Talk:Activision

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[edit] NOBs Review

So this user: 68.205.39.116 goes through pages and adds links to (presumeably) their own reviews. There's a link to one of his reviews on the Activision main page now. Are these links of significant importance that they should be added? Should this user really be adding things solely to build themself up? TheMaster42 19:15, 20 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Cornerstone

The paragraph from the article:

Activision changed its name to Mediagenic in 1988, in an attempt to capture the business software market. To this end, Mediagenic released Cornerstone (developed by Infocom). The effort was a commercial failure, and in 1992 Mediagenic filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This resulted in a reorganization and merger with The Disc Company.

Can't be correct. Infocom released Cornerstone before being acquired (or merging with) Activision. Its failire is why Infocom had to merge with them. See History of Infocom for details. Any ideas on how to fix it? — Frecklefoot | Talk 20:37, Aug 9, 2004 (UTC)

How about removing the wrong information?  :) Pfalstad 18:01, 6 October 2005 (UTC)

Darn that Cornerstone game still gives me the chills.

[edit] Notable published titles

Is it just me, or is the list in "Notable published titles" getting too long? How about we create a "List of Activision games" (or something similar—what is the precedent on this?) and just link to it in a "See also" section? We could slap all the games in there and then trim this section to just very prominent titles, such as Quake. What say ye? — Frecklefoot | Talk 22:12, September 10, 2005 (UTC)

