Atari Compendium

SECTIONS

MOVIES

AIR
Ms. Pac-Man, Tetris, and Pole Position are shown. FYI, the story is supposed to be set in 1984, so Tetris shouldn't be there.

AIRPLANE!
Some of the extras can be seen playing Basketball towards the end of the movie.

AIRPLANE II: THE SEQUEL
During or shortly after the opening credits a space shuttle approaches the airport. The gorgeous air traffic controller sets the controls to bring the plane in automatically while a tourist group of kids passes through. Gorgeous air traffic controller steps away from the controls. One of the kids then sits down and begins playing the controls like a video game. Sounds of VCS Yars' Revenge can be heard as the shuttle plummets to oblivion.

AMERICA 3000
Space Duel, Centipede, and a few other arcade games appear.

AMERICAN MADE
VCS Snoopy and the Red Baron is shown being played in one scene.

AMERICAN UNDERDOG: THE KURT WARNER STORY
An Atari VCS and some carts appears in the opening scenes.

ANGRY VIDEO GAME NERD: THE MOVIE
Atari and VCS E.T. are predominantly featured.

ARTHUR
A Lunar Lander(?) arcade game appears.

ARTHUR 2: ON THE ROCKS
A Millipede arcade game appears.

AU PAIR
There's a scene where a boy is playing a GameBoy, but the sounds of VCS Pac-Man are heard.

THE BABY SITTER: KILLER QUEEN
Atari VCS controllers are shown, and what might be VCS Millipede is heard offscreen.

THE BENCHWARMERS
Near the end of the movie, there is a big celebration going on in a pizza joint that has the arcade games Ms. Pac-Man, Gorf, and Asteroids.

BEST FRIENDS
There is a scene where they are visiting at Burt's mother's house. When they try to get to sleep his nephews jump on their fold out couch and start playing VCS Space Invaders while Goldie is trying to rest.

BEST OF TIMES
Both the 2-player and 4-player versions of the arcade game Atari Football appear in this TV movie.

BIG
Arcade scene with Bosconian, Defender, Out Run, Spy Hunter, Track & Field table, Centipede, and some Nintendo games (inc. Donkey Kong), among others.

BILL AND TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE
The arcade games 720 Degrees, Black Widow, Gyruss, Q*Bert (in black cabinet), and Zeke’s Peke appear.

BLIND DATE (1984)
Super Breakout appears in some scenes, the most notable being when the lead character plugs the output of his VCS into an experimental device that sends the video signal directly into his brain.

CAN'T BUY ME LOVE
There's an arcade scene with 720, 1942, Asteroids Deluxe, Centipede, Donkey Kong, Enduro Racer, Yie Ar Kung-Fu, Mario Bros., Rygar, Super Basketball, and Tapper (seen as a reflection in a window).

CANNONBALL RUN II
Jackie Chan plays VCS Pac-Man about 5 minutes before the movie ends (I remember him getting a really pathetic score, something in the double digits, and a computer voice calls him an "average player".)

CHAMPAGNE AND BULLETS (AKA Road to Revenge AKA GETEVEN)
Berzerk, Circus, Donkey Kong 3, Jump Bug, Ms. Pac-Man, and Stunt Cycle arcade games appear, along with Aztec and Sharpshooter pins.

CLOAK & DAGGER
Atari products played a major role in this film. The game cartridge the spies are after is for the 5200. While the Cloak & Dagger game never existed for the 5200, there were several mock up cartridges and boxes made up which can be seen at the "computer geek's" store. It is filled with Atari stuff, along with a dedicated Cloak & Dagger arcade machine! Although the movie has gained a reputation for being something of an Atari 5200 commercial, there is a ColecoVision, the 5200's main competitor, visible in the main room of the Game Keeper. It's visible at the top of the screen as Davie is collapsing the walkie-talkie's antenna after talking to Rice.

