5200 or Colecovision

[JB]

But those ckicklet buttons are hard to press!

Not if you clean them. If you get the buttons and the contacts spic and span, they'll operate with only the slightest force.

Also varies with stick revision.

Atari went through several different buttons to go with the multitude of flex circuits. I swapped a bunch of parts to make a frankenstick with all my favorites.

[swlovinist]

Ahh, the good ol question on whether an apple or orange is better. Both the 5200 and Colecovision offer a totally different gaming experience. I have to say that I give the nod to the Colecovision. Here is my breakdown:

 

Atari 5200: Overall some awesome versions of top notch Atari Franchises and some others. My personal favorite is Space Dungeon, and I love the funky Space Invaders on it. The controllers, while some people here like them, suck. Third party adaptors are available, but any alternative will set you back some money. Additionally the system is friggin huge, but I do have to say I love the "trunk" aspect. Also, the system has one of the best RF signals EVER.

 

Colecovision: I would say that the hardware of this system is more finicky, and the controllers suck less than the 5200. I am personally not a big fan of either of their controllers, but I give the edge to Coleco as the controller works well with many of their released games. There are several lesser known arcade ports on the system and the third party support of the system was greater. My personal favorite is the butt common Ladybug.

 

Graphically, I give the nod to the Coleco, with gameplay speed to the Atari 5200, but overall control is better with the Coleco.

 

I would personally go with a Coleco, and just get yourself an XE computer line down the road. All the main releseases of the 5200 were on the XE, not to mention you can S-Video out for cheap, as well as thousands of Computer games with a disk drive. 8-bit classics has a fairly cheap multicart that looks rockin.

[8bitgamer]

I know this is a Atari forum but I have always wanted a Colecovision . However with the recent release of Adventure II it has made it even harder to choose. So I am leaving it up to the community.

 

I prefer the ColecoVision. Frenzy is better than Berzerk, Lady Bug and Mouse Trap are better than Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man, Mr. Do! is just as good as Dig Dug, Galaxian is far superior on the ColecoVision, etc.

 

I love my 5200, especially for Robotron, Space Dungeon, and Trackball games, but third-party controllers (which are very hard to find) are a must for most other games.

[edweird13]

Hate to bump a old thread . But I just won a Colecovision with 4 games. Now where do I get a 128 in 1 cart. lol

[accousticguitar]

http://www.atarimax.com/

[Jess Ragan]

I have a long and storied history with these two systems. I first got my hands on the Atari 5200 in 1986, two years before the industry would be fully revived by the NES. I couldn't afford the NES, but I didn't care, because the Atari 5200 was all the console I needed. The system's hardware makes it feel like a true evolution of the 2600, with the same visual style but greatly enhanced graphics, sound, and play depth. The games that were cryptic and bare-bones on the 2600 were much more complete on the 5200, with menu screens, cut scenes, and all the details that we had come to think of as luxuries in 1982.

 

My relationship with the ColecoVision was much more stormy. I bought the system at a garage sale around the time that I started getting into classic gaming... about 1991 or 1992. What I thought I was getting was a console that approached the power of the Nintendo Entertainment System. I've never been more wrong about anything in my entire life. The system could only push sixteen ugly colors, the scrolling was absolutely miserable, and the games rarely reached the level of complexity and audiovisual polish of the best software on the NES. I regretted the purchase at first, but then I came to terms with the fact that the ColecoVision was 1982 technology. After that, my expectations became more reasonable.

 

That doesn't really answer your question though, does it? Well, let me put it this way. If you're looking for a console with that classic Atari feel, only the Atari 5200 can offer it. The resolution is chunky as hell, the controllers are a nightmare (don't listen to anyone who tells you otherwise), and some of the arcade ports are the pits. However, the scrolling is smooth as silk, the colors are vivid and plentiful, and it's the only game in town when it comes to some of the best arcade games of the early 1980s. Moon Patrol, Wizard of Wor, Pac-Man... they're all exclusive to the Atari 5200 or superior to their ColecoVision counterparts, and that won't change until Eduardo Mello turns the tables with his own awesome arcade ports.

