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ATARI SYSTEM 2 HARDWARE
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HARDWARE DESCRIPTION
Main PCB : A042571 ATARI SYSTEM II CPU
Main CPU : DEC T11 @ 10 MHz (DEC 21-17311-02)
Sound CPU : MOS Technology M6502 2.2 MHz
Sound Chips : Yamaha YM2151 @ 3.579545 MHz, 2 x Atari Pokey @ 1.789772 MHz, Texas Instruments TMS5220 @ 625 KHz
Oscillators : 14.31818 & 20.000
VLSI : 645 V D727B, VGC7205-0672, 137304-2002 [40pin DIP, row 7]
Other Chips : 8645 137430-001 [40pin DIP, row 6/row 7]
Protection Chip : Slapstic 137412-1** - Slapstic F.A.Q.
Video Resolution : 512 x 384
Board composition : A main board and a video board, with eeproms in both.
Hardware Notes : The most notable difference between System 1 and 2 was the upgraded graphics, now running at medium resolution and requiring a newer medium resolution monitor.

Emulators : MAME


KNOWN ATARI SYSTEM 2 GAME LIST
720
Accelerator
APB : All Points Bulletin
Championship Sprint
Gremlins
Paperboy
Super Sprint


720
1986
Slapstic Unique Chip Number : 137412-107
Players : 2
Control : Joystick attached to rotary dial at 45 degrees
Buttons : 2
720
720
720 720
720
Manuals : Game Manual - Game Schematics
Pinouts : 720 Pinouts
Flyers (external link) : Flyer (@ flyerfever.com)
Magazine Reviews (external link) : YS Oct '87 - SU Feb '87 - Crash Apr '87 - C+VG Feb '87
Gameplay : A skateboarding game where you earn points performing tricks in a central hub until you earn enough for a skate park ticket. This allows entry into either a half-pipe ramp, a downhill, a slalom or a jump stage. If you score enough points in these you are awarded with a medal and cash, which you can spend on upgrading your equipment improving all your abilities.
Game Trivia : 2265 units were produced in the USA, with a selling price of $2995
Although it looks like a joystick, the controller was actually a rotary dial, this was required for the rapid spinning and precision required to perform the tricks, which wouldnt be possible with a normal joystick.
Cheats / Easter Eggs : In the ramp park get to the top of the ramp, hold the stick parallel with the lip, and stop pressing kick. This will cause you to grind and skid down the ramp for lots of points every time.
Try and score as many points in the main hub as you can between stages to earn enough for more skate park tickets.
Game Credits
Software / Game design : John Salwitz
Playfield / Game design : Dave Ralston
Software : Paul Kwinn
Technical assistance : Rob Rowe
Animation : Sam Comstock, Will Noble, Mark West
Audio : Brad Fuller
Music : Hal Canon, Earl Vickers
Control design : Jack Aknin
Game design : Milt Loper
Hardware support : Gary Stempler
With invaluable support from : Dave Cook, Dennis harper, Russel Dawe (Rusty), Jess Melchor
 

Accelerator
1988 (Prototype)
Hardware : System 2 prototype based on a Paperboy board set, custom daughter card for all the additional ROMS required by this game.
Players : 2
Control : Spinner
Buttons : 2
Accelerator
Accelerator Accelerator
Accelerator Accelerator
Accelerator Accelerator
Accelerator
Pictures : Accelerator PCB
Notes (Larry Hastings) : Designed by Rusty Dawe and Dennis Harper in late 1984/early 1985, it was a one or two person 2D third-person racing game. You raced these little ships on the outside of tubes, and the main control was a cylinder you would spin (like Major Havoc, only it spun vertically). You had boosters you could use, and a gun you could shoot (to shoot at "Space Turkeys"), and there were pads on the tubes that would speed you up or slow you down or give you more fuel, and there were jumps now and then that would get you on a higher section of track that went faster.
The game was cancelled due to low popularity during field tests.
 

APB : All Points Bulletin
1987
Slapstic Unique Chip Number : 137412-110
Players : 1
Control : Steering Wheel (Rotary Dial), Accelerator Pedal
Buttons : 2
APB : All Points Bulletin
APB : All Points Bulletin
APB : All Points Bulletin APB : All Points Bulletin
APB : All Points Bulletin
Manuals : Game Manual
Flyers (external link) : Flyer (@ flyerfever.com)
Magazine Reviews (external link) : Crash Oct '87 - TGM Feb '88 - YS Nov '87 - C+VG Nov '87
Gameplay : A driving game where you play as Police Officer Bob attempting to meet a daily quota of "busts" by targetting offenders and tapping the "Siren" button. You could refuel your car by driving through filling stations and add extra time by picking up donuts. Every other day you have to catch a named criminal, take them back to the station and make them confess by alternately tapping the 2 buttons.
Game Trivia : 2000 units were produced in the USA with a selling price of $2995
The top marquee is a red/blue light bar that flashes when you push the siren button.
Cheats / Easter Eggs : Warp : When you start a new game, you may press the Siren button and start to get a level 1-8 warp, or press Gun+Siren and start to get a level 1-16 warp.
During the preliminary level where you have to 'arrest' cones, to beat the timer and get the bonus after you arrest enough cones you can do a 180 and return to the start the way you came.
Game Credits
Dave Theurer, Mike Hally, Alan Murphy, Mark West, Brad Fuller, Hal Canon, Earl Vickers
 