THE CREATURE WASN’T NICE (AKA Naked Space AKA Spaceship)
Another Leslie Nielsen comedy with an Atari VCS game in the mix, which has Nielsen playing an upside-down Space Invaders.

D.A.R.Y.L.
There is a scene where Daryl is playing the Atari home version of Pole Position on a 600XL computer. A fake high score screen is also shown, along with an impossibly-high score. In another scene, he’s playing Caverns of Mars and Missile Command.

THE DEAD ZONE
In the kid’s bedroom (who Christopher Walken is tutoring), there’s a VCS system on the table, with 2 joysticks and what looks like a couple of boxed games. A pair of paddles is on top of the TV (which looks very much like a Commodore TV/monitor.

DEVIL FISH (Shark: Rosso nell'oceano)
One of the actresses is shown playing VCS Seaquest. In the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version, Tom Servo remarks, "Abyss 2 isn't very good."

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
There's an Atari VCS on top of the TV in the living room with joysticks.

ELECTRIC DREAMS
Early in the movie, there’s a scene in a computer store and there’s a counter full of Imagic games (VCS and Intellivision).

EVIL JUDGMENT
There's a boxed VCS on its side next to a TV. In another scene, the console appears on a table.

FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH
Asteroids, Centipede, Defender, Space Zap, and several other games appear in a mall arcade.

FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S
There's an arcade with Area 51, two Asteroids, and a Centipede.

GHOSTBUSTERS
Missile Command, Star Castle, and a pin appear in the firehouse.

GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE
Missile Command and Star Castle appear in the firehouse.

GREMLINS
Boxed copies of some Atari VCS games - including a SwordQuest WaterWorld one with the early promo artwork - appear in the department store scene.

IN COUNTRY
In one scene Emily Lloyd is coming home and you can see Bruce Willis lying on the couch with one arm behind his head. In the other hand he is holding a Proline joystick, controlling it only with his thumb. On the couch table there is an Atari 7800 ProSystem console. Then they have a quick shot of Ms. Pac Man being played on the TV.

THE JEFFERY DAHMER FILES
A scene shows Dahmer playing VCS Pitfall! in a grocery store. The store is Koppa's Fulbeli Deli In Milwaukee, WI and they have an area set up with a Sears version of an Atari Video Game Selection Center (2nd photo).

JEKYLL & HYDE… TOGETHER AGAIN
There’s an arcade scene featuring Strategy X, Rip Off, Space Invaders, Deluxe Space Invaders, Centipede, Pac-Man, Vanguard, Kick, "Grand Racer" (sitdown Grand Champion), Galaga, Tank Battalion, and a few others appear.

JAWS 2
(unconfirmed) A scene where Brody is leaving the house in some sort of temper tantrum while the kids are playing a VCS.

MAG WHEELS
Arcade scene featuring Breakout, LeMans, Sprint 2, Stunt Cycle, and others.

MARS ATTACKS!
There's an arcade scene where Lunar Lander and others appear, and the sound f/x from VCS Donkey Kong can be heard.

MAX DUGEN RETURNS
There is a scene where you see Matthew Broderick's room, and all of his shelves are full of Atari VCS games, new in the boxes, along with an Atari 810 disk drive. There's also an Atari 800 computer on a shelf.

MIDNIGHT MADNESS
This obscure Disney comedy has a character played by Stephen Furst using an Atari VCS CX40 joystick to play a computer game about 20 minutes or so into the movie (the game itself is not an Atari game, it's some black & white Pong/Breakout variant).

MODERN PROBLEMS
This Chevy Chase movie has a shot of a TV playing VCS Space Invaders.

MOVING
A yard sale table shows several boxed VCS games (Warlords, Midnight Magic, Ms. Pac-Man, Yars' Revenge, Gremlins, and one more) along with a set of paddles and a Trak-Ball controller.

