What were YOUR first 5200 cartridges when you first got your system?

[BIGHMW]

May 19th, 1983, as a birthday present for my 17th Birthday:

 

Serial No. 141101, made In U.S.A., four controller port version

 

....and a CX53 Trak-Ball Controller

 

First games:

 

Super Breakout (as the pack-in), and Missile Command

 

One week later:

 

Centipede and Pac-Man

 

Then I started adding 2 new cartridges (sometimes more than 2) on to it every month after that until I almost had them all.

 

I also picked up two Wico 5200 joysticks with those awesome separate keypads, that were touch-tone telephone-quality, and they are still great!!!

 

I was also a bit frustrated with some of the 400/800/XL/XE games not being available (like Asteroids, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Junior, and Caverns Of Mars at the time) for the 5200 despite them both using the same graphics.

 

Things sure have changed over the past four decades with vintage gaming and I have to thank Best Electronics, AtariAge, AtariMax, CPUWIZ Himself, Good Deal Homebrew Games, and all of you, for keeping the fires burning for all of us that thumb our noses at the Nintendo/Xbox/PlayStation gaming establishment and coming out with XL conversions, finished (and sometimes unfinished) prototypes (like Tempest, Millipede, and Asteroids) and of course, the Homebrew community that we all represent by buying your games!!!

 

Whether we have them on cartridge or SD card, or both, we, the vintage gaming community, continue to support and thank you all.

 

[Atari Nut]

It's not easy to remember that long ago, but I think I bought Pac-Man, Galaxian and Space Invaders. Shortly afterwards I bought Star Raiders, Countermeasure and Qix. Nice setup you have there. I'm with you, thanks to everyone for their support!

Edited April 30, 2018 by Atari Nut

[+Ryan Witmer]

I bought my first 5200 around 2008 or so, shortly after I moved to Seattle. I ordered it with four or five games that I remembered from when I used to play the 5200 at other people's houses.

 

I definitely got Super Breakout, since it was the original pack-in, it seemed appropriate. I also know that I got Qix, Star Raiders, and Countermeasure since those were some of my favorites from back in the day.

 

I'm pretty sure Berzerk was also in that initial purchase. I had been messing around with some 5200 games on my computer and after sitting there for hours playing Berzerk, I realized that I needed get my hands on the real thing.

 

So yeah, blame Berzerk.

[NE146]

Yep.. it was 100% Super Breakout and Pacman simultaneously. I forget what was the next game we'd get, but I think it was Countermeasure. I don't know why I skipped out on Galaxian but I think by that time my feeling was that it was mostly a has-been game.

[jjh76]

My first 5200's I rescued last year. A couple of 4-ports, the guy at my local retro game shop let me have them for free since he was just going to toss them out!

 

Although they had the original power cords they were missing the controllers and the rf switchbox. After getting a switchbox off ebay to make sure they powered on (eventually did the power mod to both), the first games I bought were Super Breakout, Ms.Pacman, Star Wars Arcade, and Missile Command.

[SINGLE TOOTH]

Did some systems come with both Super Breakout and Pacman?

[SpotAnime]

I want to say we got ours Christmas 1982, definitely with Super Breakout and Pac Man. But I also remember getting Pole Position with it as well? But I don't think that got released until later...

[edladdin]

Whew, I can't remember the details... Mine was a four port, but the pack-in had already switched to Pac-Man. The carts that came after were Moon Patrol, Qix, Gyruss, Space Dungeon. And I remember playing a bunch of Dreadnought Factor, but I think I must have borrowed that from someone else.

[+sramirez2008]

I purchased my first 5200 a couple of years ago. I picked up Defender, Qix and Countermeasure that first day.

 

Today, I spent the last two hours playing Space Invaders and Missile Command with the Trak-ball controller. I really like 5200 Space Invaders, and love the CX53.

[+Ryan Witmer]

I purchased my first 5200 a couple of years ago. I picked up Defender, Qix and Countermeasure that first day.

 

Today, I spent the last two hours playing Space Invaders and Missile Command with the Trak-ball controller. I really like 5200 Space Invaders, and love the CX53.

 

I love 5200 Space Invaders, and I was so excited to find my copy. I actually prefer the joystick to the trakball for that one, although Galaxian is trakball all the way.

