C64 vs Atari 800XL - Top 'D' Games Compared!

🕹️ Welcome to the ultimate retro gaming face-off! In this video, "Decoding the Best of Retro: C64 vs Atari 800XL - Top 'D' Games Compared!", we dive deep into the world of classic 8-bit gaming. Join us as we compare and contrast the iconic Commodore 64 (C64) and Atari 800XL through a series of beloved games that start with the letter 'D'.
🎮 What's Inside:
Detailed comparisons of 'D' games on both C64 and Atari 800XL.
In-depth analysis of graphics, sound, and gameplay controls.
Exclusive insights into the history and development of each game.
Expert commentary on the unique features of each system.
🔍 Why Watch:
Relive the nostalgia of 8-bit gaming.
Discover hidden gems and classic favorites.
Learn about the technical and artistic aspects of retro gaming.
Engage with a community of retro gaming enthusiasts.
👾 Featured Games:
Donkey Kong
Dig Dug
Defender
Demon Attack
Drol
David's Midnight Magic
Deflektor
DropZone
Drelbs
Check out my other C64 vs Atari videos - • C64 vs. Atari
💡 Stay Connected:
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Like and comment to share your thoughts and memories.
Follow us on www.floppydeepdive.com for updates and behind-the-scenes content.
📌 Tags: #RetroGaming #Commodore64 #Atari800XL #ClassicGames #GamingComparison #8bitEra #VintageGaming #GameReviews #RetroCommunity

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Check out my other C64 vs Atari videos - kzbin.info/aero/PL70122o_bB73I419GmCnyM0W_OIDWwXez

[@jh5124]

I would give Defender and DropZone to the Atari. It seems to do this kind of scrolling better. Plus both games have starfields in the background that the c64 lacks. Colors are more vibrant on Dropzone for the 8bit.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Hmm, Atari does scroll well. That's a valid observation. Thanks for Watching!

[@jh5124]

@@FloppyDeepDive I would give Deflektor to the c64 easily. Way more colors at high rez. Love these vids. Keep them coming.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks!

[@virtuafighter3]

Archer McClean said himself the Atari 800 version of Dropzone is better. 'The [Commodore] 64 Dropzone is about 46k [kilobytes] long and consists of 15,000 lines of sparsely commented code with around 350 subroutines and around 3000 labels. Those who can reach Megastar status on the 64 should have had enough practice to attempt an Atari supervised Dropzone mission. The Atari, being the Porsche of home computers, is capable of running Dropzone 2.5 times faster than the 64 and can handle any amount of blobs on screen, even when you release a Strata Bomb. It is visually, sonically etc., identical and about 12K shorter. However, the 64 is still a respectable BMW316'

[@hazy33]

@@virtuafighter3Ah but the c64 version has a better player bullet graphic. And that makes all the difference 😉

[@djp_video]

I don't know if it's a capture thing, but in most cases the Atari seems to have noticeably higher frame rates and smoother animation. The C64 can display more colors on screen simultaneously, but the fixed color palette sometimes makes the graphics look weird. The SID usually produces a more appealing soundtrack, though not by as much as I would have thought based on its reputation.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks for Watching!

[@nickolasgaspar9660]

The C64 has far better color management but it can't reach the number of colors on screen Atari can do. There are so many games displaying 16 to even 60+ colors. That said the C64 color palette is small but well thought allowing great hi res artwork and great in game palette when the programmer is also an artist. The said part is that like in many 8bit machines people without graphical aesthetics ended up producing the same monotonus dirty grey/purple look of c64 games.

