Retro Game Guy

It's the 1980's again!

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Video Games Then & Now…

Last week I was in the Chicago area for business and managed just enough time for  quick stop at a great Video Retro Game shop…Video Games Then & Now.  Just a short drive from O’Hare, Video Games Then & Now is at 4351 North Harlem Drive in Norridge, IL.  The shop is staff by friendly folks and has an amazing collection of systems, controllers, parts, and games for everything from the Atari 2600 to the X-Box.  In fact I saw games for the Atari 2600, 5200, & 7800 systems as well as Intellivison, Colecovision, Sega Genesis, Vectrex, and many more.

The prices are really fair (I picked up a number of 5200 and 7800 carts for as little as $1 each) and they will buy your old games or take them in trade.   I also picked up a brand new (still boxed) controller for my 7800 as well as a boxed 7800 game.

The store hours are:

  • Monday-Saturday 11am-9pm
  • Sunday 12pm-6pm

If you happen to be in the Chicago area, then you owe it to yourself to stop in and check out this great shop!

@Atarigameguy

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Pole Position…

Pole Position is a 1982 racing video game developed by Namco.  It was licensed to Atari for release in the US and became a smash hit.  It was the most popular coin op game in 1983 and Atari sold more than 20,000 Pole Position arcade units.  Pole Position came in both an upright cabinet and a ‘cockpit’ cabinet where the player could sit inside.

In the game, the player controls a Formula One race car on the Fuji racetrack.  First you must qualify your car, then race against computer opponents.  One of the iconic moments in the game is at the start when you hear ‘Prepare to Qualify’.   Pole Position was one of the first video games to have product placement.  Billboards in the game feature company logos including Agip, Cannon, Champion, Marlboro, Martini, Namco, and Pepsi .  These logos varied by country and included Atari, 7-Eleven and Dentyne in the US.  The arcade units were powered by a Z80 CPU and Namco sound units.  Pole Position was ported to a number of home consoles including the Atari 2600, 5200, and 7800, the Intellivison, and the Vectrex.

Atari 2600…

The 2600 version of Pole Position was released by Atari in 1983.  Play is close to the arcade and control with a standard Atari joystick is solid.  Most reviewers give Pole Position high marks, but I am not impressed with the 2600 version.  The graphics are horrible and don’t look anything like the Fuji race track.   The computer generated opponent cars are ‘blocky’ and you have to use a lot of imagination to see them as Formula One race cars.  Also there are no billboards and the crash graphics are pretty lame.  Even for a 1983 2600 game, Atari should have been able to do a better job with the graphics.

Atari 5200…

The 5200 version of Pole Position was also released by Atari in 1983 and, compared to the 2600 version, it must have seemed pretty amazing.  The graphics are dramatically improved and the track definitely looks like Fuji.  The cars are less ‘blocky’ and control with a standard 5200 analog joystick is solid.  The game play is very close to the arcade and it is challenging to weave your way around all of the computer generated opponents.  Surprisingly, the ‘Prepare to Qualify’ announcement at the start of the game is missing.  Given the awesome voice synthesis in Berzerk, we know it is possible to do this on the 5200.  As good as Pole Position is on the 5200, it could be even better.  The billboards are present, but they are all blank and it should be possible to make the cars less ‘blocky’.  All in all Pole Position on the 5200 is a must have for any 5200 collector.  It was the initial ‘pack in’ game for the 5200 and is inexpensive and vey easy to find.

Atari 7800…

The 7800 version of Pole Position was developed in 1984 and released with the system in 1986.  Actually, the 7800 version is Pole Position II which is even better!  It features the option to select one of four tracks to race and dramatically improved graphics over the 5200 version.  Both the player’s and the computer generated opponent cars actually look like Formula One race cars and billboards are present (even if they all have Atari logos on them!).   One thing that really stands out in the 7800 version is the crash graphics.  The ‘explosion’ actually looks pretty good and it is cool to see the tires bouncing away from the car.  The sound effects are also pretty good, considering that this is one of the weak points of the 7800.  Unfortunately, however, the ‘Prepare to Qualify’ announcement is still missing.  Pole Position was the ‘pack in’ game for the system and was also sold separately.  It is easy to find and inexpensive, often selling for as little as $1.  A copy of Pole Position II belongs in every 7800 collection.

