A Collection of Activision Classic Games for the Atari 2600

The Good
You, the consumer, are able to decide where your hard earned dollars will be spent. I decided on a different PSX game instead of this one. I only rented this game just to check it out. One night was enough to convince me.

The Bad
One simple line: the overall package, programming, and presentation of this compilation.

I'll make it short and simple: the 2600 emulation in this package is horrible. I don't mean just a bit off...I mean it's REALLY, REALLY badly programmed!! Collision detection is horrible, the frame rate jerks like your PSX is having a seizure, and the color and sound emulation is way off in a lot of titles. Even worse, the sounds are very muddy and muted, meaning a lot of these games sound like you're playing them in a closed tin can. Even worse, the entire package is just the 30 games. That's it. Nothing else. No history of the games, no interviews with legendary Activision/Imagic programmers, no info on their club patches, box covers, cart scans...NOTHING!!! Just 30 games running on the crappiest Atari 2600 you'll ever encounter. ARRRGH!!!

The Bottom Line
Avoid Activision Classics. Just simply don't even think about it. You're better off downloading a freeware 2600 emulator and the games, and playing them on your PC. Activision should be ashamed at what a horrible injustice they've done to their roots.

Even better yet, take your $30 and head to a thrift shop. With enough luck, you can walk out with a 2600 and a whole library of carts, and at least you'll know then that you got the real deal.

The Good

I grew up on the Atari 2600. My grandfather purchased one when I was about 3 years old in 1979. This cart... oops, I mean CD, allowed me to play some of my favorite old games again. I used to sit for hours and play 'Freeway', 'River Raid', 'Kaboom!', and a countless many hours were spent running through the 16 color jungle of 'Pitfall'. This PlayStation compilation CD I enjoyed for around 10 minutes.

The Bad

There are a whopping 30 Atari 2600 Activision 'Classic' games on this CD. The great majority of them I have never heard of, never played, or just don't remember. Of the rest, none of them really live up to the fun I remember having with my old Atari 2600 as a little kid in the early 80s.

I think this is in large part is due to the PlayStation controller. It's just too complicated to work effectively for these games. I wanted a big black plastic joystick with a bright orange button in the corner! And forget about playing 'Kaboom!' past the second wave of bombs without an Atari paddle controller. It's just not happening.

The games also seemed to be a bit sluggish, unattractive, and just 'felt wrong'. I realize that I played these games a long time ago, but I am 100% certain that these are for the most part poor conversions. I've since played them on an actual Atari 2600, and I do declare that they are still fun!

**The Bottom Line**

This is a pretty worthless Atari 2600 compilation disc. I would say that if you love these 'classic' games and just have to play them again, then buy this disc. Unfortunately, I already followed that advice, and have realized that it is wishful thinking to imagine that this compilation will satisfy a fix for the old 2600.

The Good
The game comprised every Atari 2600 game I ever remember playing (and I played a lot). They were exactly as I remembered - same graphics, same sounds, same music. A true piece of nostalgia (if you're old enough to be nostalgic), or a true insight into the games of yesterday if you're not. It's also good for a laugh if you've got a few friends over. It's just as fun to beat them on the Playstation as it was on the 2600.

The Bad
The controls are far too fiddly with the Playstation. What you have to remember is that the Atari 2600 controls were very different, so if you're used to them then be prepared for a rough time as you adapt. If you have a Playstation joystick kicking around, it may make things slightly easier. The other problem is lastability. If you don't have friends that would enjoy playing Atari 2600 games all night, it does get very boring very quickly. I think anybody who was around for the era would agree - Atari games were made for parties.

The Bottom Line
If you enjoy the old games, you could certainly get a lot of fun out of this collection. It really will be a blast from the past. The control system throws a few obstacles in the way, but a true gamer wouldn't let such a trivial thing get in the way. However, if you're a younger gamer and used to flash graphics and well-designed cut scenes, you'll probably be wasting your time.

The Good
There is a good collection of games. Some games that aren't as well known. There are lots of collections with popular old games, this one at least tries to bring in some lesser known ones with a couple well known games.

The Bad
They don't play the best. I don't find most of the games very fun, and the games don't play as well on the PS1.

The Bottom Line
If you like compilations of old Atari games, then this is something you should have.