the 5th ghost Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Activision games I can't stand are: DRAGSTER and GRAND PRIX, not because they are bad, but I simply can't find a real game inside them Activision's timed games are all basically games of skill. I guess when it comes to timed games, the addiction kicks in when you begin to strive for the fastest time possible. Once I got the hang of Dragster, I literally couldn't stop playing till I shaved my time down to 5.61, which to this day is still my personal best time on that game. The addiction factor in Grand prix is trying to find the perfect route through the oncoming cars so that you can go full speed the entire race, and executing the maneuvers requires pinpoint precision. Games like these were the ones where you could challenge friends and family for the best time, and these games got a LOT of play as a result. Another great timed game that usually always gets overlooked is Sky Jinks. But yeah, if you're not careful with these games, you can easily find yourself "in the zone" for hours at a time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacobZu7zu7 Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Still the only Dolphin lover. Make that 2! Dolphin I liked right away when I first got it 10 years ago, and think it's a neat game, and one of my favs for Activision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Dart Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Gotta admit that I'm shocked to see Enduro mentioned about every third post. That game seemed so bland & empty of any variety to me. What am I missing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tz101 Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 Gotta admit that I'm shocked to see Enduro mentioned about every third post. That game seemed so bland & empty of any variety to me. What am I missing? Probably have to like racers to begin with. Enduro was the best racing game on the VCS. It cycled from night to day and back, along with varying weather conditions. I loved to see how many "days" I could drive for. The higher levels became increasingly difficult. If you even hit a single car you might not make your quota of cars passed for that day. Enduro was in heavy rotation at my house back in the early 80's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari_Falcon Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 (edited) Well, maybe I was little too harsh with GrandPrix and Dragster. I don't mean they are "bad"... If they had a battery for storing your besttime, then it would look quite different (I like those kind of casual games on my mobile phone, too). I just think they have not a very deep gameplay. This doesn't mean they might not be challenging or addictive Edited January 12, 2011 by Atari_Falcon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rom Hunter Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Beamrider Pitfall II - Lost Caverns H.E.R.O. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the 5th ghost Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Well, maybe I was little too harsh with GrandPrix and Dragster. I don't mean they are "bad"... If they had a battery for storing your besttime, then it would look quite different (I like those kind of casual games on my mobile phone, too). I just think they have not a very deep gameplay. This doesn't mean they might not be challenging or addictive Activision did an excellent job of mixing it up. You had your basic shooter style games (Megamania, River Raid)...games of exploration (Pitfall II, H.E.R.O.)...sports games (Tennis, Ice Hockey)...skill games (Kaboom!, Pressure Cooker) classic games (Checkers, Bridge) and timed games of skill (Dragster, Skiing) You get the idea. Even the lackluster games had something special about them like the sounds and graphics in games like Laser Blast and Spider Fighter. For the most part, all of their games were engaging to some degree. MY TOP 3: Kaboom! Stampede Megamania Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacobZu7zu7 Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 What is your pick for the best Activision game for the VCS. Tough choice, but I waver between Frostbite and Enduro. After careful thought it comes down to Frostbite. The game is awesomely fun and holds my attention for longer spells than others like HERO and Robot Tank. Plus, I never tire of outsmarting that pesky polar bear. Great choices, Frostbite is in my top 3 I bet, I can earn a patch with my eyes closed on that one! and Enduro not far behind. HERO I find cool, but not a fav, and Robot Tank is great but not sure where it ranks with me, I haven't played that one in a while. Tz101 Don't forget Pressure Cooker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacobZu7zu7 Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 (edited) It's interesting that nobody's mentioned Megamania yet. That's usually one of the reliable "fan favorites" that shows up over and over again on everybody's "Top 2600 Games" lists; personally, I think it was (and is) vastly overrated. Apparently no love for Crackpots, Plaque Attack, or Private Eye either. Of those three, Crackpots is my favorite. MegaMania is one of my all time favorite games. Each wave is different and requires a different skill and you still have to watch the time. Love that game. The fact that Megamania is rated high amongst 2600 fans doesn't bother me, I thought it played pretty decent with a nice quick pace and variety... I much would rather play Megamania then Galaxian or TURMOIL. I don't like Turmoil. Talk about a lack of variety. Game reviews have mentioned how fast a shooter Turmoil was and it's brilliant etc, and I bought it 11 years ago, and found that your ship is what is moving fastest... not so much the rest! Very annoying sound effects. No variety in stages or objects either, level one might as well be level 10. Edited January 12, 2011 by JacobZu7zu7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiki77 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Keystone Kapers Frostbite Seaquest Beam Rider Hero Grand Prix Robot Tank Pitfall! Fishing Derby Boxing Spider Fighter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
accousticguitar Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 No love for Kaboom? I think I'd like Kaboom a whole lot more if I didn't suck horribly at it. In fact, I suck at pretty much ALL paddle games. I'm not very good at it either, but I still like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Itchy Koala Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 No love for Kaboom? I think I'd like Kaboom a whole lot more if I didn't suck horribly at it. In fact, I suck at pretty much ALL paddle games. I'm not very good at it either, but I still like it. My friend is awesome at kaboom, it drives me crazy. he says you have to purposely miss right before 1000, this will slow the gameplay back down, and you get your paddle right back once you hit 1000. From there you get points easy and repeat strategy 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