Recommendations…

If you only have one Atari console, then, by all means, pick up Pole Position for which ever system you have.  If you have more than one Atari console, then the 7800 version, with better sound and graphics and four tracks to play, is the clear winner!

@Atarigameguy

Wild for Pole Position!

Wild for Pole Position!


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Boston Strong…

This blog is about retro video games and not politics, but, having lived in New England for most of the last thirty years, I need to say a few things…

For the injured and the families of those killed by this horrific act, words will never be enough, but I hope you take solace in the outpouring of support that has been shown.  Many of you will have a long and difficult struggle to put your lives back together, but I hope you take strength knowing that Boston, New England, America, and the World are behind you.

What those who would commit acts like this don’t realize is that events like the Marathon bombing don’t weaken us, they make us stronger.  Boston is a strong and resilient city and, the world found out in the past week, it is also a caring and compassionate city.  Mess with us, however, and you will feel the wrath of a united and committed citizenry.

The events of the past two weeks make you proud of Boston, New England, and America.  When the bombs went off, people ran to help, they did not run away.  The heroic actions of first responders, private citizens, and medical professionals saved countless lives.  The dedication and bravery of police and law enforcement officials, in tracking down those who did this, was nothing short of amazing.  Last week, when the Boston area was on ‘lock down’, I was traveling and I heard someone say ‘how can they do that? ‘.  What that person didn’t realize is that Bostonian’s and New Englander’s would have and did do whatever was needed to help catch those responsible for these acts.

For any ‘wanna-be’ terrorists out there, I hope you took notes.  You can’t weaken us…you can only make us stronger.  America may seem weak to you, but we are strong and resilient and you don’t want to mess with us, especially if you try to put our backs against a wall.  As a New Englander and an American, I couldn’t be prouder of how everyone has responded to this horrific and cowardly act.  If you want to help out the victims of the Marathon bombing, be sure to visit onefundboston.org and make a contribution.

Boston Strong, New England Strong, American Strong!

@Atarigameguy


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Retro Game Happenings…

Recent happenings in the retro game community…

PacManPlus…

Back on Thanksgiving, I posted about Bob ‘PacManPlus’ DeCrescenzo retiring from game development.  After about three months away from retro game development, Bob has returned to the Atari scene.  Recently, he has completed a new game which he has named Armor Attack II.  This game is based on the 1980 Cinematronics arcade game Armor Attack.  Bob has developed this game for the Atari 7800 console and it will be released by AtariAge in the near future.  You can read more about this great game here.  Welcome back Bob!!!

Tempest…

One of the most anticipated and exciting recent game release is Tempest for the Atari 5200.  I wrote an extensive post about Tempest back on March 2nd.  Read my post here, but, if you have an Atari 5200, you need to get this game!

Space Rocks…

Back in November of 2012, I posted about Asteroids and a new Atari 2600 version of Asteroids Deluxe by Darrell Spice.  Darrell called his version Space Rocks and AtariAge had a label contest for this new game.  Darrell finished the game, AtariAge has had the manuals printed, and is in the process of producing the initial run of carts.  You can read more about this great game here.  Look for Space Rocks in the AtariAge store soon!

Atari Inc. : Business is Fun…

Late last year Curt Vendel and Marty Goldberg completed their book about Atari that was almost eight years in the making.  Nearly 800 pages long and filled with rare photos, memos, and court documents, the book tells the story of Atari.  The book is available from Amazon and some outstanding reviews about the book are posted here.

