Combat

Combat was the pack-in game bundled with the Atari 2600 console from its launch in 1977 and, together with Space Invaders, was one of the titles that shaped the wider public's early perception of the console. It offers several dozen game variants split into three basic modes - tank duels, fighter plane duels, and bomber duels - designed strictly for two players sitting together at the same TV screen, since neither computer opponents nor a solo campaign were part of the design.

In tank mode, players move around an arena full of obstacles, trying to hit their opponent with ricocheted or direct shots, while the aerial modes offer faster action in the sky with evasive maneuvers and a shifting view of the battlefield. Individual variants change the rules with things like invisible vehicles, shots bouncing off walls, slowed-down movement, or limited ammo, giving an otherwise simple game considerable replay value for competitive home duels between siblings or friends, who could pick a variant to match their mood and skill level. Variant selection was done directly on the console via a rotary switch, so players could quickly swap rules between rounds without any complicated setup.

For many early Atari 2600 owners, Combat was the very first game they ever played, since it came bundled with the console by default rather than being sold as a separate title. Its simple but addictive two-player gameplay helped establish the console as an entertainment device for the whole family. Today the game is prized mainly for its historical value - as a record of the early era of video games, when the main appeal wasn't story or graphics but pure competitiveness between two players sitting side by side at the screen, each with a single controller in hand, with no need for any story or explanation of rules.

Why play it: For quick two-player competition without any story or rule explanations, it's an ideal choice to play together at one screen, just as it was the moment the console was first switched on.