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Great interface, sucky games

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 18
Date: May 24, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The menu screen is awesome -- it really does look like a 1980s rec room. I like the way you choose a game from the rack, and the 80s music playing in the background was cool too.

But let's not forget: these are early-80s games. They suck on toast.

I'm not sure it's worth paying full price for this game, just for the nostalgia factor. I'd suggest waiting until it shows up in the bargain bin.

Activision Again

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: February 02, 2003
Author: Amazon User

To tell the truth, I bought this CD for one game: Megamania! I am the Megamania Master!

That being said, it was great to play all the old activision games I used to play on one disk. I was disappointed to see that some of their licensed titles didn't make the cut, and even more disappointed to see a bunch of games I have no idea how to play.

I rated this game three stars out of five because the library is incomplete and 80% of the songs on the disk annoy the heck out of me.

Other than that, pick up this library! Its great fun for a group of people, too...

In conclusion, I have a new favorite Activision game... I have been converted away from Megamania by a game I have never before heard of: Pressure Cooker!

Go, little burger man, go!

Retro greatness!! Don't pass this by!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 13 / 13
Date: December 28, 2002
Author: Amazon User

First off,I have to say that I grew up in the 80s and I used to play atari all the time,so my review may be a bit biased.For me, this game had so many memories in it that it was a blast!One of the main reasons I got this anthology was because it included the great game Seaquest in it.I used to play that game for hours on end back in the day!

Some other great games included on it are,MegaMania,Frostbite, SpiderFighter,LaserBlaster,KeystoneKapers,RoboTank,and of course Pitfall.The 80s soundtrack put in the game made it even better;I mean playing these classics while listening to "Safety Dance",
"Tainted Love" or "Were Not Gonna Take It" is priceless in my opinion.If any of these songs do get on your nerves though( you can only listen to Mexican Radio so many times!) you are given the option to turn the music off.I just wish they would have given the option to only play certain songs while leaving other ones out..Oh well.

The only minor complaint I have for this title,is that some of the games included were really,REALLY bad!I mean I remember hating these games when I used to own them as cartridges for the atari 2600.The really bad games include,Dragster(terrible!), Dolphin,TomCat and the "bonus" games Kabobber and Thwoker. However there are enough fun games in here to justify buying it esp. since you can buy this new for pretty cheap. That's a great deal
for a gamer's trip down memory lane.

In conclusion,any gamer in his/her twentites would love this title.As for the younger generation,they probabaly couldn't appreciate this one;but everyone else sit back and have some fun!

Awesome!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 12 / 18
Date: November 16, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Okay, so I didn't nessesarily grow up when Atari was popular, but I certainly did grow up with much respect for it. I got my hands on a compilation of Atari 2600 goodness for the PC quite a few years ago, and it opened up a brand new interest of mine. After this, I became fascinated with the system and I started playing more and more of it while everybody was playing Goldeneye and such....

Well, years passed and I was about 15 years old, and I decided I needed to know everything from this ancient system. I downloaded an emulator and packs of ROMS to all I didn't possess including prototypes, and it sort of saddened me to see the neglect of such an awesome thing here.

About a year later, I heard of Activision Anthology and I just had to buy it... maybe it was because it contained a never before released Kabobber, in which I had already had the privalege to play, but would have loved to have played it properly. I had played every single one of the games on this compilation, but it was a pain to have to play them on a crummy emulator, so this was nessessary. I was surprised to find so many extra features unique to this release, including the greatest soundtrack to date on the PS2! Everything worth mentioning of the 80's music scene is found here (well, not really, but its all very good,) and you have an opportunity to unlock various things such as commercials and new gameplay modes by reaching certain scores.

I am a unique sort of person. Everything in my room is either dated, or themed in a dated manner of that before my birth, and those that know me don't understand why. My video collection consists of movies such as Ben-Hur and Silent Running, and I have tons of old toys and things that kids my age wouldn't even touch. The reason I mention this is because this may appeal to me, but that's only because I have a thing for this sort of stuff, where as the casual gamer that isn't familiar with Atari would be turned off, most likely. I reccomend this compilation to those that appreciate it. It has over 45 games and tons of replay value! I can assure you, I find I play this one moreso than any other PS2 game I have. It seems games nowadays try to appeal to the mainstream. Blah....

