Unlike
other compilations on the PS2, Activision Anthology actually does something that
most classic collections don’t; it brings a theme to it. Activision Anthology
actually makes you feel like you are in the 80’s playing with your Atari 2600 and
listening to 80’s hits. That’s right, 80’s music is on this collection
game. “Blast back” to the past with over 45 classic Activision Atari 2600 games
on one simple PS2 disc.Like Namco Museum, this game delivers a wide variety of games. Activision Anthology features timeless classics such as Pitfall, River Raid, Crackpots, Kaboom! , Dragster, Boxing, Fishing Derby, Ice Hockey and Tennis. Activision Anthology also features games that weren’t originally released for the Atari 2600 such as Pitfall 2 and Commando. Although there are 45 games on this disc, I guarantee you that at least one game on this disc will appeal to you.
All of these games are direct ports of the originals with different gameplay modes to play with. Gameplay modes can be unlocked by playing a game long enough and getting to a certain score. Each mode is different and unique. One mode is called “Disco,” where the entire screen becomes tinted with different colors that spin on the screen as if it were a disco ball. A personal favorite mode of mine is “V-Hold,” where the game scrolls down on your TV as if you need a vertical hold adjustment to fix it, just like an old TV set. There are a total of 10 gameplay modes to unlock.
Special features in Activision Anthology, besides the gameplay modes, include patches, old box art, instructions, and even old commercials. To unlock special features, just keep playing the same game for a certain amount of time. Eventually, you’ll unlock old goodies that are very cool to have. When you unlock old box art, you can view them from the game’s menu, along with the instruction manual and other goods such as flyers. Old game commercials on this disc are truly genius. Including old 80’s commercials on this game was a good decision on Activision’s part. By earning a patch from a game, you’re basically saying “I’M THE MASTER AT [insert one of the featured 45+ games in this game]!” Since it takes much skill to beat a certain high score, earning patches is challenging. Once you unlock a patch, it can be viewed from a bulletin board in your room.
Yes, I said in your room. Activision Anthology has gone the extra mile by putting you in your own 80’s style room when viewing the main menu. In fact, the entire game has the theme of the 80’s. The main menu features an old stereo, for your music options, an old Atari 2600 cartridge rack, to choose what game you would like to play, and a TV, for obvious purposes. Activision Anthology actually makes you choose a game from the rack, place it in the console, then turn on your TV, just to play a game. While you’re playing that game, you can enjoy the sounds of 80’s music. You can listen to music from artists such as Twisted Sister (We’re Not Gonna Take It), A-Ha (Take on Me), Blondie (The Tide is High), Soft Cell (Tainted Love), and Men Without Hats (Safety Dance). Sure the music sounds good, but there are a few flaws. For one, there are only 12 music tracks. If this game had more music variety and featured artists like Run DMC or Flash and the Furious Five, I would defiantly be listening to the music more. Most of the music artists on the soundtrack of Activision Anthology annoy me… a lot.
Activision Anthology is a great
collection, but unfortunately, it gets old very fast. Over 45 games aren’t enough to
keep me busy for a couple of hours. This game is really meant for people who have loved
these classics before and feel like they need to play them again, or for people who would
like to know a little history. Even when playing with a buddy of mine, I felt very bored
after a while. Even the unreleased games were a bore to play. I found myself getting
headaches from playing this for more than 30 minutes because of the graphics and music.
This game might be more enjoyable for very young kids than teens. Also, the unreleased
games don’t really bring anything great to the collection. Pitfall 2 may
sound cool to play, but it’s actually less boring to play the original Pitfall.
As for the rest of the games, they aren’t great at all. In fact, most of the games on
this disc are forgettable. Gameplay for most of these games aren’t that addicting at
all.Learning to play all of these games weren’t that difficult at all. I didn’t feel the need to throw my controller in frustration because I didn’t know how to play. These are Atari 2600 games after all; they are simple very to learn and play. The instruction manual explains nothing of the controls of any of these games, so if you feel like looking them up for some reason, you won’t have any luck.
Probably the best thing about Activision Anthology is the price. I bought this collection for a mere $10. For just $10, I got over 45 classic games on one disc. This is a great budget game for those of you who are looking for something cheap to add to your video game collection.
Overall, Activision Anthology is an okay game if you love compilation games or cheap titles. Activision Anthology features over 45 classic games, and a few never-before-released games, on one disc for the amazing price of $10.00. Although it’s not the most perfect collection game, it is worth its price tag of 10 bucks. I would recommend Namco Museum over this game, but if you are a little short on money, or just love classic Activision games from the Atari 2600, then this type of game is your kind of game.
