Atari Berzerk Review - 1:6 Scale RepliCade from New Wave Toys - 1980 Arcade Classic

Berzerk is a multidirectional shooter designed by Alan McNeil and released for arcades in 1980 by Stern Electronics of Chicago. Following Taito's Stratovox, it is one of the first arcade video games with speech synthesis. Berzerk places the player in a series of top-down, maze-like rooms containing armed robots. Home ports were published for the Atari 2600, Atari 5200, and Vectrex.
Approximately 39,000 Berzerk upright cabs were manufactured plus an estimated 1,000 cocktail tables thus making Berzerk one of the most successful arcade games of all time! Check out all the classic cabinet details including the iconic Metal Control Panel and “Board Drawer” front of cab access door that opens to reveal a replica, faux PCB prop inside an illuminated compartment! A fully loaded accessory pack includes a replica of the Oversized Joystick Top from early production runs, plus NEW! Customizable options like Detachable Metal Security Bar with Mini Lock & Metal Kick Plate!
In this review, Jon runs you through the hardware, software, and extras to help you decide if this one is right for you!
‪@atari‬ ‪@NewWaveToys‬
#atari #arcade #berzerk #newwavetoys #genxgrownup
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🟢 C H A P T E R S
00:00 Berzerk
01:12 Unboxing
03:16 Contents & Extras
06:54 Hardware Tour
14:08 Power On
14:50 Insert Coin
17:17 Menu & Options
18:14 Frenzy
20:27 Summary

[@user-tb5ns7hc5i]

I own a full-size original Berzerk cab, and the level of exact tiny detail on this is insane. The real cab has the front pullout pcb door also exactly like this. Very well done.

[@user-tb5ns7hc5i]

BTW, the original ‘side art’ on this original cab, like Space Invaders also, was spray painted on using a stencil. Not a vinyl sticker, nor chalk art.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Was that it, spray-painted? As I mentioned, I knew it wasn't a decal, but looked like chalk art to me!

[@user-tb5ns7hc5i]

@@GenXGrownUp Yup. The very early cabs and pinball side art was often just spray painted on with stencils. Stern and Bally/Midway were both originally pinball manufacturers who jumped on the video games bandwagon craze. Did you know that a Yllabian Space Guppy got its name by combining Williams and Bally spelled backwards? Hence, Stargate and Defender cabs also spray painted on side art stenciled.

[@BandoidView]

This takes me back to being 10 years old. So much 70s 😊

[@KeithPhillips]

That coin box is just too cool

[@PeBoVision]

"Little tiny itsy bitsy coins detected in pocket" Including Frenzy (my prefered game of the two) is brilliant!!! Once again Jon, you feature cool new toys to help keep my bank balance low.

[@JoesBlows]

Awesome. Takes me back. How many of you did this, you get your buddies, hop on the bus,go to the local roller rink,rent skates strap on and then spend entire time playing arcade games on skates and no skating !😅 Bezerk was one at the rink. *I always thought STRATOVOX byTaito had the first voice,I remember the "help me" "help me" "help me" screaming from it non stop!

[@lasafrog]

About twice a week !

[@Ste743]

That is a fantastic cabinet. Love the treatment showing the unboxing and details!

[@GenXGrownUp]

It really is. Thanks for watching & being a subscriber! 😁

[@SylveonTrapito]

I hope Atari adds Berserk to Atari 50.

[@Bikeguychicago1]

I'd love to see the enhanced version added

[@lylepetersen814]

That display is surprisingly nice.

[@Johnenoch226]

Great review for a truly classic game. Loved the arcade game. The cabinet sound added so much to the arcade experience. Nostalgia at its best.

[@tomevil6]

A great video as always!!! I definitely want to pick one of these up when I can!

[@mymomsaysimcool9650]

To this day, I can remember hearing “Intruder Alert” walking in the skating rink and seeing the older kids hovering around that cabinet. It took a long time for me to see what all the fuss was. Few games do I still remember hearing before seeing. PacMan. Pole position. Star Wars. SINISTAR. 😳

[@GenXGrownUp]

Heh. "I hunger!"

