Atlantis 2 (Imagic-1982): In 1981, a group of disgruntled Atari programmers left to form their own game company called Imagic. Soon, there were many third party companies making games for the 2600 and other consoles. In an effort to stand out in the crowded marketplace, a few companies promoted their games through a series of contests.

In 1982, Imagic had a high score contest for Atlantis, a Missile Command style game for the 2600. The players were to take a picture of their highest score, and send it in along with a proof of purchase from the manual. Unfortunately, so many people maxed out the score that Imagic had to come up with some sort of tiebreaker round.

Imagic decided to make a limited amount of copies of a special version of Atlantis, which were then sent to the semifinalists, who would then have another high score contest with the new game. Atlantis 2 was similar in just about every way to it's predecessor, but was a bit harder and the scoring was different. The cartridge was the same as the original Atlantis, so the only way to tell if you have the special version is to turn it on and play it.

Xante Games: In 1983, a company called Xante planned to offer a game download service for the 2600. Xante would put kiosks in various stores in which someone could select a game from a catalog, and then download it onto a blank cart that was connected to a phone line. Simple labels were printed out to stick on the cart, as well as a manual.

Xante did manage to open a handful of kiosks in Tulsa, Oklahoma. However, the crash of the video game industry quickly derailed Xante's plans, and they soon went out of business. Only 6 games were ever available for download: Alien, Beany Bopper, Crypts of Chaos, Demon Attack, No Escape and Solar Storm.

Mangia (Spectravision-1983): A very bizarre game. You play as a kid whose mom continuously brings out food to eat. Eat too much and your stomach explodes (literally!) and you lose a life. Let too much food sit on the table and it collapses, which costs a life. The only was to survive is to throw some of the food out the window or to the cat (but only while mom's back is turned).

This title was only available through the short lived Colombia House Record Club, which accounts for it's extreme rarity.

Pepsi Invaders (Atari-1983): This wasn't actually a commercial release, but was made specifically for Coca-Cola employees. Pepsi Invaders was a reworked version of Space Invaders, with the aliens replaced by the letters that make up PEPSI. The alien saucer was also altered to look like a Pepsi logo. Only 125 copies are known to exist.

Magicard and Video Life (CommaVid-1982): CommaVid, previously known as Computer Magic, released a smell number of titles for the 2600. In 1982, they tried something a little different, releasing Magicard, which wasn't actually a game, but instead a programming tool. Using Magicard and a keyboard controller, the user could create a simple programs. Magicard was only available via mail-order, and only a very few carts were ever produced.

Even more rare than Magicard was it's companion cart, Video Life, which was offered only to people who bought Magicard. Video Life wasn't a traditional game, but was instead a "life simulation" which played itself after it's initial setup. Less than 20 copies are believed to exist, making it one of the rarest commercially released video games ever.

Air Raid (MenAvision-1984): The game itself is very similar to Space Invaders. You pilot a spaceship and try to shoot down flying saucers. The game was released during the last fateful months of the 2600, as Atari itself was failing.

Only a very small amount of these games were ever made. The few times that Air Raid does appear for auction, it usually sells for thousands of dollars. The cart itself is very unique, with a light blue color and a T shaped handle on the end. So far, no outer box has ever been seen.

Birthday Mania (Personal Games-1984): This was a simple game that involved blowing out candles on a birthday cake. What made it interesting was that every copy was personalized for the receiver, billed as the ultimate birthday present. The title screen was programmed to show the birthday boy/girl's name, and the cart itself had a space where the name could be written in as well. Only one of these carts has ever been found, making this perhaps the rarest Atari game of them all.

Stay tuned for part 2 of our rare games showcase, which includes Chase the Chuckwagon, Custer's Revenge and others.