Activision Anthology Review

Platform: PlayStation 2

Publisher: Activision

Rating: Everyone (E)

The Activision Anthology is a collection of popular 80’s games that were originally played on the Atari 2600 system. It offers a big variety of these simple classic games including:

• Keystone Kapers
• Atlantis
• Freeway
• Kaboom Megamania
• Spider Fighter
• Demon Attack
• Seaquest

These titles are appropriate for players at any age and are easy to learn. So take a step back in time, and relive the memories of playing games that didn’t require complex instructions or multiple button combinations.

The games found here only have one level of difficulty. This is because when they were first created, there was no such thing as multiple difficulty levels. If the game is too hard, keep playing so you get better at it; if it's too easy, play it with your eyes closed.

There are several gameplay modes available: Classic, Cube, Ricochet, Whirl, Bungee, Tilt-O-Vision, Motion Blur, Breathing, Warped, Distortion, Starfield, Hyperspace, V-Hold, Multi-Screen, Disco and Cloud Cover.

• The Classic mode is a perfect replication of the original Atari 2600 version of the games.

• In Cube mode, a cube spins in the middle of the screen. On each of it sides is a portion of the game screen. You have to be really quick to try and play it in this mode.

• The Ricochet mode contains a bouncing rectangle with the game in the middle bouncing off the sides of the screen. You need to try and play the games while this is occurring.

• In Whirl Mode, the game rotates 360 degrees, which will make gameplay a little difficult.

• In Bungee mode, the game zooms in and out, making game play a little challenging.

• In Tilt-O-Vision mode, the game screen angles in the different corners of the screen.

• Motion Blur Mode makes the screen a little blurry during some of the action of the games.

• In Starfield mode, the background of all the games is a bunch of stars that move past you during game play.

• In Disco Mode, the screen is filled with bright colors that spin around during play.

If you enjoyed these games in the 80’s, or just like simple games, you will enjoy this collection. When these games were first popular, gameplay was two-dimensional, meaning that you would mostly move left to right or up and down.

A neat nostalgic feature is during game selection. In the game menu, the titles you can select are on a rotating game holder. The games are shown in their classic cartridge form. Yes, cartridges, way before those shiny spinning discs that fill our game machines nowadays.

The game modes found here open up as you start playing the games and building high scores. When they are available, you have the option of choosing which one you would like to use.

Some of these games are still popular today. Pitfall has been updated within the last couple years.

The graphics in the Activision Anthology are very simple, with basic colors, and shapes. Detail is two-dimensional, consistent with the classic Atari 2600 games. The simplicity of these games adds to the flavor of classic gaming.

For those of you who used to play these games in the 80’s, you’re in for a treat. The music soundtracks are all from classic 80’s songs. You can listen to them during gameplay, or shut it off to hear just game sounds.

The Activision Anthology is a collection of classic Atari 2600 games that were popular in the 80’s. Play some classic titles like Pitfall, Keystone Kapers, Atlantis, Freeway, Kaboom Megamania, Spider Fighter, Demon Attack, Seaquest and much more. Play in a variety of modes, and listen to classic tunes from the 80’s. Suitable for all ages. Play these simple games and have fun.

By Sheila Robinson (CA-gamer)

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