Twitter…

I decided to open a Twitter account to help me follow developments in the retro game world.  You can follow me…

@Atarigameguy


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Millipede…

Millipede is an arcade game developed by Atari and released in 1982.  Millipede is the sequel to Centipede and the original title for the game was ‘Centipede Plus’.  The game play is similar to Centipede with a number of new features:

  • The Earwig acts the same as the scorpion in Centipede and makes the mushrooms poisonous which will cause the  millipede to drop to the bottom of the screen.
  • The Bee is the same as the flea in Centipede, dropping mushrooms in a line.
  • The Spider behaves the same as in Centipede. More than one spider can appear at the same time on higher levels.
  • The Inchworm slows all enemies, for a short period of time, when hit.
  • The Beetle moves around, then climbs up, turning any mushrooms it touches into invincible flowers. When it is hit, everything on the screen moves down one row.
  • The Dragonfly drops mushrooms while zigzagging down the screen.
  • The Mosquito bounces off the sides of the screen as it descends. When it is hit, everything on the screen moves up one row.
  • The DDT bomb can be blown up, destroying all enemies and mushrooms within the blast radius. Whenever the mushrooms scroll down, a new DDT bomb is added at the top of the screen. Up to four DDT bombs can be in play at one time.

One of the neat things about Millipede is that it allows you to start at different point values.  Thus, an experienced player can skip some of the easier levels.  The Millipede arcade units ran off of standard Atari hardware of the time with a trackball, a fire button, a single 6502 CPU, and two Pokey chips.  Millipede was a moderate hit for Atari, but did not sell as well as Centipede.  Millipede was ported to a number of systems including the Atari 2600, Atari 8-bit computers, and the NES.  A version was developed for the 5200, but was never officially released.

2600 Version…

Millipede for the 2600 was released in 1984 and is one of the more challenging carts to find as this was during the video game crash and not as many carts were produced.  Fortunately, Millipede was included as one of the games on the Atari Flashback 2 and can also be played on a 2600 multi-cart.  Like the 2600 version of Centipede, the graphics and sound are lacking, but the game play is solid, the flicker is minimal, and it includes all of the arcade elements.  the 2600 version of Millipede uses a 16kb cart which is one of the largest ever used by Atari.  You can read more about the 2600 version of Millipede here.

5200 Version…

A port of Millipede was developed for the 5200, but never released.  The 5200 port looks and plays very close to the arcade version.  The graphics and sound are outstanding and all of the enemies are well represented and it even has a cool title screen.  Millipede is a blast to play with the normal 5200 controller and even more fun with the 5200 Trakball.  At one time AtariAge sold some Millipede carts for the 5200, so you might be able to find one.  Otherwise you will need a multi-cart in order to play Millipede for the 5200.  I read a review of the 5200 version of Millipede that stated that the 5200 version was too easy.  I do find Millipede a little easier to play than Centipede, but the 5200 version plays extremely close to the arcade.  You can read more about the 5200 version of Millipede here.

Millipede at Funspot

Millipede at Funspot


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Warlords…

Warlords is a 1980 arcade game developed by Atari.   Atari released the game in both an upright cabinet and a cocktail table version.  The upright version featured a 23” black and white monitor that was reflected in a mirror onto a castle wall background to give a 3D effect.  Color overlays were used to give each castle a different color.  The cocktail table version featured a 14” color monitor.

The concept of Warlords is to ‘attack’ the other players by deflecting the fireballs to break through their castle walls and kill their king.  At the same time, you must protect your own castle.  You can either deflect an incoming fireball or catch it and aim it at another player.  As you hold the fireball, however, sparks will attack and slowly destroy your own castle.  When another player’s king is destroyed, an additional fireball is launched.  The upright cabinet version allowed for 1 or 2 players against the computer, but the table version allowed for as many as 4 players to play simultaneously.

Warlords was only a moderate success for Atari with a little over a thousand of each arcade type sold.

2600 Version…

In 1981 Atari released a port of Warlords for the 2600.  The 2600 version was programmed by Carla Meninsky.  Carla was one of only two women programmers at Atari and had previously programmed the award winning Dodge ‘em.  Compromises were made with the graphics, but the game play survived the conversion to the 2600 intact.  On the 2600, Warlords was played with paddles and as many as 4 players could play simultaneously.  Warlords was one of the top selling games for the 2600 and became the ‘ultimate party game’ back in the early eighties.  I can remember playing Warlords with my friends over and over !

In 2006 Darrell Spice set about to develop a better version of Warlords for the 2600.  With a little help from some friends, he developed Medieval Mayhem with improved graphics, AI, and sound.  Taking advantage of a 32K cart and bank switching, Darrell was able to develop a 2600 game that was much closer to the arcade version than Carla’s 1981 port.  Darrell’s version includes an on screen menu with a number of options including fireball speed, catch, and multiple fireballs.  The graphics are dramatically improved and include the dragon that starts the game by launching the fireball.  You can read more about the development of Medieval Mayhem here.

