Mystery 5200 Cart

[Tempest]

Now don't get all excited, I don't actually own a new undiscovered game, but I did find something interesting.

 

I was just looking at the box for my 4 port 5200 and noticed the cart plugged into the system looked weird. Upon further inspection I discovered that it doesn't match any known 5200 cart. I also noticed that it doesn't even have a name on it, it must be some kind of mock-up. But why would they use a mock-up cart in the system instead of the regular Super Breakout cart? The picture even shows them playing Super Breakout (or it would if I hadn't cropped it out). Also, you can see there's even a box for the game. Very odd, I wonder what it was?

 

Anyone have an idea on what this mock-up cart was or why they even bothered using it? Here are some pictures of it (sorry for the quality, but the actual pictures are quite small).

 

 

http://www.msu.edu/user/reicher6/5200mystery1.jpg

http://www.msu.edu/user/reicher6/5200mystery2.jpg

 

 

Tempest

 

[ 09-22-2001: Message edited by: Tempest ]

[Gunstar]

When I was looking at the first picture, I thought for sure it was an arm holding up a sword, and SwordQuest popped into my head. But the second pictur of the cartridge showing a man made me take a second look at the first picture. Are they both the man for sure? Maybe it still is a mock-up of a SwordQuest anyway? Maybe they originally planned to show them playing something besides Super Breakout, but for whatever reason, it never came about? Questions, questions...for some strange reason Conan also comes to mind, I guess because you get the feeling of an adventure game and Conan for the Apple/800/C64(?) came out around or just before the life of the 5200. Although I think they would have had to cut out some levels to make it fit. Hows that for theories?

[cx2k]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Tempest:

Anyone have an idea on what this mock-up cart was or why they even bothered using it?

---

 

Matt,

 

The images on the box are alternate artwork for Super Breakout. You can't see the whole cart but the guy is holding some type of paddle that he's hitting the ball against the bricks with. This may have been the original design for the Super Breakout cart.

 

If you look closely at the game box, you can make out that it says Super Breakout on the side.

 

What's interesting is that my 5200 box which I'm pretty sure came from a 4-port also only has your "mystery1" pic. The close-up of the system (mystery2) shows the released Super Breakout artwork. I wonder at what point they changed it?

 

Hope that helps.

 

John

[Tempest]

I figured it was something like that. I can see how those rainbow colors behind the guy on the box could be bricks. Do you have a better picture of the whole box or cart?

 

My 4 port box is really old, I think it's one of the first runs of the 5200. The blue stripe across it doesn't say "Super System" like the smaller 2 port box. Instead it says "Advanced Video Entertainment System" (I thought it was always known as the Super System).

 

One other thing that I find odd about my box is that it has a picture of the Suepr Breakout cart on the front and it has the released artwork. Why not use that on the back of the box then? Odd... I can scan the entire box if you want.

 

Tempest

[cx2k]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Tempest:

Odd... I can scan the entire box if you want.

---

 

Nah. Just bring it to Sean's house with you.

 

 

I don't have any better scans than what you have. My box also says Advanced Videogame....., etc.

 

Don't know why. Maybe they thought it sounded better or more accurately described the system than SuperSystem.

 

John

[Gunstar]

It certainly would have made more sense if it had been called the "Advanced Video Computers System," hence: AVCS, as the heir to the thrown apparent. But then, Nintendo called their heir the SuperNintendo or SNES. Of course the short term for the 5200 is "5200," not 5200vcs. But the whole 5200 thing really doesn't fit in the first place; you can't compare the VCS and the SuperSystem and say the latter is twice that of the former, in power or any other way. It can only be considered at sequel. The 7800 is more like the direct heir apparent to the 2600 since they are compatible. The 5200 is a crippled 8-bit computer, optimized for video games. Which makes for a great console, but not the true heir to the 2600's thrown. Not that it matters in the end, none of Atari's later systems ever regained the true videogame thrown that was ousted by Nnintendo.

 

[ 09-23-2001: Message edited by: Gunstar ]