And the worst Activisions games are...

[SoulBlazer]

I never cared for Sky Jinks or Cosmic Commuter. A lot of people find Barnstorming boring, but I don't hate it that much. I think it's a beautifully colored game screen too.

 

Barnstorming is a fav of mine also. Not only were the graphics well done, but it was a great 'beat your time' race-like game. I can see where people might find that borring, but it was also a very quick game...just a few minutes required for each game.

[Cebus Capucinis]

TUNNEL RUNNER!

[Animan]

TUNNEL RUNNER!

 

I think Tunnel Runner is a pretty cool guy.

 

Eh double the RAM, and doesn't afraid of anything.

 

(Sorry, I really have no better comeback)

Edited September 22, 2010 by Animan

[Scrabbler15]

I loved all the Activision race games. I was fascinated when I first saw times measured in hundredths of a second. Skiiing, Sky Jinks, and of course, Dragster were my favorites. I also enjoyed Keystone Kapers, Enduro, Space Shuttle, Pitfall, River Raid, Megamania, and even Fishing Derby.

 

So, really, the only game on my 'worst' list would have to be Checkers. It's not that the execution was bad. But with all the great games Activision was releasing month after month, it seemed like such an opportunity cost to spend time developing Checkers instead of something else new and different and exciting.

[boxes of sawdust]

This is a tough call, one I don't think I'm ready to make. But I would like to just take a minute to defend Barnstorming, I think it's a great game, me and my girlfriend took turns playing for almost four hours straight one night a few months ago. Most people here don't seem to care for it, to each his own I suppose.

[+FujiSkunk]

In context, I find it hard to label any Activision game as the worst. Laser Blast is repetitive to the point of becoming boring in a hurry, yes, but it was published by a then-fledgling third party, at a time when third parties just simply didn't exist, and it was a very obvious step up in quality compared to most of the games Atari was still publishing at the time. It did its job, putting Activision on the map and forcing Atari to match Activision's ante, and it helped usher in the Atari 2600's golden age (or should I say silver age?).

 

Double Dragon is also a tough choice. It could have been better, but it was amazing Activision was still making games for the 2600 at all at that point, and even still trying to push the system with their offerings. I can't fault them for remaining ambitious so late in the 2600's life cycle, after pretty much every other third party had either disappeared or had given up on the system.

 

If I absolutely have to name a game, I'll probably still say Double Dragon, if only because of the insane difficulty. But I'll still be quick to point out even the "worst" game from Activision is a whole lot better than some companies' "best" effort.

[cimerians]

Freeway or the mindless Laserblast.

[Scooterb23]

Laser Blast, River Raid II, and Oink! are at the top of my bad Activision list. I also really dislike Pitfall II, but I realize I am in a minority there.

[OldAtarian]

"Kaboom!"

 

Great sounds, excellent graphics. First few rounds are okay, then it gets so fast you might as well close your eyes and twist the paddle blindfolded.

You need to get into "The Zone" with Kaboom. That's the beauty of it.

 

As for worst Activision game, hmmm, the later Activision games (Rampage, Double Dragon, Commando) are up there simply because they tried to emulate current arcade games instead of focusing on the strengths of the 2600. Sure, they did a reasonable job of capturing key gameplay elements (Rampage is admirable), but all they really did was expose the weaknesses of the console.

 

Exactly. If you're not really focused you're going to lose.

 

I also can't believe the number of people who didn't like Keystone Kapers. That was one of my favorite Activision games. Pitfall II I could tolerate up until the point when I died and I got sent back to the last first aid kit and had to listen to that damn death music all the way. It still haunts me whenever I think about it.

 

 

http://www.digitpress.com/dpsoundz/mid/pitfall2.mid

Edited October 6, 2010 by OldAtarian

[OldAtarian]

Skiing I didn't like and Boxing was too easy to rack up hits once you managed to nail the computer once you could go on hitting it repeatedly without it getting a shot in.

[OldAtarian]

Barnstorming was a fav of mine as a kid.

 

The only bad Activision games are their late releases, when they tried to push the system too far. Games like Double Dragon, Kung Fu, Rampage, and Commando.

 

Considering the limitations of the system, I don't think they're that bad. They actually learned how to do a lot with the limited hardware by the time it all came to an end.