Retro Gaming Showdown: C64 vs. Atari 800XL - Six Classic 'E' Games Compared

"🎮 Retro Gaming Showdown: C64 vs. Atari 800XL - The 'E' Games Face-Off! 🕹️ | Dive into a nostalgic battle as we compare six classic games that start with the letter 'E,' showcasing the unique charm and gameplay of each title on the Commodore 64 and Atari 800XL. From the innovative 3D exploration of 'The Eidolon' by Lucasfilm Games to the intense action of 'Encounter!' and the strategic depths of 'Espial,' we're covering a range of genres that defined the era. Don't miss our look into 'Elektraglide's' high-speed thrills, 'Exploding Wall's' brick-breaking challenges, and the evolutionary journey of 'Evolution.' Each game offers a window into the creativity and technological advancements of the mid-80s, providing a unique experience across both platforms. Join us as we delve into the graphics, sound, and controls that made these games memorable. Whether you're a fan of the C64, an Atari enthusiast, or just love retro gaming, this comparison is for you! Hit like, share, and subscribe for a trip down memory lane and more classic gaming comparisons. 🚀 #retrogaming #C64vsAtari800XL #ClassicGames #TheEidolon #Encounter #Espial #Elektraglide #ExplodingWall #Evolution"

[@TheYa2000]

Unfortunately, in Russia, where I am from (although I was born in the Soviet Union, which still existed at that time), there were no such computers for sale. But I had a Russian clone of the ZX Spectrum as a child. It’s always interesting to learn something about that layer of culture that you missed. Thank you for your videos from Russia with love ❤

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Welcome to the community! Thanks for sharing your story. I love hearing about retro experiences from all over the world! Thanks for watching, my friend!

[@steinarvilnes3954]

How easy was a ZX clone to obtain and how common was it?

[@TheYa2000]

@@steinarvilnes3954 In the USSR/Russia in the late 80s and early 90s there were a lot of different ZX Spectrum clones. In particular, in my city (Krasnodar) there was an operating factory of radio measuring instruments and a clone called “Impulse” was produced there. But, when my parents bought Impulse for me, NES clones began to appear on store shelves in my country. But still, nothing compares to games on the Spectrum.

[@TheYa2000]

​@@steinarvilnes3954I don't know why, KZbin deletes my comments. Spectrum clones were sold in almost every major city in the late 80s and early 90s. Moreover, each factory of "radio measuring devices" produced its own versions of the computer. A very cool model (in an iron case) was produced in my homecity (Krasnodar) under the name "Impulse". It had a built-in beeper and it looked very impressive. However, when I received my "Impulse" as a gift from my parents (it was 1991 / 1992 year), NES clones began to appear in Russia and the popularity of Spectrum began to decline.

[@sinrtv]

Don't say your "soldiers" never stole an Atari or C64 along with a couple of washing machines 🤣

[@JustMe99999]

It's amazing how well the Atari holds up considering the hardware was from 1979 and the C64 was from 1982.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Atari missed out by leaving it the same even thought they could have updated the 800XL since it was released later. Such a shame but yes these older games look good on the Atari unfortunately they stopped making games for it too soon so I can't compare the late 80s games because it didn't happen for the Atari. Bummer. Thanks for Watching!

[@seansretroverse9082]

Just a little feedback for the format of these videos. I personally would find it helpful to add the title of the game to show either above or below on the screen. Helps with the ADHD when I don't always catch the spoken game titles and then go "what game is this again? Let me back up again and listen more carefully!" I love this series and look forward to more entries!

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Great feedback; I will see what I can do. Thanks for Watching! Glad you love the series.

[@ClassicGameSessions]

Great lineup of games on these systems today. I think this round goes to the Atari - the graphics, colour, and some small details had the edge overall I think. Both system experieces look good though I think and I'd be more than happy to go all C64 on these ones too!

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Hey CGS! Yep, Atari took the round. It was a huge difference, but gameplay was much better for Atari on a few. Thanks for Watching!

[@Dark_eVader]

You only talked mostly about the gameplay but didn't discuss the difference in look. For example, the background images of Exploding Walls are more 3D like and far superior on the Atari compared with the C64. Same with Elektraglide. I kept on waiting for you to mention how much better the graphics are on the Atari version but you just left it without that. I feel that you should not only do a gameplay comparison but also give points to graphics, sound effects, music as well.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

I'm always experimenting with the delivery. Thanks for the feedback. Thanks for Watching!

