Indy 500 was one of the titles Atari offered already in the first years of the Atari 2600's existence, and the box of the same name also came with a pair of special paddle controllers that made precise steering easier, unlike the standard joystick bundled with the console. The game offers several gameplay variants themed around car racing – a classic oval circuit, a chase between two rivals, driving on a slippery surface resembling ice, and dodging obstacles placed on the track, which made it an unusually varied package for a single program at the time, offering players several distinct ways to have fun on a single cartridge.
The graphics are extremely simple, with vehicles reduced to small blinking dots and tracks to simple lines bordering the playing field, yet thanks to the responsive paddle controls the game played surprisingly deftly and offered instant fun especially for two players facing off on a split screen. Switching between the individual game variants let players choose the difficulty and style of contest to match their mood, which kept the game interesting over the long run. The sound was limited to basic engine and collision beeps, typical of the era in which the console was made, when the sound chip offered only minimal possibilities for any kind of musical melody.
Indy 500 was one of the beloved titles in the early years of the Atari 2600 precisely because of the competitive two-player duel and the variety of game modes, which offered more than just a plain race around an oval. Today it is interesting mainly as evidence of how, with minimalist means, its creators managed to evoke a sense of racing tension, even though from today's perspective it is very sparse both visually and in terms of gameplay, and its value is mostly historical, tied to the early days of the home video game industry and to Atari's first steps in the field of racing games.
Why play it: For fans of home console history, Indy 500 is interesting as evidence of how minimalist means could evoke racing tension, even with its visually sparse presentation.
Game 57 of 69 for Atari 2600
