The First BIG FPS Game - Atari's Battlezone from 1980 | Museum Arrival

Welcome Back Arcadians,
In this video we have a new arrival for the museum and it’s 80s classic, Atari’s Battlezone from 1980. This is the full-size upright in immaculate condition for its age and comes with a new game Battlezone 2 which is absolutely amazing.
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#arcade #atari #battlezone

[@RetroSteamTech]

Battlezone is my favourite arcade game, spent hours and hours playing it when the cabinets were in pubs years ago. Built my own cabinet using an old PC running MAME, with an original control panel and sticks sourced from the USA. Still play the thing regularly to this day. Thanks for the video, it's always good to see such a great game being showcased.

[@uberdump]

I loved playing this at the arcade when I was a kid.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Me too such fond memories.

[@Ed-eq5kd]

Nice one Alex, you’re right, the periscope is absolutely essential for the full nostalgia trip 😊

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks Ed Hope your well

[@bob_._.]

A restaurant I worked at in the '80s had one in its arcade. Loved it! Got to where my games were lasting about 45 minutes, the limiting factor was muscle fatigue; I think my high was 295,000. At some point they replaced one of the circuit boards, made it much brighter, saucers were visible back to the horizon. We had several regular players on staff and it really did seem to play each of us differently, like it recognized us by our play styles or something; amazing programming for the time.

[@MrButtonpresser]

I remember the BOOM of the base when playing this game. It was like looking into another world.

[@NigelDraycott]

I was always drawn to this game, what a fantastic cabinet.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

It truly is, thanks for watching.

[@cameralabs]

Fantastic video Alex, thanks! You got all the details I wanted to see and hear about! I LOVED Battlezone, especially the upright version and the periscope. I spent a lot of my childhood peering into that thing!

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks for watching Gordon and for all your advice it’s much appreciated.

[@rasberrycast]

I can't wait to come back and give this amazing cabinet a go.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Please do!

[@GenerationPixel]

It was the second cabinet I ever played, and as a 7 year old, my old dad had to hold me up to play it 😂

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Haha fantastic

[@CoindoorDave]

I was lucky to find a cherry BZ upright. Worked & looked perfect. A few years later, traded it for a TRON cobbled together from 3 or 4 other machines. Restored that, added some bling (like blue LED t-molding) and love it...miss my BZ, so may someday find a replacement.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Tron is just as iconic and I love the cabinet.

[@RandyGrover]

One of my favorites.

[@skyway73]

Awesome addition mate, an iconic machine. This was one of the games I'd go to when I'd run out of 10ps, stand on that little step and pretend I was playing 😁

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Haha brilliant Ade Thanks for watching

[@neilloughran4437]

In my top 3 arcade games.. some days it is #1. I first saw this delivered to a cafe in 1980 along with Missile Command... totally knocked out by it. super sharp graphics and quite scary with the missiles and the sounds they made along with the bass kicked out by the speakers.... magic era for arcade games.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

The graphics through the half mirror look so crisp, almost like your looking at a flat screen monitor. It truly was amazing to see when it first appeared into the arcades.

[@wolfbeast80]

I can't wait to get hands-on experience with this game! As I've said before, it's impressive, and I think it really stands the test of time. Battlezone 2 is something entirely, a true sequel to a great game! The way you film the cab restorations is quite fun and informative to watch. I'm always fascinated about the inner works of the cabs and what makes them tick.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thank you, I shall be doing more of these featured games 👍

[@cjh0751]

The Mame version is excellent. One of my favourite games to play on big telle. Back in the day i always remember the low thunderous rumble when the enemy got ya. Congratulations on getting this fantastic game. Incredible

[@TheArcadeArchive]

The sound effects truly are incredible, you can feel the cab vibrate with the low rumble. Thank you

[@CarJacka]

I can remember being too short to play the game while on holiday, the following year I visited the same arcade and could see through the scope.

[@RetroJack]

This is beginning to motivate me to finish restoring my Vectrex.

[@neilgadsby3924]

Great video. I spent a fortune on this back in the day trying to get to the mountains in the distance. Never made it.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Haha I heard that too bitd and tried to get there 😂

[@MaximumRD]

An absolute classic!

[@chrisnizer5702]

Love this game! There was a bodega in the neighborhood we passed on the way home from school that always had about 4 different games ( BattleZone, Scramble, Defender, Pac-Man ). We'd stop by on the way home and drop a couple quarters. This was definitely a favorite!