 

The ColecoVision, on the other hand, has an utterly grody selection of colors and the worst scrolling this side of the Pecos. Three-dimensional effects are especially terrible on this system... just compare Buck Rogers on both consoles and you'll see a chasm-like difference in quality. However, the ColecoVision's resolution is incredibly sharp; as close to high definition as you're likely to get in 1982. It's got its own selection of arcade ports, and although some of them aren't very faithful translations (Omega Race and Gorf are total dogs), others actually surpass their coin-op counterparts with superior graphics and sound. Frenzy is one example... its dynamic character animation and entrancing soundtrack puts it in the hall of arcade conversions that actually top the original, alongside Bionic Commando and Crazy Taxi.

 

As someone already pointed out, it takes more work to get the most fun out of the Atari 5200. With the ColecoVision, you can just plug in a Sega Arcade Pad and play 85% of the system's library. On the Atari 5200, you'll be able to play roughly 0% of the system's library until you buy or build an adapter. Luckily, you can make your own "countermeasure" (heh) to the shatneriffic 5200 joystick without too much trouble. A PC controller adapter will take you all of two hours to build, but will repay you tenfold in replay value. There are tons of PC controllers out there, and every single one of them is superior to the stock 5200 joystick. EVERY ONE OF THEM. If they ever make a PC controller shaped like the foam rubber hand that you shove into a butt, that might be worse, but only if you're inserting the hand into your own butt.

 

If that Atari feel is important to you and you're willing to fix the mistakes Atari had made with its design, the 5200 is the right choice. However, if you're looking for more obscure arcade titles (and Donkey Kong) and crave homebrew titles, the ColecoVision is a slam dunk. Eduardo Mello only makes homebrew games for the ColecoVision, tipping the scales in its favor. It's also got hardware similar to what you'd find in the MSX, TI99/4A, and Creativision among other systems, which means that we'll be seeing a lot of ports from those systems in the near future. The homebrew scene on the 5200 is pretty damn sad... you've got Koffi: Yellow Copter, Castle Crisis, and that's pretty much it. Although the 5200 and 400/800 are extremely similar to each other, no attempts have been made to port games from one system to the other.

[accousticguitar]

The homebrew scene on the 5200 is pretty damn sad... you've got Koffi: Yellow Copter, Castle Crisis, and that's pretty much it.

And Adventure II!

[Atariboy2600]

Even if Im a huge Atari nut Ill still go with the Colecovision and why, one name OPCODE he been porting lots of good games from MSX Konami softwares

 

Ping-Pong

Sky Jaguar

Yie Ar Kung-Fu

Magical Tree

 

and right now he's doing a real Donkey Kong Arcade port and even porting Castlevania, Wizard of Wor, Gradius, Rally-X on the Colecovision^_^

 

http://www.opcodegames.com/

[jetset]

The homebrew scene on the 5200 is pretty damn sad... you've got Koffi: Yellow Copter, Castle Crisis, and that's pretty much it.

And Adventure II!

 

And Combat2, Klax, Haunted House2, Castle Blast...I know I'm missing a few...plus a good close to dozen finished and mostly finished protos like Blaster, Millipede, Stargate, Battlezone, Super Pacman...

Then there's the two dozen plus 8-bit conversions....

Although the 5200 and 400/800 are extremely similar to each other, no attempts have been made to port games from one system to the other.

 

HUH?!?!?!?!

 

Donkey Kong, DK Jr, MULE, Preppie, Spy Hunter, Captain Beeble, Buried Bucks, Crystal Castles, Jumpman Jr, Bristles, Archon, Clowns and Balloons, Caverns of Mars, Boulder Dash, BC's Quest for Tires....hell there's easily more than 2 dozen conversions available! Those I listed i just thought of off the top of my head!

 

I dont know...I don't see the CV homebrew library all that impressive either. The games are mostly crap games...Sky Jaguar? Yie Ar Kung Fu? *PING PONG*?

Not exactly smoking hot games there.

 

At best...the homebrew scene is a tie IMO. Add in the 8-bit conversions, protos, and even the hacks (forgot to mention those) like Hangly Man, CPU's Space Invaders Arcade, you have a much bigger choice of aftermarket games with the 5200.

