Port of the Atari coin-op, Battlezone was an instant hit upon its release in the arcades in 1980. Not only was Battlezone one of the first successful vector graphic games, but also one of the first true 3-D games. When Atari decided to port Battlezone to its home consoles they went two different routes based on the capabilities of the …

Long before there was Karateka, there was Black Belt. Black Belt was Atari's entry into the martial arts genre at a time when such games were almost unheard of. Black Belt is a multi-screened action game with amazing visuals and easy to understand controls. Had it been released, Black Belt would have been the first one-on-one fighting game and a …

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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 …

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).

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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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

A port of the classic computer game, A.E. is a most unusual 5200 prototype. It was never announced by Atari nor was it mentioned in any internal documents. In fact A.E. just appeared out of the blue one day when a collector found a copy in a box of old 5200 prototypes. Why Atari was considering porting a two year …

The Atari 5200 version of Asteroids holds a special place in history as the only launch title never to be released. That's right, Asteroids part number is CX-5201 and was the first game planned for the new Atari 5200 system.

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 …

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 …

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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 …

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. …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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...

Astro Grover (along with Muppet Go-Round and Big Bird’s Hide and Seek) was part of Atari’s planned children’s line of games for the Atari 5200. These titles would have utilized the 5200 Kid’s Controller, which was actually just a giant keypad that would have easy for children with small hands to use. However, while the 2600 children’s line was released …