5200 Version…

Atari never developed a version of Warlords for the 5200, but, in 2004, Bryan Edewaard developed a version which he called ‘Castle Crisis’.  Since the Arcade units, used the same 6502 CPU and Pokey chip for sound as the 5200, Bryan was able to make Castle Crisis look and sound almost arcade perfect.  In fact, it was so close to the arcade that Atari was not originally happy with Castle Crisis being released.  Castle Crisis supports up to 4 simultaneous players, but, of course, you need to have a 4 port 5200 to take advantage of this.  You use the standard 5200 joysticks to play Castle Crisis and I found the control to be satisfactory, but not as easy as with paddle controllers on my 7800.  Some 5200 enthusiasts have developed their own paddle controllers to play this great game.

7800 Version…

Sadly, no 7800 version of Warlords has been developed.  Fortunately both the 2600 versions of Warlords and Medieval Mayhem play perfectly on the 7800.

Recommendations…

It is always hard to decide which version is the best and this time it is particularly difficult as all of these versions are awesome.  Although Castle Crisis is almost arcade perfect, I am going to give a slight edge to Medieval Mayhem as it is just more fun to play this game with paddle controllers.

As a side note, Bryan has also developed an Atari 8-bit version of Castle Crisis and you play that one with paddles!

So…if you have a 2600, 5200, 7800, or Atari 8-bit system, make sure that you get yourself a copy of either Medieval Mayhem or Castle Crisis!  Both of these great games are available from AtariAge.


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Berzerk…

Berzerk is a 1980 video game developed by Stern Electronics of Chicago.  Supposedly Alan McNeil, the designer of Berzerk, had a dream about a black and white video game involving fighting robots.  During the development of Berzerk, Defender was released and the decision was made to release Berzerk in color instead of B&W.  A few early units were, supposedly, released in B&W with color overlays.   The color units were produced in two distinct batches with the second batch having more variety in the colors of the robots and the number of bullets that they fire.  The Berzerk arcade systems are based around a Z80 CPU and it is one of the first video games to feature speech synthesis.  This may not seem like a big deal in 2013, but it was really amazing in 1980.  The first time anyone played Berzerk, they had to be amazed to hear the game talk to them!

The concept of Berzerk is pretty simple…the player is a humanoid in a maze with a bunch of killer robots.  To survive, you must shoot the robots before they shoot you.  You also have to avoid running into the robots, the electrified walls, and Evil Otto.  Evil Otto adds a significant amount of complexity to the game as you must avoid him as you can not kill him.  Alan supposedly named Evil Otto after the security chief at a previous employer.  The robots in Berzerk are not the ‘sharpest tools in the shed’ as they have a tendency to kill themselves by running into the walls or each other.  Although the concept of the game is simple,  players would find themselves putting quarter after quarter into the game.   Berzerk was the first popular ‘shoot em up’ video game and all of today’s popular shooter games can trace their roots back to 1980.  Berzerk was ported to the Vectrex and the Atari 2600 and 5200 consoles.

Berzerk at Funspot

Berzerk at Funspot

2600 Version…

The 2600 version of Berzerk was released in 1982 and was a smash hit.  Berzerk’s simple graphics were faithfully replicated on the 2600 and the game play was almost identical to the arcade.  Atari included 12 variations including ones with and without Evil Otto, non-shooting Robots, and even one where Evil Otto can be shot and will disappear for a few seconds.  I fondly remember playing Berzerk over and  over on my Sears Video Arcade (Atari 2600) in the early 80’s.  It is a fantastic game and there was something cool about the green label and box.  There was one big thing missing, however, from Atari’s 2600 version…voice synthesis.  Back in 1982, most of us figured that this just could not be done on a 2600.

In 2002, Mike Mika proved this wrong when he developed an improved version of Berzerk featuring voice synthesis.  In ‘Berzerk Voice Enhanced‘, Mike also improved the graphics to make them more closely resemble the arcade.  At various points in Mike’s version you will hear ‘intruder alert!’, ‘chicken, fight like a robot’, and ‘humanoid must not escape’.   Berzerk is a great game for the 2600, but Berzerk VE is an outstanding game that belongs in every 2600 collection!

