classic games and retro arcade

For the past few years, Midway and Namco have been rereleasing old games in their collections. They would throw 6 to 8 early 80's games on a cd with nothing extra and charge an insane amount of money. Then along came Activision. Activision obviously learned from Midway and Namco's mistakes. Instead of 6 to 8, you get 45 Atari 2600 games. Want extra features? Ok, how about TV comercials from the 80s and those patches you could earn for their games. But they did not stop there. They added a truely impressive 80's soundtrack to keep you going. There are also added ways of playing the game. For example, one method overlays clouds over the game. Another has a large rotating cube with the game on each side. These extra ways of playing the game are interesting, but you will mostly just play the games the way they were. Overall, this is what a collection should be like. If you want to relive the classics or are interested in where the video game industry first got its start, you should check this out.

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.

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