Let's Compare ( Battlezone )

Video Locations:

1. arcade 0:21
2. apple 2 1:50
3. atari 2600 3:19
4. atari 5200 4:49
5. atari lynx ( Battlezone 2000) 6:19
6. commodore vic 20 7:47
7. atari xe/xl 9:17
8. gameboy color 10:46
9. dos 12:15
10. commodore 64 13:44
11. windows ( microsoft arcade ) 15:13 ( Sound recorded a bit loud & effected the recording. There was no way to adjust it. )

Description Source:

Battlezone is an arcade game from Atari released in November 1980. It displays a wireframe view (using vector graphics rather than raster graphics) on a horizontal black and white (with green and red sectioned color overlay) vector monitor. Due to its novel gameplay and look, this game was very popular for many years.

Game Play:

Gameplay is on a plain with a mountainous horizon featuring a memorable erupting volcano, distant crescent moon, and various geometric solids (in vector outline) like pyramids and blocks. The player views the screen, which includes an overhead radar view to find and destroy the rather slow tanks, or the faster moving supertanks. Saucer-shaped UFOs and guided missiles occasionally appear for a bonus opportunity. The saucers differ from the tanks in that they do not fire upon the player, and do not appear on radar. The player can hide behind the solids or maneuver in rapid turns once fired on to buy time with which to fire himself. Common play in the US could run from 25 cents to a dollar per game, depending on machine setting. The typical setting is for 25 cent play, with three tanks.

A standard enemy tank is worth 1,000 points, a supertank 3,000 points, and the flying saucer 5,000 points. The guided missile is worth 2,000 points when destroyed. Each of these targets can be destroyed with a single shot from the player's tank. An extra life is awarded when the player's score reaches 15,000 points, and a further tank is then awarded at 100,000 points. No additional tanks are awarded until the score counter rolls over at ten million, and additional bonus tanks are again awarded at indicated scores of 15,000 and 100,000. The game only includes one hostile enemy on the game board at all times; the player never has to battle two enemy tanks at once, or a tank and guided missile. The UFO can appear on the screen at the same time as an enemy tank, and it can occasionally be destroyed by enemy fire.

The geometric solid obstacles are indestructible, and can block the movement of a player's tank. However, they are also useful as shields as they also block enemy fire as well.

There was a bug in some machines which caused very high phony scores into the seven digits to be posted (after a player would enter his initials). Good players could actually reach this level after an hour or two of play.

The music heard in the high score initials prompt is from Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.

[SomeOrangeCat]

I think the Atari 2600 version was a stroke of brilliance. They knew there weren't going to come up with even a passing semblance to vector graphics. So they went and made what could almost be called a sequel!

[awsmawsn]

The VIC-20 version looks and sounds surprisingly good considering that computer's limited abilities.

[RainePhoenix]

The Atari 2600 version looked amazing given its limitations. It displayed a very impressive color palette.

[me-cqwv]

What a game. Way ahead of its time and hats off to the coders who wrote it. Brings back wonderfull memories

[GamingHistorySource]

Uploaded this one in High Def because 480p doesn't do it justice. Hope You guys enjoy it ! :) Ohh & keep an eye out. I'm getting ready to do a prize give away for My subscribers.

[PookaBot]

Honestly the 2600 version looks a lot better than the 5200.

[Hologhoul]

I love these comparisons, it's fascinating on a technical level. I wish I knew how to program at least one of these old machines so I could understand on a deeper level.

[rickpontificates]

Atari called that line graphics “Quadra-scan”. Later, it was in color. The graphics was pretty neat, but those vector monitors were terribly unreliable. I used to repair vintage era video/pinball games.

[MetalSonicodraco]

The WINDOWS looks better likely the ORIGINAL ARCADE and also you INTRO is perfect don't change it please

[MoonDeLaAxel]

Still love the c64's alert sound. Even over the arcade's. There's a strange charm to it.

[SaturnVDP]

I'm quite surprised that there was never a Vectrex port, it would've been a great addition to its library!

[JoystickUnicorn]

wow, I remember playing that in the arcade mainly...brings back some good green and black memories

[MrVenom]

Battlezone is a real classic. The Vic-20 looks surprisingly good. And CGA-DOS looks really really really strange. CGA colours are not good for Battlezone. ;-)

[NeilRoy]

One thing to keep in mind is that the arcade game was vector graphics, which is a totally different system than any of the rest. You won't see the aliased (jagged edge) lines on the arcade version, that's also why you won't see flicker. I spent way too much money at the arcade on this game.

[Alaska]

yeah, one of the great arcade classics finally revisited =)

thank you so much!

[IfYouSubToMeIWillToU]

I used to play the Windows version as a child. When I found it on Xbox Live Arcade my heart was warmed.

[JohnSTF]

The 2600, Lynx & Windows versions were arguably the best.
Apple II version was the worst.
I wish they made a Vectrex version back then.It would probably be the best home version, or maybe even better than the original arcade.

[HlNOBI]

Nice in HD. Battlezone may be the grandfather of all 1st person shooters. The sounds on the original game were epic.

[mastersproutgamer]

1. Arcade 0:21
2. Apple 2 1:50
3. Atari 2600 3:19
4. Atari 5200 4:49
5. Atari Lynx ( Battlezone 2000 ) 6:19
6. Commodore Vic 20 7:47
7. Atari 8-bit 9:17
8. Gameboy Color 10:46
( Super Breakout / Battlezone )
9. MS DOS 12:15
10. Commodore 64 13:44
11. Windows ( Microsoft Arcade ) 15:13

I'm aware that there's a lot of ports missing in this video.

[OldsXCool]

The 2600 version was impressive as they really worked with the system's limitations and made the game fun unlike the 5200 where they shoved as much as they could into it and made into total crap.

BTW there is a GBA version of this game on the Atari Anniversary Advance collection that is actually very very close to the arcade. It wouldn't have mattered in this video as there is no emulator that can play the game with sound for some reason.