The best Atari 2600 Complation yet

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: January 05, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Activision released their library of Atari 2600 games many times before but this time they succeeded in capturing the nostalgic 80's feel that makes this package a great 'musuem' for those of us who cut our teeth on the early game systems. As you play through the games you unlock items like classic commercials and the patches Activision used to give away. You'll also unlock 'filters' that range from annoying to nausea inducing. As you try to unlock more goodies you may find yourself actually finding some depth to these seemingly simplistic games. In this way, Activision has actually made a game I would've played for 5 minutes into an obsession to achieve a higher score to open a commercial. If that's not enought, they also have ten 80's songs playing in the backround (which can be turned off if you get tired of hearing Safety Dance) and the actual 3-D box and cartridge shots that you can examine (although a better zoom would've been nice). If you had any enjoyment with these Activision classics back in the day or enjoy 80's nostalgia then this is definately worth the price of admission.

My old room...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: April 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

No kidding, the selection screen is just a few items short of looking like my childhood room. I had my Atari hooked up to a black and white TV because the costs of games kept me from up-grading to a color TV. Just too hard to do when your income was $4 a week for taking out the trash for your parents and $6 a week for delivering the now defunct Washington Star on Sunday mornings.

Just like all of the reviews before this one, the sound track is great (love the Roxy Music), but too short and gets repetitive. I wish they had included more songs and you'll find yourself turning off the music after a few laps. I just about fell out of my chair laughing after unlocking the Hockey comercial with Phil Hartman from his pre SNL days. All of the add media you can unlock is hilarious (what geeks we all were). Like watching retro commercials on Nick at Night.

I remember the Activision games for being cutting edge, especially graphically, in an era where making a game grapically appealing was almost better than making a game that played well.

If you are a gammer and want to flash back to the early days of true gamming, then get this game. It's also fun to watch the look on your kids faces when they see an old Atari game for the first time. It's even funnier when you tell them it took a machine slightly larger than the PS2 to play them on; "Sonny, when I was your age, it took us two hours to get the vertical hold just right for playing, and then we walked five miles to school, in the snow, up-hill both ways, with no shoes".

If your kids are going to follow in your slacker foot-steps with gaming, then it's best they know their history.

Great 2600 Nostalgia Trip

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: December 12, 2002
Author: Amazon User

What a great collection of old 2600 games. Some of these are pretty lame, but it's worth the price for River Raid, River Raid II, Keystone Kapers, Pitfall and Pitfall II.

The challenge of unlocking all the extra features and the like is a nice touch.

The display options I've unlocked so far make me sick though and don't seem to be a whole lot of fun. (Rotating cube especially)

this is a great collection of games

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 14
Date: December 02, 2003
Author: Amazon User

this game is very addictive they are atari games so don't expect great graphics do expect fun gameplay though. I love the rodeo and hockey game

WOW

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 8
Date: August 31, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I really enjoy this game! it's just like having flashblacks the soundtrack is GREAT with songs by Twistid Sister,SoftCell ect ect...I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!!! :)

Fantastic compilation for anyone who loves video games.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: December 26, 2002
Author: Amazon User

While the appeal may be limited to older gamers, the Activision Anthology is loads of fun. While similar compilations from Midway and Namco are bare-bones sets with 4 games and a few extras, the Activision Anthology contains no less than 48 games from the Atari 2600. It is also kicked up a notch with a nice 80's soundtrack and extras you can unlock by playing the games.

By far, the best games are Kaboom!, Pitfall, Spider Fighter, Megamania, and Plaque Attack. These are classics I remember having as a kid. There is also a nice selection of sports games (Ice Hockey, Skiing, Baseball) for those who enjoy the 2 player mode. All games come with original graphics and sound effects, and even scans of the original boxes and manuals. Added to this is a nice selection screen which resembles a bedroom, and the music adds to the 80's feeling. Anyone feeling nostalgic will love this compilation.

But like all compilations of this type, there is a certain amount of filler. Some of the games are terrible, even by Atari standards. I would love to have had games like Moon Patrol and Q'bert included, but there are a few games here that are pointless and boring. Also, while the addition of 80's music is a nice touch, the selection is somewhat limited to 10 songs. It does get repetative.

But to judge this by today's standards is unfair, and most gamers who pick this compilation up already know this. The appeal is for older gamers, but I recommend this to everyone who is interested in the evolution of video games. This is as basic as it gets, and I think younger gamers should see that a game doesn't need 128-bit graphics to be fun. But at least, a good nostalgia trip is worth the price alone.

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