[@davidjames5043]

Great video, this game was si ahead of its time. Will give it ago when come back down to the museum in a couple of weeks.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Look forward to seeing you

[@archibaldbuttle7]

Last time I was at the Arcade Archive I nearly skipped playing on this, as I'm not a fan of the original Battlezone, but was so glad you persuaded me to have a play Alex, especially when you switched it to Battlezone 2. That game is fantastic. 🙂

[@TheArcadeArchive]

BATTLEZONE 2 is much more forgiving and glad you got to play it mate 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@Justinicus24]

Battlezone 2 looks great i didnt even know that existed. ill have to check it out

[@cratercritter]

I'd love to come down and have a go of that. It's been 40+ years since I last had a game of Battlezone when one randomly appeared in our local college's refectory in '81. Although I was on an art course, it was a technical college and some of the folks on the mechanics course had hacked the coin box so you could rack credits up.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Wow that’s a great memory, I’ve got similar story’s of me ramming lolly pop sticks into the coin slot trying to get credits and remember getting told off by the operator ☺️

[@kevinmccartney4906]

Awesome video, Alex! Battlezone as the first FPS was an interesting fact. The emersion and physics help make this a classic. Enjoyed watching and learning about this cabinet! Cheers!!

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks Kevin I love the early arcade games as they are so interesting to look at with so much history and the games still hold up today. Thanks for watching

[@kevinmccartney4906]

​@@TheArcadeArchive I always enjoy the detail you share and the enthusiasm in your delivery.

[@aeiouxs]

Awesome stuff Alex, always love your videos and passion for the Arcade titles we grew up with, also rekindles my love for them too. The periscope and controllers on this really added a unique element of immersion which is part of the joy of Arcade games ; escapism! cheers! (ps - whoever owns the Lotus has great taste!)

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thank you glad you enjoyed the video 👍

[@Rob.Coleman]

Stunning cabinet, and great to see one in such fantastic condition 👍👍.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Cheers Rob 👍

[@magicknight8412]

Had a good go on this at play expo Blackpool the other week. Very cool to play and left a high score on there :)

[@pasha12343]

Wow , remember playing it back in the day 👍😎

[@gavmiller]

I find the string backs give a little extra purchase. Battlezone is a game I loved and still play to this day. The panic on hearing a missile as it zig zags across the battlefield! The story was you could drive to the volcano and down into the crater…..although I’m beginning to think that isn’t true. Wasted many work hours when this appeared in the 90’s on the Microsoft Arcade pack for Windows 3.1!

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Haha! The rumour that you could get to the volcano was everywhere bitd, I tried to do exactly the same 😂

[@retro_reflections]

Such a beautiful machine (and an incredible-looking example of it)... Atari's attention to creating an amazing gameplay environment never ceased to amaze (such as the layered card surround on Asteroids and the plastic shroud on Star Wars). And yeah, the side art was - and still is - stunning as always.

[@zamiadams4343]

Amazing episode Alex! I fondly remember playing it at an arcade at the seaside when I was young and being blown away, bravo sir!

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks mate 👍

[@bobbus_74]

What a machine! My older brother was obsessed with this cab when it came out. I played it a few times at the fair as a young kid, must've been around '81 and '82. I was (and still am) a short arse though, and remember really having to stretch to play it. 😄

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Well you can now play it without stretching Bob, see you soon 👍

[@bobbus_74]

@@TheArcadeArchive at last! I look forward to having a go on my next visit.

[@JMurdochNZ]

I don't believe I ever played this version, but the 1998 re-release is one of my favourite games of all times. Perfect blend of strategy and RTS.

[@neilloughran4437]

I love both the Activision BZ1 and BZ2 titles.... still some of the best experiences I've ever had with PC gaming.... got me through tough times!

[@PeterR1chard]

Really enjoying your channel, Alex. I am going through a lot of the older videos. Such a great hobby.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Ten years of content should keep you going 😂 thanks Peter 👍

[@Chriva]

Welcome back Mr. Hardy :)

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Sorry it’s been while, I’ve been so busy. Enjoy my friend 👍

[@scatterkeir]

I was 9 when this came out, not sure how much later it was when I first played it but even with the step I had to stand on my tiptoes to play it :D

[@rmrepairs]

The ending 😂

[@quantumstix]

I bet Les is in the arcade all day with Battlezone available :-}

[@TheArcadeArchive]

He’s got a nice example

[@quantumstix]

He once delivered Heber boards to us and beat my high score on a caberet I have @@TheArcadeArchive

[@retroimportgamer513]

That looks awesome Alex, really does look massive compared to normal cabs. I've only ever played this on console but always thought it was a cool game Like you said, the artwork on these Atari cabs is beautiful Amazing piece to be loaned out to you All the best 👍

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thank you James You must come back and play it when you next visit. Hope your well

[@ewstargamer]

What a great addition to the arcade really look forward to playing it on my next visit Great video Alex

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thank you Alex

[@Evercade_Effect]

Very cool! 🔥🔥🔥

[@SwainyAtRetroAsylum]

Looks amazing mate!