[@djp_video]

@@nickolasgaspar9660 I would hardly call a fixed palette of 16 colors to be color management at all, let alone superior. There is no mode on the C64 that lets you use more than 16 colors, and those 16 colors are always the same. The two machines were quite different in how they handled graphics. The Atari had a lot more flexibility in terms of which colors you could use. It had a palette of 128 (or 256 on later models) colors, and for most modes you could choose any of those in varying numbers. The C64, by contrast, only had a total of 16 colors... that's it, no matter what mode you were in. The C64 had a few higher resolution modes that allowed more colors on screen simultaneously than similar resolution modes on the Atari, but those colors always had to come from that same fixed palette of 16. And it had some significant limitations on how many of those colors could be used in close proximity to one another. I don't think it's fair to say one is better than the other... it all depends on the needs of the developer. But a fixed palette of 16 colors is hardly better color management than a flexible palette of 128/256. And the display list / display list interrupt capabilities of the Atari allowed a lot more flexibility than its basic design might suggest. If you think I'm wrong, do a quick search online. They're both very well documented.

[@janwilt6974]

Demon attack was not an arcade game it was produced by Imagic for the Atari 2600. That is why the Atari version looks like the 2600 version. The C64 put all that background graphics and it makes it harder to see the shots coming down at you and it is even harder to see you gun st times. I like the Atari version because it’s faithful to the original!

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Yep, I didn't say it was an arcade, I said it reminded me of Phoenix. I'm ok with the 2600 version on my 2600 but 800XL IS so much more of a machine! Thanks for Watching!

[@hazy33]

There's no excuse for the Atari version not being upgraded to take advantage of the system. An incredibly lazy port.

[@IMRROcom]

I owned both a 800XL and C64. I do think the 800XL was a better computer, but you could not beat the games and add ons for the C64 I also had a JVC flat screen TV. I do believe it is what Commadore used for their monitor. Looked exactly like the Monitor over your shoulder but it was JVC

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks for Watching!

[@buffalodebill7986]

Donkey Kong is definitely more playable on the Atari, due to tighter controls, better arcade-like sounds. The head-bang on the barrels above is arcade-perfect. Dig Dug is a fine game to play on both, but the C64 music played in the background is just bad.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks for watching and commenting on all of these; I enjoyed reading all your insightful comments!

[@ClassicGameSessions]

I think I'd have a pretty great time playing on either computer system but side-by-side the C64 shines for me. Good times had playing these classics. Drol was a game that I absolutely loved playing back in the day - a lot of fun and nice graphics and mechanics for its time!

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Drol is awesome and just really unique. I love everything they have going on in that game. Good to hear from you my friend!

[@ClassicGameSessions]

@FloppyDeepDive For sure, there's something really nice about the fluid motion and how they created that game - so glad you included it with the "D's" as I hadn't seen or played it in a long while! Always great to hear from you my friend!

[@XV250]

One thing about 'Defender' for Atari - those particle explosions look awesome!

[@FloppyDeepDive]

They were awesome!

[@MarkNobes]

Just wanted to say that Centipede for the 800XL was an old version originally released for the 400/800. However, a much better version of Centipede was released for the 5200 console, which had virtually the same hardware as the 800XL, so I'm not sure why Atari chose to release the older inferior version of Centipede for the XL.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks for Watching!

[@retrig202]

Just discovered your channel recently, and I'm loving it. Perfect timing too, as I just bought a C64 (my childhood computer) as well as an Atari 800XL (this will be my first Atari computer - although I grew up on the 2600). Please keep it up!

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Welcome aboard! Glad you found us and hope you stick around! Always good to hear from new people getting back into their childhood computer. It just brings back so many good memories!

[@TheBasementChannel]

Great side by side comparisons. Really interesting to see the two versions together.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thank you, sir! I appreciate you checking it out!