[@hazy33]

It's funny about Encounter as that was written in the UK by Paul Woakes under his Novagen company and licensed to Synapse who's software in the UK was usually licenced to US Gold. Anyway Paul Woakes also revolutionised the c64 tape industry as that game was the first to use Novaload turbo loading system which brougfht down loading times from around 30 minutes to 3-5 minutes. After this EVERYONE used Novaload (or similar systems) on their tapes. Paul went on to release the classic Mercenary and the sequel Damocles. Paul sadly died a few years ago. For Eidolon i've also pronounced it eye-da-lon.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Great insight like always!

[@hazy33]

@@FloppyDeepDiveaw thanks. It's nice to share all this useless info clogging up my brain with someone who'll appreciate it 🙂

[@ridiculous_gaming]

I always preferred Atari, but the c64, has the ability to use more colors at high resolution, even though the Atari has a drastically larger palette. Nevertheless, many titles depend on the experience and talent of the programmers working on each game. An experienced programmer could produce some amazing feats on either platform.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Agree!! Thanks for Watching!

[@leerudd1294]

Check out alternate reality on the atari. That was a great game and has a superb intro that no other platform came close to. Even the Amiga screwed it up big time.

[@monsterzro]

I loved my Atari 800XL but converted to the C64, there were just so much more releases and the schoolyard trading scene was strictly C64 only

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Makes sense to me

[@nickolasgaspar9660]

Some good games in the list. I have played the PAL versions and things are a bit different. In the case of Eidolon the Atari version is hands down the superior port. Its scrolls fast while the slower PAL CPU on the C64 brings the experience down. The PAL colors on the Atari are also more vibrant. prefer it on my Atari 8bit machine. Encounter plays well on both machines. The Atari port has more colors plus the game play, as you already said, makes it more interesting. That said I play this game on both machines. Espiel is a really old shoot'em up. Colors look better on the Atari 8bit but things move really fast on screen. I prefer the C64 version with its solid pace. Electraglide on the PAL Atari is a dream with the overscan window and large color palette . Exploding wall looks better on the Atari 8bit but I prefer the shaded ball on the c64 version from the square one on the Atari version. Evolution is good on both machines.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Great review! Thanks for the write-up!

[@347573]

To me seems that the Atari has an edge in all the games but one. It is especially visible in the racing game where on Commodore programmers were forced to reduce the visible screen to manage it.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks for Watching!

[@USWaterRockets]

Something is "off" in your video captures of the Atari 8-bit. It almost seems like you are capturing the C=64 using Chroma-Luma output and capturing the Atari using Composite output. The Atari captures seem to have a lot of fringing and color artifacts that only appear in composite or R/F output. Of course the best model for video is the original 800 with the cast aluminum shielding and Chroma-Luma output. The XL series lacks the Chroma-Luma signal but you can add it with a single jumper wire. The XE series supposedly has Chroma-Luma like the 800, but with less robust shielding. You should use the same outputs on both in these comparisons because it makes a significant difference.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

I do need the jumper wirer for the XL. If you have one I’m accepting donations.

[@USWaterRockets]

@@FloppyDeepDive You could do a video showing how to do the mod with any piece of wire. It gives the XL the S-Video output it needs.

[@tomaszbrzezinski2398]

Commodore 64 fully showed its capabilities at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s. It was at that time that the best games for this platform were released. These above-mentioned games not showed the capabilities of the Commodore 64, but these were the maximum capabilities of the Atari 8-bit.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Yep, unfortunately Atari doesnt have many games later on,so early 80s is all I got.

[@leerudd1294]

Yes, but the Atari lacked decent coders, the machine is highly capable with the right coders. It just lacked market share in the early 80’s so didnt get the coding it deserved.

[@MONSTERGABhorror]

Tom, I can't emphasise enough how much I enjoy your content appreciate the effort you put into your videos. I especially like and look forward to these comparison videos. Seeing these old games (that I have a tremendous amount of nostalgia for) side by side on different systems is truly fascinating to me. Excellent man 👍

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thank you, my friend, I'm glad you are enjoying them.

[@lutherdrache399]

On paper, the 800XL has better hardware, but in practice: well, a video is worth a million words.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Amen!

[@lazarushernandez5827]

I believe I played a demo of Electraglide on the Atari back in the day, I remember the music being a lot better for some reason.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks for Watching!

