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The 20 Greatest Atari 5200 Games of All-Time

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This video counts down the greatest games for the 8-bit Atari 5200 console as voted for by the retro gaming community.

Video Links:
10 Amazing Atari 5200 Facts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwFk1rMv8Xk
Atari 5200 Games Compilation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ6rrTskl74
10 Amazing Atari 5200 Exclusives: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyz7i2klJpw
Greatest of All-Time Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=MQbA7YddJCw&list=PL9UMBCpaQNrG-OXM_HVLnhwBs_H3HX8ii
Retro Gaming Hysteria Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1174206102963529
Support my creative work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lairdslair

#retrogaming #atari5200 #atari

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34 comments

@mikewest6569 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
To give you an example about how powerful and ahead of its time the Atari 8-bit systems were, most of these games were ports from the Atari 800. A machine that was developed in 1977 and released in 1979. The chip set was so powerful it continued into the early 90s.
@gabrielvampyre November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
I don't know what the rules of the voting were. I don't see any homebrews or prototypes, so I guess those were excluded? I am forced to agree with one of the commenters that it seems many voters had never played the games. That's certainly the only way I can comprehend that Pac-Man would be at the #2 spot or that Defender wouldn't even make the top 10. Yes, Pac-Man is definitely a top 20, but second best game on the 5200? Then there's Super Breakout. There's no way that Super Breakout should make it on a list of top 20 games for the system.

Me being a judgemental, my opinion is the only one that matters, jerk aside, here's my thoughts as a kid who got an Atari 5200 in summer of 83, played it as my primary console until 1992 and the Genesis, and still plays 5200 games on actual hardware to this day.

Tempest is probably the absolute best game for the system. It was a prototype completed and polished up in the 2010s and released via AtariAge. Played via the trackball controller, it is second only to its arcade counterpart in sheer awesomeness. It is probably one of the best arcade to home ports of all time.

Centipede on the 5200 with a trackball is the best way to play the game other than the arcade game. It definitely deserves to be high up on anyone's top 5200 games list.

Star Raiders is absolutely incredible on the 5200, and probably actually better due to the 5200's controller and having all the functions in the palm of your hand.

Defender on the 5200 is another absolutely amazing port. It's only flaw is that it's too easy, but it plays like a dream and the sheer amount of stuff it throws around on screen was impressive not only for the time, for even compared to systems from a decade later.

Space Dungeon is another absolutely amazing game. I'd say the 5200 port beats the arcade game.

Honorary mentions to Countermeasure (absolutely baffling that it isn't on Atari 50), Joust, Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Man, Jr. Pac-Man, Super Pac-Man, Pac-Man Arcade, Qix, Missile Command, Galaxian, Rescue on Fractalus, Berzerk (just about arcade perfect), Pole Position, Popeye, Adventure II, Blaster, Millipede, Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator, Beef Drop, Moon Patrol.
@basrover6544 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
Screw Patreon
@d.vaughn8990 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
Sorry…day late/dollar short.
Here are my late pics:
1. Defender
2. Ms. Pac-Man
3. Galaxian
4. Qix
5. Joust
These are the games, that I reach for first. But I really enjoy most of the library.
@Trenchbroom November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
Great video. I would argue that Fire Truck from Atari (1978) was the first cooperative video game. The cabinet had player one sitting at a wheel driving the front of the fire truck with player two driving the rear of the truck from a standing position behind player one (steering the wheel in the opposite direction, just like fire trucks of old). I only got to play this game a few times in the 1970s but I enjoyed it immensely (there was a single player version called Smokey Joe but it wasn't nearly as fun).
@UGABrother November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
Although in this case, "all-time" only covers 1982-1986...
@Alianger November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
Space Dungeon and Montezuma's for me
@VdrummerStixx777 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
Real Sports Baseball is my personal favorite, batting was excellent and pitching with the key pad was a stroke of genius so much fun
@VIC-20 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
People who voted never actually played many of these ports. The results are telling.
@TheDuke013 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
I remember seeing it at the store, but it wasn't there very long, but the graphics looked so much better. But the claim of playing every atari game is not quite accurate.
@jeff-ds2pr November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
HERO, Gremlins, Wizard of Wor, Blueprint, and Pitfall 2 were some great games for the system as well.
@JosephLuppens November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
Missile Command with the track ball was amazing, as was Pac-Man. Another amazing 5200 port that doesn't get enough love is Pengo.
@guyincogneto8979 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
No Berzerk? Criminal. Other than play coming to a stop to announce the Evil Ones entrance, it was a perfect recreation of the arcade. 2 fun notes: with Dig Dug, when it goes to the example screen, you can actually play the pump, but have no control of direction. On PacMan, if you can get to the last key ( 7, I think ), when you eat a power dot, the bad guys stay ghosts until eaten. You can clear the entire maze without them going back to normal.
@taylora8845 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
Great list! I really loved Moon Patrol also Super Cobra also, being side scrollers that also had "endings" preceding Super Mario Bros. Keep up the great work! 😎
@techsaverscomputerrepairca2127 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
The Atari 5200 should never have existed. We should have gotten something like the XEGS instead, but Atari didn't want to compete with its other divisions, which is the kind of bonehead thinking that killed the Warner Atari. It would have done nothing except make the computer line more popular overall.