[@neil36619]

Archer Mclean said one of his greatest achievements was to get Dropzone running on the C64, he outdid himself in my opinion and equaled the original. No starfield on C64 but the laser blasts look better. Defender Atari ship flickers for some reason.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks for Watching! O

[@mmille10]

With increased memory, there are now "arcade ports" of some games for the Atari 8-bit that make them look or sound closer to the arcade versions than the original 8-bit ports did. These ports come on larger 128K cartridges (the older versions were on 8K cartridges). There was a "hacked" version of Donkey Kong that came out in the last several years that brings it closer to the arcade look, and maybe some of the sound effects. I loved the look and animation of Dropzone on the Atari, since it was so reminiscent of the arcade version of Defender, but the gameplay was way too hard, for my taste. I wished there was a difficulty setting on it. I liked playing Atari's port of Defender, for the sound effects, which were nicely close to the arcade version. It didn't have the smoothness of the animation of the arcade version. The action got boggy, if there were a lot of objects on the screen. Something that felt weird, and maybe this had to do with the difficulty level I played on it (though, I think I tried increasing it), but I got so good at it that I could play for hours on it without losing all my lives. It felt too easy after a while. I loved the concept of Drol. I played it on the Apple II and the Atari, and it was good on both. I couldn't get past the 2nd or 3rd level, though.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Great write up! Enjoyed reading it. Thanks for Watching!

[@DTM-Books]

It must be said that Atari Inc's decision to publish their videogames on rival platform, and making those the superior versions, was among the most suicidal decisions the company ever made. Why even bother buying an Atari computer when C64 has the better version of the same games? Now on to the games: Donkey Kong: C64 offers better colors and even includes all six ramps on the first stage, but Mario runs a touch slow. Atari has better speed & flows nicely, the intro screens are included, but graphics take a slight hit. There is a homebrew "Donkey Kong Arcade" that looks far better. Verdict: Lean Atari. Dig Dug: Commodore looks terrific & sounds great. Atari: You're showing the 5200 version, whoops! The 800 version is slightly different, looks a little better, but still a clear step behind C64. How nice of Atari to make their chief competitor look so good. Verdict: Hard C64. Defender: Commodore looks sharp and smooth, but explosions are muted & audio is different from arcade. Atari is slightly choppier, but the details, action & audio are top-notch. And the particle explosions are fantastic. Still, I'm sure this game is fun on both platforms. Verdict: Learn Atari. Demon Attack: Ugh on both versions. C64 has ugly backgrounds that obscure the enemies, crippling gameplay, while the Atari 8-bit version is merely a lazy 2600 port. Verdict: Tie (in a bad way). Drol: Commodore looks cleaner, sharper with better color. Atari runs faster and smoother, you can tell this is an Apple II port. Gameplay appears identical on both, everyone is happy. Verdict: Tie (in a good way). David's Midnight Magic: C64 is slightly crisper, but note how the Atari pinball board is larger. Gameplay and ball physics appear identical. This was a fun game until Bill Budge blew the entire genre to smithereens. Verdict: Pinball Construction Set. Deflektor: Commodore has some really nice color, but animation is limited and music is strangely missing. Atari 8-bit has this quasi-monochrome style you'll either love or hate, impressive animation & some really good music. Since when does POKEY ever beat the almighty SID? Verdict: ZX Spectrum. Dropzone: Archer Maclean preferred the Atari original to the C64 port, but aside from the parallax scrolling of the background stars, and maybe the different color palettes, both versions are identical. This is a good thing because Dropzone is a stone-cold classic and a must for everyone. Verdict: Gameboy Advance. Drelbs: Proving, once again, that the entire Golden Era of Videogames was created by acidheads. What a gloriously trippy game. Atari runs faster and smoother, C64 is slightly choppier and less manic. Both seem to play really well. Check out the Apple IIgs version sometime, it sounds like bugs crawling through your brain. Verdict: Lean Atari, with help by the Santos Corporation.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Wow, excellent write up! Enjoyed reading it. I need you as a script writer! 😉 Dig Dug was my original cartridge for my Atari 800. It’s just the same as the 5200. Thanks for Watching!

[@gametimewithunclejer]

Always good to see Drol again...

[@FloppyDeepDive]

It's a classic!

[@classicarcadeamusementpark4242]

I just found out recently through the excellent Amiga WinUAE emulator there was an Amiga version of this game.