Agreed. Apparently every game we do (I work there) is "notable." There are already lists for some of these series in template form, though, which would at least make it less unwieldy for the time being. --Stellmach 21:21, 11 July 2006 (UTC)
For example, I see X-Men Legends and X-Men Legends II recently added back to this list. I like these games. I wish them success. They put bread and butter on my table and everything. But why are they notable in the context of Activision's entire existence across all of time and space? I couldn't really tell you. I think this section really needs a synopsis, for each listed item, of what makes that item notable, and "got pretty darn good reviews" shouldn't make the cut. I would suggest criterea might include:
  • Outstanding critical success (e.g. Metacritic aggregate score in the "Universal acclaim" range).
  • Industry awards (e.g. Game Developers Choice Awards).
  • Identifiable innovations or historical significance (e.g. Dragster, Fishing Derby, Checkers, and Boxing ... Activision's first games, I believe)
  • Newsworthy cultural impact (hard to set a critereon, as many games bother somebody somewhere).
That said, I recuse myself from making the actual changes, being as I say an employee of the company. --Stellmach 16:56, 3 August 2006 (UTC)
I agree they should be removed. I saw that they were added, but didn't know anything about the games, so I didn't feel qualified to remove them. So please remove. As for the synopsis, I think it's a good idea. — Frecklefoot | Talk 17:39, 3 August 2006 (UTC)
Well, if someone can provide some reasoning that's even better than removing items. My not knowing why a game is notable doesn't mean it isn't. But the list certainly doesn't seem very useful in its current form without some kind of context provided. --Stellmach 18:48, 3 August 2006 (UTC)
Here's my first pass at the synopsis. My personal comments are in red. Some I don't know enough about. Looks like just a couple of games would survive if I had my way. Like them or not, Electronic Arts really published way more influential titles. Please add synopsis or change mine so we can come up with something to put in the article:
  • Barnstorming (for the Atari 2600) First published game. Of course it's notable for that very reason
I'm seeing several sources citing Dragster, Fishing Derby, Checkers and Boxing (maybe released simultaneously?) as the first Activision games. --Stellmach 23:12, 6 August 2006 (UTC)
  • Battlezone:Not very notable. Nothing like the original Battlezone
  • Call of Duty I don't know why this is here except that the series is very successful. Did it redefine WW2 games in some way?
  • Civilization: Call to Power Civilization rip-off, but otherwise not very notable
  • Doom 3 Notable because it was the re-emergence of one of the most successful computer game franchises of all time
  • GUN (2005) Don't think this belongs here. From what I hear, it's a good game, but not anything genre-defining.
  • HackerDon't think this belongs here. It got some press and did pretty well, but not genre-defining or a hallmark of game design
  • MechWarrior 2: 31st Century CombatDon't know this game--there are tons of MechWarrior games. Don't know why this one in particular should be on the list.
  • The MoviesGood game, from what I hear. Kind of a Sims rip-off. Got some good press, but not a hallmark game.
  • Pitfall! (for the Atari 2600) Considered a hallmark game in terms of game design. Very popular, one of Activision's most successful franchises Per synopsis
  • Quake One of the most successful computer game franchsises. Considered a hallmark of FPS games. Followed by Quake II, Quake III Arena and Quake 4
  • Return to Castle Wolfenstein Fine game, but not really genre defining. Not really even part of the Wolfenstein 3D cannon.
  • Rome: Total War Same as most of above. Fine game, probably pretty popular, but not incredibly notable,
  • Star Trek: Armada Same as above
  • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Don't know enough about this franchise to comment
  • Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines Another not incredibly notable games
Don't know offhand if there are arguments for the others, but Call of Duty, Rome: Total War, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater all would meet my hypothetical "Outstanding" critical success mark. For context, that seems to be the ... let's see ... about the 98th percentile of Metacritic's database at the moment.
Award-winning games would include Call of Duty (a pair of Game Developers Choice awards) and MechWarrior 2 (and 3) with Origins Awards. --Stellmach 20:17, 3 August 2006 (UTC)
Tony Hawk's is very notable, I'd say, because it basically started the entire "extreme sports" genre. It was so successful, Activision started an entire brand of "O2 Games" that were all extreme sports games. Although the brand ultimately failed, Tony Hawk continues to sell multi-million units per title. Nowadays, games like SSX Tricky and a ton of budget titles continue the genre, along with Tony Hawk.
The Call of Duty franchise is currently Activision's highest selling title each year. Although Medal of Honor really started the resurgence of World War II games, Call of Duty is currently the genre leader. Not sure that makes it survive the cut, but this info's there for you guys to use.
I remember MechWarrior 2 being a "huge, hallmark" game when I was playing it back in the day. From what I understand its success kept the struggling "old" Activision alive for a while. I don't have anything really concrete to back that up; I'll try doing some research later on. I agree with your appraisals of all the other titles. TheMaster42 02:08, 5 August 2006 (UTC)
This list really needs more Atari 2600 games. Activision was the top of the market during those days and released some of the best games for that system. Some suggestions would be
Andrzejbanas 08:51, 17 August 2006 (UTC)
What made those games significant? --Frodet 21:41, 17 August 2006 (UTC)
Hard to be sure what good examples from the Atari 2600 catalog would be (aside from Dragster, as their first game). It'd be good to have a source on sales numbers. I'd have thought Pitfall was bigger than any of those. Stellmach 13:16, 18 August 2006 (UTC)
I thought Laser Blast was their first game. I was thinking that we might want to add Spider-Man as a notable game. To me, it was the first superhero video game that didn't suck. It actually got everything right, for the first time. It was the first superhero videogame where I actually felt like a superhero, instead of some lame wannabe. — Frecklefoot | Talk 14:41, 18 August 2006 (UTC)
Your argument for Spider-Man being notable, while valid for you, are very much subjective. For instance, have you played every superhero game ever? And there will be plenty of other games who will disagree with any reasoning based on adverbs like suck and feel. Personally, I have a hard time finding any notable games from any publisher the last ten years, but that might just be me. :)
The titles in the notable list must have some objective arguments for being there. I like the criteria as given by Stellmach above. Maybe it's time for a separate List of Activision games?
BTW: Activision's first games were Dragster, Fishing Derby, Checkers and Boxing, all released in July 1980.
--Frodet 23:20, 18 August 2006 (UTC)
I did some more digging on that. Those four games had catalog numbers AG-001 through AG-004, of which Dragster was AG-001[1]. So if one has to pick one to be first, it's in some sense technically that one. Laser Blast, by the way, wasn't released until the next calendar year, and was AG-008.[2] -Stellmach 00:27, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

So, basically, this is what we currently have that can so far be substantiated in some authoritative way, plus Pitfall, whose claims (both here and on its own page) seem well-founded but still look shakily sourced. Note the shower of citations in the hopes of preventing future list bloat that would distract from the truly notable titles.

