Solaris

By the late 1980s, most of the gaming world regarded the Atari 2600 as a dying veteran whose time had long passed. And then came Solaris, showing that much more slumbered inside that wood-grained box than anyone suspected. This space epic from 1986 still ranks to this day as one of the most technically advanced titles ever created on the console.

Behind the game stands Douglas Neubauer, a programmer whose name is indelibly written into Atari's history — he was the key figure behind the ANTIC chip and the operating system of Atari's 8-bit computers, and the author of the legendary Star Raiders. He carried this experience with space simulations into Solaris, where a strategic galaxy map blends with action combat.

Gameplay rests on two levels. From an overhead view you travel across the star map, choosing quadrants, watching your fuel and searching for the planet Solaris, which must be liberated. Once you enter the action, the game turns into a fast space shooter with surprisingly smooth graphics, various types of enemies and a visual variety no one would expect on the 2600. Alternating between cosmic battles, landing on planets and rescuing allied pilots gives the whole an epic dimension.

On hardware that had only a few dozen bytes of memory and a primitive graphics chip, Solaris is a small miracle of programming craft. Color palettes, a multitude of different screens and smooth movement pushed the boundaries of what was generally considered possible. No wonder the game remains to this day one of the most prized gems in the console's library, with collectors and reviewers repeatedly ranking it among the absolute best on the platform.

Solaris emerged at a time when the North American market was still catching its breath after the 1983 video game crash and Atari was trying to keep its aging flagship alive. It was titles like this one that proved a programmer's creativity and mastery could wring things from aging hardware that engineers hadn't even dreamed of at the outset.

Why play: If you want to see just how far the Atari 2600's capabilities reached in the hands of a true master, Solaris is the most convincing answer — a space epic that pushed the console beyond the imaginable.