5200 Version…

The 5200 version of Berzerk was released in 1983 and became an instant classic.  Like its 2600 cousin, the 5200 version faithfully replicates the arcade graphics and game play.  The 5200 version takes it to the next level and features full voice synthesis.  Mike’s Berzerk VE for the 2600 is pretty awesome, but the 5200 version is one step better.  The voice synthesis is tied to the game play so that when Evil Otto is about to appear, you will hear ‘intruder alert!’.  The 5200 port is one of the best arcade conversions in the 5200 library and belongs in every 5200 collection.  The only thing missing is a coin slot and ‘coins detected in pocket’.

7800 Version…

Sadly, no 7800 version of Berzerk was developed.  Fortunately, the 7800 plays almost all 2600 games and you can play Berzerk or Berzerk VE on your 7800.  One day, maybe, some enterprising homebrewer will port Berzerk to the 7800 with full voice synthesis.  Until then, you can enjoy the regular 2600 version or the VE version.

Frenzy…

In 1982, Stern followed up Berzerk with Frenzy.  Frenzy was similar, but a little more difficult than Berzerk.  At least in Frenzy, however, it is possible to kill Evil Otto.  Frenzy was ported to the Colecovision, but not to any Atari home consoles.  A while ago, one homebrew developer was thinking about porting Frenzy to the 7800.  Let’s hope that one day this comes to fruition.

Wild for Berzerk!

Wild for Berzerk!


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Tempest…

Tempest is a 1981 arcade game developed by Atari.  Dave Theurer, a senior programmer at Atari, was trying to develop a 3D game similar to Space Invaders, but ran into a whole host of problems.  Supposedly, Dave had a dream about monsters coming out of a hole in the ground, which gave him the idea for what became Tempest.  The technology used in the Tempest arcade systems included Atari’s (then new) QuadraScan color vector generator, a 6502 CPU, and two Pokey chips for sound and I/O.

The QuadraScan technology allowed Dave to generate 3D ‘tubes’ that form the ‘playing field’ for Tempest.  The goal of the game is to use your ‘Zapper’ to shoot as many enemies and last as long as possible.  The enemies, which appear at different levels, include:

  • Flippers-the most common, appear at level one
  • Flipper tankers-which split into two flippers when hit, appear at level three
  • Spikers-they built green spike that can kill you when you warp to a new level, appear at level four
  • Fuseballs-who zip up and down the channels, appear at level eleven
  • Fuseball tankers- which split into two fuseballs when hit, appear at level thirty-three
  • Pulsars-who electrify the channels, appear at level seventeen
  • Pulsar tankers- which split into two pulsars when hit, appear at level forty-one

There are a total of 99 levels in Tempest, with the first sixteen having unique geometric shapes.  They then repeat, with varied color schemes and increasing difficulty, as the game advances.  In additional to an unlimited supply of ammunition for your ‘Zapper’, you also get a ‘Super Zapper’ which can be used twice in each level.  The first time that the Super Zapper is used, it will destroy all enemies on the playing field.  The second time, it only destroys one, random, enemy.  When all enemies are destroyed, you will ‘warp’ through to the next level.  Tempest is also one of the first arcade games to let your pick your starting level.

Tempest was a monster hit for the Atari coin-op division and it was ported to many platforms of the day including the BBC Micro, the ZX Spectrum, and the Atari ST.  Ports were also planned and partially developed for the Atari 2600 and 5200 game consoles, but, until recently, were never released.

Tempest at Funspot

Tempest at Funspot

2600 Version…

Carla Meninsky developed the 2600 version which was planned to be released in 1983, but was never finished.  The 2600 version plays with a similar concept to the arcade version, but the graphics are crude and the playing field is two dimensional.  In her 2600 port, Carla did manage to include four enemies:  Flippers, Flipper Tankers, Pulsars, and Fuseballs.  Tempest was included as one of the games on the Flashback 4 (November 2012), so now it has been ‘officially’ released.  I wanted to like the 2600 version of Tempest, but, honestly, it is pretty horrible.  Graphics and 2D playing field aside, the control and collision detection are terrible.  In fairness to Carla (who also programmed Warlords…an awesome 2600 game), she never had the chance to finish Tempest for 2600 and I am not sure why AtGames included it on the FB4.  You can read more about the 2600 version of Tempest here.

