+cvga Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 I think the results of the "which 3 games" thread shows that Activision is the clear winner. The only two Imagic games even mentioned were Demon Attack and Dragonfire. Activision had votes for Kaboom, River Raid, Stampede, Pitfall II, Megamania, Crackpots, Fishing Derby, Ice Hockey, Chopper Command, Enduro, HERO, Pressure Cooker, Private Eye, Frostbite, and Beamrider! Imagic made some very good games but Activision made more games that people considered to be among the very best and had better quality from top to bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DamonicFury Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 I really like most of Imagic's games. Cosmic Ark is a top 10 game for me, and Dragonfire, Fathom, Star Voyager, Laser Gates and Moonsweeper are all class-A games. In fact, I just recently completed my Imagic collection (NTSC only), and have been enjoying some of their rarer games like Subterranea and Shootin Gallery (nobody knows the rules for this??) for the first time. Having said all that, though, Imagic still takes second place to Activision. I have spend hours and hours and hours playing such classics as River Raid, Kaboom, Stampede, Keystone Kapers, Pitfall!, Dolphin, and H.E.R.O. While most of Imagic's games are space shooters, Activision made games of all types, all with bright colorful graphics that made the 2600 do things that Atari never dreamed it could do. Keystone Kapers I feel is by far the best looking game for the system. (Amazing that it was made by the same programmer who brought us Space Jockey and Donkey Kong!) Activision simply made the best 2600 cartridges ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONEMAN Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Activision all day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mind Master Posted February 20, 2003 Author Share Posted February 20, 2003 I think Activision is our winner based on the count of replies so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godzilla Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 just shows that when mass opinion is involved, superiority always fails (amigas, saturn, dreamcast, imagic etc.) :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisbid Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 well said zilla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanJr Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 just shows that when mass opinion is involved, superiority always fails (amigas, saturn, dreamcast, imagic etc.) :-) ah the meager cries of the unloved minority... 50 million Elvis fans can't be wrong! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariDude Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 This one is a toughie. Both companies made some very good games and have given me a lot of hours of enjoying playing. However if push came to shove and I had to choose which one would I choose if I had to live on a deserted island, I would have to go with Activision. Luckily, there is always Activision Anthology that has a nice collection of both companies best games. It is much nicer not having to have to choose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smf_4ever Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 Two words put Activision over the top.. Double Dragon. Yea baby!!!!!!!!....... honestly.. I replay more activision titles than Imagic.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godzilla Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 actually double dragon helps make a pretty solid argument against activision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.Yancey Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 This is a great comparison of my two favorite companies. Of course, I say Activision is the winner. Had a thread compared any other two companies, I wouldn't even have posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cryptik76 Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 Nobody mentioned Starmaster? Or did I miss it? That game was a stroke of genius. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t.skid Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 I go for Activision, that did some of my preferred games Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Witchfynde Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 Nobody mentioned Starmaster? Or did I miss it? That game was a stroke of genius. Ach, yes, good one. They did a far better version of Star Raiders than Atari did! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory DG Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 I have the core Imagic games... Atlantis, Cosmic Ark, Riddle, and Demon Attack. And aside from Cosmic Ark (which I like just for the alien retrieval part) they seem a bit bland to me. Atlantis is neat, but there are several games already like it. There are dozens of Demon Attack type games. And I've never really understood what's so great about Riddle of the Sphinx... ?? And I've played Dragonfire many times and never really got the point of that one either. Activision, on the other hand, had a great variety of games and ones that are bonifide classics. Pitfall 1 & 2, Chopper Command, HERO, Megamania, River Raid, Robot Tank, Keystone Kapers, and of course (the one that really puts them over the top) Space Shuttle. I think Activision really pushed the 2600 beyond what anyone thought it could do. Imagic's games are good to look at, but I don't see much innovation there. Activision, on the other hand, really pushed the envelope over and over again. Few (if any) games come even close to the complexity and detail of Space Shuttle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tillenterprises Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 While I love Demon Attack, Dragonfire, No Escape and almost every