NATIONAL LAMPOON’S REVENGE OF THE NERDS
Wormser (the kid) can be seen playing Spacemaster X-7 on an Atari VCS "Vader" model several times. The first shot is from the gym, and is the best one. The second time the Atari can be seen is when Wormser and Lamar are working out. Finally, you can also see Wormser playing it again when Louis announces that they have an interview with Lambda Lambda Lambda.

NIGHT OF THE DEMONS
Sound f/x from VCS Pac-Man can be heard in the convenience store scene.

ONE OF THE GUYS
Terri's brother Buddy has a VCS in his room.

PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT, THE
Battlezone and Lunar Lander appear in a scene.

POLTERGEIST
There is an Atari VCS machine on top of the TV in the parent's room. It can be seen as Carol Ann first meets the ghosts and utters the famous phrase, "They're here!" But it can be seen better in this scene when Robbie is afraid of the lightning and visits his parents who are busy smoking a joint.

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS
The movie takes place in 1981. Towards the end of the movie there is one scene where Will and his son are in an electronics store. The son is in the background playing Asteroids on the VCS! (or is it Minestorm/Vectrex)?

ROLL BOUNCE
Asteroids is shown being played. However, the movie’s setting is the summer of 1978, well before even the arcade version was released!

RUNNING SCARED
There's a Battlezone in Billy Crystal's apartment, and a Centipede and Tempest in the Tattoo parlor.

SOLARIS
The sound f/x from VCS SwordQuest EarthWorld are supposedly used in the scene where the ship is breaking up.

SORORITY BABES IN THE SLIMEBALL BOWL-O-RAMA
There's an arcade scene with Centipede, Champion Baseball, Comet, Joust, Kings of Steel, Lucky Eggs, Pin-Bot, Punch-Out!!, Qix, Rampage, Space Duel, Special Forces, Star Castle, Tempest, Track & Field, Tron, Vulgus, and an unknown pinball.

THE STUFF
An Atari 800 computer is shown on top of a TV with Zaxxon on the TV, only it’s not the 800 version, it’s the Colecovision version. The sounds they used in the movie are from the arcade version of Joust.

SUPERMAN III
Atari animated the famous Grand Canyon "video game" sequence, one frame at a time. Articles about it can be found in the Atari Age (September/October 1983), Atari Connection (Fall 1983), and InfoWorld (Sept. 12, 193) magazines. During the sequence, sound effects from VCS Pac-Man and Star Raiders can be heard.

TERMS OF ENDEARMENT
There's a scene at a hotel with an arcade having Asteroids, Defender, Donkey Kong Junior, Pac-Man, and Wizard of Wor.

Features an arcade scene with many classics. Sounds of VCS Donkey Kong can also be heard in the background.

THE THING
In the 1982 John Carpenter remake, there is a VCS sitting on top of a TV.

TIMES SQUARE
A boxed VCS and some games (including Video Chess) appear in the window of an electronics store.

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION
An Atari Paddle controller and a SVI Spectravideo QuickShot (model QS-115) are shown being used to control a drone.

TRON: Legacy
The commercial for Space Paranoids shows the Atari VCS and a standard joystick.

VIDEODROME
They use the original Atari 800 extensively throughout the movie. Also in the screenshots of the LaserDisc there are 2 Atari CX-40 joysticks on top of a TV along with VCS Combat and Air-Sea Battle and their respective boxes.

VOYAGE OF THE ROCK ALIENS
Cabaret Asteroids Deluxe and Battlezone arcade games appear.

A VCS appears that's apparently playing a Pong-type game, although the game shown isn't any known VCS game.

THE WRESTLER
A fake NES game called Wrestle Jam was created for the movie, which features sound effects from VCS Donkey Kong and Pac-Man.

TV SHOWS

At least one Atari VCS "Vader" model (and possibly more) appear about 10 minutes in as Rafael, Elisa, and Joana flee a group of homicidal Inlanders.

Alias
Marshall was seen playing a game offscreen. Sloane comes in and interrupts him, with a "what are you doing?" glare, Marshall then holds up an Atari VCS CX-40 joystick and an Asteroids cartridge and says, "You can't beat the classics!"