[@QunMang]

Great video- I always enjoy your videos, and in this you covered a few things that another video I watched didn't mention (therexershow). One thing you may have missed that they showed was that there is also a distressed Frenzy cabinet available that has both games like the Berzerk cab. Because it's distressed, there is a special marquee option available only on that game (even on the Berzerk cabinet version) that allows for a flickering marquee.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Thanks, QM. The flickering marquee option is available in all the releases (even the non-distressed ones, like this one). If you peek at the spot in my review where I enter the menu, you can see it there, I just have it turned off. Thanks as always for your viewership! 😁

[@Jolt7800]

I might have to pull the trigger (or joystick) and get this mini cabinet despite the price tag. This is my favorite arcade game. My mom would drop me off at a “big box” store just so I could play a few games of Berzerk in the lobby. The voice and the sounds of laser blasts were in my brain forever. Some balk at the price, stating the fact that one could buy a full size one up for that price. But I would rather have a mini for my desk.

[@johnnym196]

Hey, Jon. Awesome tiny cabinet for a totally rad classic game. Time to go play this on my GSP.

[@mertallix]

The details on this is insane!

[@JohnVideo1969]

Great review! Would love to get a few of these for display. But $169? Ooof.

[@ag3ntorange164]

I WANT!!! But doubt I will get the chance to own one here in the uk. Thanks for showing us this Jon!

[@spankingb4bedtime350]

Game UK was selling most of these replicade machines at a discount price of £89. Space Ace and Dragons lair which I already purchased from new wave toys.

[@TomMannCenturia]

A very cool little thing. Shame they couldn't have the Stern logo on it but appreciate the reasons why.

[@CyberFoxy87]

I seen one of those little arcades in stores in the past (But they were cheap looking games) I was always kind of WOW'd about this game on the arcade back in the day and it got challenging after a while

[@jayme69]

Great video Jon and very cool mini cabinet. I'll be firing up the 400 Mini in the meantime for my Berzerk fix :-) Keep up the awesome work!

[@GenXGrownUp]

Not a bad Berzerk by any stretch! 😁

[@tedadamgreen]

Great review!

[@GenXGrownUp]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it! 😁

[@malcolmmurphy2924]

I remember ordering a burger and a milkshake every Saturday at our burger joint in the early 80s. When i was waiting for my food i would play berserk and digdug .

[@cxk7127]

Mine is expected to be delivered tomorrow!! :D

[@andymanaus1077]

I loved Berzerk the handful of times I got to play it in the 1980s. I would love to see Berzerk expanded into its own world with storyline, levels, objectives and boss fights and for someone to develop a fully-realised world for the game while keeping the original aesthetic intact including the style of the 1980s speech synthesis. I feel like such an update would be a very popular game.

[@GenXGrownUp]

I think you're right, but it's a delicate balance. The recent Berzerk Recharged just didn't strike the right chord.

[@andymanaus1077]

@@GenXGrownUp I agree. There's a certain art to keeping the parts of the originals that made them iconic. Having so much computer power at one's hands these days can lead to bloated, overworked games which lose the feel of the originals. The 1980s was a time of frugality in programming. Things had to be tight. Every byte of memory and every clock cycle was a precious thing.

[@24theMoney]

Nice product. Hope they make Gorf one day.

[@GenXGrownUp]

#GiveMeGorf

[@speedbird737]

I'm old enough to remember the original Berzek in the arcades (in Spain) - I own Atgames Legends Ultimate stand up arcade machine and still play original Berzerk on it! Atgames provide a rewind button so when killed I can rewind back to just before and get out of the kill zone! Bewarned the higher levels with the white robots they kill you almost instantly!!! Didnt know about Frenzy - will have to put the ROM on my Atgames arcade machine!

[@BrianJonson]

Appreciate you, Jon!

[@GenXGrownUp]

No, YOU! 😉

[@jeremiahthomas8140]

If anybody thinks Atari was out of line for replacing the Stern name, they had to. In addition to laying a claim on a copyright they own, Atari does not own the Stern name. Stern just sold Atari a dozen arcade game rights, but not their name.

[@corellioncrusaderproductio4679]

Impressive. Most impressive.

[@MC-lg6xt]

Top notch reviews! Love the computer voice as well. Just saw your replicade missile command review, so I will repeat on purpose that same comment I left for that 😊. How does the “CRT” on Berzerk compare to missile command?

[@GenXGrownUp]

The CRT on Berzerk is more subdued and creates much less glare. If I could, I'd swap out this lens for the one on Missile Command. Thanks for watching both! 😁

[@jerseyjoyride1316]

Anyone interested in old arcade games like these videos we'll probably love the album by Buckner & Garcia. They had a berzerk song along with many others! The interesting thing about them was that one of the cassettes had an error in the recording. Years later I was able to pick up another copy and it had the error in the exact same place.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Most certainly. You can see my panel with Gary Buckner here, as well as my autographed album & 9" single: • kzbin.info/www/bejne/fIO5o4Jnbpd6oq8 • kzbin.info/www/bejne/laOYhWykZ72Jo7M • kzbin.info/www/bejne/pH62ooeOfLirpaM

[@kins749]

A bit of a dilemma - I hate the Atari logo and modified ROM, but... if it wasn't for Atari it wouldn't exist at all. So surely better to exist even with this (small) compromise. Another great review John.

