Activision Anthology

Last updated
Activision Anthology
ActivisionAnthologyBox.jpg
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 25, 2002 [1]
  • 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) Various
Mode(s) Single player, two player

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.

Contents

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 [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 check high scores, 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.

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
TITLEOriginal Release Windows Mac PS2 GBA digiBlast Android iOS PSP ProducerComments
Activision prototype #1YesYesNoYesNoNoNoNo Activision Unknown prototype
Atlantis 1982YesYesYesNoNoYesYesYes Imagic
Atlantis IIYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Barnstorming 1982YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Baseball 1988YesYesYesYesNoNoNoNo Absolute Entertainment Originally titled Pete Rose Baseball
Beamrider 1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Bloody Human Freeway YesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoActivisionOriginally unreleased version of Freeway
Boxing 1980YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Bridge1980 [3] YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Checkers1980 [4] YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Chopper Command 1982YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Climber 5YesYesNoYesNoNoNoNo Homebrew
Commando 1988 [5] YesYesYesNoNoNoNoNoActivision
Cosmic Ark 1982YesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Cosmic Commuter1984YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Crackpots 1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Decathlon 1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Demon Attack 1982YesYesYesNoYesYesYesYesImagic
Dolphin 1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Dragonfire 1982YesYesNoNoNoYesYesNoImagic
Dragster 1980YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Enduro 1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
FathomYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Fire FighterYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Fishing Derby 1980YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Freeway 1981YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Frostbite 1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Grand Prix 1982YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesActivision
H.E.R.O. 1984YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesActivision
Hard HeadYesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoActivisionUnreleased prototype [6]
Ice Hockey 1981YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
KabobberYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivisionPreviously unreleased
Kaboom! 1981YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Keystone Kapers 1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Laser Blast 1981YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Laser GatesYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Megamania 1982YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesActivision
Moonsweeper1982YesYesYesNoNoYesYesYesImagic
No Escape! YesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Oink! 1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Okie DokieYesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoHomebrew
Oystron YesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoHomebrew
Pitfall! 1982YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Pitfall II: Lost Caverns 1984YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Plaque Attack 1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Pressure Cooker 1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Private Eye 1984YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Quick Step YesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Riddle of the Sphinx YesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
River Raid 1982YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
River Raid II1988YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Robot Tank 1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Seaquest 1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Shootin' GalleryYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Skate Boardin' 1987YesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoAbsolute Entertainment
Skeleton+YesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoHomebrew
Skiing 1980YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Sky Jinks 1982YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Sky PatrolYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Solar StormYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Space Shuttle1983YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Space Treat Deluxe [7] YesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoHomebrew
Spider Fighter 1982YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Stampede 1981YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Starmaster 1982YesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivision
Star VoyagerYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
SubterraneaYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Tennis 1981YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesActivision
ThwockerYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesActivisionUnreleased prototype
Title Match Pro Wrestling1987YesYesYesYesNoNoNoNoAbsolute Entertainment
Tomcat F141988YesYesYesYesNoNoNoNoAbsolute Entertainment
Trick Shot1982YesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
Vault AssaultYesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoHomebrew
Venetian Blinds YesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoActivisionUnreleased technology demo
Video EuchreYesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoHomebrew
Wing WarYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoImagic
TITLEOriginal Release Windows Mac PS2 GBA DigiBlast Android iOS PSP ProducerComments

Reviews

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

Notes

  1. "Activision : Corporate Info : Press Releases : ACTIVISION ANTHOLOGY FOR THE PS2 SHIPS". 2003-02-07. Archived from the original on 2003-02-07. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  2. 1 2 "All Together then: Activision Anthology". 14 December 2018. Archived from the original on 2020-06-21. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  3. Atari 2600 Bridge release
  4. Atari 2600 Checkers release
  5. "Atari 2600 Commando release". Archived from the original on 2014-03-11. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
  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
  8. "Activision Anthology Review".
  9. "Activision Anthology". 11 December 2003.

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