Top 3 Best Games 1973. reviews: Wumpus, Lemonade Stand, Lunar Lander

All list top 37 games.

Top 3. Wumpus (Altair 8800, Apple II, Commodore PET/CBM, HP Programmable Calculator, Intel 8080, KIM-1, Mainframe, Sol-20, TRS-80, Wang 2200)

This is a text-based, turn-based adventure where the player needs to kill a monster named Wumpus, located in one of 20 rooms. Each room has one entrance and two exits (three paths in total). All rooms are numbered, and this is indicated during the game.

Wumpus may not stay in one place and sometimes reacts to the player's actions. For example, when you find him before shooting, he will either move away or kill you.

The game features two bottomless pits and two caves with super-bats that transport you to a random cave. Pits kill you.

Since Wumpus reacts to light, you navigate by scent and wind, and information about neighboring caves is provided: drafts from pits, the monster's smell, or the presence of bats.

To kill the monster, you have five curved arrows that can change direction and even return like a boomerang. When shooting, you specify the cave and distance (up to 5 caves). If the arrow misses Wumpus, he may change his position. You need to track him down or rely on luck.

Many consider the game a precursor to the survival horror genre, although not everyone agrees.

Top 4-6 Best Games 1973. reviews: Reverse, Hurkle, Matches

All list top 37 games.

Reverse (Commodore PET/CBM, Intel 8008, Intel 8080, KIM-1, Mainframe, TRS-80, Zilog Z80)

You are given a list of 9 numbers in random order. You need to perform several manipulations to arrange them in ascending order from 1 to 9. To do this, you choose how many numbers on the left will be reversed. 

For example, if you have the sequence 234516789, and you say 4, the first four numbers are reversed, making the sequence 543216789. Then you say 5, and the first five on the left are reversed, resulting in the sequence 123456789. The goal of the game is to achieve this in as few moves as possible.

Top 7-10 Best Games 1973. reviews: Snark, Acey Deucy, The Game of Chomp, Hexapawn

All list top 37 games.

Snark (Intel 8080, Mainframe, Sol-20, Zilog Z80)

This game is a variation of the previous game, Mugwump, where you need to find a creature on a 10x10 grid. However, there are some differences. Firstly, you only need to find one creature, not four. Secondly, you specify not coordinates from two directions but a single coordinate, either inside or outside a specified circle.

Top 11-14 best Games 1973. reviews: French Fur Trader, Warfish, Bullseye, Mugwump

All list top 37 games

French Fur Trader (Commodore PET/CBM, Mainframe, Sol-20)

This is a text-based trading simulation set in 1776 in North America. Players must try to earn money by trading furs in three different forts located close to each other. Money is spent on purchasing supplies for the next year. The game concludes when the player runs out of goods for trading.

Top 15-19 best Games 1973. reviews: Trek73, Awari, Life II, Pizza, Pong Doubles

All list top 37 games.

Trek73 (DOS, Mainframe)

This game is based on the "Star Trek" TV series but is not a remake of the well-known earlier game by Mike Mayfield. It is less strategic and more action-oriented. Unlike its predecessor, it lacks a galactic map or starbases. The game is controlled through text commands.

Top 20-23 best Games 1973. reviews: Basketball, Interplanetary Voyage, W.I.N., Brain Wave

All list top 37 games.

This section features games from a very unconventional console—the first gaming console in history. It had almost no graphics of its own, consisting literally of a few pixels. The primary graphics were on a plastic overlay with a drawing attached to the screen, held in place by the static electricity of old televisions. These televisions were cathode-ray, not liquid crystal, as they are today. The package also included a paper manual, tokens, cards, playing dice, etc., depending on the game.

Basketball (Odyssey)

In this game, the action mainly takes place near a vertical line on the left side of the screen. The player who catches the ball must keep their pixel bouncing off this line and aim it at the opponent's red dot (the basket) at the right moment. The opponent stands behind, trying to interfere.

 After a scored basket, the winner starts from their penalty area, and the one who missed starts from the center. If the shooting player misses, the ball passes to the other player, and they start dribbling from their half. The winner is the first to reach 24 points, with a required two-point advantage.

Top 24-27 best Games 1973. reviews: 101 BASIC Computer Games, Laser Clay Shooting System, Slalom, Drag

All list top 37 games.

101 BASIC Computer Games (Mainframe)

Most of the games developed for free using the BASIC language were added here. While these games did not always stand out in terms of quality, their format inspired many future developers.

Top 28-33 best Games 1973. reviews: Computer Space Ball, Ace, Paddle-Ball, Pro Tennis, TV Table Tennis, Winner

All list top 37 games.

In this video, I will talk about arcade exclusives that were officially never ported anywhere else.

Computer Space Ball (Arcade)

It is a spin-off of the well-known game Computer Space, which was the first commercially sold game. This is one of the first Pong clones on arcade machines.

Top best 34-37 Games of 1973. reviews: Empire I, Empire II and Empire III, Chief, Board of Directors

All list top 37 games.

Empire I

The first part significantly differed from the subsequent ones, which would be less strategic. This year, as I will discuss in the next section, the second part was released. The third part will be released next year, and the fourth in 1976.

This game claims the role of the first multiplayer online game with Maze War. But most likely, it was indeed the first.

Top 3 best games in 1972. reviews: Table Tennis, Kingdom, Pong

 Here are the top 3 games.

The complete List of the Top 37 Games.

Rank 3: Table Tennis (Odyssey)

Undoubtedly the best game on this platform this year. This assertion holds true when compared to previous Odyssey games. Yes, it bears a striking resemblance to Atari's Pong. Though not as good, it was released earlier in the spring, overshadowing its competitor in the fall. In this game, players take turns serving five times each. The winner is the first to reach 21 points with a 2-point difference, meaning, for example, 25:24 is not enough; it must be 26:24. Players keep score themselves or involve a third party.

Top 8 Games of 1972. reviews: Roulette, Haunted House, States, Bagels

Here are games ranked from 5th to 8th place.

The complete List of the Top 37 Games.

These games are played on a very unconventional console, the very first gaming console in history. It had almost no graphics of its own, consisting of just a few pixels. The primary graphics were on a plastic overlay with a drawn image that attached to the screen and stuck there due to the static electricity of old televisions. The old televisions used cathode-ray tubes, unlike the modern liquid crystal displays. The package also included a paper manual, chips, cards, dice, and more, depending on the game.

Roulette (Odyssey)

In this game, you use various items besides the screen. First, there's an overlay on the screen, and then there's the tabletop part of the game, chips, and paper money.

Top 11 Games of 1972. reviews: Submarine, Ski, Simon Says, Cat and Mouse

Here are the top 8-11 games.

The complete List of the Top 37 Games.

Here, there will be games from a very unconventional console. The first gaming console in history. After all, it had almost no graphics of its own, which consisted of just a few pixels. The main graphics were a plastic overlay with a drawn picture that was attached to the screen and held there by the static electricity of old televisions.

 Old televisions were cathode ray, not liquid crystal, like today. The package also included a paper instruction manual, chips, cards, dice, and so on, depending on the game.

Submarine (Odyssey)

Two players can play here. The first player tries to travel from the start to the end, while the other player tries to hit them with a torpedo. You need to complete 3 ships to finish. The count is kept of how many times torpedoes were fired before successfully hitting. Then the players switch roles, and the winner is the one with fewer hits.