[@GenXGrownUp]

I'm a bit torn too, but for me, "hate" is a bit strong. Given a choice, I'd prefer period accuracy, but I'm not upset by it. Some people REALLY are, though! 😁

[@jackeldogo3952]

Baack in the day, my arcade has the Berzerk with the baseball bat joystick. After a few months, someone finally broke it and they replaced it will the red gumball and it just wasn't the same.

[@taylerannsupergirl5587]

Berserk was my favourite 2600 game. We need an @games unit for this.

[@cliffguy]

I'm pretty sure the reason why the bezerk came with that extra joystick is the early bezerk cabinets came with the black one and they changed it to the red ball-top because the black one was "inappropriately shaped". i think patmanqc talked about it a bit in his video about this game.

[@GenXGrownUp]

You may be right. That's the kind of historical context that would be really nice to be included in the manual so we don't have to guess!

[@alanjacobs5215]

Hi Jon, fantastic video as always. Just wanted to point something out I don't think anyone else has noticed. On the control panel there is a small red panel under the left Fire button. If you look closely you will see STURN ELECTRONICS. Obviously they couldn't use Stern so they purposely miss-spelt it 😂.

[@GenXGrownUp]

I remember seeing that and people were discusing it, but it fell by the wayside pretty quickly.

[@kenhill3230]

Looks great. I spent a lot of quarters on berzerk.

[@GenXGrownUp]

You and me both!

[@ctbinary42]

Otto will always triumph 🙂

[@GenXGrownUp]

Sad but true. 🤖

[@drno-xc1yt]

Frenzy is so much better than Berzerk - stages swarming with enemies, reflecting walls, and some of the custom stages are quite creative, like the robot factory.

[@GenXGrownUp]

I'd tend to agree. Though it never found the same popularity or success.

[@RonnieBarzel]

I didn’t notice it at the time - c’mon, I was only 11 or so - but with the increase in number of enemies in Frenzy, you can really see its DNA in Robotron.

[@GenXGrownUp]

No doubt!

[@charlesn898]

Eugene Jarvis has stated that Berzerk was one of the inspirations for Robotron 2084.

[@GenXGrownUp]

@@charlesn898 Yep. We know. That's what we were talkin' about.

[@epicgamesforyou3615]

Wow- all i need now is a crowded noisy room that smells like smoke! (Minus the bigger kids who say ‘I GOT NEXT.’ Thanks for another great one Jon.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Ah, that's like music to me! Thanks for watching! 😁

[@mikesilva3868]

Cool 😊

[@chrismayer3919]

My friend won a $3,500 BERZERK video game in a contest. I wonder if he still has it?

[@ButterSpider3]

Neat! The attention to detail is nice. I love the circuit board tray. That’s a nice touch. Although that black knob is a bit mystifying to me. You are not supposed to play with it. But, it is too large and out of scale for displaying it. And, it should have been red if it was for display only. I just don’t understand the reasoning for it. 🤷🏻‍♂️. Loved the video. Thanks so much for sharing and demoing it for our enjoyment. 👍🏻

[@GenXGrownUp]

Always happy to see you in the comments, Butterspider! 😁 Thanks for watching!

[@chrismayer3919]

That would be PERFECT for 1/6 scale G.I.JOE or BARBIE/KEN figures to stand in front of!

[@GenXGrownUp]

A LOT of collectors set up arcade dioramas with these cabinets. The Facebooks I'm a member of are full of photos!

[@AdamConus]

This is not a rabbit hole I plan on going down (I've got a $15 Intellevision to spend more on than it's worth to fix!), but even so. SO COOL! I love all the details, even the dumb ones.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Entirely understandable, and healthy for your wallet. Just live vicariously through these reviews! 😁

[@retrojoe85]

That's the exact kind of product of review I like the most here on GenXGrownUp! That's where the real spirit of the channel shows all its power! Great review, Jon.

[@brianstrandberg9346]

Damn you Evil Otto 😃

[@urbanknish]

Would have been better for the boot screen to show the Stern logo but then underneath, "Licensed by Atari". That said, this is a really neat toy that would be an amazing decoration.

[@randallross420]

I really wish this line was bigger like the Quarter Size arcades, but I love the game selection.