Another Tempest like game, 3D Genesis, was developed for the 2600 by Videosoft.  Although practically complete, it too was not released until recently.  Videosoft managed to create a better, if not perfect, 3D effect on the 2600.  If you have a 2600 and like Tempest, you should take a look at 3D Genesis here.

5200 Version…

Keithen Hayenga, who programmed RealSports Baseball for the 5200, volunteered to develop the 5200 version of Tempest.  Keithen worked closely with Dave Theurer and was able to use some of the same code as Dave had used on the arcade version.  This was possible, since the 5200 also has a 6502 CPU and a Pokey chip for sound and I/O.  This would make the sound and play of the 5200 version nearly the same as the arcade.  Since the arcade units used vector graphics, there was only so much of the code that Keithen could use as the 5200 needed bit mapped graphics.  Like the 2600 version, the 5200 version of Tempest was planned for release in 1983 and is featured as ‘coming soon’ in most of Atari’s advertising and catalogs in 1983.  A 5200 (and 2600) Tempest box was shown in the 1984 movie ‘Cloak and Dagger’.  Like most software projects, the development of Tempest ran behind schedule and came to a stop when Warner sold Atari in 1984 and let go most of the game programmers.

For years, there was speculation, but no copy or prototype of Tempest for the 5200 surfaced until 1999.  That copy was a version that was approximately fifty percent complete and attempts were made to finish the game, but with only limited success.  Ken Van Mersbergen made the effort to track down Keithen in 2002 and they located a more advanced copy of the Tempest source code.  Ken and Dennis Debro worked on the game, but never quite had the time to finish it.  George Reese is credited with somehow sparking Keithen to contact Ken about finishing Tempest.  With the efforts of Ken, Dennis, and Keithen, after nearly thirty years, a finished version of Tempest for the Atari 5200 SuperSystem was made available for sale by AtariAge at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo in September 2012.  Of course the story doesn’t end there.  Shortly after the expo, bugs were discovered in the Trak-ball control of the game, so back went the programmers to fix the bugs.  Finally, in the past week, Tempest has been released with a beautiful reproduction box, a twelve page manual (in full color), and a cool cart label.  The manual (which has had a life of its own), includes three pages on the history of the game.

Tempest for the 5200 does not disappoint.  Other than not being able to render vector graphics, the SuperSystem demonstrates its ability to be a ‘personal arcade system’ and Tempest rocks on the 5200.  Since the sounds and game tables are the same as the arcade version, it is hard to imagine how it could get any better.  Control with the 5200’s analog joystick is solid and, although I prefer the joystick, it also plays well with the Trak-ball.  I did find that in later rounds, you have really work to avoid the spikes when using the joystick.  This is definitely easier to do with the Trak-ball.  All of the arcade levels and features are present, including the ability to pick your starting level.  There is really not much else that can be said other than it is nearly arcade perfect!

A huge thank you needs to go out to Keithen, Ken, and Dennis for their programming work to finally bring this arcade classic home.  Thanks also to Michael Kosaka for his graphics work and to George Reese and David Exton for their work on the box, manual, and label for this game.  Finally, a big thanks to Al Yarusso for all that he does at AtariAge and for his work to program, solder, and assemble all of the Tempest carts.  At best, a few hundred (or maybe a thousand) copies of Tempest will be sold, so there is no big money being made here.  In an era of overpaid celebrities and sports stars, it is really nice to see people do something to make other people’s lives more enjoyable.

If you have a 5200, get over to AtariAge and order yourself a copy of this classic game.  It may have taken thirty years to be completed, but you should not wait another minute to get your copy!

Wild for Tempest!

Wild for Tempest!


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Centipede…

Centipede is a 1980 video game developed by Atari.  It is notable in that it was one of the few video games that was co-developed by a woman (Dona Bailey) and, also had a large female following.  Centipede was a monster hit for Atari and it could be found in nearly every arcade in the early 80’s.  Centipede is based on the standard Atari hardware of the era with a single 6502 CPU, a single Pokey chip,  and a 16 color CRT.