accousticguitar Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 No love for Kaboom? I think I'd like Kaboom a whole lot more if I didn't suck horribly at it. In fact, I suck at pretty much ALL paddle games. I'm not very good at it either, but I still like it. My friend is awesome at kaboom, it drives me crazy. he says you have to purposely miss right before 1000, this will slow the gameplay back down, and you get your paddle right back once you hit 1000. From there you get points easy and repeat strategy I usually miss non-purposely. Does that count? (+1 rep point for a good strategy tip.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tz101 Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 Tz101 Don't forget Pressure Cooker Its on my got-to-get list, but I have never played this game. Maybe once on emulation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diogoandrei Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 My top Activision title gotta be Frostbite. Love the colors and the gameplay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vocelli Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I would say... Oink, HERO, Frostbite and Dolphin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Friedel Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Well, maybe I was little too harsh with GrandPrix and Dragster. I don't mean they are "bad"... If they had a battery for storing your besttime, then it would look quite different (I like those kind of casual games on my mobile phone, too). I just think they have not a very deep gameplay. This doesn't mean they might not be challenging or addictive Polaroids/cameras were the storage medium of the day and the only way to get your patches. TVs were hard as hell to take pics of back then also. If you didn't go that route though, you always had the friend who was playing the game with you who could validate your score when someone doubted. Those were the days.... Cliff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari_Falcon Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Well, maybe I was little too harsh with GrandPrix and Dragster. I don't mean they are "bad"... If they had a battery for storing your besttime, then it would look quite different (I like those kind of casual games on my mobile phone, too). I just think they have not a very deep gameplay. This doesn't mean they might not be challenging or addictive Polaroids/cameras were the storage medium of the day and the only way to get your patches. TVs were hard as hell to take pics of back then also. If you didn't go that route though, you always had the friend who was playing the game with you who could validate your score when someone doubted. Those were the days.... Cliff Yeah, I remember. in my favorite videogame magazine, there were high-score tables for you to fill with you scores But the technology was there, even in 1984 Atari had his highscore cart for the 7800... so they knew it would have been useful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toymailman Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 My top Activision games in correct order (this is all of 'em actually). Pressure Cooker Seaquest H.E.R.O. Decathlon Plaque Attack Kaboom! Pitfall II: Lost Caverns River Raid River Raid II Frostbite Enduro Robot Tank Beamrider Pitfall! Cosmic Commuter Keystone Kapers Megamania Starmaster Private Eye Oink! Space Shuttle: A Journey into Space Kung Fu Master Freeway Skiing Barnstorming Chopper Command Stampede Grand Prix Dolphin Boxing Dragster Ice Hockey Fishing Derby Sky Jinks Crackpots Commando Rampage Checkers Double Dragon Ghostbusters Spider Fighter Tennis Bridge Laser Blast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacobZu7zu7 Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 (edited) Nice idea Toymailman, Here's mine, same number 1# Pressure Cooker Pressure Cooker Frostbite Stampede Enduro Dolphin Keystone Kapers River Raid Robot Tank Seaquest Starmaster Pitfall! H.E.R.O. Megamania Crackpots Ice Hockey Fishing Derby Oink! Ghostbusters Skiing Kaboom! Dragster Grand Prix Plaque Attack Chopper Command Tennis Freeway Kung Fu Master Sky Jinks Boxing -Here's where the games get dodgey- Decathlon (fun enough, but kills my hands 'left-right') Double Dragon (too difficult, even with cheat tips) Laser Blast (too easy, repetitive) Spider Fighter (cool, but WAY too easy) Barnstorming (dull, mediocre) Pitfall II: Lost Caverns (Long, boring, easy once memorized) Private Eye (endless maze, annoying... car always hits somethin, hard to jump yellow road blocks... constantly getting lost, a map needed to succeed and difficult to create one, impossible to tell what street is what, HORRIBLE GAME!!!) Space Shuttle: A Journey into Space (own it, but never played it) - ACT. GAMES I DON'T OWN- Rampage River Raid II Bridge Checkers Commando Cosmic Commuter Beamrider Edited January 20, 2011 by JacobZu7zu7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peedenmark7 Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 pitfall 1,2 freeway keystone kapers. sea quest fishing derby stampede [still makes me laugh] one pick only? it has to be keystone kapers, but is there really a bad activision 2600 game Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck D. Head Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Tz101 Don't forget Pressure Cooker Its on my got-to-get list, but I have never played this game. Maybe once on emulation? For an extra challenge, try playing this on a 12" B/W tv like I had when I was a kid. Just awesome figuring out what shade of grey slot you should drop the burger into, but I did master it, eventually! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godzillajoe Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Wow, so many people dislike Boxing. It's a great TWO player game but not so interesting solo. A lot more fun that the "superior" RealSports boxing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacobZu7zu7 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Wow, so many people dislike Boxing. It's a great TWO player game but not so interesting solo. A lot more fun that the "superior" RealSports boxing. There's nothing wrong with it. It's really well done for it's age. Just in general, I don't care to play Boxing games. Never played it with two players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amstari Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 (edited) Stampede! This is the Activision game I have spent the most hours playing. It is also one of the most frustrating games, I think I get worse at it the more I play it but I can't stop having one more try. Edited January 25, 2011 by Amstari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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