[@GenXGrownUp]

The quarter size exists, so just go with those. 😉

[@riversarcadereview385]

the original "Bat Stick" was an 'optical' joystick and broke down a lot.

[@GenXGrownUp]

So THAT'S why you can't use it. It's broken! 🤣

[@jbponzi1]

Berzerk and Frenzy two more home runs from New Wave Toys

[@hiddentrack1701]

I have the NWT Q*Bert and absolutely love it but I wasn't enough of a fan to get Frenzy/Berzerk.

[@Inadvisablescience]

Reminds me a bit of the Namco games that Atari brought over to the US in the early 80's. Dig Dug, Xevious, etc.

[@andyauthor2007]

The little security bar for the coin door on mine won't stay on. Other than that this is pretty cool. I'm questioning whether or not these are the actual arcade ROMs because I don't remember these games being this hard (I remembered always getting around 20,000 each game on these two games back in the day). One thing I figured out is you don't want to try to attack the robots diagonally because these robots shoot really fast and they seem to be expert marksmen when firing diagonally. New Wave Toys was actually looking for Beta testers for this, I emailed them and told them I would do it, but they never got back to me. I think it was because I mentioned in the email that I have a fulltime job and asked what kind of availability they wanted. I need to hook this thing up to a TV and use my own controllers and see if that helps with the difficulty.

[@droth1031]

You should be blasting Mr Roboto by Styx while you play this! 😂🤘

[@travis303]

He calls the coin op action as "more like the original" I see all of those little coins and think "oh great, more little tiny things I can lose"

[@charlesn898]

I THINK I'M GOING BERZERK!!! I'M GOING OUT OF MY MIND...

[@GenXGrownUp]

It's a wonderland at night.

[@puppetsnob]

A huge chunk of Atari's games were designed by Namco and licensed. But in that case, Atari manufactured them. But I (and others) have a problem with a collector's item is trying to mimic actual history and childhood memories but is forced to yield to the current owner, one that has chosen to pretend it made something it did not. This case is weird because the current owners of the Stern brand apparently did not want to work with New Wave here. I appreciate New Wave trying to make the situation as good as it could.

[@d.vaughn8990]

The Stern name, missing from the marquee, is a deal breaker for me. It’s the first thing I noticed. A sticker won’t do.

[@GenXGrownUp]

🫵

[@NocturnalMissSo]

🕹️ 👍

[@chrismayer3919]

I wonder if they’ll have other titles like SPACE INVADERS, GALAXIAN, ASTEROIDS or PAC-MAN?

[@GenXGrownUp]

Only time will tell.

[@wileyhansen4143]

New Wave Toys has already made a Replicade 1/6th scale Asteroids cabinet (now sold out). These are always limited runs, and they typically don't make them again after they sell out. Quarter Arcades has made Space Invaders, Galaxian and Pac-Man in the 1/4 scale size.....and New Wave Toys has said they prefer not to do ones that have already been done by Quarter Arcades....but that's not set in stone.

[@VEGANVANIA]

The hardware is amazing, but the software? The option to use another controller/joystick plugged in via USB is huge (an option still absent from the Evercade EXP)... but it's a console that plays only two games and, as such, compared poorly to the Taito Egret Mini, Neo Geo mini, etc. Maybe someone will romhack it to allow more arcade games to be loaded one day. _Maybe._

[@GenXGrownUp]

IMHO, the real value of these scale reproductions isn't how closely they can approximate the full size real McCoy. The game-per-dollar multi-cade ratio doesn't really factor in. As you noted, plenty of other choices if that's your cup of tea.

[@VEGANVANIA]

But if it were Romhacked, it would be the best of both worlds... hm? @@GenXGrownUp

[@michaelcharles2702]

too bad you don't have to change the PCB to switch it to FRENZY

[@GenXGrownUp]

Hahaha! Right?

[@BeefJerkey]

Why did they put a fake down-firing speaker instead of putting the actual speaker there..? It would be such an easy thing to do, and is much easier than a bunch of those other unnecessary details.

[@GenXGrownUp]

I'm not privy to the designers' motivations, but I'd think a speaker of that size may be too tinny, so instead a larger one was installed in the rear.

[@BeefJerkey]

@@GenXGrownUp This is a fair point, after all I haven't seen one of these in person myself, so I didn't fully realize what size the speaker is. If that is the reason, I won't complain.

[@VEGANVANIA]

Everyone (under 30) thinks these games were played with two joysticks in parallel. _Surprise!_

[@GenXGrownUp]

They do? 😉

[@SyntheToonz]

Huh? This is not Robotron.

