History
Marble Madness was the first of the new Atari System 1 games. Released in
1984, Marble Madness raised the bar for exceptional arcade games with its
superior graphics and sound. The game featured:
- Beautiful graphics with a color-depth and resolution not seen in other
games (256 colors, 336x240 resolution, 56 motion objects).
- True stereo music with a unique, memorable soundtrack for each level.
- Little or no violence.
- Abstract, Escher-esque 3D graphics and environments.
- Two-player simultaneous play.
- Unique levels with no repetition.
- A real and definitive ending. The game could actually be WON!
- Attractive new cabinet design.
Mark Cerny was only 17 years old when he joined Atari and designed Marble
Madness. The game was designed as part of a contest Atari ran at the time,
allowing outsiders to design a game. Mark was very well known for his
game-playing skills and easily won the contest. Mark taught himself how to
program in assembly language before joining Atari, so he fit right in.
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History