The Amelia Gething Complex
An Atari 2600JR appears in several episodes, with the ATARI name painted over.

Aqua Teen
An episode with the Mooninites up to their usual antics was filled with sampled sound effects from VCS Pac-Man and other classic VCS games.

Ash vs Evil Dead
An episode from season 2 has Ash going to his childhood room where he has a huge VCS Yars' Revenge poster on the wall.

Galaga, Centipede, Dig Dug, Ms. Pac-Man appear, along with some pinball and redemption games.

The A-Team - "Bounty"
An Atari Destroyer arcade cabinet (renamed "Shooter" or "The Shooter") and a Atari VCS "Vader" model appear running Vanguard. A close-up shot of the TV shows a different TV with what appears to be Intellivision's Advanced D&D: Cloudy Mountain.

The Big Bang Theory - "The Toast Derivation" (S4E17)
Atari VCS Cookie Monster Munch and Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle are shown.

The Big Door Prize (S1E7)
A few arcade games appear with different marquees, but there's a Dynamo cabinet, Pole Position, Q*bert, and Super Monaco GP.

Boy Swallows Universe
In one episode, an Atari VCS is shown being played, but the TV screen shows a fake Space Invaders game.

In another, a VCS with Combat, Space Invaders, and another boxed game are shown. On the TV screen is the same fake Space Invaders game.

Everybody Hates Chris (S1E10)
Two boys are shown playing several VCS games including Missile Command.

A store with a stand full of VCS (Combat, Berzerk, Robot Tank, and Space Invaders), 5200, and Intellivision games. An Atari VCS console is actually part of the plot. Also shown is Adventure and coin-op Asteroids on a TV!

Forbidden Science
There is a scene where an employee is playing VCS Ms. Pac-Man on her computer.

Gimme A Break! (S1E09)
There's an arcade with Asteroids (with a "Froggy Hop" marquee), Flight 2000 pin, Gorf, Missile Command, Omega Race, Pac-Man, Scramble, Space Invaders, Star Trek pin, Tempest, and several others.

The Goldbergs - "A Wall Street Thanksgiving"
VCS E.T. makes an appearance.

The Hardy Boys
An episode shows a 6-switch VCS console and someone holding a standard joystick, but the game shown being played is not a VCS game. The joystick is shown being held incorrectly and it's not even plugged into the console. Also, some of the "VIDEO COMPUTER SYSTEM" text above the cartridge port is blacked out and the cartridge shown has what appears to be a "CONQUEST" end label on it.

How I Met Your Mother
There's an episode where Ted and Marshall are playing an Xbox 360 but the sound effects are from a VCS game (possibly Pac-Man).

iCarly
An Asteroids upright appears as a fake game called “Pak-Rat”.

Kevin Can F**K Himself
An Asteroids converted to a Capcom Bowling appears.

Knight Rider - "Soul Survivor"
At the start of the episode (Nov. 1983), David Hasselhoff is playing the arcade version of Pac-Man, but he's not using an Atari VCS joystick to play it. It's hard to make out but it looks like he as a high score of 6290(?). And 1up 3240 is flashing in the top-left corner. The sound effects are authentic. Later on we see a computer hacker using a computer keyboard with an Atari VCS CX-40 joystick to drive KITT. He also plays Pac-Man with the same joystick.

There's also an episode showing Michael playing Intellivision’s Auto Racing on KITT’s monitor with an Atari VCS CX-40 joystick!

The Last of Us - "Raja's Arcade"
720, Asteroids Deluxe (both upright and cocktail), Battlezone (both upright and cabaret), Black Widow, Big Buck Hunter, Centipede, Continental Circuit, Daytona USA, Final Fight, Frogger, Galaga, Golden Tee '99, Gorf, Guerrilla War, Joust, Make Trax, Mortal Kombat II, Neo Geo MVS (showing Puzzle Bobble), Omega Race, Robotron 2084, Space Encounters, Tetris, Warlords (both upright and cocktail), Zaxxon, and several pins appear.