[@katmacoconnor]

😁

[@salvation7362]

If Atari purchased Stern, then they own the name and therefor it could and should have had Stern on the cabinet with the option to put Atari on instead. Hasbro bought Kenner and when they release classic Star Wars figures they put Kenner on the package as a throwback, a homage to the past. Stern needs to be on that cabinet.

[@GenXGrownUp]

That sounds great, but the Atari agreement did NOT include the Stern name, only the IP. Stern Pinball is still an independent company using that brand, so they weren't willing to relinquish it. That's a bit different than Kenner having been purchased outright.

[@will_it_work]

Stern Pinball owned the IP of Stern Electronics, even though they are technically different companies. Berserk was not languishing and unable to be licensed from Stern Pinball. That isn't accurate. Atari didn't necessarily "save" Berserk.

[@GenXGrownUp]

My understanding is that Stern was approached and wasn't interested in licensing to companies like New Wave or Numskull, but Atari acquired it and now Berzerk is getting all kinds of love. Recharged, cartridge releases, scale cabinets. From my perspective they saved it, but that doesn't mean we have to agree.

[@Jasonv65]

When is Atari going to release a true arcade version of Berzerk & Frenzy on current consoles? The one called Berzerk: Recharged is nothing like the arcade version. It sucks! It’s like playing a speed run of the game, but not in a good way. They need to do an update to the Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration and add them to it.

[@GenXGrownUp]

I've always said the original game should be included with the Recharged versions.

[@Jasonv65]

@@GenXGrownUpI don’t know why they didn’t include the original versions. I bet they release them as a stand alone game to sell on current consoles. I would buy them. Or maybe they do an update to the Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration and add them to it.

[@Mrshoujo]

Your video title incorrectly says Atari Berzerk. It's still Stern.

[@GenXGrownUp]

The video title is correct. Welcome to the future. 😉

[@edwardmclaughlin719]

Cmon man if that is not a five nothing is.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Pretty close!

[@edwardmclaughlin719]

130 BERZERK or so left. FRENZY sold out. So, I was easily able to sell FRENZY for 280 on Ebay. Banked 233 and paid 150. They sadly don't all go that way. Banking only $77 for SPACE ACE tells you never promote your item, or you lose another 12 percent of the total transaction give or take.

[@JustinEmlay]

The kickstarter coleco version is way better than this!

[@GenXGrownUp]

Hahaha! Good one.

[@wileyhansen4143]

@@GenXGrownUp Yeah...I got a laugh out of that one too.

[@905JimRaynor]

what voice actors did they use? LOLOLOL. The Voice Actors Union is coming to shut this game down ! ! !

[@mikemonk4375]

Is there a market for these things? $200 for a fifty year old game? That’s not even really playable. I mean sure it kind of looks cool sitting there in attract mode as a desk chotchki, but for two bills? Pass.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Quite a large market. And they consistently increase in value, too. Other hobbyists appreciate you passing! 😉

[@wileyhansen4143]

The Facebook group has over 4,300 members.....so I would say yes, there is a market for these things. And I play my Replicades quite a bit.

[@london19657]

I feel like I must be the ONLY guy that finds the Atari 400 mini completely unplayable because of the joystick. I should'nt need to use it gently. I watched your videos. If I can;t run in a straight line.. It isn't me. Kinda stopped watching your videos so much after this. I wasted money and this don't work outa the box. Guess I'm an idiot.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Certainly not my experience. Like you stopped watching me because you think I deceived you or something? 😲 Have a look at this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYDSlnaNo7eWgqc

[@urbanknish]

If you have an Xbox controller (360 or newer), try it. I found the experience much nicer with it. PS I'm not a big fan of the 400's joystick either. I appreciate what they were trying to do. It looks great and feels nice but it doesn't hit the sweet spot like the 2600+ joystick does.

[@cryptocoffee13]

You can plug in original controllers and some 3rd party ones work too. There's a mod this channel put out to help with the controller issue by the way. There's also been a few videos GenX Grown Up has put put out since the 400 Mini one, so you at least watched this one too.=😊

[@spankingb4bedtime350]

I preferred the power on and volume controls on the back like my space ace and dragons lair. Not sure why they put them on the top with this cabinet

[@tuffteddy1446]

Very cool, thanks, Jon!

[@Gen-X-Memories]

You should let The six-million dollar man play berzerk. It looks like a good fit:)

[@GenXGrownUp]

Hey, you're right! Steve loves arcade games! 😁