Activision Anthology | |
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![]() 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 |
Release | PlayStation 2 Windows/Mac
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Genre(s) | Various |
Mode(s) | Single player,two player |
Activision Anthology is a compilation of most of theAtari 2600 games byActivision for various game systems. It also includes games that were originally released byAbsolute Entertainment andImagic, as well as varioushomebrew games. TheMicrosoft Windows andMac OS X versions are titledActivision Anthology: Remix Edition, and include the most games. ThePlayStation Portable version is titledActivision Hits Remixed.
The game features the original gameplay of the Atari 2600emulated on modern systems. After achieving high scores in some of the games, the player can unlock special modes[2] where the colors are distorted, or the game is projected on a rotating cube as added difficulty.
Activision Anthology uses a virtual child's bedroom as the main menu.[2] The player can select several viewpoints to checkhigh scores, choose a video game cartridge from a rotating stand, change the background music on a virtualtape deck, or change game settings while being zoomed in on a virtual Atari 2600. The virtual tape deck features severallicensed 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 inActivision Anthology, likely due to outside ownership of their respective licenses. The excluded games areCommando,Double Dragon,Ghostbusters,Ghostbusters II,Kung Fu Master, andRampage, althoughCapcom did give Activision rights to putCommando in the PlayStation 2, Windows, and Mac OS X versions ofActivision Anthology.Ghostbusters II was cancelled before Activision could release it, but Salu released it in Europe under their name in 1992. The Absolute Entertainment titlePete Rose Baseball was renamedBaseball.
TheGame 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 orCommando, nor does it play music during gameplay. It does have four custom 1980s-style music tracks that play in the menu screens, however.
ThePlayStation Portable version includes three of the Imagic games,Atlantis,Demon Attack, andMoonsweeper, nearly all of the Activision games, full-speed emulation, and the 1980s songs featured in the PlayStation 2 and computer versions, but does not includeCommando, 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 onmobile phones with three titles. It includedH.E.R.O.,Pitfall!, andRiver Raid.
A version for the digiBlast was released on December 31, 2005, which included 5 titles. These titles areH.E.R.O.,Tennis,Megamania,Grand Prix, andDemon Attack.
Activision Anthology was released forAndroid andiOS devices on August 30, 2012. The gameKaboom! 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 gameDragonfire, but do not include the homebrew games, the games by Absolute Entertainment, orCommando. These versions also do not contain any of the licensed 1980s music.
There are a total of 76 games in each version combined. Certain games do not appear in some versions and are mentioned accordingly.
TITLE | Original Release | Windows | Mac | PS2 | GBA | digiBlast | Android | iOS | PSP | Producer | Comments |
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Activision prototype #1 | — | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Activision | Unknown prototype |
Atlantis | 1982 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Imagic | |
Atlantis II | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
Barnstorming | 1982 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Baseball | 1988 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Absolute Entertainment | Originally titledPete Rose Baseball |
Beamrider | 1983 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Bloody Human Freeway | — | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Activision | Originally unreleased version ofFreeway |
Boxing | 1980 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Bridge | 1980[3] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Checkers | 1980[4] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Chopper Command | 1982 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Climber 5 | — | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Homebrew | |
Commando | 1988[5] | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Activision | |
Cosmic Ark | 1982 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
Cosmic Commuter | 1984 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Crackpots | 1983 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Decathlon | 1983 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Demon Attack | 1982 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Imagic | |
Dolphin | 1983 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Dragonfire | 1982 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Imagic | |
Dragster | 1980 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Enduro | 1983 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Fathom | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
Fire Fighter | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
Fishing Derby | 1980 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Freeway | 1981 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Frostbite | 1983 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Grand Prix | 1982 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
H.E.R.O. | 1984 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Hard Head | — | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Activision | Unreleased prototype[6] |
Ice Hockey | 1981 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Kabobber | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | Previously unreleased |
Kaboom! | 1981 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Keystone Kapers | 1983 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Laser Blast | 1981 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Laser Gates | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
Megamania | 1982 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Moonsweeper | 1982 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Imagic | |
No Escape! | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
Oink! | 1983 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Okie Dokie | — | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Homebrew | |
Oystron | — | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Homebrew | |
Pitfall! | 1982 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Pitfall II: Lost Caverns | 1984 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Plaque Attack | 1983 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Pressure Cooker | 1983 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Private Eye | 1984 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Quick Step | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
Riddle of the Sphinx | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
River Raid | 1982 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
River Raid II | 1988 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Robot Tank | 1983 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Seaquest | 1983 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Shootin' Gallery | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
Skate Boardin' | 1987 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Absolute Entertainment | |
Skeleton+ | — | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Homebrew | |
Skiing | 1980 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Sky Jinks | 1982 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Sky Patrol | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
Solar Storm | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
Space Shuttle | 1983 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Space Treat Deluxe[7] | — | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Homebrew | |
Spider Fighter | 1982 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Stampede | 1981 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Starmaster | 1982 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Star Voyager | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
Subterranea | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
Tennis | 1981 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
Thwocker | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | Unreleased prototype |
Title Match Pro Wrestling | 1987 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Absolute Entertainment | |
Tomcat F14 | 1988 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Absolute Entertainment | |
Trick Shot | 1982 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
Vault Assault | — | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Homebrew | |
Venetian Blinds | — | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Activision | Unreleased technology demo |
Video Euchre | — | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Homebrew | |
Wing War | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
TITLE | Original Release | Windows | Mac | PS2 | GBA | DigiBlast | Android | iOS | PSP | Producer | Comments |
The game received generally positive reviews and was mainly praised on the Internet because of its spirited homage to theAtari 2600.[citation needed]