[@GregDaniel78]

Nice comparisons! I'll always have a soft spot for the c64 as it was the first machine I felt I owned. We borrowed an atari 2600. But, you can clearly see the power of the atari here though being much more impressive. In the UK it was very much 2600 territory in the very early days, then largely split between the Spectrum amstrad and c64. I don't know anyone who owned another atari before the release of the ST much later. The 800XL was not a hit there.

[@HeliZero]

I have never played any of these games - but Eidolon sure looks amazing - quite convincing 3D maze effect - never seen that before on a C64. Love your videos.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks, glad you love them. Appreciate the support!

[@eng3d]

My country (Chile) was like Poland: Atari or bust. The Atari 800xl was a huge hit here, from tv shows, clubs, bbs. We even produced new stuff, such as cassette fast loading, etc. In fact, my country only had 3 computers: IBM PC clones, some rare Macintosh, and Atari 800xl/130xe. The ZX and C64 were practically non-existent there.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks for sharing about Chile. I love learning what others experienced in the 80s.

[@johnknight9150]

Damn, Atari kicked our butt this time!

[@FloppyDeepDive]

It was bound to happen.

[@mkastelovic]

I played a lot Eidolon on my Atari 800XE, that was ( my personal oppion! ) best Atari game, second was the Rescue on the Fractalus :D . And to say the true, in compairson with C64 version ( I'm speaking about PAL versions ) which had my friend, the atari version was better. The CPU power was visible, collors were nicer.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks for Watching!

[@craiggilchrist4223]

Got Both these Machines, Still Love My ATARI 800XL Though,

[@FloppyDeepDive]

I love them both!

[@rottmanthan]

exploding wall looks advanced for its time compared to some other games.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Right it looks good. Thanks for Watching!

[@buffalodebill7986]

If I recall correctly, The Eidolon on the Atari had smoother, more colourful graphics and a tad faster gameplay. The C64 version we tried was a cracked one, where selecting the colour of the weapon was done via F1 to F4 - meaning, for two out of four colours, you had to press SHIFT and the Fx key (to explain - on both, grabbing the crystals was performed via SPACE, and on Atari, the afore-mentioned selection was done by pressing one of the number keys). So having to press two keys on a keyboard did not feel right for a primarily joystick-operated game. Besides that, both games were really superb and definitely a novelty at the time, due to being real-time 3D. BTW I'd say, that hand in hand with a few other games, like Mercenary or Capture the Flag, Lucasfilm Games titles were sort of a revolution in our perception of what these machines could do. Also, it needs to be said, that Electra Glide as a games sucks on any platform.. Just speed up and hope that the bouncing ball doesn't hit you and that the obstacles are on the other side of the track, as slowing down a/o swerving was way too slow to be really effective. The Atari version was quite hyped as a showcase of 1st person riding game, but besides being a fantastic showcase of graphics and speed, it did very little to entertain - and the C64 version was even worse. Really, not a good game.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Such a great write-up and review. I agree that Elektraglide was boring! Thanks for Watching and commenting!

[@spacexvanityprojectslimite3315]

the Atari was an extremely expensive computer compared to the 64, that's why the 64 has the biggest sales and most software, and for that reason (and the higher res ) I'm a 64 fan!

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Me too! Thanks for Watching!

[@alanr1062]

I had an 800xl and enjoyed Encounter. But Mercenary was my favourite 😍

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Will play when I get to the letter M

[@jh5124]

In this case the Eidolon is gonna go to the Atari. The 3D scaling is twice as smooth most likely due to its cpu that is double the speed. The C64 has a lot of nice features being 2 years newer tech, but in 3D oomph the Atari is usually going to win.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks for Watching!

[@joecan]

Growing up in the 80s, scrimping and saving with a paper route to get a computer. if II had the dough, I would have bought both, but I only had enough for 1, so c64 it was for me.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Good choice! Thanks for Watching!

[@8_Bit]

I enjoyed these comparisons! Evolution was one of the very first Canadian-made commercial video games, and with it the developers founded Distinctive Software which went on to create many classics: The Dam Busters, HardBall!, Fight Night, Psi 5 Trading Co., Ace of Aces, Test Drive, it goes on and on. Eventually EA bought them and they became EA Canada.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Hey Robin! Glad you enjoyed the comparisons. So those are all Accolade games. I had no idea that Evolution was one of their first. Good stuff!

[@8_Bit]

@@FloppyDeepDiveYes, Accolade published most of Distinctive's titles, but Evolution and a few others were published by Sydney, which most famously released B.C.'s Quest For Tires.

