Atari 8-bit to 5200, which port is better?

[AtarinDave]

Hello, fellow Atarians. I am not sure if anyone has done a topic on this yet, but if so, my apologies. Anyway, when I got an Atari 800, I noticed how the 5200 games are almost exact to some of the Atari 8-bit computer games. For example: Pacman, Jungle Hunt, Star Raiders, Rescue on Fractalus, etc. I am curious on which version of those games are better in your opinion .

 

For me, I think Missile Command is the best on the Atari 5200, those joysticks, as horrible as they are, work perfectly on Missile Command. Of course, it's always good to use an Atari 2600 joystick or something similar on the Atari 8-bit computer, but I enjoy it more with the 5200 joysticks.

 

This being said, games like Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Mario Bros, etc. don't do it for me. Those joysticks are awful for those games. But playing on the Atari 8-bit seems to fix all of those issues on that matter(Keep in mind, you can use a Sega Genesis controller on the 8-bit computers ).

 

I would like to hear your opinions, please share!

[boxpressed]

I really like my 5200 and 8-bit both, for different reasons. You're right that the difference between games on the two usually will be the controllers (some 5200 games are updated versions of the 8-bit original, however).

 

My example involves an uncommon controller: the Battlestation II arcade stick. If you hook up one of these to your 8-bit, Robotron is amazing. I know that the 5200 has the coupler for the stock controller, and it's good, but it doesn't compare to this setup. If you can get the 8-bit conversion of 5200 Space Dungeon, you have another awesome experience.

Edited October 3, 2015 by boxpressed

[AtarinDave]

I really like my 5200 and 8-bit both, for different reasons. You're right that the difference between games on the two usually will be the controllers (some 5200 games are updated versions of the 8-bit original, however).

 

My example involves an uncommon controller: the Battlestation II arcade stick. If you hook up one of these to your 8-bit, Robotron is amazing. I know that the 5200 has the coupler for the stock controller, and it's good, but it doesn't compare to this setup. If you can get the 8-bit conversion of 5200 Space Dungeon, you have another awesome experience.

Whoa, that thing looks awesome! Thanks for sharing

[Lynxpro]

I really like my 5200 and 8-bit both, for different reasons. You're right that the difference between games on the two usually will be the controllers (some 5200 games are updated versions of the 8-bit original, however).

 

My example involves an uncommon controller: the Battlestation II arcade stick. If you hook up one of these to your 8-bit, Robotron is amazing. I know that the 5200 has the coupler for the stock controller, and it's good, but it doesn't compare to this setup. If you can get the 8-bit conversion of 5200 Space Dungeon, you have another awesome experience.

 

It's a shame 5200 Cloak & Dagger hasn't been completed as of yet because in theory, that would be another Dual Joystick game. It's also too bad Atari Inc didn't start work on a 5200 port of Black Widow for the same reason.

[ZylonBane]

The games that were originally written for the 5200, then ported to the 8-bit computers, are the best of all.

[SoundGammon]

DIG DUG, CENTIPEDE, QIX versions are way better on the 5200.

 

Redone from scratch!

 

 

Also, STAR RAIDERS had a couple bug fixes too, also better control with the 5200 controller!

[AtarinDave]

DIG DUG, CENTIPEDE, QIX versions are way better on the 5200.

 

Redone from scratch!

 

 

Also, STAR RAIDERS had a couple bug fixes too, also better control with 5200 controller!

Wow, you enjoy Star Raiders on the 5200 more than 8-bit? That's pretty cool.

[BydoEmpire]

I don't have tons of carts on both systems for some reason. I don't know if there were different versions or what, but 5200 Pac Man doesn't seem to be the same game as my 8-bit Pac Man cart. The 5200 version plays much better, imho.

 

+1 on Missile Command for the 5200, although the 8-bit version is great, too.

 

Genesis pad on an 8-bit... bleh. Joystick or bust for me (of course, Genesis arcade stick on an 8-bit is pretty awesome).

[Lynxpro]

Any game that appears on the A8 and the 5200 from the original time period is going to be better on the 5200 assuming your joysticks work.

 

The 5200 also has the advantage of analog controllers including the 5200 Trak-Ball which the A8 does not support.

 

The titles that appear on both that will be better on the A8 will be the later Atari Corp re-releases which sometimes took advantage of the 64K RAM of the XE Game System, such as the XEGS version of Crystal Castles. But it doesn't support the Trak-Ball and many have said that game is too CPU-intense to support it whether we're talking on the 2600, the 5200, or the A8. Then again, people said the same thing about Centipede/Millipede on the 2600 and then Thomas Jentzsch and OmegaMatrix just proved them [and even themselves] wrong over the past few weeks by making it happen.

[SoundGammon]

Wow, you enjoy Star Raiders on the 5200 more than 8-bit? That's pretty cool.

I like both versions! Like using the keyboard on the 8-bit for a 2 player type game.

 

One player on the joystick and the other manning the keyboard.

 

Always wanted to play a 3 player version: 1st player on the keyboard, 2nd player on the joystick, and 3rd player at the captains chair directing the play!

 

Star Trek style!

 

I plan to take my 600XL and take out the basic rom and put in a Star Raiders rom so the game will always be ready to play!

 

I want to try doing Star Raiders/Galaxian on my XE system rom when I get some time!

 

I did that something like that for a guy years ago and put a Galaxian rom in his 600XL!

Edited October 18, 2015 by SoundGammon