Top 15 Best Games of 1972. reviews: Tennis, Analogic, Hockey, Football

Top 12-15 Games

List of the Top 37 Games.

Here, you will find games from a highly unconventional console. The very first gaming console in history. After all, it had almost no graphics of its own, consisting of just a few pixels. The primary graphics were on a plastic overlay with an image that you attached to the screen and kept in place using the static electricity of old televisions. 

Those old TVs used cathode-ray tubes, not liquid crystal displays like today. The package also included a paper instruction manual, chips, cards, dice, and so on, depending on the game.

Tennis (Odyssey).

The game is quite simple, especially when compared to some others on this platform. Each player occupies their half and tries to keep the ball (pixel) from going out of their part of the field. To win a game, you need to win four times on your serve with a minimum of a two-point difference. Players play a minimum of 6 games (if it's 6-0) and a maximum of 13 games (in case of 7-6). In other words, it follows the classic rules of tennis.

Top 25 Best Games of 1972. reviews: Shootout, Shooting Gallery, Prehistoric Safari, Dogfight, Percepts, Invasion, Fun Zoo

 

Top 19 - 25 Games.

List of the Top 37 Games.

Here are games from a very unconventional console. The first gaming console in history. After all, it had almost no graphics of its own, consisting of just a few pixels. The main graphics were a plastic film with a drawn picture that was attached to the screen and held there by the static electricity of old televisions. Old TVs were cathode-ray, not liquid crystal, as they are now. The package also included a paper manual, chips, cards, dice, and so on, depending on the game.

Shootout (Odyssey).

In this game, you need to use a gaming accessory - a light gun. You play as a sheriff who is hunting the Dalton gang. The first pixel bandit appears from the upper left, then moves to the right, down, and at the end, down to the right near the horses. If your shot is accurate, the pixel disappears. Each kill is worth one point.

 At the end, there will be a tally. Interestingly, when the pixels appear, your partner, according to the instructions, is recommended to shout, "You'll never catch me, sheriff." Apparently for ambiance, just don't scare the neighbors, or they'll call the police.

Top 30 Best Games of 1972, reviews: Baseball (Odyssey) Handball (Odyssey), Volleyball (Odyssey), Soccer (Odyssey), Wipeout (Odyssey)

Games 26-30.

List of the Top 37 Games.

Here, you will find games from a very unconventional console. The first gaming console in history. It had almost no graphics of its own, consisting of just a few pixels. The primary graphics were plastic overlays with drawings that you attached to the screen using static electricity from old TVs. Those old TVs used cathode-ray tubes, not liquid crystal displays like today's. The package also included a paper instruction manual, chips, cards, dice, and more, depending on the game.

Baseball (Odyssey).

In this game, you use real dice and a table of average results. There's a comprehensive paper instruction manual, and you need to get quite immersed in it. You then fill out player cards based on the range of average results and the number rolled on the dice. The higher the number on the dice, the better your result within the range. 

Different players have different ranges; some are stronger, some weaker. A weak player might roll a higher number on the dice and compensate for their lower range compared to a stronger player. This way, the results clash with each card drawn, and the advantage of one card over the other makes it easier to play with pixels in the active game. Thus, the outcome depends on both luck and your skills. You record the results on a separate piece of paper yourself.

Top 37 video games in 1972. reviews: Moonwar, Dogfight, Battle Plan, Desert Fox, STTRK, Graf - Spee, Golf 2

Top 31-37.

List Top 37 games.

I'll start with intriguing games from 1972 that were not released on consoles but were available on platforms like arcade, PLATO, and mainframe. There is no graphical information or even screenshots for these games, so please bear with me for now.

Moonwar.

It's quite challenging to describe this game without an image, as it might give the impression that the game was released in the 2000s, based solely on the description. Take a look for yourselves.

The game was available on university terminals and was a multiplayer shooter. Players were equipped with lasers, and they had to shoot in a mountainous landscape. This meant that you had to take the terrain into account.

Using your sharp eye, you had to estimate distances and angles for the laser beam's movement. The beam could bounce off walls, allowing you to eliminate opponents from behind cover.

The game displayed a complete list of players, and they could choose whom to challenge to a duel.