[@RacerX-]

Hey some cool games here. I have to agree with you on all games really. Though the Atari does give some unique effects on a couple of those games with scrolling gradients that are different on the C64 because of the limited color palette. I don't remember Defelctor and I wasn['t really into the pinball games either. They were just so so on the 8-bit sysyems and didn't really get good until the Amiga/16-bit days. Great video as always, Tom.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

I'll have to check out some pinball games on the Amiga. I haven't played any yet. Thanks for Watching!

[@classicarcadeamusementpark4242]

@@FloppyDeepDive Pinball games on the Amiga were legendary! The Amiga was the successor of the Atari 8 bit computer line. The Atari ST the successor of the C-64, but a step back in terms of the sound chip. Although with the extra power/memory, some ST games could use sampled sounds if enough tricks were done. The Amiga had state of the art graphics when it came out and a state of the art audio chip. It's CPU was almost idol at times as the custom chips allowed for amazing performance. Pinball Dreams, and Pinball Fantasy are the ones to check out for the Amiga. Pinball Fantasy was the later game, and I bought the AGA version for the later Amiga's with an enhanced graphics chipset and faster processor.

[@IsaacKuo]

I don't know why USA home ports of Donkey Kong tend to lack Mario's sexy butt flip at the top of ladders. I was disappointed with the Atarisoft C64 ports of Donkey Kong and Defender, but didn't really experience the Atari 8-bit games in comparison. I felt like Donkey Kong was slow for some reason, and the fat pixels disppointed me. Defender, though, was a big disappointment to me due to the very low resolution looking green landers, and the unimpressive explosions. The Atari 8-bit version of Defender has massive pixel explosions, which would have satisfied me a lot more! But for other games, the C64 port seems better due to the more colorful sprites. Dig Dug is a good example of that. Anyway, check out the original Apple ][ version of Drol. It's more colorful, using the Apple ]['s 6 colors rather than dropping it down to just 4 colors.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

It's funny you mention the Defender's huge explosion on the Atari. While taking pics tonight for social media posts the Atari kept exploding. I thought to myself, how did I NOT notice how cool that looked when making my video? Good stuff as always Isaac!

[@nickolasgaspar9660]

Imho "Donkey Kong" goes to the Atari 8bit ( referring to the PAL versions, but they are a couple of new arcade versions on the Atari which are even better). I still play the game on both machines and on the Atari version the main character is considerably faster, the controls snappier and the Pal colors more vivid, plus the size of the the screen is noticeably larger. "Dig DUg" is better on the c64(graphic details, more colors on screen). The Atari port is really " lazy." "Defender" is better on the c64. I never liked this game on my Atari. "Demon Attack" is better on the c64, better graphics, faster "missile" which makes the game easier. Again one more "lazy" port for the Atari machine but I do prefer the "ship" on that one. "Drol" is a bit better on the Atari XL (colors on PAL version). NTSC version look similar. "David's Midnight Magic" I will give it to the C64 even if the Pal versions are similar. I never liked this game on the Atari. "Deflektor" better on the C64. Graphically lazy Atari port. "Dropzone" Pal version is better on the Atari 8bit (color-wise). NTSC versions look similar. "Drelbs" Pal version is more colorful on the Atari 8bit.(NTSC versions look similar) The main problem with the c64 version is the huge speed difference between vertical and horizontal movement of the main sprite.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Great review!! Thanks for watching and always for your support!

[@nickolasgaspar9660]

@@FloppyDeepDive Thanks for giving us the chance to see how these games look on the other side of the pond. I find it really strange that the C64, here in Europe (PAL) , was known for its washed out colors while the Atari NTSC model appears to suffer from the same flaw. I have a C64 maxi and I have set it to "NTSC model" so I can enjoy the vivid palette and compare it to my C64c PAL machine.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Glad you enjoy them!

[@dennyhaynes3]

Great video Tom, great video with some absolutely fantastic games. Defender can be used with joytokey on the pc to use two buttons. Obviously there was no choice back then.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks Denny!! Always good to hear from you.

