, Xevious, Zaxxon Games based on Movies - Star Wars: Jedi Arena, Star Wars, The Arcade Game, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Death Star Battle, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Adventures of TRON, TRON Deadly Discs, Flash Gordon, Krull, Halloween, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, King Kong, Megaforce, Porky's, Rampage, Revenge of the Beefsteak Tomatoes, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator, Towering Inferno, Fantastic Voyage Monster/Horror Games Any game with a scary atmosphere, good for playing on Halloween - Alien, Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Haunted House, Ghost Manor, Dark Cavern, Blueprint, Frankenstein's Monster, Ghostbusters, Rampage, Revenge of the Beefsteak Tomatoes, Nightmare Games based on Children's Characters - Alpha Beam Ernie, Big Bird's Egg Catch, Cookie Monster Munch, Kool-Aid Man, Oink!, Pooyan, Oscar's Trash Race, Smurf Rescue in Gargamel's Castle, Smurfs Save the Day, Snoopy and the Red Baron, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Strawberry Shortcake: Musical Matchups, Taz, Road Runner, Bugs Bunny, Popeye, Masters of the Universe Cops and Robbers Player controls a cop, a robber, or any other emergency personnel - Maze Craze, Bank Heist, Gangster Alley, Task Force, Infiltrate, Kaboom!, Keystone Kapers, Lock 'n' Chase, Private Eye, Squeeze Box, Towering Inferno, Firefighter, M.A.S.H. Super Heroes The player controls a comic book hero who must save the day - Superman, Spiderman, Kool-Aid Man, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, G.I. Joe, H.E.R.O., Masters of the Universe, Popeye, Robin Hood, Sir Lancelot Educational Games Games to assist with children's early development. - Alpha Beam Ernie, Big Bird's Egg Catch, Cookie Monster Munch, Oscar's Trash Race, Basic Math, Fun With Numbers, Math Grand Prix, Smurfs Save the Day, Sneak 'n' Peek, Strawberry Shortcake: Musical Matchups, Word Zapper Keypad Games Any games which rely on a keypad controller in order to play - Basic Programming, Alpha Beam Ernie, Big Bird's Egg Catch, Brain Games, Cookie Monster Munch, Oscar's Trash Race, Codebreaker, Concentration, Star Raiders Paddle Games Special games which benefit from Atari's special paddle controllers - Astroblast, Backgammon, Bugs, Blackjack, Breakout, Super Breakout, Canyon Bomber, Casino, Circus Atari, Encounter at L-5, G.I. Joe: Cobrastrike, Solar Storm, Steeplechase, Video Olympics, Warlords, Warplock, Piece O' Cake, Board Games - Checkers, Video Checkers, Video Chess, Backgammon, Othello, 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe, Concentration, Hunt and Score, Flag Capture, Hangman, Sneak 'n' Peek, Surround, Atari Video Cube Casino and Card Games - Blackjack, Casino, Bridge, Slot Machine, Steeplechase Pinball Games - Video Pinball, Midnight Magic, Bumper Bash Team Sports Games where two sides compete for the most points - Football, Real Sports Football, Super Football, Super Challenge Football, Home Run, Real Sports Baseball, Super Baseball, Super Challenge Baseball, International Soccer, Pele's Soccer, Championship Soccer, Real Sports Soccer, Basketball, Ice Hockey, Video Olympics, Tennis, Real Sports Tennis, Racquetball, Real Sports Volleyball Solo Sports Games where an individual player's performance is evaluated - Skiing, Mogul Maniac, Golf, Miniature Golf, Bowling, Trick Shot, Human Cannonball, Sky Diver, Raft Rider, Skateboardin' Olympic Sports These games will usually kill your joystick - Summer Games, Winter Games, California Games, Decathalon, Track and Field, Skeet Shoot, Steeplechase, Video Olympics Fighting Games Physical combat between people, where one must fall. - Boxing (Activision), Super Action Boxing, Chuck Norriss Superkicks, Double Dragon, Karate, Kung-Fu Master, Star Wars: Jedi Arena, Titlematch Pro Wrestling Undersea Games - Airlock, Air-Sea Battle, Atlantis, Bermuda Triangle, Dolphin, Fathom, Name This Game, Sea Hunt, Sea Hawk, Seaquest, Shark Attack, Sub-Scan, Submarine Commander, Crash Dive Underwater Life - Dolphin, Fathom, Fishing Derby, Frogger II: Threedeep!, Frostbite, Name This Game, Sea Hunt, Seaquest, Shark Attack, Crash Dive Flying Creatures - Desert Falcon, Fathom, Frogger II: Threedeep!, Joust, Phoenix, Sir Lancelot, Snoopy and the Red Baron Airplane Games - Air Raiders, Air-Sea Battle, Barnstorming, Canyon Bomber, Chopper Command, Combat, Crash Dive, River Raid, River Raid II, Sky Jinks, Sky Skipper, Space Jockey, Snoopy and the Red Baron, Super Cobra, Time Pilot, Final Approach Tank Games - Combat, Armor Ambush, Battlezone, Robot Tank, Adventures of TRON, Front Line, Thunderground, Turmoil Nuclear Games - Missile