Championship Sprint
1986
Slapstic Unique Chip Number : 137412-109
Players : 2
Control : Steering Wheel (Rotary Dial), Accelerator Pedal (x2)
Championship Sprint
Championship Sprint
Championship Sprint Championship Sprint
Championship Sprint
Manuals : Game Manual - Game Schematics
Pinouts : Super Sprint Pinouts
Flyers (external link) : Flyer (@ flyerfever.com)
Gameplay : A 2 player top down racing game where you race against other cars around fantasy circuits which include gates and crossovers. Collect spanners to upgrade your car with various performance parts (or a faster helicopter to deliver a new car when yours blew up).
Game Trivia : 2599 dedicated units were produced in the USA with a selling price of $2795
996 conversion kits were produced with a selling price of $995.
After the success of Super Sprint, Championship Sprint was designed as an upgrade kit to fit in a normal sized arcade cabinet, the only differences being that it's 2 player and has some different tracks.
Although the controller was a steering wheel, it was actually a rotary dial which allowed the wheel to be span for a very different by highly enjoyable driving experience (resembling drifting, before drifting was a thing).
Championship Sprint is dedicated to the memory of George Opperman (1935-1985), the first artist hired by Atari and the creator of the Atari logo.
Game Credits
Designers and programmers : Robert Weatherby, Kelly Turner
Animators : Will Noble, Kris Moser, Sam Comstock
Technicians : Dave Wiebenson, Minh Nguyen
Audio : Hal Canon
Prequels : Sprint 2 (1976) - Sprint 4 (1977) - Sprint 8 (1977) - Sprint One (1978) - Super Sprint (1986)
Sequel : Badlands (1989)
 

Gremlins
1985 (Prototype)
Gremlins
Gremlins Gremlins
Gremlins Gremlins
Game Trivia : Programmed by Franz Lanzinger (of Crystal Castles fame).
Gremlins was based on the hit 1984 horror-comedy film of the same name and was cancelled for unknown reasons.
Footage of the game was found and released online and an artists impression of the marquee was discovered, but no board prototypes or other information has surfaced.
Based on the footage, the game included three segments:
Playing as Lynne Peltzer, you defend your kitchen against the Gremlins.
Playing as Billy Peltzer, you melt Gremlins using your flashlight outside in the streets.
Playing as Gizmo, the game switches to a top-down view of the Mogwai driving his pink convertible throughout the Montgomery Ward department store, navigating through maze-like aisles, shooting obstacles until finally reaching Stripe in the fountain.
There is no battle, or boss fight, you just go back to the first level with an increased difficulty.
 

Paperboy
1985
Slapstic Unique Chip Number : 137412-105
Players : 2
Control : Bicycle Handlebars (Analogue Joystick)
Buttons : 2
Paperboy
Paperboy Paperboy
Paperboy Paperboy
Paperboy
Manuals : Game Manual
Notes : The blue cabinet on the right is the prototype cabinet (in a Return of the Jedi style enclosure)
Flyers (external link) : Flyer (@ flyerfever.com) - One Sheet Flyer
Magazine Reviews (external link) : C+VG Mar '85
Gameplay : Play as The Paperboy delivering newspapers to colourful houses and smash up non-subscribers houses with your papers. Ride through gardens, on the pavement or on the road and avoid various obstacles, picking up replacement papers (of which you can only hold 10). If you deliver to all of your subscribers houses then one of the houses will become a subscriber.
At the end of the street each day there is a stunt track where you can earn bonus points.
Game Trivia : 3,442 units were produced, with a selling price of $2,495.
Arguably home to one of the most original and best game controllers ever produced, the handlebars pushed forwards for faster and pulled back for brake, with buttons mounted on them to throw your papers.
Even though the title screen says 1984, Paperboy was released in April 1985.
The Paperboy appears in "Wreck-It Ralph" from Walt Disney Animation Studios (2012).
Cheats / Easter Eggs : Build up your Breakage Bonus by riding over flowers in non-subscribers' yards.
There are 2 main high score tactics, either perfect deliveries or losing most of your customers and earning points for doing more damage.
Game Credits
Designed and programmed by : John Salwitz, Dave Ralston, Russel Dawe (Rusty)
Game art by : Doug Snyder
Sound by : Hal Canon
Animation by : Will Noble
 

Super Sprint
1986
Slapstic Unique Chip Number : 137412-108
Players : 3
Control : Steering Wheel (Rotary Dial), Accelerator Pedal (x3)
Super Sprint
Super Sprint
Super Sprint Super Sprint
Super Sprint
Manuals : Game Manual - Game Manual Amendment - Game Schematics
Pinouts : Super Sprint Pinouts
Flyers (external link) : Flyer 1 (@ flyerfever.com) - Flyer 2 (@ flyerfever.com)
Gameplay : A large 3 player cabinet top down racing game where you race against other cars around fantasy circuits which include gates and crossovers. Collect spanners to upgrade your car with various performance parts (or a faster helicopter to deliver a new car when yours blew up).
Game Trivia : 2,232 units were produced in the USA with a selling price of $3,495.
Although the controller was a steering wheel, it was actually a rotary dial which allowed the wheel to be span for a very different but highly enjoyable driving experience (resembling drifting, before drifting was a thing).
Game Credits
Designers and programmers : Robert Weatherby, Kelly Turner
Animators : Will Noble, Kris Moser, Sam Comstock
Technicians : Dave Wiebenson, Minh Nguyen
Audio : Hal Canon
Prequels : Sprint 2 (1976) - Sprint 4 (1977) - Sprint 8 (1977) - Sprint One (1978)
Sequels : Championship Sprint (1986) - Badlands (1989)
 

 

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