Pros: has all games from 80s, many unlockable surprises, soundtrack
Cons: soundtrack could have more songs, some easter eggs almost impossible to unlock
The bottom line: Buy it - it's a great collection of memories for the 80s fan and video gamer, and a history lesson for those who aren't.
I have never been so excited about the release of Activision Anthology, probably because I expected it to be such a figment of my 80s child being. This PS2 game did that in more ways than one.
There are about 40+ games in this collection, including great classics such as Pitfall, Freeway, H.E.R.O, and one of my personal favorites, Megamania. All of the games released during the 80s are here, as well as some unreleased/lost games such as Pitfall II. They can be all played again in this collection.
Now if that doesn't make one feel as if they traveled back in time, let me add the fact that there are a TON of easter eggs in the collection. Upon meeting certain goals in the games or certain high scores, you can unlock old memories from the past such as the TV commercials for the games, or...remember the patches that were given for really, really good scores? Those can be unlocked as well, and are put on a "bulletin board" that hangs on the wall. There are also other goodies that can be unlocked: screen modes. Imagine playing "Freeway" with clouds floating on the screen, "Space Shuttle" with stars on the screen, or "Kaboom" with the screen rotating 360 degrees. Those are some of the screen modes that can be unlocked, and many more.
Along with the games comes a great 80s soundtrack. It feels great to play "Crackpots" with Men Without Hats' "Safety Dance" in the background.I felt that the soundtrack was very nicely chosen, but the soundtrack could have had more tunes.
One aspect of the game that I will have to complain about was that some of the games were more difficult to unlock surprises. It took a little time and effort to unlock things from Fishing Derby, and I'm still working on Barnstorming.
After everything gets unlocked however, I do plan on keeping up with the games and having fun with it. In a way, the collection made me with that my 2600 Activision games were this good when I had them, however this was definitely worth the 20+ year wait. This is a must buy for any 80s fan.