| Activision Anthology | |
| Developer: | Barking Lizards (PS2) Contraband Entertainment (PS2) MumboJumbo (Windows) MacPlay (Mac) Aspyr (GBA) NikkÅ Europe (digiBLAST) Digital Eclipse (PSP) Code Mystics (mobile) |
| Publisher: | Activision |
| Released: | PlayStation 2 Windows/Mac GBA DigiBlast PSPiOS/Android |
| Genre: | Various |
| Modes: | Single player, two player |
| Platforms: | PlayStation 2, Windows, Macintosh, Game Boy Advance, digiBlast, PlayStation Portable, iOS, Android |
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[1] 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.[1] 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.
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.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Activision prototype #1 | Unknown prototype | |||||||||||
| Atlantis | 1982 | |||||||||||
| Atlantis II | Imagic | |||||||||||
| Barnstorming | 1982 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Baseball | 1988 | Originally titled Pete Rose Baseball | ||||||||||
| Beamrider | 1983 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Bloody Human Freeway | Activision | Originally unreleased version of Freeway | ||||||||||
| Boxing | 1980 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Bridge | 1980[2] | Activision | ||||||||||
| Checkers | 1980[3] | Activision | ||||||||||
| Chopper Command | 1982 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Climber 5 | ||||||||||||
| Commando | 1988[4] | Activision | ||||||||||
| Cosmic Ark | 1982 | Imagic | ||||||||||
| Cosmic Commuter | 1984 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Crackpots | 1983 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Decathlon | 1983 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Demon Attack | 1982 | Imagic | ||||||||||
| Dolphin | 1983 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Dragonfire | 1982 | Imagic | ||||||||||
| Dragster | 1980 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Enduro | 1983 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Fathom | Imagic | |||||||||||
| Fire Fighter | Imagic | |||||||||||
| Fishing Derby | 1980 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Freeway | 1981 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Frostbite | 1983 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Grand Prix | 1982 | Activision | ||||||||||
| H.E.R.O. | 1984 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Hard Head | Activision | Unreleased prototype[5] | ||||||||||
| Ice Hockey | 1981 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Kabobber | Activision | Previously unreleased | ||||||||||
| Kaboom! | 1981 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Keystone Kapers | 1983 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Laser Blast | 1981 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Laser Gates | Imagic | |||||||||||
| Megamania | 1982 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Moonsweeper | 1982 | Imagic | ||||||||||
| No Escape! | Imagic | |||||||||||
| Oink! | 1983 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Okie Dokie | Homebrew | |||||||||||
| Oystron | Homebrew | |||||||||||
| Pitfall! | 1982 | Activision | ||||||||||
| 1984 | Activision | |||||||||||
| Plaque Attack | 1983 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Pressure Cooker | 1983 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Private Eye | 1984 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Quick Step | Imagic | |||||||||||
| Riddle of the Sphinx | Imagic | |||||||||||
| River Raid | 1982 | Activision | ||||||||||
| River Raid II | 1988 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Robot Tank | 1983 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Seaquest | 1983 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Shootin' Gallery | Imagic | |||||||||||
| Skate Boardin' | 1987 | Absolute Entertainment | ||||||||||
| Skeleton+ | Homebrew | |||||||||||
| Skiing | 1980 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Sky Jinks | 1982 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Sky Patrol | Imagic | |||||||||||
| Solar Storm | Imagic | |||||||||||
| Space Shuttle | 1983 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Space Treat Deluxe[6] | Homebrew | |||||||||||
| Spider Fighter | 1982 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Stampede | 1981 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Starmaster | 1982 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Star Voyager | Imagic | |||||||||||
| Subterranea | Imagic | |||||||||||
| Tennis | 1981 | Activision | ||||||||||
| Thwocker | Activision | Unreleased prototype | ||||||||||
| Title Match Pro Wrestling | 1987 | Absolute Entertainment | ||||||||||
| Tomcat F14 | 1988 | Absolute Entertainment | ||||||||||
| Trick Shot | 1982 | Imagic | ||||||||||
| Vault Assault | Homebrew | |||||||||||
| Venetian Blinds | Activision | Unreleased technology demo | ||||||||||
| Video Euchre | Homebrew | |||||||||||
| Wing War | Imagic | |||||||||||
| TITLE | Original Release | Windows | Mac | PS2 | GBA | DigiBlast | Android | iOS | PSP | Producer | Comments |
The game received generally positive reviews and was mainly praised on the Internet because of its spirited homage to the Atari 2600.
. Simon Carless . Gaming Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools . . 2005 . 22 . 0-596-00917-8.
. Chris Kohler . Retro Gaming Hacks: Tips & Tools for Playing the Classics . . 2005 . 378 . 0-596-00917-8.