[@gametimewithunclejer]

Evolution looks like something I definitely would have enjoyed back in the day. Too bad I never came across it in the '80s.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Right! Me either, now learning it was an early Accolade release it makes sense I like it.

[@caeserromero3013]

On the whole, the graphics look more vibrant on the Atari and move faster, but the Atari has a CPU running nearly twice as fast as a C64, so they should move faster. It's kind of academic as to which system was 'better' as they have different pricing and H/W spec. Ultimately you'll prefer whatever you had as a kid (and you didn't often get a choice if you weren't rich) and not really anything else to compare it to at the time. I had a C64, so of course I loved the C64...

[@RainerK.]

I actually had both. The 800XL first because the C64 was too expensive for us (we were poor). I didn't have it for long because the 64 is what I really wanted to have so I got a used one half a year later or so. Finding games for the Atari wasn't easy. I didn't know anyone else that had one. I only remember owning The Last V8 on tape and it really sucked compared to the C= version which had great music. Not a great game at all, but the C64 version was so much better.

[@thisnthat3530]

Although the CPU is 1.79MHz in the 800XL vs 1MHz in the C64, it is only effectively about 1.3MHz because it is constantly being halted while memory fetches for the graphics are performed. I still prefer the Atari for most things (maybe because it is what I had?) such as its 128 colours, fast floppy drive, and 4 voice audio. My C64 friends always harped on about how much better the SID audio was, but to me it all sounded very samey. I guess programmers of the era failed to take advantage of its features.

[@caeserromero3013]

@@thisnthat3530 The only comparison I could ever make was between the C64 and the Atari XE my cousin had. I played it once and the game I played was Ghostbusters (which I had on my C64). I couldn't really tell much difference...though it's not a particularly good game for comparison it's the only game I've played on both Commodore and Atari....

[@8_Bit]

@@RainerK. The Last V8 really highlight's the C64's strengths, beyond just the music: the scrolling map just has 4 (or 5?) colours while the C64 is free to use all 16 horizontally, same with the bitmap of the car at the bottom. And the horizontal scrolling is just 160 pixels resolution as the Atari can only scroll in whole-pixel increments (which changes depending on graphics mode) while the C64 is scrolling at 320 pixel resolution. Meanwhile a game like Elektraglide or BallBlazer shows the Atari's strengths very well, when the colour or graphic changes are happening vertically, down the screen, it's very impressive.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

I love the C64 too!! Thanks for Watching!

[@IntoTheVerticalBlank]

Great video FDD!

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thank you!

[@ypey1]

I always was the only Atari guy between all my C64 friends, ever since the Atari2600... eventually due to peer pressure i surrendered and bought a C64 and never looked back (with pain in my heart i must say) 😅

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Lol, both are great options!

[@rushmore3927]

The other wildcard is programming. If same people did both, then even better comparison.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Agree! Chuckie Egg, in one of my past videos has the same developed for both systems for example. He even commented on my video.

[@walterlibrale9249]

I had and have a c64 I love that computer❤

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks for Watching!

[@RandomBitzzz]

Wow, this might be a first for your videos. I hadn't played any of these... but based on your gameplay I feel the Atari pulled ahead for every game, which pains me to admit as a Commodore fan. I also just wanted to say that the racing game almost looked like a re-skin of pole position. Might be interesting to see them side by side.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Oh wow, you will have to load some of these up. Atari did take this round for sure.

[@krakenunbound]

You may want to look into a video mod for your atari.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Yep, unfortunately Atari went cheap on the 800XL.

[@ShinGoukiSan]

I miss my 1200XL

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks for Watching!

[@Mike-hv1uf]

Same! It was my upgrade from my 400 in '83

[@ShinGoukiSan]

@@Mike-hv1ufNice! My Father's Friend had an 800 and we lived in Foster City, CA at the time when the 1200XL was being Test Marketed and my Father bought it and every add on they had :D

[@Mike-hv1uf]

@@ShinGoukiSan Interesting. My step-sister at the time worked for Atari and was able to score me the 1200xl and 1050 from 'B' stock for less than cost. Another interesting side note, my father worked at the time as a Principal for a school that Jack Tramiels' granddaughter attended, though he never met either him or his son, Sam.

[@ArttuTheCat]

THE EIDOLON from LucasFilm Games looks and sounds equally as brilliant on the Commodore 64 as on the Atari XL/XE. I'm still looking for that game to my Commodore 64 (tape or disk). 😺👍🕹️

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Yep, it's a quality game.

