Atari 2600 Action Pack: Volume 1, 2 and 3
Activision (1995)
These days, it's common to see game companies release their classic games. There are virtual consoles, plug-and-play consoles and collections of retro games available for dozens, if not hundreds of titles from the past. However, back in the summer of 1995, the term "retro gaming" didn't exist. The 16-bit war between the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo in its final year. The release of the Sega Saturn on May 11th and the Sony Playstation on September 9th had gamers dreaming of 32 bit games on CD-Rom as the future of the industry. Few were thinking back to the days of the 80's and the Atari 2600, but for those who were, Activision had the Atari 2600 Action Pack.
It's funny to look back on this series today. They were released 20 years ago for Windows 95 and Macintosh computers, and they were available on CD-Rom and 3.5" floppy discs. These discs are older today than these Atari games were when they were re-released in 1995. The retro compilations have become retro themselves.
I had Volume 1 for my IBM Aptiva when I was 15 years old. I remember being amazed to be able to play games like Pitfall, River Raid and Frostbite on my Gravis Gamepad with Z-Rock playing from the boombox on the top shelf of my computer desk. It was the moment that I first realized that gaming isn't all about the latest graphics and CD quality sound, and a game that was fun in 1985 is just as fun in 1995. Twenty years later, I still play these games because they're just as fun in 2015.
