Berzerk (Atari 5200 - Attract Mode) [NA Only]

The Attract Mode Project
Berzerk [ベルザーク]
Atari 5200
Action/Directional Shooter
1984
Stern Electronics, Inc./Atari, Inc.
NA Only
Beginner (Normal) Difficulty Mode

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RELATED VIDEO PLAYLISTS:
-The Attract Mode Project: https://rumble.com/playlists/GWQng0_fMzs
-Old-School Console Theater: https://rumble.com/playlists/NZeHms3PVHc
-Standard Console Theater: https://rumble.com/playlists/UEuK9iop3Fc
-Hardcore Console Theater: https://rumble.com/playlists/KdL3xxsx0lc
-Old-School Action Theater: https://rumble.com/playlists/OiwarvaoOfE?e9s=src_v1_ucp_pl

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GAME INFORMATION:
Berzerk is a 1980 maze shooter arcade video game designed by Alan McNeil and released by Stern Electronics. The game involves a Humanoid Intruder who has to escape maze-like rooms that are littered with robots that slowly move towards and shoot at the Humanoid. The player can shoot at the robots to try and escape the room. Along with the robots, a smiley face known as Evil Otto appears to hunt down the player within each room.

Following a task to fix some technical problems on boards, Stern allowed McNeil to develop his own game. He slowly developed a game initially with robots, later adding the walls and the Evil Otto character to expand on the gameplay. After the company was visited by a salesperson promoting a "speech chip", McNeil took the offer and incorporated digitized voices in the game that taunt the player during game play and attract mode. Along with games like Stratovox (1980), it was one of the earliest games to feature speech synthesis in arcade games.

Stern premiered the game at the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) exposition in Chicago in late 1980. It was released shortly thereafter, and sold around 15,000 units. The game received ports for the Atari 2600, Atari 5200 and the Vectrex home consoles. The ports of the game were generally received well by the video game press, with the Atari 2600 port winning a Certificate of Merit award for "Best Solitaire Videogame" from Electronic Games.

McNeil developed a sequel titled Frenzy (1982). Berzerk was influential on later games such as Robotron: 2084 (1982). The game appeared on various "best of" lists and articles from publications like Flux in 1995, GameSpy in 2002, and Retro Gamer in 2008.

(Source - Wikipedia)