The concept of the game is pretty straight forward.  The centipede starts at the top of the screen and moves down a level every time it encounters a mushroom.  You must use your wand (blaster) to shoot the centipede before it gets to you.   If you hit the centipede in a center section, it will split in two.  You must also defend yourself from spiders that enter from the sides and fleas that fall from the top.  Scorpions periodically run across the screen and ‘poison’ any mushrooms that they contact.  If the centipede contacts a poison mushroom, it will ‘fall’ to the bottom of the screen.

Centipede at Funspot

Centipede at Funspot

Centipede was ported to a number of home consoles and computers including the Apple II, the Commodore 64, and the Atari 800 and the Atari 2600, 5200, and 7800 consoles.  In fact, it is one of the few games to be ported to all 4 of Atari’s 8-bit game systems.

In 1982, Atari released Centipede for the VCS/2600 and, when you power up your 2600 with a Centipede cartridge installed, you will be amazed with the start screen…you will think that you are about to see an amazing graphical port for the 2600.  Unfortunately, the start screen is as far as the amazing graphics go.  The game graphics are disappointing as the mushrooms have become simple square blocks.   As far as the game play goes, however, the 2600 version has it all…mushrooms, spiders, fleas, and scorpions.  It plays as close to the arcade version as any 2600 port.  In fact, Centipede is one of the top games for the 2600!

When the 5200 SuperSystem was introduced in 1982, Centipede was one of the early releases.  Given that a Centipede arcade unit has the same basic CPU and sound chips as a 5200, it should be no surprise that the 5200 version is a classic port.  Like the 2600 version, all of the arcade elements are present, but this time the graphics and sound are spot on.  Control with a standard 5200 joystick is solid, but the 5200 version supports the use of the Trak-ball unit.  Centipede is one of the top games available for the 5200.

In 1987, Atari released Centipede for the 7800 ProSystem.  Even though the 7800 lacks the sound capability of the 4 channel Pokey chip, Centipede is well executed with a nice start screen, great graphics, and more than adequate sound.   The only thing negative to say about the 7800 graphics is the box that is drawn around the screen.   The 7800 version makes up for any shortcomings with neat two player modes.  Two players can alternate turns, play against each other (at the same time), or play together as a team.

It is hard to say which version of Centipede is the best port.  The two player modes in the 7800 version make it a blast to play with a friend, but I give a slight edge to the 5200 version for its accuracy to the arcade version.  No matter which Atari home console you have, a copy of Centipede belongs in your game collection!

Wild for Centipede!

Wild for Centipede!


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Atari 5200 Pac-Man games…

There were only two officially released Pac-Man games for the 5200 (Pac-man and Ms. Pac-Man), but thanks to the efforts of the Atari community, there is now  a complete library of Pac-Man games for the Atari 5200.

Pac-Man…

Pac-Man was one of the launch titles for the 5200 and it is pretty darn good.  In fact, compared to the rather pathetic 2600 version, this game is almost arcade perfect.  The maze has been modified to fit a TV screen, but, otherwise it is all here.  Great colors, arcade like graphics, no flicker, and even intermissions! The only complaint that one could have would be with the 5200 controllers making it difficult to navigate the maze.  I tested the game with a newly re-built controller and found that it only took a few minutes to get used to the feel of the analog joystick. Pac-Man became the ‘pack in’ game for the 5200 in 1983, so it is easy (and cheap) to find a copy.  Pac-Man belongs in every 5200 game collection.

If you want to play a good game, made even better, Bob ‘Pac-Man Plus’ DeCrescenzo ‘hacked’ the 5200 version of Pac-Man to correct some short comings.  Specifically, Bob fixed the ‘flashing’ of the ghosts, the speed of the game to match the arcade version, and the board where the energizers last forever.  Bob’s version is  not available on cart, but you can play it on an emulator or multi-cart.  Read here for more about Bob’s fixes for Pac-Man.