other Imagic title and the packaging of their games, my vote also goes to Activision. Almost every Activision game still holds up to this day. I still remember how excited I was getting my hands on the new Activision games when they came out- going home from the store, and not being able to wait to play Seaquest, Keystone, and Megamania- Christmas of '82 when I got two of the greatest video games of all time- Kaboom! and Pitfall. Staring at the game catalogs and dreaming of getting the new releases, and wishing I had an Intellivision, so I could buy Worm Whomper and Happy Trails from Activision... (Speaking of Intellivision, every Imagic game for Intellivision was awesome, too!) As for the packaging and artwork, I think both companies were great, but there's just something about the Activision artwork that looked "fun" and colorful, and made you want to plug that game in the 2600 right away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tillenterprises Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 While I love Demon Attack, Dragonfire, No Escape and almost every other Imagic title and the packaging of their games, my vote also goes to Activision. Almost every Activision game still holds up to this day. I still remember how excited I was getting my hands on the new Activision games when they came out- going home from the store, and not being able to wait to play Seaquest, Keystone, and Megamania- Christmas of '82 when I got two of the greatest video games of all time- Kaboom! and Pitfall. Staring at the game catalogs and dreaming of getting the new releases, and wishing I had an Intellivision, so I could buy Worm Whomper and Happy Trails from Activision... (Speaking of Intellivision, every Imagic game for Intellivision was awesome, too!) As for the packaging and artwork, I think both companies were great, but there's just something about the Activision artwork that looked "fun" and colorful, and made you want to plug that game in the 2600 right away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Witchfynde Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 Staring at the game catalogs and dreaming of getting the new releases, and wishing I had an Intellivision, so I could buy Worm Whomper and Happy Trails from Activision... (Speaking of Intellivision, every Imagic game for Intellivision was awesome, too!) Yeah, no kidding, I felt the exact same way with Beamrider, and I only found out a few months ago it was released for the 2600! So I'll have to be on the lookout for that when I start going thrift hopping and for people's trade/sell lists... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayson Posted February 23, 2003 Share Posted February 23, 2003 Starmaster puts Activision over the top for me too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lament Posted February 23, 2003 Share Posted February 23, 2003 I can't understand Starmaster. How am I supposed to dodge?.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cryptik76 Posted February 23, 2003 Share Posted February 23, 2003 Dodge? My strategy has always been to destroy the ships before they get close enough to shoot you (or, in the case of an asteroid, before you get too close and collide with it). You just have to be quick to get it in your crosshairs. Starmaster is, next to Mountain King, my favorite 2600 game. I love how complex it is, and how good the graphics and sound effects are (for the time). Now I need a Starmaster fix. Since my 2600 is in the closet, I'll boot up z26. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christophero Sly Posted April 16, 2004 Share Posted April 16, 2004 I couldn't answer this question when it came up last year because my collection was too meager, but I've recently completed Activision and I only need 2 more Imagic carts, so I feel more comfortable answering this question now. And for me, it's not even close--Activision all the way! Dragster, Starmaster, Seaquest, Kaboom!, Keystone Kapers, Freeway, H.E.R.O., Sky Jinks... I think Imagic's library is solid, but their titles just don't appeal to me. In fact, I prefer Parker Bros. library of games to Imagic's. Fathom and Laser Gates are probably my favorites Imagic games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted April 16, 2004 Share Posted April 16, 2004 I don't think I ever got a chance to vote. 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 and that just sucks unless you are the kind of person who likes to learn boring dance steps. 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToddRogers Posted April 16, 2004 Share Posted April 16, 2004 I vote ACTIVISION all the way , Well yeah i know its a no brainer for me. But i couldnt resist and besides both developers have strong and weak points in their gaming libraries. Todd Mr Activision Rogers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NovaXpress Posted April 16, 2004 Share Posted April 16, 2004 It's tough to campare because Activsion was around longer and was far more prolific. Going through the libraries I tried to come up with a good/bad ratio for both companies. ACTIVISION: 23 good, 21 bad IMAGIC: 15 good, 2 bad (Fire Fighter and Shootin Gallery) So I find that while Activision made many more good games, half of their releases bore the hell out of me. Imagic is nearly flawless. I also prefer their vivid visual style to Activision's usual childish monchrome graphics. As far as GREAT games go, I have Activsion winning 5-3. Considering the difference in output, I think Imagic's feat is more impressive. I still don't see what was so "revolutionary" about Pitfall. I maintain that Pitfall only mattered to kids who couldn't afford a more powerful system. You know, if it was a discussion of Activison-vs-Imagic on the Intellivison, there wouldn't even be a debate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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