5200 Collector Dude Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 I've been really wondering lately,how was Gremlins for the 5200 released in 1986 when the 5200 was discontinued in 1984 and Jack Tramiel halted all projects once he got hold of the company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariBrian Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 not sure, and i have never played this game either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Psionic Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 I've been really wondering lately,how was Gremlins for the 5200 released in 1986 when the 5200 was discontinued in 1984 and Jack Tramiel halted all projects once he got hold of the company. Because although he halted all projects, Gremlins was ready to be released and had already gone out for ROM production. They got stuck with a bunch of cartridges and had to do something with them, so they eventually ended up releasing the game (along with two other titles - Ballblazer and Rescue on Fractalus) in 1986-87. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5200 Collector Dude Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 Thanks so much! While I was waiting for a reply to my question,I found out that Atari actually made better controllers for the 5200 in 1987 and I was all like whhaaaaaaaatttttt????I can't believe I'm such a huge 5200 fan(look at my screen name!)and I didn't even know this!Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIKE5200 Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 I think it's the best game for Oct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg2600 Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Didn't Spielberg threaten a lawsuit if it wasn't released? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Psionic Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Didn't Spielberg threaten a lawsuit if it wasn't released? It's also been said that he attempted to buy the cartridges from Atari so he could release them. I'm not sure if either of these claims are true. Oddly enough, Gremlins was released on time for the most part. That is, the Atarisoft versions for most of the home computers (Apple II, Commodore 64, IBM PC) were released in 1984, as was the Atari 2600 version. Only the 5200 and 400/800 versions were held up, with the latter being the only one to never get a release. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ApolloBoy Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Gremlins was actually released in 1987, making it the final official release for the system. Curt Vendel posted some sales figures from Atari Corp. dating from 1986 to 1990, and Gremlins doesn't appear in the 1986 list. I forget where the thread is, but if you do a search for it I'm sure you'll find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5200 Collector Dude Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 Interesting...I'll do a bit more research on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phattyboombatty Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 On 10/2/2011 at 8:36 PM, Psionic said: ...they eventually ended up releasing the game (along with two other titles - Ballblazer and Rescue on Fractalus) in 1986-87. True, but this precludes some information. On 10/3/2011 at 6:51 PM, Psionic said: Only the 5200 and 400/800 versions were held up, with the latter being the only one to never get a release. Not exactly. On 10/3/2011 at 9:48 PM, ApolloBoy said: Gremlins was actually released in 1987, making it the final official release for the system. Incorrect! I just picked up this beauty today to help round out my Atari, Inc. pre-1985 collection. I’d been looking for concrete proof of a 1984 Gremlins release for some time! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoundGammon Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 Didn't know there was going to be a 400/800 release, but it was converted from the 5200 to the 8-Bits! Glenn The 5200 man! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leech Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 46 minutes ago, SoundGammon said: Didn't know there was going to be a 400/800 release, but it was converted from the 5200 to the 8-Bits! Glenn The 5200 man! Ha, I was going to say, I know for a fact I played this game on the 800XL way back when. But yeah if it was ported from the 5200, then that explains it (only one I specifically remember getting a port from the 5200 was Centipede.) On that note, I really want to start looking into what it would take to port some games from the 8bit computers to the 5200. Some of them I think would be killer to get a port to a joystick with more buttons. I should probably learn how to code first, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 I finally discovered this game a couple weeks ago after I got an Atarimax cart for my 5200. Sort of a Robotron-clone with an excellent art style and some quirks of its own. I've not spent a whole lot of time with it, but I like it. If I ever saw a cart in the wild I'd probably buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 1 hour ago, SoundGammon said: Didn't know there was going to be a 400/800 release, but it was converted from the 5200 to the 8-Bits! Glenn The 5200 man! There's artwork for the Atari 8-bit box somewhere on AA. Someone here owns it and I can't remember who, but they posted it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0078265317 Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 There some floating on ebay including this proto. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F123963690602 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 2 hours ago, 0078265317 said: There some floating on ebay including this proto. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F123963690602 Some? There are pallets upon pallets of them down south. Thousands of them NOS. Paying more than $20 for it now is a fool and their money being parted. Here is a link to one of many sellers who sells it paired with Rescue On Fractalus for $25 + shipping. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-Of-2-Games-Gremlins-Rescue-on-Fractalus-Atari-5200-The-Supersystem-NTSC-New/153771512001?hash=item23cd7f10c1:g:FNoAAOSw0ild~4bc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnice Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 15 minutes ago, Shawn said: Some? There are pallets upon pallets of them down south. Thousands of them NOS. Paying more than $20 for it now is a fool and their money being parted. Here is a link to one of many sellers who sells it paired with Rescue On Fractalus for $25 + shipping. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-Of-2-Games-Gremlins-Rescue-on-Fractalus-Atari-5200-The-Supersystem-NTSC-New/153771512001?hash=item23cd7f10c1:g:FNoAAOSw0ild~4bc Anyone have experience buying from this seller? I'm a little worried the product might not make it out of Venezuela, given what's taking place down there right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phattyboombatty Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 13 minutes ago, jnice said: Anyone have experience buying from this seller? I'm a little worried the product might not make it out of Venezuela, given what's taking place down there right now. Hypertronics is a completely reputable seller in my book. He/they have come through for me! I purchased 7 NIB games last spring. There was an initial problem with shipping (possibly due to some of the political issues), so the package was rerouted back to Venezuela after a few weeks. This had me worried, but he went the extra mile for me, shipped the package to a relative in Europe, and then the package was re-shipped to my doorstep. Everything was utterly golden! I have made 3 purchases from Venezuelan sellers now, and they have all been successful. The first two packages came directly to my doorstep with no delays in about 2 weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ApolloBoy Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 5 hours ago, phattyboombatty said: Incorrect! I just picked up this beauty today to help round out my Atari, Inc. pre-1985 collection. I’d been looking for concrete proof of a 1984 Gremlins release for some time! The box may have a 1984 copyright date but that doesn't prove it was actually released that year. Atari Corp. had a tendency to push out existing stock which is most likely the case here. I've also seen copies of Gremlins with a foil label with a 1984 copyright, but came with a 1986 copyright box in addition to an Atari Corp. warranty form. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giles N Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 On 10/3/2011 at 5:32 AM, AtariBrian said: not sure, and i have never played this game either It’s brilliant: 9/10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 On 1/13/2020 at 5:30 PM, leech said: Ha, I was going to say, I know for a fact I played this game on the 800XL way back when. But yeah if it was ported from the 5200, then that explains it (only one I specifically remember getting a port from the 5200 was Centipede.) On that note, I really want to start looking into what it would take to port some games from the 8bit computers to the 5200. Some of them I think would be killer to get a port to a joystick with more buttons. I should probably learn how to code first, right? Are you sure Centipede was ported from the 5200 to the A8? The 5200 version is much better than Atari’s official release for the home computers. Also: Kangaroo, reverse-engineered and released through APX. Ah, the genius of Nir Dery. Thanks again, Nir! This is awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctorclu Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 I have played this game literally for days on end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ApolloBoy Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 4 hours ago, davidcalgary29 said: Are you sure Centipede was ported from the 5200 to the A8? The 5200 version is much better than Atari’s official release for the home computers. Not officially anyway, the 5200 version was ported by Glenn "The 5200 Man" Botts along with most other 5200 exclusives many years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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