Atari Anthology (PS2)

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Atariboy
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Re: Atari Anthology (PS2)

Postby Atariboy » December 17th, 2015, 7:11 am

Too bad that pesky copyrights get in the way. I think that you'd of enjoyed their home conversions of classics like Phoenix and Ms. Pac-Man. Atari was definitely at their best on the VCS when it came to porting arcade games.

Even some of the best examples here outside of the arcade category were in fact arcade conversions despite their menu placement. Combat for instance is actually an expanded home conversion of their Tank series of mid 1970's arcade games from the Atari subsidiary, Kee Games. It's still one of the best single screen multiplayer experiences out there as far as I'm concerned, assuming that you have a buddy that can appreciate videogames from that era.

You'll enjoy Activision Anthology. High quality graphics, great gameplay, single player gameplay usually isn't neglected, and all except Kaboom rely on the 2600's joystick. I think you'll even enjoy some of the visual effects unlike here. You won't utilize them regularly, but there's definitely some charm with the various options like the one that occasionally simulates screen roll or River Raid's cloud cover option.

And the patch collecting, the unlockable commercials, and the 80's soundtrack help make it feel like a much more complete package unlike Atari Anthology where the focus is often on what's missing despite the large lineup and numerous extras.

I hope that you start a similar thread when you get to it. It's been enjoyable to hear a newcomer's thoughts on these classics.

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Atariboy
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Re: Atari Anthology (PS2)

Postby Atariboy » August 17th, 2016, 8:58 am

Picked up Activision Anthology yet?

For anyone else that never has experienced this library and perhaps was intrigued by this interesting thread, Atari Anthology is essentially making its way to the Xbox One and Playstation 4 soon, albeit split up across two volumes this time. They're titled Atari Flashback Classics Volume 1 and Volume 2, will be priced at $20, and will launch on October 4th according to Amazon.

Some slight differences in the game lineup here. The arcade category sadly loses Battlezone due to Atari auctioning it off a couple of years ago, the 3rd party Tempest Tubes hack will be absent (Gaming's first expansion pack?), and the B&W arcade game Sprint will be added.

Missing for the 2600 side is again Battlezone, the homebrew Combat AI release that attempted to convert Combat into a single player game, and Math Grand Prix (Sold off by Atari just like Battlezone; Wonder what this one cost to buy?). Added to the lineup are Indy 500/Race, the unreleased Save Mary prototype, the Return to Haunted House homebrew, and the excellent Stunt Cycle prototype that Atari sadly sat on back in the day.

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scotland
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Re: Atari Anthology (PS2)

Postby scotland » August 17th, 2016, 10:31 am

Fun that this bedrock video game library is making its way to this generation.

Bummer on Battlezone. The perspective might make it a popular entry game for younger players too. Just played Star Wars Racer Arcade with the twin thrust controls, and thought a modern port of that control mechanism for Battlezone Arcade would be cool. I cannot remember when I last played Arcade Battlezone with the twin tread controls. Sadly, its not to be.

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VideoGameCritic
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Re: Atari Anthology (PS2)

Postby VideoGameCritic » August 17th, 2016, 10:41 pm

I saw Atari Flashback 6 at Bed Bath and Beyond for just $29. Great deal except I already have the first four and really didn't see anything new. There were about a half-dozen "new" games on the back but they didn't seem new to me.

What they really need to do is get the licenses to more of the third party games. I guess the hardest part would be to figure out who actually owns those games now!

Sut
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Re: Atari Anthology (PS2)

Postby Sut » August 18th, 2016, 3:24 am

Atariboy wrote:Picked up Activision Anthology yet ?


I have it, but I just haven't made a start on it yet. Shinobi on PS2 sucked me in more than I was expecting but I've hit a brick wall with that one. Will probably start Activsion Anthology when I've done with Peace Walker.


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