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MAVERICK'S LIST OF ATARI 5200 VIDEOGAMES

The 5200 was Atari's follow-up to the 2600.
It was quite a step ahead with marked
improvements in sound and graphics.  The
advanced capabilities of the system were
in part due to it being designed along
the same lines as the Atari 400/800
home computers.  One unfortunate downfall
of the 5200 was the over-engineered
joystick.  The "analog" stick (which
is now an "innovation" in the Nintendo 64)
allowed for greater control options but
the fire buttons and numeric keypad buttons
used a printed circuit board contact
much like a TV remote control.  With
constant use these contacts often become
dirty and malfunction.  However, the 5200
is still respected by many and will always
be one of my favorites both for the
excellent library of games and because
mine won me a trip to San Francisco for
the U.S. 2600/5200 Centipede championship.

Some of my favorite titles are marked * and
have a brief commentary as to their merits.

B M O GAME (MANUFACTURER)
---------------------------------------------
X X X CENTIPEDE (ATARI)*
       retains the fast action excitement of
       the arcade game and has a trackball
       option as well.  
X X X PAC-MAN (ATARI)
X X X SUPER BREAKOUT (ATARI)*
       yes, the game has been done time and
       again but I don't think any of them
       sound or look as nice as this one.
       And nothing beats keeping three balls
       going at once in cavity