I have to admit I lusted after the 5200 when it first came out. The hardware looks great, with the sharp profile, metallic badge and rainbow lettering. Beautiful. But then I got one and despised it for several reasons. I didn't keep it long, especially once the ColecoVision and then the 7800 entered my life.
@2112dorf November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
No Berserk?

Travesty….
@johneygd November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
Pac man is my number one game.
However am surprised that mario bros and popeye didn’t make into this list but hey atleast ms pac man made it into the list as well😁

My only wish is that atari did put in a keyboard and pheripheral connector along with a cartride adaptor sothat you could,ve play all your atari 400 games on it.
Am sure it would,ve sold more units.
Am mean both hardware systems are basically the same.
@AgentM79 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
I’m surprised at some of the top picks here. 5200 Galaxian pales in comparison to the Colecovision port. The animation is jerky and the screen feels “squashed”. 5200 Frogger requires the fire button to be pressed for each jump. I find it unplayable. And in what universe doesn’t 5200 Berzerk, complete with voice, not make the Top 5??????

Lot’s to agree with, of course. Star Raiders and Defender benefit greatly from the multi-button 5200 controller, and Ms. Pac Man, Qix, Pac Man (ESPECIALLY Pac-Man), Missile Command, and Centipede are SUPERIOR to their 400/800/XL counterparts. Additionally, with a WICO controller, properly calibrated, the 5200 out-plays my 800 and 800XL on these games.

Great vid, of course, but I’m scratching my head on some games that made the list.
@nickpalance3622 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
Sad to see that Mario Bros. and Moon Patrol and Vanguard did not make the list. Those games, published by Atari, were favorites of mine.

For other publishers, I also enjoyed Megamania and Miner 2049er. I played those two a LOT.

I did not see Lucasfilm games on the shelves during the prime of the 5200. I played them on my cousin’s C64 and once I had a 1050 disk drive for my 800XL I played them on that. The Eidolon wasn’t even offered on the 5200 but I liked that fractal-y game even more than Rescue!
@b.o.4492 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
I loved my Atari 5200 with sticks made in their MEXICO factory. Those were the best. Love the games.
@tidepoolclipper8657 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
While Atari 5200's ports feel sloppier than Atari 2600's and 7800's, it's surprising Centipede 5200 is as good as it is.

Pac-Man was also given better treatment on the system as well.
@emunews November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
There are couple things I don't understand. 1) Why would anyone choose Pac-Man over Ms Pac-Mac? Ms Pac-Man is arguably better or equal to Pac Man in every single way. 2) How did Ballblazer not make this list?
@markwood3440 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
5200 was a really good system tons of good to great games, just needed a better controller.
@jessietomich8043 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
My dad bought me one in the 80s. I played it a lot. My mom gave that switch box for the TV away at a garage sale making it unuseable because it back fed the power through the video cable.
@Ghost-Chatting November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
The 5200 is a gd arcade beast I knew it!, When these became bargin bin fodder in Nz and surprisingly before the Master system even released I had made a solid argument with myself over the next few weekends comparing the high priced Nintendo the outdated 2600 c64 you name it I had convinced myself this is what I wanted and needed all from the pages of darn store flyers convincing someone to purchase this for me however didn't go so well and I soon forgot about it over the coming summer months and year's
@mrmojorisin8752 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
Best “Best Of” list I’ve seen. For me, Dreadnaught Factor, Space Dungeon, Robotron, and Defender are the top of the top.
@johnathanstevens8436 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
Ah yes, it could actually support Star Radiers with the built in controller
@johnathanstevens8436 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
Pacman, Pengo and QIX were my favorite. Realsports Baseball was cool at the time since it used digitized effects.
@seany84uk November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
I never a owned a 5200 or a 7800 but im glad i didnt back in the day as being a child i wouldnt seen them as a major upgrade from the 2600 compared to the nes or master system. Its crazy the 5200 didnt have better sound either as it just sounds like a tweaked 2600 sound chip.
@jacobwebb2623 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
Great video!!!!! I always loved the 5200 games, I just couldn't get the controllers to last very long.
@SlippinnnJimmy November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
The 5200 hosts the very best version of Pitfall II, by far. The real challenge doesn't even start on the 5200 until the end of the normal map.
@minimoe2807 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
I grew up with the 800. Are the games on the 5200 and 800 the same? I can't tell if there is a difference from this video. Like Frogger, Mrs. Pacman, Joust. They look the same, are they?
@f.k.b.16 November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
Man that commercial at the start... 😂 So cringe 😂
@Mrshoujo November 30, 2024 - 6:32 am
Oddly enough, all 5200 games just needed a patch & could have been re-released on the XEGS since it was just an Atari computer underneath. A vote for the 5200 is a vote for Atari 8-bit computers.
The main reason Centipede for the Atari 8-bit / 5200 sounds like the arcade is they use the same sound chip!

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