MadTV - "Tank at Arcade"
Donkey Kong, Space Invaders, Galaga, Asteroids, and Frogger appear.

Magnum P.I. - "Smaller Than Life" (S4E3)
Magnum is using an Atari 400 with a Microtronics aftermarket keyboard, along with an 830 modem, although the text shown onscreen is fake. The close-up typing shots show an 800 with the ATARI 800 badge removed. Later on in the same episode, he's shown playing Missile Command.

(S4E11) Another episode shows an arcade. Some of the games shown are Super Pac-Man, Space Fury, Tempest (2), Zaxxon, Asteroids, Drag Race, Basketball, Frogger (2), Qix, Battlezone, Scramble (both upright and table models), Pac-Man, Looping, Sky Raider, LeMans, and Robotron: 2084.

Married with Children - "Naughty But Niece"
A 5200 can be seen in Bud’s bedroom.

Miami Vice - "Milk Run" (S1E13)
Boxed copies of VCS Super Breakout and Yars' Revenge appear. There's also a boxed Coleco Gemini console on the top shelf in the first photo.

Modern Family
One episode has Mitchell and Claire in their dad's garage and Mitchell takes a VCS out of a box.

My Name Is Earl
An Episode features Crab Man playing an unknown vertical shooter on the VCS.

In the Joy's Wedding episode, Darnell is playing VCS Berzerk (referred to as "Berzerker"). Earl comments on the nice score, and Darnell says something like, "Yeah, this one's going on the wall of fame" and motions in the direction of the wall, which has a bunch of Polaroids of Berzerk screens with scores written underneath - all 6-digit scores!

Parker Lewis Can't Lose
One of the episodes shows a 7800 console being sold in a store.

Pawn Stars
An episode featured a Centipede coin-op machine, but the only sound f/x were from VCS Donkey Kong! Another episode features Austin "Chumlee" Russell checking out a Donkey Kong coin-op, and when he goes to play the game, the first thing you hear is the sound f/x from VCS Donkey Kong of somebody jumping and immediately dying (LINK).

The Price Is Right
Episode 4,613 from 1982 show featured a VCS ‘heavy6er’ model with Pac-Man.

"Snip Snip" (S1E15)
Asteroids, Cruis'n USA, Harley-Davidson & L.A. Riders, Primal Rage, WWF Superstars, White Water pin, Fish Tales, pins, a few other machines appear.

Rick and Morty - "Anatomy Park" (S1E3)
Sound f/x from VCS Donkey Kong can be heard at the end.

"Blipz and Chitz" (S2E2)
Sound f/x from VCS Donkey Kong and arcade Pac-Man can be heard.

Robot Chicken
On the season 3 DVD there’s a deleted scene featuring VCS E.T., the infamous landfill, and Howard Scott Warshaw. The scene was never finished (not animated).

Saturday Night Live
Pong was shown in skits in 4 shows in the first season: 11-8-85, 11-15-75, 12-13-75, 12-20-75.

Scarecrow and Mrs. King - "The ACM Kid"
There's a mall arcade scene with Death Demon (?), Eyes, Food Fight, Gravitar, Millipede,
Sprint, Tank, and Tempest.

Shaun the Sheep - "Shaun the Farmer" (S1E25)
There's a brief scene with the farm dog playing a video game and VCS Donkey Kong can be heard.

Side Hustle
A VCS is shown with a fake game called "EP The Excited Penguin".

Sliders
Sound effects from VCS Donkey Kong can be heard in the pilot episode, and both Donkey Kong and VCS Pac-Man can be heard in episode 6 "Time Again, and World".

Son of a Critch - "Cucumber Sleepover" (S1E4)
A VCS 2600A is shown along with several cartridges (Breakout, Combat, Missile Command, Space Invaders, etc) but the TV initially shows the 5200 Atari logo onscreen. A Commodore 1311 joystick is also shown.