Pac-Man Plus…

Bob ‘Pac-Man Plus’ DeCrescenzo ‘hacked’ the 5200 version of Pac-Man to create Pac-Man Plus.  Bob changed the mazes to be green, changed the ghosts to have leafs on their heads, and changed the fruits to match the bonus items in the arcade version.  He also added some of the other Pac-Man Plus features such as sometimes having the maze turn invisible and having one of the ghosts sometimes not turn blue.  Be warned that these changes make this game more challenging to play, so you will not get bored quickly.  I don’t think that this variation has been made available on a cart, so you will need a multi-cart or emulator to play this version of Pac-Man Plus.  Read more about Bob’s development of this game here.

Hangly-Man…

Hangly-Man was a 1981 clone of Pac-Man by Nittoh.  It is really just a ‘hacked’ version of Pac-Man in a regular Pac-Man cabinet.  The game play is similar, but the mazes are slightly different.  Also, on the third maze and every odd maze after the third maze, the maze is not a maze at all.  There are a few other differences from Pac-Man that is well documented here.  Once again, Bob has come to the rescue and created a version of Hangly-Man  for the 5200.  In the development of his games, Bob always pays attention to detail and this ‘hack’ is no exception.  All of the major features of Hangly-Man are present in Bob’s version.   I don’t think that this variation has been made available on a cart, so you will need a multi-cart or emulator to play this version of Hangly-Mans.  Read more about Bob’s development of this game here.

Pac-Man Arcade…

Perry Thuente started with the 8-bit version of Pac-Man and developed Pac-Man Arcade.  He then ported his 8-bit version to the 5200.  If you are a fan of Pac-Man and have a 5200, then you will want to get a copy of this game.  Perry will either make a cart or provide a copy of the game for your multi-cart for a very reasonable price.  Differences from the ‘standard’ 5200 version includes great title and intro screens, a better looking maze, better looking ghosts (with white eyes), and improved sounds.  You can read more about Perry’s work here.

Ms. Pac-Man…

Ms. Pac-Man was an official release for the 5200 and is an excellent arcade conversion.  Developed by General Computer Corporation and released in 1983, Ms. Pac-Man demonstrates the strength of the 5200 as a great home console for arcade ports.   This game has great graphics, intermissions, four different mazes, bouncing fruits, and four mostly flicker free pesky ghosts with white eyes!  The AI for the ghosts was improved in Ms. Pac-Man, so they are definitely pesky and more difficult to avoid.  Fortunately, you get five lives as you are going to really need them!  Ms. Pac-Man is not quite as easy to find as Pac-Man, but should not be considered a rare title.  A copy Ms. Pac-Man should have a home in every 5200 collection!

Super Pac-Man…

Super Pac-Man was developed and completed for the 5200, but never officially released.  This is really a shame, as this game is almost arcade perfect.  The colors are bright, all of the arcade features are included, and this game provides some variety from the ‘standard’ Pac-Man format.  AtariAge produced a few carts of Super Pac-Man, so you might be able to find a copy or ask them to make you one.  Otherwise, you will need a multi-cart or emulator to play this game.  You can read more about the 5200 version of Super Pac-Man here.

Jr. Pac-Man…

Jr. Pac-Man is another great game that was developed for the 5200, but not officially released.  This version is very close to the arcade and, like the arcade, the screen scrolls horizontally, there are six power pills, and the fruits have been changed.  As the fruit bounces, it changes the dots into larger, more valuable dots, but can also destroy the power pills.  Since this can be happening off-screen, there is some additional strategy to Jr. Pac-Man than other versions.  The only negative thing to say about the 5200 version is that there is some flicker with the ghosts, but nothing that detracts from the game play.  AtariAge produced a few carts of Jr. Pac-Man, so you might be able to find a copy or ask them to make you one.  Otherwise, you will need a multi-cart or emulator to play this game.  It is really too bad that Atari never released this game as it would have been a big hit with 5200 owners.  You can read more about the 5200 version of Jr, Pac-Man here.

Thanks to the Atari community, at least seven great versions of Pac-Man are available to be played on the 5200.  It is always hard to pick a favorite, but, on the 5200, I really enjoy the extra strategy and difficulty of Pac-Man Plus.

Wild for Pac-Man 5200!

Wild for Pac-Man 5200!