The battle between C64 vs Atari 800XL heats up again in the latest episode of Floppy Deep Dive, diving into the next six retro titles in this alphabetical head-to-head. This round focuses on games starting with the letter “J,” spanning releases from 1983 to 1988. From arcade conversions to outright oddities, each game is shown running on original hardware, offering an unfiltered look at how these rival platforms handled the same titles—sometimes very differently.
The episode kicks off with Juno First, a fast-moving shooter that throws you straight into chaos. It’s arcade-inspired, but one version handles the action with tighter controls and smoother scrolling—can you guess which?
Jumpman Junior follows with noticeable differences between the platforms, not just in graphics but in level design. It’s a real example of how two versions of a game can take entirely different paths while keeping the same core idea.
Then there’s Jawbreaker, and here’s where things get strange. Both versions carry the same name, but they’re entirely different games. One’s a Pac-Man variant, while the other is… something else entirely.
Next up is Joe Blade II. It trades gunfights for rescuing London civilians, but the execution varies. The C64 version goes one way, the Atari another—neither one quite nails it, but one comes closer.
Jr. Pac-Man delivers an interesting twist. The C64 keeps the intermission cutscenes, while the Atari sticks to its side-scrolling roots. It’s a close call for fans of maze-chasing mayhem.
Finally, James Bond 007 closes out the lineup. It’s a game full of clever ideas on paper, but reality hits hard. One version collapses under clunky execution, and the other… doesn’t quite save the day either.
Each C64 vs Atari 800XL face-off is framed with side-by-side footage and commentary that doesn’t sugarcoat the truth. Whether you’re loyal to the SID chip’s warm growl or Atari’s sharper visual edges, this comparison highlights how wildly different experiences could come from the same title—especially in the era before cross-platform consistency mattered.
If you’re into deep game comparisons, hardware quirks, and occasionally watching your childhood favorites get gently roasted, this video delivers.