South Park - "You're Getting Old"
The arcade game in the background when Randy does his tween wave performances is VCS Custer's Revenge!

Stargirl - "Cucumber Sleepover" (S3E11)
A set of Atari VCS Paddles are shown on a desk, without their cords.

Station 19 (S3E14)
Cruis'n, Rolling Thunder (disguised as a different game), San Francisco Rush, Space Invaders, and a pinball game appear.

T.J. Hooker - "The Trial"
There's an arcade scene with Battlezone, Berzerk, Asteroids (2), Star Castle, Astro Fighter, Night Driver, Jungle Hunt, Jump Bug, and Defender.

Three's Company - "Furley vs Furley"
Jack and Janet are playing a football game on the VCS, but the sound f/x are obviously incorrect (not even from a VCS), and there’s not even a cartridge in the system. When Jack stands up to leave and decides to keep playing, a cartridge magically appears on the table.

“V”
Robin Maxwell and the Visitor Youth leader Brian play VCS Space Invaders at the beginning of the "V" miniseries.

Vega$
An episode featured an arcade with several pinball and video games, including a Middle Earth and Sprint 2.

The Walking Dead - "Hostiles and Calamities"
The character Eugene is shown playing VCS Yars' Revenge and also mentions Warlords.

MUSIC VIDEOS

38 Special - "Caught Up In You"
Battlezone, Gorf, and Asteroids are shown.

Alien Ant Farm - "Glow"
An Atari VCS "Vader" model appears along with 2 joysticks and several cartridges (Missile Command, Yars' Revenge, Kangaroo, etc).

Daft Punk - "Robot Rock"
The graphics from Atari's Video Music are shown on the stage TVs.

Depeche Mode 101
Punch-Out!!, Pole Position, Shinobi, and a Tag Team pinball appear backstage.

Devo - "The Day My Baby Gave Me A Surprise"
The graphics from Atari's Video Music are used for the background.

Glenn Frey - "You Belong To The City"
A row of arcade games appears early in the video. Spy Hunter, several Pac-Man, several early 1980 Atari games, and others appear.

Gorillaz - "Dare"
Two New America Corp CJ-8352 joysticks appear as part of a control panel, with a version of Pong on a monitor.

Judas Priest - "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll"
Pole Position prominently appears as "Freewheel Burnin", along with Asteroids Deluxe, Astro Fighter, Missile Command,

Mick Jagger feat. Lenny Kravitz - "God Gave Me Everything"
Golden Tee 3D Golf, Killer Instinct 2, Neo Geo MVS, San Francisco Rush, Time Crisis II, World Rally, Jurassic Park pin, Revenge From Mars pin, and dozens of other games.

Mirai Kōkai - "Sailing"
Puck-Man, Dig Dug, Xevious, Popeye, Galaga, and Galaxian appear.

MTV Lost Weekend with Van Halen promo
One of the prizes to this spec-tacular contest was an Atari 5200 system with 3 games - Mario Bros., Joust, and Pole Position.

Paul McCartney - "Appreciate"
Kids are shown playing VCS Pac-Man on a 6-switch console, using Pro-Line joysticks.

Pet Shop Boys - "So Hard"
Space Invaders sounds can be heard near the beginning of the video, and there's an arcade scene featuring Space Invaders, Astro Blaster, Zero, Defender, Gauntlet, Double Dragon, and several others.

Teddybears feat. Mad Cobra - "Cobrastyle"
Music video showing a 6-switch VCS and several cartridges, including a custom "Teddybears" game.

Wintergreen - "When I Wake Up"
The video shows the band playing VCS E.T. and then going to the Alamogordo, New Mexico landfill to dig up hundreds of buried cartridges.

"Wierd Al" Yankovic - "Wanna B Ur Lovr"
The sound effects from VCS Donkey Kong and Pac-Man are used.