Activision Anthology
| 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 |
| Release |
PlayStation 2 Windows/Mac
|
| Genre(s) | Compilation |
| 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.
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 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. 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.
Song List
The following is the list of the twelve 1980s pop songs included in the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable versions:
- "Always Something There to Remind Me" by Naked Eyes
- "Harden My Heart" by Quarterflash
- "It's My Life" by Talk Talk
- "Mexican Radio" by Wall of Voodoo
- "No More Words" by Berlin
- "Pulling Mussels (from the Shell)" by Squeeze
- "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell
- "Take on Me" by A-Ha
- "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats
- "The Tide is High" by Blondie
- "Walking in L.A." by Missing Persons
- "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister
However, there is an entirely different collection of eight songs in the Windows and Mac OS X versions of the game:
- "Dancing in Heaven (Orbital Be-Bop)" by Q-Feel
- "Eye in the Sky" by The Alan Parsons Project
- "Freaks Come Out at Night" by Whodini
- "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car" by Billy Ocean
- "I Ran (So Far Away)" by A Flock of Seagulls
- "Parents Just Don't Understand" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
- "Space Age Love Song" by A Flock of Seagulls
- "Wild Wild West" (Incorrectly listed in the game's credits as "Wild Wild Wild") by Kool Moe Dee
In the Windows and Mac OS X versions, users have the ability to add directories with music files to the game via "Playlist" (.pls) files that can be created within the game's setup application, so that custom music can be played in-game.
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.
| TITLE | Original Release | Windows | Mac | PS2 | GBA | digiBlast | Android | iOS | PSP | Producer | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstorming | 1982 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
| Beamrider | 1983 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
| Bloody Human Freeway | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Activision | Originally unreleased version of Freeway |
| Boxing | 1980 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
| Bridge | 1980[1] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
| Checkers | 1980[2] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
| Chopper Command | 1982 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
| Commando | 1988[3] | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Activision | |
| 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 | |
| Dolphin | 1983 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
| Dragster | 1980 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
| Enduro | 1983 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
| 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 | |
| Ice Hockey | 1981 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
| Kabobber | N/A | 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 | |
| Megamania | 1982 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
| Oink! | 1983 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| Skiing | 1980 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
| Sky Jinks | 1982 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
| Space Shuttle | 1983 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
| 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 | |
| Tennis | 1981 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | |
| Thwocker | N/A | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Activision | Previously unreleased |
| Activision prototype #1 | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Activision | Unknown prototype |
| Activision prototype #2 | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Activision | Unknown prototype |
| Venetian Blinds | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Activision | Unreleased technology demo |
| Atlantis | 1982 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Imagic | |
| Atlantis II | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
| Cosmic Ark | 1982 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
| Demon Attack | 1982 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Imagic | |
| Dragonfire | 1982 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Imagic | |
| Fathom | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
| Fire Fighter | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
| Laser Gates | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
| Moonsweeper | 1982 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Imagic | |
| No Escape! | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
| Baseball | 1988 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Absolute Entertainment | Originally titled Pete Rose Baseball |
| Quick Step | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
| Riddle of the Sphinx | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
| Shootin' Gallery | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
| Sky Patrol | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
| Skate Boardin' | 1987 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Absolute Entertainment | |
| Solar Storm | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
| Star Voyager | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
| Subterranea | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
| Trick Shot | 1982 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
| Wing War | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Imagic | |
| 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 | |
| Climber 5 | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Homebrew | |
| Okie Dokie | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Homebrew | |
| Oystron | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Homebrew | |
| Skeleton+ | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Homebrew | |
| Space Treat Deluxe[4] | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Homebrew | |
| Vault Assault | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Homebrew | |
| Video Euchre | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Homebrew | |
| 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
- ↑ Atari 2600 Bridge release
- ↑ Atari 2600 Checkers release
- ↑ Atari 2600 Commando release
- ↑ This is incorrectly listed as SpaceThreat Deluxe in some sources. Space Treat Deluxe is the correct title. Picture of cartridge label
References
- Carless, Simon (2005). Gaming Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools. O'Reilly Media. p. 22. ISBN 0-596-00917-8.
- Kohler, Chris (2005). Retro Gaming Hacks: Tips & Tools for Playing the Classics. O'Reilly Media. p. 378. ISBN 0-596-00917-8.
External links
- "Official PSP version website". Archived from the original on 2006-11-29. Retrieved 2015-10-04.
- Activision Anthology at MobyGames
- http://ps2.ign.com/objects/491/491542.html IGN's page of the game
- http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/445/445805p1.html