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks Dean

[@GeorgesChannel]

Great video! What a cool game Battlezone is! I really love the 3d graphics of that time! Always tried to recreate them on my homecomputer!

[@TheArcadeArchive]

I don’t remember many ports of this game but I remember playing the BBC micro version and it was ok I guess.

[@GeorgesChannel]

@@TheArcadeArchive There are a few ports around on several systemd. Some clones have different names like "Stellar 7"

[@igormonteiro5601]

Nice done bro, very good to see ppl who cares to those pieces of history, your respect for it its inspiring. Best of luck.

[@LawmanArcade76]

18:45 I knew he is an alien :D

[@TheArcadeArchive]

😂

[@user-ho6yq3lq3y]

Great video, I was never a fan of BZ 'back in the day' however such a great machine something that I obviously did not appreciate during my teenage yrs. Another great addition to the Museum. Hope to return again very soon. I love every part of it. Such fun. Thankyou so much Alex for keeping the dream alive.

[@willd6215]

Great video

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks! 😎👍

[@TheHobbyLodge]

An awesome addition, the game was already good when we have visited but now it taken to another level.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks Martin It’s great to get a new addition especially a rate game like this. Hope your well mate

[@electricadventures]

A thing of absolute beauty and a true arcade classic. I am very lucky that we have one locally, one of the friends in my ground has one and has spent a fair bit of time restoring it from various parts (his is down at the moment, needs a part for the monitor that seems to be hard to source). I am sure it will be a true drawcard for the museum going forward.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks Tony Hope your friend gets it up and running very soon. I feel extremely lucky to have this for the museum.

[@VEN0M415]

Man that battlezone II looks like a ton of fun!

[@tonyg5597]

Yes, i have fond memories of Battlezone and the arcade cabinet. I was in my early teens when this was at the arcades and being relatively short had to use the step up to look through the periscope...i recall i was pretty crap at playing the game but this didn't stop me having a game anytime I would visit the arcade. While not the same as the arcade, I revisited this game on the PSVR as the PSVR Battlezone also included the retro version

[@TheArcadeArchive]

I’d love to play the modern VR version and I would imagine it’s quite immersive.

[@jumpingeneral]

Hey bro good to see you back 🍻keep making new videos

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thank you mate, I’m trying my best to get more videos out and shortly I will me making a second channel for live streams 👍

[@jumpingeneral]

@@TheArcadeArchive hey Alex that will be fantastic!! Look forward to seeing more. You can make new ones everyday if you’d like 😀🍻cheers!#1

[@WhatHoSnorkers]

Fantastic game, and fantastic cabinet. I was lucky enough to play Battlezone 2 on it during a recent visit to the Arcade Archive and the Cave! Those landmines are sneaky...

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Hehe yea that take most people by surprise 😂

[@moneypits]

Terrific work. I played that when I was young enough to barely get my head to display. Nice S2 Exige parked out front too. Whose was that?

[@BenDaleTV]

The controls on this were awesome. A bit like marble madness with its unique ball system... and never been replicated since.

[@boofuls]

Who remembers Rommel's Revenge on the spectrum 😊 its a battle zone clone

[@tejp5101]

My friend's Dad had a sit down Battlezone in his corner shop in the 80s. I was absolutely blown away by the experience. Loved playing it at the Museum, still terrible at it! Never played Battlezone 2, will it be available to play?

[@TheArcadeArchive]

It will be available to play at the museum 😎👍

[@pbal1916]

Wait what?? Battlezone 2! I didn’t even know this existed 😮

[@senilyDeluxe]

Did someone put a small surveillance cam monitor in that Sprint 2 in the background? (on the machine I fixed, the monitor had one of the four caps in the big multi section bucket cab gone open, throwing off the voltages for the horizontal oscillator. And before checking that, I tried getting the H-freq back within range. And when I fixed it, the H-freq was way off of course, trying to turn the slug back broke it... now it's stuck at a wrong frequency. So I started -randomly- educated-guessly jump resistors over others in the circuit until I found a place where the frequency would change significantly, installed a potentiometer and now finally that monitor has an H-freq pot. And it works. And it has that weird problem where the picture seems to avoid the bottom left corner for a few minutes while it warms up)

[@TheArcadeArchive]

That little monitor we were going to use until we found a 23” monitor but unfortunately we are still looking.