Command, M.A.D., Thunderground, China Syndrome, Reactor, Cruise Missile Car Games - Indy 500, Sprintmaster, Street Racer, Bump 'n' Jump, Pole Position, Enduro, Night Driver, Grand Prix, Dragster, Dodge 'em, Freeway, Slot Racers, Math Grand Prix Space Ship Games Games where you control a spacecraft. - Star Ship, Asteroids, Space War, Omega Race, Star Trek: Strategic Operatations Simulator, Star Raiders, Star Master, Star Voyager, Space Shuttle, Solaris, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, Gravitar, Moonsweeper, Moon Patrol, Cosmic Ark, Gyruss, Laser Blast, Challenge of Nexar, Secret Quest, Solar Fox, Space Attack, Star Strike, Time Pilot, Star Wars: Death Star Battle, Star Wars: The Arcade Game, Cosmic Commuter Head-to-Head Warfare Games Games where you can destroy the other player - Combat, Armor Ambush, Artillery Duel, Air-Sea Battle, M.A.S.H., M.A.D., Outlaw, Rampage, Slot Racers, Space War, Surround, Warlords Infantry Assault Men with guns and other weapons on a field of battle. - Commando, Ikari Warriors, Front Line Bugs and More Bugs Creepy Crawlies from the Insect World must be exterminated. You'll notice that most of them are invader-type games. - Bugs, Centipede, Millipede, Crackpots, Fire Fly, Frogs and Flies, Galaxian, Mountain King, Spider Fighter, Sssnake, Tapeworm, Worm War I, Yar's Revenge, Spiderdroid Side-Shooters The player's craft moves and shoots left and right - Defender, Stargate/Defender II, Chopper Command, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Bermuda Triangle, Cruise Missile, Masters of the Universe, Megaforce, Planet Patrol, Sea Hawk, Snoopy and the Red Baron, Space Jockey, Star Fox, Turmoil, Flash Gordon, Crash Dive, Cosmic Commuter Scrolling Obstacle Courses The player has little control over the oncoming landscape - Super Cobra, Zaxxon, Desert Falcon, Vanguard, River Raid, River Raid II, Fantastic Voyage, Entombed, Journey Escape, Jungle Hunt, Moon Patrol, Sky Jinks, Raft Rider Target Shooting Aiming is the name of the game - Carnival, Air-Sea Battle, Crossbow, Demons to Diamonds, Gangster Alley, Outlaw, Skeet Shoot, Squeeze Box, Sub Scan, Turmoil, Venture, Summer Games, Winter Games, Wabbit, Task Force Maze Madness The player must maneuver through a maze playfield, while avoiding nasties. - Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Jr. Pac-Man, Alien, Amidar, Bank Heist, Berzerk, Burgertime, Chase the Chuckwagon, Crystal Castles, Dark Cavern, Dodge 'em, Lock 'n' Chase, Maze Craze, Mouse Trap, Shark Attack, Solar Fox, Tapeworm, Tutankham, Wizard of Wor, Pengo, Spiderdroid Digging Games - Dig Dug, Mr. Do!, Thunderground, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Riddle of the Sphinx, Entombed, Gopher Food Games - Fast Food, Burgertime, Pressure Cooker, Piece O' Cake, Taz, Megamania, Picnic, Plaque Attack, Spider Fighter, Fire Fly, Tapeworm, Cookie Monster Munch Games with Pigs - Amidar, Oink!, Pigs in Space, Pooyan, Fast Food :> Lane-Crossing - Frogger, Frogger II: Threedeep!, Freeway, Congo Bongo, Frostbite, Porky's Color Changing/Hopping - Q*Bert, Q*Bert's Qubes, Atari Video Cube/Rubik's Cube, Beany Bopper, Boing!, Frostbite, Quick Step Games of Catch - Breakout, Super Breakout, Circus Atari, Eggomania, Fast Food, Fishing Derby, Frogs and Flies, Kaboom!, Kool-Aid Man, Lost Luggage, Off The Wall, Piece O' Cake, Pressure Cooker, Sky Diver, Stampede, Warlords, Wall Ball, Racquetball, Piece O' Cake, China Syndrome Invaders Games You must destroy hoardes of enemies/dangers which are invading the playing area. Many of them are very similar. - Space Invaders, Galaxian, Gorf, Centipede, Millipede, Demon Attack, Demons to Diamonds, Megamania, Missile Command, Phoenix, Spider Fighter, Crackpots, Astroblast, Atlantis, Bugs, Coconuts, Commando Raid, Cosmic Creeps, Crossforce, Deadly Duck, Encounter At L-5, Fire Fly, G.I. Joe, Gopher, Gremlins, Gyruss, Laser Blast, M.A.D., No Escape!, Picnic, Plaque Attack, Pooyan, Revenge of the Beefsteak Tomatoes, Solar Storm, Solaris, Threshold, Sorcerer, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Space Cavern, Space Chase, Space Jockey, Sssnake, Tac-Scan, Turmoil, Wabbit, Warplock, Word Zapper, Worm War I, Cross Force, Wabbit Platform Games Games where the player is climbing and/or jumping on a playfield structure. - Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Junior, Mario Brothers, King Kong, Kangaroo, Miner 2049'er, Adventures of TRON, Airlock, Burgertime, Congo Bongo, Crystal Castles, Fast Eddie, Frankenstein's Monster, Infiltrate, Keystone Kapers, Montezuma's Revenge, Mountain King, Mr. Do!'s Castle, Pitfall!, Pitfall II: Lost Caverns, Popeye, Porky's, Roc 'n Rope, Spiderman, Spike's Peak, Crazy Climber