Atarisoft Proving Grounds Atari 8bit / 5200  vs Colecovision:

Today we start a new series on the channel where we compare the Atari Soft classic ports from one machine against the other. We are not really comparing the merits of the machines against one another, because we have all seen that most of these 8bit machines can be pushed to do much more than they were used for in the early 80s. 

That being said, we will be showing these in worst to best order, ranked based on the overall quality of the port. 

There were 4 games by Atarisoft ported to the 5200 and Atari 8bit computers as well as the Colecovision. These are: Centipede, Defender, Galaxian and Jungle Hunt

Unlike the pure Atari System Proving Grounds, we will not be looking at any clones this time, only official versions as if we did clones of all these, the video would be hours long. 

Let’s get started with Centipede

The Centipede Arcade machine,  Programmed by Ed Logg and Donna Bailey. was released by Atari in 1981. 

In this classic fixed shooter, the player is trapped in the Enchanted Forest. Armed with only a magic wand to ward off the forest’s insect denizens, all of which are attacking the player in continuous waves.

You must use this magic wand to shoot sparks at approaching insects to score points by pressing the controller button. Holding down the controller button will set the wand to rapid-fire shots. If the player is bitten by an insect, the player will be temporarily paralyzed and lose one of the three starting magic wands.

First up, we have the 1982 Atari 8bit computer port, programmed by Dave Getreu, which is by far the weakest of the three  graphically, but it has the gameplay where it counts.  

Second, but pretty much ultimately tired for first is the 1983 Colecovision programmed Programmed by Larry Clague is considered by many to be far superior to the Atari 8bit version and I see why, but for me it’s a little too erratic game-play wise to be in the top spot.

Tied with the Coloco version for my favorite is the th 1983 Atari5200,  programmed by Frank Hausman, and W. Sean Hennessy. This version was later ported officially to the Atari 8bits and for me is the premier 8bit port of these three. 

The gameplay of all three are close, but this looks and sounds the best.

Notably, all three have the auto fire option and both the Coleco and 5200 could be played with a dedicated trak-ball controller. The Atari 8 bit could be played with the 2600 Trackball and joystick mode, but you’ll need to play the centipede + home brew to get the full trackball experience on the 8bit computers

Defender. programmed by Eugene P. Jarvis, Samuel Dicker. was released in 1981 by Williams Defender puts players in charge of a ship sent to protect and literally rescue mankind from wave after wave of attacking alien forces.

Armed with smart bombs and the ability to use hyperspace to move quickly around the planet, the player ship must fight against Bombers, Pods, Swarmers, Baiters, and Landers – that can capture the humanoids and transform them into deadly and relentless Mutants. Fail to save the humanoids from freefall or Mutant transformation, and the planet is destroyed.

For 1983 Colecovision no programming is credit available, but  is a decent port, and while it looks pretty good, the controls are a little sticky, making it difficult to turn your ship fast enough. One selling point though is the multi-button controller on the Coleco makes using hyperspace and smart bombs eas that the Atari8 bit computer version

1982 Atari 8bit / 5200 Programmed by Steve A. Baker – While this port is basically Apple II code ported directly to the Atari 8bit by programmer Baker, it plays really well. I have seen some hand wringing over it on Atarimania, and we all would have liked to see the Archer Mclean version be released by Atari, but as it stands, at least of these two, it stands out as my personal favorite, Not, the smart bombs and hyperspace are just as easy to use on the 5200 as on the ColecoVision. 

This was another virtual tie. I really like the crisp, clean graphics of the Coleco, but I enjoy the 8bit gameplay slightly more. 

Galaxian 1979 Namco Arcade Programmed by Kouichi Tashiro

is a fixed sliding shooter up in which the player is at the bottom of the screen, with an arrangement of aliens at the top. The player moves left and right to aim at an alien, then shoots a bullet up the screen, and the alien it hits is killed. The aliens are classed as Drones, Emissaries, Hornets and Commanders, with those higher up the screen scoring more points when destroyed.

At set intervals an enemy will move down the screen towards you sometimes in formations of two or three, escorting a bomber, which is the most challenging part of the game and scores the most points. Clear a wave and another is generated.

1982 Atari 8bit / 5200 Programmed by Joseph Tung is a weak port game-play and sound wise. While the use of color is outstanding, the game just is not Galaxian with the erratic movement, speed that is much too fast and sound that seem like the developer just randomly picked the first tones he could find to throw into the game.

1984 Colecovision Programmed by James Eisenstein is by far not just my favorite of these two, but my favorite 8bit port of this game overall. It oozes what made the Coleco a dream for cartridge base game plates in 1982 and beyond. Atari should have done much better for their own machines, but they were too focused on milking the 2600 to care much about quality.

Jungle Hunt is a  1982 Arcade release by Taito that offers four unique adventure experiences, which repeat with greater difficulty once all four have been survived. If you don’t survive these adventures, you will not only lose your own life but that of the lovely Penelope, who has been captured by cannibals!

The first part challenges your Tarzan skills – can you swing on the vines without plummeting to your doom? The second part pits you against a whole bunch of nasty crocodiles in a mighty river. Fortunately, you have a knife to fight back with. Don’t forget to go up for air! In the third part, you face a battle against oncoming boulders of varying sizes and physics. Once you’ve cleared all these treacherous hazards, you still must confront the dreaded cannibal, who is armed with a wicked spear. Can you get past him and save the lovely Penelope?

1983 5200 Atari 8bit Programmed by Alan Merrell really needed a little more effort put in two areas – the score text and the sound. While the graphics and game play are very good, the polish is missing to put this ahead of Coleco. I really want to know what they were thinking with the sound as the music from the arcade would have been a snap to do with the Pokey and the sound on the third screen is just basically static

1984 Colecovision Programmed David Cartt is a very nice port. It is also missing the music, and while the graphics are a little more bland overall than the Atari 8it and 5200, and the vines seem to only be straight in the version I played, the game-play is fun and easy. I was able to get the furthest in this version and the spot sounds are a little better than the 8bit and 5200 versions.

Sp. This one literally is a toss up game-play wise. Both ports are very good for the respective machines, I like stages one and two on the Atari machines and stages 3 and 4 on the Coleco. Maybe someone will make a hack for both machines that combines the best stages of each into one 6502 rom and one Z80 rom.  

That’s all for this time. We will be looking at PC Booter versions of Atarisoft games next time up against the Atari versions, and because it’s a computer we will add the STversions to the mix for a comparison.

Until Next time, have fun playing Atarisoft game releases on the system of your choice, in the vertical blank.