M Network was the label Mattel Electronics used for its Atari 2600 cartridges, starting in 1982. Mattel made the Intellivision console, and most M Network games are 2600 versions of Intellivision titles, often with new names. Astrosmash became Astroblast, Night Stalker became Dark Cavern, Frog Bog became Frogs and Flies and Armor Battle became Armor Ambush. Many of the conversions were done by APh Technological Consulting. The label also carried arcade licences such as Data East’s Lock ‘n’ Chase and Bump ‘n’ Jump, two Tron games based on the Disney film and the first He-Man video game.
The site has 19 M Network games. Two of them, Swordfight and Sea Battle, were finished but shelved and only came out in 2000. Some to start with:
Astroblast (1982): shoot rocks, bombs and missiles falling from the sky.
Lock ‘n’ Chase (1982): a cops-and-robbers maze where you slam doors behind you.
Tron: Deadly Discs (1983): an arena fight against disc-throwing warriors.
Masters of the Universe: The Power of He-Man (1983): fly to Castle Grayskull, then face Skeletor.
Air Raiders (1982): first-person jet combat, including take-off and landing.
Swordfight: a two-player duel with large laser-sword knights, released in 2000.
Pick a game below and play it in your browser.
In “Burgertime” for the Atari 2600, you guide a chef through a labyrinth, rushing to assemble hamburgers while dodging enemies. Navigate atop burger parts to make them fall; complete a burger to progress. Earn points by dropping ingredients on foes, squashing them, or catching them on descending parts. Use pepper to freeze enemies momentarily. Avoid … Read more
Astroblast is Mattel’s 1982 Atari 2600 version of Astrosmash, one of the best-selling Intellivision games, released under Mattel’s M Network label. You move a laser base along the ground and shoot rocks, bombs and guided missiles falling from the sky, a mix of Space Invaders and Asteroids ideas. It is quick to learn and gets hectic as your score climbs. You can play it here in your browser.
Tron: Deadly Discs is an arena action game based on Disney’s 1982 film Tron. It started life on Mattel’s Intellivision, and this Atari 2600 version came out under Mattel’s M Network label in early 1983. The conversion was made by APh Technological Consulting, with Jeff Ronne and Brett Stutz credited as programmers. You stand alone in a walled arena and fight wave after wave of disc-throwing warriors. You can play it here in your browser.
Swordfight is a two-player duelling game for the Atari 2600, designed and programmed by Stephen Tatsumi at Mattel Electronics in 1983. Mattel finished it for its M Network label but never released it. The game finally came out in 2000, when Intellivision Productions made a small run of cartridges. Two knights face each other with laser swords, and the fighters are far bigger than almost anything else on the console. You can play it here in your browser.
Super Challenge Baseball is the 1982 Atari 2600 version of Mattel’s Intellivision game Major League Baseball, originally designed by David Rolfe. Mattel sold it under its M Network label, which brought Intellivision games to Atari’s console, and the development is credited to APh Technological Consulting. It is strictly a two-player game: there is no computer opponent. You can play it here in your browser.
Super Challenge Football is the Atari 2600 version of Mattel’s Intellivision game NFL Football, released in 1982 under M Network, the label Mattel used for its games on Atari’s console. It was programmed by Ken Smith at APh Technological Consulting. It is a two-player game only: each player calls plays by programming four linemen before the snap, then takes direct control of the quarterback or the linebacker. You can play it here in your browser, with a friend on the same keyboard.
Star Strike is the Atari 2600 version of the 1981 Intellivision game of the same name, released by Mattel under its M Network label. AtariAge credits Dave Akers with the 2600 programming. You fly a small ship down the launch trench of an alien space station and have to bomb eight missile silos before the Earth drifts into range overhead. The idea came from the Death Star attack in the 1977 film Star Wars. You can play it here in your browser.
Space Attack is the Atari 2600 version of the Intellivision game Space Battle, released by M Network, Mattel’s label for Atari 2600 cartridges. AtariAge credits Bruce Pedersen and Hal Finney as its programmers. It mixes a strategy map with first-person dogfights: you decide which squadron meets which alien fleet, then fly the battle yourself. You can play it here in your browser.
Sea Battle is a two-player naval war game for the Atari 2600, programmed by Larry Zwick and Bruce Pedersen for Mattel’s M Network label. It is a cut-down conversion of Mattel’s 1980 Intellivision game of the same name. The 2600 version was finished around 1983 but never released at the time, and its working title was High Seas. Cartridges only appeared in 2000, in a small run from Intellivision Productions. You can play it here in your browser.
Lock ‘n’ Chase is a cops-and-robbers maze game for the Atari 2600, published by Mattel Electronics in 1982 under its M Network label. It is a home version of Data East’s 1981 arcade game, and it plays a lot like Pac-Man, with one big difference: you can slam doors shut behind you to block the police. You can play it here in your browser.