Activision Anthology

Activision Anthology is a compilation of most of the Atari 2600 games by Activision for various game systems. It also includes games that were originally released by Absolute Entertainment and Imagic, as well as various homebrew games. The Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X versions are titled Activision Anthology: Remix Edition, and include the most games. The PlayStation Portable version is titled Activision Hits Remixed.

Activision Anthology
Cover art for the PlayStation 2 version
Developer(s)Barking Lizards (PS2)
Contraband Entertainment (PS2)
MumboJumbo (Windows)
MacPlay (Mac)
Aspyr (GBA)
Nikkō Europe (digiBLAST)
Digital Eclipse (PSP)
Code Mystics (mobile)
Publisher(s)Activision
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, Windows, Macintosh, Game Boy Advance, digiBlast, PlayStation Portable, iOS, Android
ReleasePlayStation 2
  • NA: November 19, 2002
  • EU: March 6, 2003
Windows/Mac
  • NA: October 6, 2003
GBA
  • NA: December 8, 2003
DigiBlast
  • EU: December 31, 2005
PSP
  • NA: November 8, 2006
  • EU: February 9, 2007
  • AU: February 14, 2007
iOS/Android
  • NA: August 30, 2012
Genre(s)Compilation
Mode(s)Single player, two player

The game features the original gameplay of the Atari 2600 emulated on modern systems. After achieving high scores in some of the games, the player can unlock special modes[1] where the colors are distorted, or the game is projected on a rotating cube as added difficulty.

Activision Anthology features a virtual kid's bedroom as the main menu.[2] The player can select several viewpoints to check highscores, choose a video game cartridge from a rotating stand, change the background music on a virtual tape deck, or change game settings while being zoomed in on a virtual Atari 2600. The virtual tape deck features several licensed 1980s music tracks. The music from the virtual tape deck can be mixed with the Atari 2600 game audio so both are audible to simulate playing the game on TV while having the tape running in the background.

Six Activision-produced Atari 2600 titles were not included in Activision Anthology, likely due to outside ownership of their respective licenses. The excluded games are Commando, Double Dragon, Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, Kung Fu Master, and Rampage, although Capcom did give Activision rights to put Commando in the PlayStation 2, Windows, and Mac OS X versions of Activision Anthology. Ghostbusters II was cancelled before Activision could release it, but Salu released it in Europe under their name in 1992. The Absolute Entertainment title Pete Rose Baseball was renamed Baseball, presumably due to licensing rights regarding Pete Rose's name, as well.

Portable versions

The Game Boy Advance version has the most games out of the portable versions, including seven homebrew games that do not appear in any of the other versions. It does not include the 19 Imagic games or Commando, nor does it play music during gameplay. It does have four custom 1980s-style music tracks that play in the menu screens, however.

The PlayStation Portable version includes three of the Imagic games, Atlantis, Demon Attack, and Moonsweeper, nearly all of the Activision games, full-speed emulation, and the 1980s songs featured in the PlayStation 2 and computer versions, but does not include Commando, the four Absolute Entertainment games, games exclusive to the other releases, or the homebrew titles. The PSP version also lacked the possibility to save high scores and unlocked extras, so when the player quits out of the game, all progress would be lost.

There was also a version released on mobile phones with three titles. It included H.E.R.O., Pitfall!, and River Raid.

A version for the digiBlast was released on December 31, 2005, which included 5 titles. These titles are H.E.R.O., Tennis, Megamania, Grand Prix, and Demon Attack.

Activision Anthology was released for Android and iOS devices on August 30, 2012. The game Kaboom! is offered as an initial free game, while the rest of the games were offered as an in-app purchase. These versions include the Imagic game Dragonfire, but do not include the homebrew games, the games by Absolute Entertainment, or Commando. These versions also do not contain any of the licensed 1980s music.

Game list

There are a total of 76 games in each version combined. Certain games do not appear in some versions and are mentioned accordingly.

Titles included in the respective versions
TITLE Original Release Windows Mac PS2 GBA digiBlast Android iOS PSP Producer Comments
Barnstorming1982YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Beamrider1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Bloody Human FreewayN/AYesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoActivisionOriginally unreleased version of Freeway
Boxing1980YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Bridge1980[3]YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Checkers1980[4]YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Chopper Command1982YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Commando1988[5]YesYesYesNoNoNoNoNoActivision
Cosmic Commuter1984YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Crackpots1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Decathlon1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Dolphin1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Dragster1980YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Enduro1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Fishing Derby1980YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Freeway1981YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Frostbite1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Grand Prix1982YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesActivision
H.E.R.O.1984YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesActivision
Ice Hockey1981YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
KabobberN/AYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivisionPreviously unreleased
Kaboom!1981YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Keystone Kapers1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Laser Blast1981YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Megamania1982YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesActivision
Oink!1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Pitfall!1982YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Pitfall II: Lost Caverns1984YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Plaque Attack1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Pressure Cooker1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Private Eye1984YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
River Raid1982YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
River Raid II1988YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Robot Tank1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Seaquest1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Skiing1980YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Sky Jinks1982YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Space Shuttle1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Spider Fighter1982YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Stampede1981YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Starmaster1982YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Tennis1981YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesActivision
ThwockerN/AYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivisionPreviously unreleased
Activision prototype #1N/AYesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoActivisionUnknown prototype
Hard HeadN/AYesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoActivisionUnreleased prototype[6]
Venetian BlindsN/AYesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoActivisionUnreleased technology demo
Atlantis1982YesYesYesNoNoYesYesYesImagic
Atlantis IIN/AYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Cosmic Ark1982YesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Demon Attack1982YesYesYesNoYesYesYesYesImagic
Dragonfire1982YesYesNoNoNoYesYesNoImagic
FathomN/AYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Fire FighterN/AYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Laser GatesN/AYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Moonsweeper1982YesYesYesNoNoYesYesYesImagic
No Escape!N/AYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Baseball1988YesYesYesYesNoNoNoNoAbsolute EntertainmentOriginally titled Pete Rose Baseball
Quick StepN/AYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Riddle of the SphinxN/AYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Shootin' GalleryN/AYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Sky PatrolN/AYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Skate Boardin'1987YesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoAbsolute Entertainment
Solar StormN/AYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Star VoyagerN/AYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
SubterraneaN/AYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Trick Shot1982YesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Wing WarN/AYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Title Match Pro Wrestling1987YesYesYesYesNoNoNoNoAbsolute Entertainment
Tomcat F141988YesYesYesYesNoNoNoNoAbsolute Entertainment
Climber 5N/AYesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoHomebrew
Okie DokieN/AYesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoHomebrew
OystronN/AYesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoHomebrew
Skeleton+N/AYesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoHomebrew
Space Treat Deluxe[7]N/AYesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoHomebrew
Vault AssaultN/AYesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoHomebrew
Video EuchreN/AYesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoHomebrew
TITLE Original Release Windows Mac PS2 GBA DigiBlast Android iOS PSP Producer Comments

Reviews

The game received generally positive reviews and was mainly praised on the Internet because of its spirited homage to the Atari 2600.

Notes

  1. https://retronauts.com/article/1049/all-together-then-activision-anthology
  2. https://retronauts.com/article/1049/all-together-then-activision-anthology
  3. Atari 2600 Bridge release
  4. Atari 2600 Checkers release
  5. Atari 2600 Commando release
  6. Reichert, Matt. "Hard Head". Atariprotos. AtariAge. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  7. This is incorrectly listed as SpaceThreat Deluxe in some sources. Space Treat Deluxe is the correct title. Picture of cartridge label Archived 2011-11-06 at the Wayback Machine

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.