[+Cafeman]

I had to think a bit. I got my 2600 in May 1982. Sold it and used the money to get a 5200 in summer 1983. Pac-man was the pack-in. I think the next games I bought were Q*Bert, Joust, Mario Bros, and Qix. Oh yeah, and Defender.

 

I remember borrowing Berzerk, Dig Dug, and Jungle Hunt off a friend. Then during the crash picked up a bunch more like Countermeasure, Ms Pac-man, Vanguard. I didnt own too many more than that, although i had the A8 versions of many games on disks. I picked up a ton more carts in year 2000 when I rediscovered the 5200.

[Atari PAC-MAN Fan]

Did some systems come with both Super Breakout and Pacman?

 

 

From what I read, I believe Super Breakout was the pack-in game when the system was first launched in ‘82. When they rereleased it without that damn switch box, I believe that’s when they switched to Pac-Man.

[The Lizard King]

Joust, Jungle Hunt, Defender, and Pac-Man. I think my 5200 came bundled with the Pac-Man cart.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

I picked mine up from the local flea market in the early 2000's. I don't remember it having any games with it at the time. But i do remember that I picked up a Ms. Pac-man and Star Raiders from a thrift store and retro game store for like $1 each on the same day I got it. My next purchase was Rescue on Fractalus via Ebay. Just kinda grew from there. But Star Raiders and Fractalus were the two games I most wanted to play and actually sought out the 5200 for in the first place.

[K-Rod 13]

Purchased mine with a few games bundled but my interest was for Berzerk. The fact that it had speech similar to the arcade was cool to me. As the collection grew, Space Invaders, Super Cobra, K-Razy Shootout and Gremlins are played more often now. Gremlins is such an addicting yet challenging game as you progress in the later levels, give it a try or re-visit it if you have a chance. I'm currently looking into finding/buying a converted 5200 Joystick-to-Paddle controller and wondering if anyone knows who sells or makes these? Playing Kaboom with a pad or stick after a while can deflate the fun factor pretty quick.

[edladdin]

 

 

From what I read, I believe Super Breakout was the pack-in game when the system was first launched in ‘82. When they rereleased it without that damn switch box, I believe that’s when they switched to Pac-Man.

 

There was some crossover. Mine was a four port with the weirdo switch box, but the pack in was Pac-Man.

[Gabriel]

Of course Super Breakout was my first game. I forget how long it was my ONLY game. I was just happy to have the 5200 at that time, so you've never seen someone so overjoyed to play Super Breakout.

 

I forget what I got first. I'm pretty sure I got Qix, Countermeasure, and Star Raiders all in short order. I think Star Raiders was my first separately sold game. I'm not 100% sure, but I do know I got it very early and Star Raiders was probably THE game I was most excited about.

 

Later I got Defender, Football, Baseball, and Star Trek.

 

I'm pretty sure the final new 5200 game I got back in the day was Pole Position. I didn't score any new 5200 goodness until post-2000.

[BassGuitari]

I think I got my first Atari 5200 in 2002 or 2003, on eBay. It was one of the first systems I picked up on my retro gaming journey (the first being the Odyssey 2, Intellivision, and Atari VCS). Beautiful 2-port system in an Atari Corp. box.

 

It came with four cartridges but I honestly can't remember which ones now. I know Pac-Man and Berzerk were two of them, though.

[7800fan]

I think it was 1998 when I got my first 5200, it came with a few games. The first game I played was Qix.

[David Alexander]

Pac Man, Vanguard, Wizard of Wor

[FireHawk]

I saved up my earned money all Summer 1983 Detasseling corn.

I purchased my Atari 5200 in Fall 1983.

It had Super Breakout as the Pack-In.

My first purchased game was Countermeasure !

I loved that game.

I think my 2nd purchase for the system was Pole Position !

I loved that game too.

I didn't have any issues with the joysticks and LOVED the Pause button feature !

[+sramirez2008]

Countermeasure is a great game and the Pause button was an excellent idea.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVb1M0Vg1no

[Omega-TI]

I think it was 1998 when I got my first 5200, it came with a few games. The first game I played was Qix.

 

Great game! I've always wanted to see a port of this to my favorite computer system of the era, but strangely enough it's never made the trip.

[0078265317]

Mine came with pacman.