[@davidretrogamesplayedbadly3533]

An awesome looking cab mate, fairly sure the last time I played it was in an arcade in Hornsea in the early 80's. Don't think I've played the sequel, very cool.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Come down and visit dave would love to meet you.

[@davidretrogamesplayedbadly3533]

@TheArcadeArchive I will mate, on my list, just a matter of finding time.

[@CameronMcCasland]

I got my Battlezone cabaret earlier this year and just adore it. The upright is great too, but i like playing it open face more myself. The viewfinder always feels weird to me.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

It’s much more immersive but it’s not really for home use unless you’ve got the space. Hope your well Cameron.

[@hoffmannolsen]

There was something like this, but with uboats I seem to remember.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

You thinking of sea wolf ?

[@SP95]

I want to play itttt

[@GoodwinsPlace]

I missed playing this the other day. Need to come back and have a go on it soon.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Oh you must give it a go Craig

[@GoodwinsPlace]

@@TheArcadeArchive you know I'll be back soon. 😂👍

[@MorganTN]

I wonder if applying some heat to the existing green gel in situ would help smooth out some of creases and better form fit it to the screen.

[@GASHPAN]

I’ve never played the sequel. I’ll definitely need to revisit and test this out! Also, what was the vertical shmup game on in the background at your home arcade? Cheers and excellent vid 👍

[@TheArcadeArchive]

My mind went blank for a few days, it’s (Armed F) which is nice little shooter 👍

[@simonhanlon7518]

Great game! are you going to try the Red Zone PCB in it?

[@TheArcadeArchive]

We have it in because Battlezone 2 is so cool to play.

[@neilloughran4437]

I know I have posted on this before but I so love this game. I believe the first game with a 3D perspective might be open to debate.. but I reckon Vectorbeam's SpeedFreak from 1978/79 might be first in line for that honour... I don't even know how they could do it as most driving games of the era were like Night Driver and Datsun 280 with very rudimentary graphics or something like Kasco Driver with the film and photocell technology (hilarious to see this nowadays).... I find Speedfreak very eerie... wonder if any made it to UK?

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Hi Neil, Yes you could be right.I think for most people Battlezone was the one they remember and it was the successful game. I definitely remember Night driver with the plastic paddle for a car 😂 but I’ve never seen a speed freak in the uk. As a kid i remember these games that had a 16mm film but they never had the impact like space invaders had. We’ve got two Nintendo battle sharks that run 16mm film and we are hoping to get those working at some point.

[@neilloughran4437]

@@TheArcadeArchive awesome Alex! You guys are doing a fantastic job in keeping the tradition and history in our minds... I'll have to check out that Nintendo Battle Sharks thing!

[@mlann2333]

What's going on in the car park with those sports cars? Nice

[@Retro_Russ_]

Great video Alex. Do we know if Battlezone 2 is available in MAME?

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks Russ. I’m not to sure tbh

[@djsquibby]

Awesome game ;)_~

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Chers Pete

[@moobutt]

Have you ever seen any mods for changing the angle of the control panel on a Nintendo cocktail? I got my first cocktail and I love it, except for the goofy vertical CP 🤦‍♂️ What in God’s name were they thinking!?

[@TheArcadeArchive]

What Nintendo cocktail do you have ?

[@moobutt]

Popeye. All original, fantastic example. Sits next to my DK Cabaret.

[@Arcade_Jon]

I've never had any issues playing on a Nintendo cocktail but have heard people say they have. I've always played it instinctively with my palm facing away from the table, joystick between two fingers. Not sure how you are holding the controls but maybe try some different things to see if it makes a difference for you.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

@@Arcade_Jon I would agree with you. I think the Nintendo cocktails have solid controls and are the perfect angle for left right shooters like space firebird. I’ve not played DK on one maybe that’s harder ?

[@moobutt]

@@Arcade_Jon- never even considered that. Will give it a shot 👍

[@infinitygenealpa]

Still better than CoD or Fortnite

[@TheArcadeArchive]

😂

[@Justinicus24]

Very cool video! I play Battlezone on Xbox One and have been ranked #1 on the leaderboards for months now. ive never played the actual arcade cabinet but looks awesome

[@TheArcadeArchive]

You have to play the arcade it’s a very immersive experience.

[@Justinicus24]

@@TheArcadeArchive If i ever see one i definitaly will. Sadly no arcade ive been to has a battlezone or any good games where i live