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Atari 8-bit and Atari 5200 Robotron 2084 Review

It seems paradoxical. The Apple II version of Robotron 2084 preserves all the arcade game's splash screens and background story. The Commodore 64 version best replicates the original's controls. The Atari 8-bit computer version actually has the worst controller support of the three. And yet the best Robotron 2084 8-bit computers can offer is not on the Apple or the Commodore, but on the Atari.

Speed and sound have a lot to do with the Atari's victory. The Apple II version offers decent speed and the best sound the hardware can muster. The Commodore 64 can't even claim either of those. A decent pace and excellent audio helps the Atari version rises above its 8-bit brethren. Of course Atari 8-bit Robotron is not without its share of problems, particularly in the controls. Not only does the game support only one joystick, the player will always fire in the same direction he walks, or last walked. This robs the game of some of its uniqueness, but more importantly it makes getting out of crowds of swarming Robotrons a lot harder. To fire in a particular direction, players must move in that direction, and sometimes that means moving right into a nearby Robotron! Still, even this handicapped control scheme feels clean and intuitive, and expert players will know to change their strategy accordingly. Fortunately for Atari 5200 owners, the console version, which otherwise looks and plays the same as the Atari computer version, corrects the controller problem. Not only does the 5200 cartridge offer 2-controller support, the game was originally packaged with a special controller holder, making it even easier to play! The only downside is the 5200 joysticks themselves, whose analog design can get in the way of the fast reflexes needed to play games like Robotron 2084.

With the controls of the Commodore's port and the extra flair of the Apple's, Atari 8-bit Robotron 2084 just might have made players forget going to the arcade altogether. Atari 5200 Robotron 2084 just about fixes one of those issues, but really the game needs the more precise control of digital joysticks. Still, neither port disappoints, and together they make the best 8-bit Robotron 2084 adaptation there is.

Grade for both: B+.