Which company do you prefer?

[PressureCooker2600]

Since these are my two favorite 3rd-party publishers on the 2600, I figured I'd poll everyone to see which companies games ya'll prefered. Overall, I'd have to say Activision...they created three of my top five favorite titles.

Pressure Cooker (#1, of course), Seaquest, and Keystone Kapers

 

 

(now time for the posts that'll say this topic is overdone, this topic serves no purpose, and this topic is silly)

[+Lynxer2007]

Activision because they're still in business, and made Pitfall(I love that game). Imagic, while a good company back in the day, went out of business around 1986.

Edited March 9, 2007 by EMZayas

[crunchysuperman]

Great poll!

 

Loved Imagic, but I gotta go with Activision because of their great games, they're still around and they thought of the whole 3rd party thing first.

[Lucky Man]

I love a few of Imagic's games, but I gotta give it to Activision. Kaboom! and River Raid are two of my favorites, not to mention all of the other great titles they produced.

[inextremis staple]

I love both as well and was about to push the Activision button but decided that Imagic was just a smidge better. Maybe it's more nostalgia than anything but I love Imagic games.

 

is

[Shawn]

Activision crushes Imagic in every way.

[Shawn]

Activision because they're still in business, and made Pitfall(I love that game). Imagic, while a good company back in the day, went out of business around 1986.

 

 

And had there properites bought out by Activision

[+Random Terrain]

Similar to what I said in a thread about the same subject, I vote for Imagic because most of their games have that cool Defender arcade look, they're fun, and they seem to contain a lot more Controlled Randomness than many Activision games. Too many Activision games have things in the same place every time you play (zero replay value) and that just sucks unless you are the kind of person who likes to learn boring dance steps and look at a game not as a game, but as just one more puzzle to solve. Good gameplay and replayability are two of the most important things to me when playing a game and that's why Imagic wins.

 

I'm pretty damn sick and tired of all the patterns necessary to beat video games. I want a challenge, not a memory exercise. I got enough of that in history class back in school.

--Joe Santulli

Pinball is a good example of what makes a great game—a mixture of luck and skill. That's a very critical aspect. In the long run a more-skilled player will do better, but in the short run anyone should be able to win. There should be some randomness, which offer challenges over the game. When you get to games like Pac-Man or Mortal Kombat where there's a documentable sequence that you can execute to succeed, to me that's totally antithetical to what a game should be.

--Howard Scott Warshaw

[codyr783]

Its gonna have to be Activision for me.I never really liked Imagics games that much.They made my favorite game to,Chopper Command.

[Lucky Man]

Similar to what I said in a thread about the same subject, I vote for Imagic because most of their games have that cool Defender arcade look, they're fun, and they seem to contain a lot more Controlled Randomness than many Activision games. Too many Activision games have things in the same place every time you play (zero replay value) and that just sucks unless you are the kind of person who likes to learn boring dance steps and look at a game not as a game, but as just one more puzzle to solve. Good gameplay and replayability are two of the most important things to me when playing a game and that's why Imagic wins.

I agree. I voted for Activison because they produced a few more of my all-time favorites, but sometimes I grow weary of all the fawning over their games. Most of them have great graphics but quite a few have less than thrilling gameplay. Although, I suppose I could say the same thing about Imagic, but you don't hear their name mentioned as often as Activision's as the best game manufacturer for the 2600.

[Christophero Sly]

No contest... Activision.

[Video]

Activision by a mile. I'm not even sure what all Imagic made, but when I go for games, I'm almost always in Activision. Pitfall, Pitfall II, Ghost Busters, Kung Fu Master, Plaque Attack....

[Bucket Brigadier]

Activision, no question for me. Almost all of my favorite games came from them.

[+Random Terrain]

I'm not even sure what all Imagic made . . .

That's easy to find out:

 

http://www.atariage.com/company_page.html?...emFilterID=2600

 

Here is a list of some of their games:

 

Atlantis

Cosmic Ark

Demon Attack

Dragonfire

Fathom

Laser Gates

Moonsweeper

Subterranea

 

 

Activision made more games, but most of those had zero replay value. Here's something I say on this page that is related to this subject:

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I was disappointed when I found out that Pac-Man had patterns you could learn. I wanted the ghosts to have a bit of randomness thrown in. They would still have their personalities, but you wouldn't be able to count on some stupid pattern to win. You'd actually have to play the game. Sure, the patterns can be ignored, but millions of people were trained that gaming was more about learning 'dance steps' and less about on-the-spot decision making and pure fun.

 

The public became used to games that were devoid of randomness where everything from bonus items to enemies were always in the same place. Level bosses with predetermined patterns to learn became the norm. Most people were brainwashed into believing that all games were supposed to be one-time puzzles to solve or a string of 'dance steps' to learn. It's as if they forgot all of those great board games they used to play that were full of randomness and replayability.

 

The reason I became interested in video games is because of all of the amazing possibilities. A computer is ideal for creating replayable games. If you want randomness, what could be better than a computer? You can go beyond anything that is possible with a board game, but that awesome potential is usually squandered.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

 

Activision usually had pretty graphics, but they acted like they were allergic to randomness and replayability. Games like Pitfall!, Pitfall II: Lost Caverns, Hero, and River Raid could have been replayable masterpieces, instead of single-use toilet paper games.

 

Many supposed gamers do not actually like games, they like puzzles. They will spend days replaying levels, going over specific movements until they learn the patterns to beat a 'game.' I do not consider a game where you have to learn 'dance steps' to be a real game. Knowing what is coming is not playing, it's learning your part like an actor and going through the motions.

 

Most game designers cannot see the difference between gamers and puzzle solvers who disguise themselves as gamers. I think it's because most game designers are also puzzle solvers and we keep getting the same old crap with increasingly better graphics for the most part.

 

Too bad Imagic didn't last. Maybe they could have influenced more game designers to make replayable games where everything is not always in the same place.

[+Nathan Strum]

I prefer AtariAge, actually.

[BassGuitari]

Activision.

[shadow460]

The correct option was not listed in your poll.

 

Starpath.

[Shawn]

Activision by a mile. I'm not even sure what all Imagic made.

 

And that alone is reason enough why Activision wins IMO.

[Cybergoth]

Champ Games!

[Foxsolo2000]

Activision hands down

[Student Driver]

Too many Activision games have things in the same place every time you play (zero replay value) and that just sucks unless you are the kind of person who likes to learn boring dance steps and look at a game not as a game, but as just one more puzzle to solve.

 

I guess this is an opinion I'll not be able to understand. Many games-- board games, sports, etc.-- have the same things in the same place every time, and the enjoyment in playing them is honing one's strategies, competing against your prior plays, etc. IMO the same applies to "non-random" video games. If you don't enjoy competing against yourself, that's fine, but categorically claiming something has zero replay value smacks of subjectivism.

[darthkur]

I had to go with Activision. That's no to say Imagic is sub-par because I like their games very much but Activision has a greater amount of my personal favorites. As for which game creator's selections were technologically better I'd say that they both have their respective high points.

[PressureCooker2600]

Games like Dragonfire, Fathom, No Escape, Cosmic Ark, and Atlantis made Imagic a great company.

 

Fire Fighter would have been an AWESOME game if they would have ramped up the difficulty level and made it challenging.

 

But Activision still wins.

[sega2006]

Activision. I love Pitfall and River raid and Im rather peeved my River raid cart has died

[+atari2600land]

Although Activision did make Grand Prix, and I have Activision Anthology, I'll have to go with Imagic. Any company that tried making a billiards game for the 2600 is cool in my book. Plus, there's Cosmic Ark. Nice graphix.