S.K. M-C

GAME (MANUFACTURER)
---------------------------------------------
ASTRO CHASE (PARKER BROTHERS)
BALLBLAZER (ATARI/LUCASFILM)*
 can't say that I prefer this over the 7800
 version, but I like both just as much.
 A unique game idea from Lucasfilm.
BATTLEZONE (ATARI)
BEAMRIDER (ACTIVISION)
BERZERK (ATARI)
BLUE PRINT (CBS ELECTRONICS)
BUCK ROGERS: PLANET OF ZOOM (SEGA)
CENTIPEDE (ATARI)
CHOPLIFTER (ATARI)
CONGO BONGO (SEGA)
COUNTERMEASURE (ATARI)*
 a refuge for Tank players but unfortunately
 no simultaneous two-player action and a
 laughably simple strategy element grafted
 on.  Still a lot of fun and challenging
 when jets start swooping in on your tank
 just as you get stuck in the woods.
 And previous Tank games never showed a map 
 of the world dissolve into a skull and 
 crossbones when you lost.
DECATHLON (ACTIVISION)
DEFENDER (ATARI)
DIAGNOSTIC CARTRIDGE V2.3 (ATARI)
DIG DUG (ATARI)
THE DREADNAUGHT FACTOR (ACTIVISION)
FOOTBALL (ATARI)
FROGGER (PARKER BROTHERS)*
 nice rendition of arcade game where you guide
 jumping frogs through traffic and across a pond.
 Did they ever say why this frog couldn't swim? 
FROGGER II: THREEDEEP! (PARKER BROTHERS)
GALAXIAN (ATARI)
GORF (CBS ELECTRONICS)
GREMLINS (ATARI)
GYRUSS (PARKER BROTHERS)*
H.E.R.O. (ACTIVISION)
JAMES BOND 007 (PARKER BROTHERS)
JOUST (ATARI)*
 although it is not as faithful to the arcade
 game as the 7800 version, it has it's own
 feel and is as much fun.
JR. PAC-MAN (ATARI)
JUNGLE HUNT (ATARI)
K-RAZY SHOOTOUT (CBS ELECTRONICS)
KABOOM! (ACTIVISION)*
 how fast can you go?  Simple but challenging
 game of trying to catch bombs dropped by
 computer controlled bandit.  Game speed
 gradually increases until you are catching
 bombs faster than you thought possible (and
 then you lose.)  Also has two player version
 where one person drops bombs and the other
 tries to catch them.  Unfortunately it lacks
 the paddle control which makes the original
 2600 version feel right.  Fortunately I have
 converted a paddle to work on the 5200 so I
 can have the best of both worlds!
KANGAROO (ATARI)
KEYSTONE KAPERS (ACTIVISION)
THE LAST STARFIGHTER (ATARI)
LOONEY TUNES HOTEL (ATARI)
MARIO BROTHERS (ATARI)
MEEBZORK (ATARI)
MEGAMANIA (ACTIVISION)
METEORITES (ELECTRA CONCEPTS)
MICRO-GAMMON (ATARI)
MILLIPEDE (ATARI)
MINER 2049'ER (BIG FIVE SOFTWARE)
MINIATURE GOLF (ATARI)
MISSILE COMMAND (ATARI)*
 although it isn't 100% faithful to the arcade
 game, playing this game with the trackball will
 bring back memories.  Try to be as fast and
 accurate as possible shooting enemy missiles
 as they rain down on your cities.
MONTEZUMA'S REVENGE (PARKER BROTHERS)*
 interesting and creative adventure game where
 you explore an underground Mayan temple for
 treasures.  Great graphics and gameplay.
MOON PATROL (ATARI)*
 another arcade classic that came home.  Drive
 your moon buggy from checkpoint to checkpoint
 while jumping over and shooting obstacles
 and avoiding bomb-droping UFO's.
MOUNTAIN KING (CBS ELECTRONICS)
MR. DO'S CASTLE (PARKER BROTHERS)
MS. PAC-MAN (ATARI)
PAC-MAN (ATARI)
PENGO (ATARI)
PITFALL! (ACTIVISION)
PITFALLII (ACTIVISION)
POLE POSITION (ATARI)
POPEYE (PARKER BROTHERS)
Q*BERT (PARKER BROTHERS)*
QIX (ATARI)*
 deceptively simple and abstract game of 
 drawing boxes to fill the screen without
 getting hit by the spinning Qix (or two.)
QUEST FOR QUINTANA ROO (SUNRISE SOFTWARE)
REALSPORTS BASEBALL (ATARI)
REALSPORTS BASKETBALL (ATARI)
REALSPORTS FOOTBALL (ATARI)
REALSPORTS SOCCER (ATARI)
REALSPORTS TENNIS (ATARI)
RESCUE ON FRACTALUS! (ATARI/LUCASFILM)
RIVER RAID (ACTIVISION)*
 fly a jet fighter through a twisting river
 canyon while basically blowing up everything
 in sight (including the fuel which you need
 to continue the mission... so stop blowing
 up everything in sight.)
ROADRUNNER (ATARI)
ROBOTRON: 2084 (ATARI)*
 a good rendition of the arcade game featuring
 your lone robot against waves of many.  Though 
 not quite as faithful as the 7800 adaptation,
 the "controller adapter" that locks two joysticks
 side-by-side allows you to duplicate the dual
 joystick fire/move feature of the original.
 Now that's fun!
SPACE DUNGEON (ATARI)*
 uses the same side-by-side adapter as Robotron
 to duplicate the dual joystick control of the
 arcade game.  Quick shooting fun as you move
 from room to room grabbing treasures and 
 zapping attackers.
SPACE INVADERS (ATARI)*
SPACE SHUTTLE (ACTIVISION)
SPITFIRE (ATARI)
SPORT GOOFY (ATARI)
STAR RAIDERS (ATARI)*
 every Star Wars fanatic was able to be a
 starfighter pilot in this first-person style
 space combat game.
STAR WARS ROTJ: DEATH STAR BATTLE (PARKER BROTHERS)
STAR WARS: THE ARCADE GAME (PARKER BROTHERS)
STARTREK: STRATEGIC OPERATIONS SIMULATOR (SEGA)
SUPER BREAKOUT (ATARI)
SUPER COBRA (PARKER BROTHERS)*
 criticized as insanely difficult (especially at
 higher levels), I still enjoy this game of 
 squeezing your helicopter through narrow underground 
 tunnels, dodging missiles,  dropping bombs, and 
 trying to refuel before getting more fuel.  Of course
 I wouldn't like it as much if I had to pay a quarter
 every time I died, but if you relish a challenge then
 this one's for you.
TRACK 'N FIELD (ATARI)
VANGUARD (ATARI)
WIZARD OF WOR (CBS ELECTRONICS)*
 another one of my arcade favorites.  One or two
 players armed with some kind of laser rifle try
 to clear monsters from various mazes and then
 face-off against the Wizard of Wor.  Quirky
 game with cool recoil effect when characters
 fire their guns.  Also nice because it can be
 played cooperatively (and definitely needs to
 be at the higher levels.)
XARI ARENA (ATARI)
XEVIOUS (ATARI)
ZAXXON (SEGA)
ZENJI (ACTIVISION)


09/16/97

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