Robotron: 2084

• Release Date: 1983
• Genre: Shooter
• Style: Fixed Screen Shooter
• Similar Games: Robotron 64 (Nintendo 64), Smash T.V. (Nintendo Entertainment System), Robotron X (PlayStation), Robotron X (IBM PC Compatible), Smash T.V. (Arcade), Space Dungeon (Arcade), Total Carnage (Arcade), Total Carnage (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), Total Carnage (Game Boy), Space Dungeon (Atari 5200), Super Smash T.V. (Sega Game Gear), Smash T.V. (Commodore 64/128)

Game Description

Although easier than its coin-op counterpart (as many home games from this era are), Robotron: 2084 for the Atari 5200 is a spectacular port of the 1982 classic. The much-maligned 5200 joysticks work brilliantly thanks to the inclusion in the oversized game box of a nifty gadget called a controller holder, which lets players attach the joysticks for dual-joystick, arcade-like action.

Roots & Influences

This game is based on the 1982 Williams Arcade classic of the same name. Robotron: 2084 is like a sped up version of Berzerk, which hit the Arcades in 1980.

Review: Overall

In the arcades, Robotron: 2084 was released two years after Berzerk. Instead of

slowly moving through mazes, methodically shooting robots like in Berzerk,

Robotron has you on the run, saving humanoids and constantly shooting a swarming

variety of enemies, including robots. Robotron: 2084 is a graphically simplistic, yet

fast, fun, and intense arcade game. Luckily for Atari 5200 owners, this home version

keeps all of the killer shooting action intact, including the excellent two-joystick controls.

When Robotron: 2084 for the 5200 was new in stores, it came in an oversized box.

The extra space was for an ingeniously designed dual controller holder which allows the

gamer to affix both joysticks side by side in a plastic casing. This way you can move your

character with one joystick while aiming and firing in any direction with the other, just like

in the arcades. Put to the test, this control system works incredibly well, which is ironic

considering the fact that the 5200's biggest weakness is widely considered to be its

fragile, non-centering joysticks.

Like Space Dungeon, which is also a dual-joystick 5200 title, Robotron: 2084 is

a wild and woolly sci-fi shooter that will test even the best of joystick jockeys. Wave after

wave of robots, Giant Brains, and other intergalactic nasties constantly surround your

character, making you feel helpless and alone. The humanoids are of no help, but you can

rescue them for extra points, as if you needed one more thing to worry about. Like many

games from this era, the action never stops until you lose all of your lives. Staying alive for

as long as possible in this game is truly a blast.

Review: Enjoyment

Fans of the excellent arcade game won't be the least bit disappointed.

Review: Graphics

The graphics, which include stick figures, are very simplistic for the most part. However, the game does look like its arcade counterpart.

Review: Sound

The sound effects are very good. The shooting is constant, but the sound of it never gets old.

Review: Replay Value

High challenge level plus huge fun factor equals lots of replay value.

Review: Documentation

The manual gives point values and plenty of information, but it is short, and there are no screen shots.