[@slaapliedje]

Atari has 2 versions of Donkey Kong as well (or at least two).

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Seems to be the case for a lot of games. Thanks for Watching!

[@slaapliedje]

@FloppyDeepDive Yeah, my favorite is the XE version of Mario Bros, that version is fantastic! Especially compared to the one made for the 400/800 which needs Translator on the 800xl, or the music is distorted.

[@MONSTERGABhorror]

These comparison videos are great. It's amazing to see how much these games varied depending on which system you played them on, even though they're essentially the same game. I think the Commodore versions ever so slightly win overall as they look just a bit better and the motions are a tad smoother in my opinion. Great content 👌

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Awesome, glad you enjoy them! Always good to hear from you and thanks for supporting the channel!!

[@robertmiles9942]

The Atari defender is better. I like the starfield and the particle effects. I wish they'd done better with the laser sound, though, it drives me up the wall. Dropzone looks better on the Atari with respect to the colors and the 3d starfield, though it's impressive McLean managed to port it to c64 so well. All others are either a wash or C64 for this round.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

I loved the ship explosion when I died on the Atari version. It was fantastic to see it fill the screen. Thanks for Watching! I love hearing the insights from everyone.

[@ITGuyinaction]

Oh no, you have serious problems with your grabber for Atari and those games loose a lot. In fact the quality of video is quite similar and Atari has better colour palette which is not visible here. I also made quite detailed Atari vs Commodore comparison some time ago...

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Retrotink to HD60X - It is what it is; I can only put so much lipstick on it. Upscaled Up. I could emulate but it's not the same, only use real hardware. Thanks for watching!

[@ITGuyinaction]

@@FloppyDeepDive 🤔🤔🤔

[@Miesiu]

The only #Atari makes it possible !

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Atari definitely made it possible!

[@robertmiles9942]

I guess if you cover the left half of the screen, that's true. Lol

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Lol

[@kingforaday8725]

Most of the games are close enough that I believe it comes down to which system one grew up playing on. Back in the day other than in store kiosks never saw an Atari 400 or 800 being used. We had an extensive Commodore group with probably 40 people in it. There may have been an Atari group around but if there were I didnt know about it. There was one guy in our Commodore group that supposedly had an Atari 800 he used in his business.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

So true! The original system you grew up on had such a huge impact on our taste in games. I also never knew anyone who had an Atari computer growing up. We all had the Atari 2600 but when we got our first computer it was all Commodore.

[@massmike11]

You should do a comparison of type ins from compute magazine

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Would I have to type them in?

[@gamingtonight1526]

I give 7 to C64 and 3 to XL...

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks for Watching!

[@GDLarcade]

I didn't care for the controls on either version of Donkey Kong. C64 was too slow and Atari too fast. Both had issues with ladders and jumps. C-64 version looks nice though. Agree on Dig Dug. Defender wasn't my game so I don't think I've tried them. Didn't have any of the others although I kind of like the premise of Deflektor. Some other "D" games that probably had versions on both were Decathlon and Dino Eggs. And one of my favorites, Diamond Mine, started on the Atari and was ported to the Apple and C-64.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

I didn't know Atari had Dino Eggs. Diamond Mine I started and even recorded but then decided I had enough. Thanks for Watching!

[@GDLarcade]

Atari might not have had Dino Eggs. I was just assuming it would, haha.@@FloppyDeepDive

[@GDLarcade]

Yeah, I assumed incorrectly... no mention of it on Wikipedia or any KZbin videos... my bad.

[@GDLarcade]

I guess Diamond Mine isn't for everyone. Variety is the spice of life. @@FloppyDeepDive

[@FloppyDeepDive]

I liked it, I just got lazy at the end. lol@@GDLarcade

[@cretski67]

Yep, I'm an Atari 800XL die hard but clearly the C64 shines the brighter here - better character definition, sonics and so closer to the original. I'm sure a more up to date homebrew on the 800XL would push the 64 closer but on this evidence... it's the breadbin all the way! Neat videos, fella. Keep em coming. Very nicely compared and a wicked set-up you have there - lovely jubbly.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Hello and welcome! Glad you enjoyed the video. I'm sure homebrews are great in the Atari; I haven't dived into them too much. I will have to check them out-more videos to come. Letter E is following, and it's not a huge list. Thanks for Watching!

