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The game is a homebrew homage to various games and Atari-related themes. Development began in 2013 as GTIA Blast!, a tech demo that displayed the potential of the GTIA chip's rarely utilized graphics mode. Later it evolved into a complete game, and during development it took usage of the other graphics modes, thus was renamed to AtariBlast!. It has vertically …

It's dangerous, it's devious, it's Xevious. Never before has a tag line so perfectly summed up a video game. Xevious was one of the first (if not the first) in a new genre of arcade games: the scrolling shooter. While we make take such games for granted today, back in 1982 such a concept was unheard of. Most games of …

Xari Arena is one of those games you look at and say, "What the hell is going on here?" From the moment you turn it on you're greeted by some of the coolest looking graphics the 5200 ever saw. At its core Xari Arena is Breakout in reverse, but there's much more to it than meets the eye. Your goal …

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Upon its release in 1980, Tempest took the arcades by storm (no pun intended). Its mix of fast addictive gameplay and beautiful color vector graphics (a first for Atari), helped make Tempest an instant hit. What most people don't know is that Tempest actually started out as a first person perspective Space Invaders game. It wasn't until Dave Theurer added …

Based on the 1982 arcade game of the same name, Super Pac-Man has always been considered to be the red-headed stepchild of the Pac-Man family. This is because Super Pac-Man's gameplay is a bit different from the other Pac-Man titles, and doesn't appeal to all tastes (mostly Pac-Man purists). However those who give Super Pac-Man a chance to prove itself …

Stargate was the 1982 sequel to Williams' smash arcade hit Defender. Stargate's name was changed to Defender II sometime after 1984 due to some kind of copyright problem. As with most sequels, Stargate didn't change the game formula that helped make the original game a hit. Instead Stargate expanded on the formula...

Sport Goofy is an interesting game that came out of Atari's licensing deal with Disney (also see Sorcerer's Apprentice and Snow White for the 2600). As the title suggests, this game is loosely (very loosely) based on the old Sport Goofy cartoon in which Goofy would try and compete at several different sporting events (with disastrous yet hilarious results). While …

Of all the prototypes that have passed through my hands over the years, Spitfire is definitely one of the strangest. Part Zaxxon and part Star Raiders, Spitfire appears to have been Atari's first attempt into the realm of 3D shooters. While the current known prototype may not be very complete (approx. 50%), it shows that the 5200 was indeed capable …

Road Runner is a strategy game based on the old sliding tile game and has no relation to the 1985 Atari arcade game of the same name (which the 2600 version was based on).

Like its 2600 cousin, the Atari 5200 version of RS Basketball never made it into production. Why Atari couldn't get either version out the door before the crash hit is unknown, but it appears that they tried at least two different versions for the 5200 before pulling the plug. While the later version resembles the aborted 2600 version, the earlier …

When you think of the Atari 5200 games what's the first thing that comes to mind? Great arcade ports, the RealSports series, miniature golf... Miniature Golf?!?! Yes that's right, Atari was planning on bringing one of the worlds most underrated sports to the 5200. But was the public ready?

As most people know, Millipede was the sequel to the arcade smash hit Centipede. Although Millipede never reached the same level of popularity as its multi-legged cousin, it's still a great game in its own right and deserves more recognition. Apparently Atari felt the same way as Millipede was planned for all four of its game systems: 2600, 5200, 400/800, …

It seems as if every video game system in the 80's had a Backgammon game. What's curious is that no one I know will admit to being a Backgammon player. Was Backgammon really that popular or was it just an easy game to program? Either way, the 5200 was no exception to the Backgammon rule, and Microgammon SB was going …

Meebzork is one of the more unusual prototypes for the 5200. With its unique mix of action and adventure, Meebzork is as close to an RPG as the 5200 ever got. However did you know that there were two completely different versions of Meebzork created? Meebzork was originally a fast paced shooting game before being retooled into an adventure game. …

As they had done with the CCW series on the 2600, Atari was planning on using popular children's television and cartoon characters in several 5200 games in an attempt to attract non-gamers to the struggling system. Looney Tunes was a perfect fit since Time Warner owned Atari at the time (1983) and they had access to all the WB characters …

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Koffi is a little kopter, and not allowed to go with the bigger rescue kopters on missions. But when Koffi learns of an insidious plan of Pyro the stormcloud to burn down the forests ... Koffi must take action! Protect the forests and the animals that live there, and defeat the villainous Pyro the electrified stormcloud! Koffi is a one-screen …

Following the success of Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Super Pac-Man, Bally-Midway decided that they would release yet another Pac-Man game. The problem was how did they keep the Pac-Man concept fresh while still staying close to the gameplay of the original? The answer? Jr. Pac-Man! Although it might not be immediately obvious, Jr. Pac-Man is supposed to be the son …

Frisky Tom is a port of the obscure Nichibutsu coin-op of the same name in which you play a plumber who must climb up and fix broken pipes to keep a steady stream of water flowing from the tank at the top of the screen to the reservoir at the bottom. Unfortunately this house is infested with mice which roam …

Final Legacy was one of those 5200 prototypes that we all suspected was out there somewhere. Even though Final Legacy came out for the Atari 400/800 in 1984, an Atari 5200 prototype wasn't discovered until 1998. As was expected, the 5200 version appears to be identical to its 400/800 counterpart except for the obvious controller differences and the lack of …

Fans of the classic Atari arcade game Warlords will be pleased to learn that Bryan Edewaard has developed a version for the Atari 5200 titled Castle Crisis. In this fast-paced game, up to four players can compete against one another or computer opponents. Using your shield, you must capture and launch fireballs against an enemy's castle, while protecting your own …

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