the big m16 Apr 2025
Must for Atari Fans
The Good
A flawless port of the 1979 Atari 800 game, Raiders is not just a shooter but a first person simulation. Love the warp and map features. The little sound bite from Close Encounters is a class act.
The Bad
I suppose the graphics would be improved in a modern reboot.
The Bottom Line
The Atari 5200 is truly an under appreciated console. And Raiders is an excellent example of the console’s strengths!
dtm-artist18 Mar 2024
This Atari 5200 version of the 400/800 classic makes several minor improvements that result in a more rewarding experience. It's nice to see the analog joystick used and experienced players will greatly prefer this over the original digital controls. Another winner for our favorite SuperSystem!
Chuck Cartia28 Sept 2015
Re-re-discovering Star Raiders on the Atari800Win emulator in 5200 mode. Was playing several years ago on an emulator but I'll never be as good as I got on the original 5200 console. Bought it right after it came out and Star Raiders was one of the 2 carts that I bought with it. It became my absolute all time favorite. I used to measure time by how many games I had time to play till supper or bedtime. Consistently made Star Commander First Class. (Back in 1983, not anymore.) A game took about 20-25 minutes. The Atari 800 Computer version seemed to be a little harder and the cheats that worked on the 5200 didn't work on the computer version.
Michael Allard1 Jan 2015
My all-time favorite game on my all-time favorite console! Star Raiders is a showcase of a perfect game from storyboard to final design. This is a fun space shooter. It's very engaging with a hint of strategy...and no two games are ever alike. It's also one of few 5200 titles that make full use of the keypad. Once the player learns the keypad this game is a true blast to play!
Ransom25 Mar 2009
If you have a 5200 and do not own this title, then you're missing out. This is the bug-fixed version of the original 8-bit mega hit, and it benefits considerably from the 5200's analog control.
The only way it could be improved would be to allow dual control usage, so that one player could use the joystick and fire buttons, while the other handled the keypad. That would allow two people to play the game cooperatively at a very low coding cost.
Otherwise, this implementation is flawless and belongs in every 5200 owner's collection.
1 / 4