[@serqetry]

Atari 8-bit wins every time. The problem with C64 games is always the fixed 16 color palette, it's very limited. You can't have multiple colors of the same hue like you can on the Atari. C64 often has higher resolution graphics but that palette just ruins it.

[@nickolasgaspar9660]

The C64 palette is not that bad especially the NTSC one. There are coders that worked miracles with this palette and it defined the distinct hires artwork of the platform. That said , its also the main cause behind the monotonous purple grey theme of most games.

[@Mark-1979]

The Atari had more colours but the C64 had better colour capabilities. Look at Mayhem in Monsterland,, Robot Jet Action, and Sam's Journey to name a few - colour capabilities way beyond the Atari's.

[@serqetry]

@@Mark-1979 I don't think your statement makes a lot of sense. I'm going to assume what you are trying to say is that the C64 can have more colors on the screen at once... but that's not accurate. I'd say C64 tends to have more colors at once at a higher resolution, but unlike the C64 the Atari has many, many different graphics modes, some with higher resolutions and others with more colors on screen instead. Overall, I think the Atari has far more "colour capabilities" than the C64.

[@Mark-1979]

​@@serqetry It's not complicated, I've provided evidence of games with colour that's impossible on the Atari, disproving your belief-based assertion that the "Atari 8-bit wins every time". Also pointless and untrue saying Atari has "many, many" more graphic modes, especially if you count only the official and useful modes: the vast majority of these modes are useless with miniscule resolutions like 20 x 12, severe colour restrictions like 2 or 4 colours max, and none of these modes can compete with the C64's colour to resolution to memory consumption ratios across the majority of the official C64 modes, and that's not even taking into account the C64's incredible ECM/B modes. Then we have sprite graphics modes where the C64 outperforms the Atari again. To summarise, it's not about numbers of colours or graphic modes (or the number of sound channels - another pointless and false Atari fan argument).

[@8_Bit]

Commodore 64 has much better horizontal (across the screen) colour capabilities, while Atari has much better vertical colour capabilities. Commodore 64 can put all 16 colours across the screen without a single trick, 8 large (24 pixels wide each) sprites across each with their own colour, and each of the 40 characters can have its own colour from the 16. Atari can get all 128 colours on screen easily vertically down the screen. So a game that moves horizontally can usually look better on C64 (Mayhem in Monsterland alone shows this, but there's many other examples) and a game that moves vertically (whether the whole screen scrolling, or 3d like Electraglide) can usually look better on Atari.

[@DrJondo]

hey o/, thx for the video

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks for Watching!

[@plaurens]

800XL !

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks for Watching!

[@john2001plus]

I think that the Atari 800 is a slightly more powerful machine.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks for Watching!

[@podecontarcomigo1634]

Like and Subscribed.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Great! Welcome to the channel!

[@smila007]

Pretty much the same on both machines.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks for Watching!

[@b213videoz]

Exolon ?

[@FloppyDeepDive]

It's not on Atari 800xl. Only ST.

[@b213videoz]

@@FloppyDeepDive Not "only St" - Amiga, Commodore, Amstrad and ZX too.The best version is a ZX one.

[@marcins6071]

Atari won!

[@FloppyDeepDive]

LOL, Yep.

[@mesjaszyk]

Atari nicer

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Thanks for Watching!

[@shaolin1derpalm]

I beat evolution once lol

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Nice! Thanks for Watching!

[@bazodee2]

Does atari have stroker? No? Commodore wins!!!

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Lol, that's the measuring stick.

[@jssonstevens59]

Classic games? Joke isn't really apart from the first. It's more of a 'let's find some obscure titles in a desperate attempt to make the Atari look better'. Even then, it really doesn't.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

What E games would you pick that are on both systems? I have no reason to make the Atari look better! Have you seen my other videos? If you have then your reply doesn't make sense.

[@Mark-1979]

@@FloppyDeepDive I think the original comment further above reflects the strange insistence that some or possibly many Atari fans have that their computer is far better than the C64 in every way imaginable. This simply isn't true as the C64 outperforms the Atari in the majority of gaming genres. Certainly not saying that you're one of these fans, just that it's an easy mistake for viewers to make given the narrow context of a single video.

[@tonyduffy7441]

​@@FloppyDeepDive I think you were pretty much exhaustive in covering 'E' games on both systems. Apart some text adventures/RPG's the only other one I could find (looking at databases) is Escape from Doomworld which seems to be a UK made game so no idea if it works for US peoples - with that whole PAL/NTSC thing.