[@Dalgren969]

Drop Zone better on the C64? Hmmmm.....

[@DataHombre]

Looks a bit better on the Atari IMHO.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

That's why I love doing these, to hear everyone’s opinions! I wouldn't argue. They were very close.

[@ThomaniacsRetrogamingZone]

Great comparison! Except Dropzone i'd prefer the C64 versions over the 800XL. Besides that i also really love the 800XL too. 😀

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks for Watching!

[@classicarcadeamusementpark4242]

I had the C-64 versions of Donkey Kong & Defender back in the 80s, but I prefer the Atari 8 bit versions of those games. Donkey Kong for the Atari had the extra level missing from the C-64 version. I like the game play better too. Defender on the Atari 8 bit had the explosions much more like the coin-op version.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

I loved the Defender explosions on the Atari! Thanks for Watching!

[@hazy33]

Donkey Kong runs a lot faster on the Atari but the c64 is more accurate in speed to the arcade. Mario is running but going nowhere fast! 🙂 I've never heard of Drol before or Drebs.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Happy New Year Hazy!

[@hazy33]

​@@FloppyDeepDiveand to you and your family. I hope 2024 is great as 2023 was the worst year of my life so things have to get better 😊

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Here’s to an Amazing year for you! 🙏

[@richardblack5710]

For all the games in this episode, I like the C64 better except for Drop Zone. The reason is the commodore had better a better color palette in the games. The Atari had a better color palette in Drop Zone. The bad color palette makes the games look drab.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

I can’t argue with that! I agree! Thanks for Watching!

[@peterthx]

1979 vs. 1982 hardware, 8KB vs. 64KB RAM - remember the games were programmed for the hardware older than the 800XL.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

These games weren’t released in 1979. Atari didn’t have to dumb down all its games, most of these were released in 83 after first coming out on the Apple II. Imagine if Commodore only made games for the 64 that would also work on the Vic 20.

[@peterthx]

@@FloppyDeepDive the games had to work on anything marked "400/800" or "All Atari Computers" which meant it had to abide by the RAM limitations of the original hardware 1979 specs. They weren't made for the top-end 800XL with 64K RAM, which wasn't released until 1983. Commodore VIC and 64 software are incompatible with each other, so it was never necessary to limit the 64's capabilities for backwards compatibility.

[@robertmiles9942]

For the Atari, games on cart didn't require more than the base RAM on the early hardware, all code and data residing in ROM. Games on disk usually required 48k, since they needed somewhere to load in. The C64 saw far fewer game cartridges, but had a base RAM size of 64k. It wasn't a major difference, really.

[@peterthx]

@@robertmiles9942 back then 8K vs. 64K was a *huge* difference. The 2600 only had 128 *bytes* of RAM

[@classicarcadeamusementpark4242]

And remember the 1979 Atari 8 bit computer ran at almost 2 mhz while the C-64 ran at 1. So much for the C-64 being more advanced. 😄 Properly written Atari games could be more impressive than C-64 games and more colorful.

[@RobOHara]

Looked to me like the C64 won every single head-to-head comparison! I think you covered all the big arcade titles I could think of. Other ones that would be interesting are Defender of the Crown, Decathlon, or Dragon's Lair. I was going to try to come up with more but all I can think about now is playing Donkey Kong!!

[@FloppyDeepDive]

I would of loved to do Defender of the crown and Dragons Lair but it's not on the Atari800XL. They are on the NES. Check out that video kzbin.info/www/bejne/a3zWfXZ7abGpf7ssi=g8LxjJ64u7BdbF2J