[Jess Ragan]

Where the heck are you finding these games? I've looked online and couldn't locate the ROMs for half of them.

[CARTRIDGE STEALER]

get the COLECOVISION. It has tons of games and are much fun to play with. also, there is the large array of controllers and expansions for it, so you can go on from there. Coleco has a better history than the 5200.

[Lord Helmet]

Where the heck are you finding these games? I've looked online and couldn't locate the ROMs for half of them.

 

Most of them are in this thread:

 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s...;hl=conversions

 

Also, search for "conversions" in the 5200 forum to find some others

[joeybastard]

I dont know...I don't see the CV homebrew library all that impressive either. The games are mostly crap games...Sky Jaguar? Yie Ar Kung Fu? *PING PONG*?

Not exactly smoking hot games there.

 

I surprised you'd call Sky Jaguar crap. I think it's excellent on all accounts, graphics, game play and control. The sound is a bit lacking but I can't believe you'd call it crap unless you're just not into that kind of shooter.

 

Also, in regards to the conversions, let me mention that BC's Quest for Tires and Jumpman Jr are available for the CV as original releases in it's lifetime.

Edited September 11, 2007 by joeybastard

[jetset]

I dont know...I don't see the CV homebrew library all that impressive either. The games are mostly crap games...Sky Jaguar? Yie Ar Kung Fu? *PING PONG*?

Not exactly smoking hot games there.

 

I surprised you'd call Sky Jaguar crap. I think it's excellent on all accounts, graphics, game play and control. The sound is a bit lacking but I can't believe you'd call it crap unless you're just not into that kind of shooter.

 

Also, in regards to the conversions, let me mention that BC's Quest for Tires and Jumpman Jr are available for the CV as original releases in it's lifetime.

 

Really I'm not terribly into Xevious, so no I'm not into the similar type scrolling shooters. Plus to me, considering what the CV is capable of it seems like the games chosen were lame at best.

And ya, several of the 8-bit conversions were available for the CV like BC and Jumpman (also spy Hunter, Gateway to Apshai, prolly a couple more.)

Still, the point being there's really no limit to the 8-bit games that can be put on cart for the 5200. There's like a BILLION 8-bit games. Its just a matter of someone converting them. Hell if I understood that crap I'd do them all myself!! I always liked Circus Atari, and by sheer coincidence, the same month I bought a 5200 paddle controller off ebay Steve (Classics) ported clowns and Balloons from the computer library and I was in heaven for WEEKS!

Anyways...I don't mean to incite the usual 5200 v CV war. I have a better appreceation for the CV with every new game I get (including Destructor ans Squish 'em Sam) but still...if given a choice of one system over the other I'd still go with the 5200 in a heartbeat. Most of peoples' complaint about the 5200 lie with the controller, and I actually LIKE the 5200 stock sticks. And though I've gotten used to them I still find the CV controllers a complete abortion between the stubbiness of the stick, and the opposing fire buttons. Thats just me tho....

 

Oh, and one other great 5200 homebrew I forgot...Beef Drop. I have a feeling theres STILL one or two more...

Edited September 11, 2007 by jetset

[joeybastard]

Ah Squish 'Em, I love that game. The shock of hearing Sam talk when I first played it as a kid was great. I got the poster from Squish 'Em a few years ago, it's hanging in my gameroom.

 

I never really get the whole CV vs. 5200 argument because the fact is both are good. I like the CV better but that doesn't make the 5200 bad. Sometimes I feel like CV games, sometimes I feel like 5200 games. I'm a firm believer in owning both.

 

besides everybody should get a CV and then buy the Scott Huggin's homebrews Astro Invader and Spectar. Not only are the games good but the guy doing the art is a genius

Edited September 12, 2007 by joeybastard

[Bill Brasky]

The real answer is to get a CV and a 800xl with multicart. Play all the 8bit and 5200 games without joystick headaches.

[Jess Ragan]

But hey, building controller adapters is part of the fun!

(If you're into that sort of thing, of course...)

[Zonie]

But hey, building controller adapters is part of the fun!

(If you're into that sort of thing, of course...)

I agree!