Yes, the Tony Hawk list is huge, and I admit I'm biased, but then I can't guess another series to sustain 90+ Metacritics through four sequels. -Stellmach 23:23, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

I'd like to propose some "first" and "last" titles (in addition to Dragster):
  • Pitfall! (1982). First Activision title for home computers/non-Atari consoles (May or June 1984 I think).
  • Activision Decathlon (1983). First joystick bashing game.
  • Ghostbusters (1984). First lisencing deal (?). At the time outselling anything else before (?).
  • Ghostbusters II (1989). Last Activision title for the Atari consoles.
(From memory - need to dig out some references). Thoughts? --Frodet 00:21, 20 August 2006 (UTC)
Doom was first published as shareware and that's where it got most of it's exposure. Activision only took over as publisher when they started publishing Doom 2 (which was never shareware). I don't think it should be on the list unless it is changed to Doom 2. — Frecklefoot | Talk 20:27, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] SelectSoft

The the line, "In 2005, the company was bought by and later merged into SelectSoft Publishing." seems really suspect. I couldn't find any 2005 press announcement from ATVI having anything to do with SelectSoft or MPS (http://investor.activision.com/releases.cfm?year=2005&startpage=all). Additionally SelectSoft's website doesn't mention anything about owning Activision (although they do publish some of Activision's older titles). Did they really buy them? I'm going to delete this in a few days unless someone posts better information than I have about this topic. - TheMaster42 03:50, 17 December 2005 (UTC)

Talked with some ATVI employees - they said the above information was not correct and I can find no other sources to say that it is correct. I have removed it. - TheMaster42 08:08, 17 December 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Expert Software?

why does "expert software" redirect to this page ?? ~~ wikipedia at domn dot net

I have no idea. Perhaps an enthuisiastic fan? — Frecklefoot | Talk 23:20, 17 April 2006 (UTC)
"Activision to Pay for Expert Software Acquisition With Stock" (April 2, 1999) --Mrwojo 02:05, 18 April 2006 (UTC)
We should put that in the article then. I was wondering the same thing. 69.236.83.191 16:51, 23 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Activision the first independent game publisher?

According to the article, "Prior to the formation of Activision, video games were published exclusively by the makers of the systems for which the games were designed." What about Softape and Programma International? I'm pretty sure they were publishing games for the Apple II before Activision was formed in October 1979. Applegamer 19:25, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

Well, personally, I've never heard of Softape nor Programma International, and I was in the thick of the home computer boom of the late '70s and early '80s. But they are widely recognized as the first independent game publisher, though that claim could use a source. They most certainly are the first independant game publisher for game consoles, but may have been beaten to the punch for home computers, since anyone could produce programs for those systems (not true for consoles). I suppose this could use some clarification in the article. — Frecklefoot | Talk 19:33, 30 August 2006 (UTC)
Yes, "video game" is clearly meant in its sense as distinct from "computer game" here, i.e. software for dedicated game consoles specifically. -Stellmach 21:12, 30 August 2006 (UTC)
Yeah, specifying "video game" addresses the issue I raised. Never heard of Softape or Programma International, eh? Well, that prompted me to create an article on Programma International. I'll do one on Softape next.

[edit] Notable games revisted

Where are we with this list? We were making some good progress, but we seemed to lose steam somewhere. What's the current list? I don't think what's in the article is current, as it includes a lot of titles we already said were non-notable. — Frecklefoot | Talk 15:58, 12 September 2006 (UTC)

I started the List of Electronic Arts games and still am not done with it. I propose we go ahead and start a List of Activision games so we can start removing non-notable stuff from the "Notable" list (plus, a full list like this is always desirable). I don't want to start another project, however, before finishing the EA list. Anyone else want to start it? An easy way is to get a listing from MobyGames or another favorite website, copy & paste and format it for Wikipedia. Lists can't be copyrighted, so it's not violating anyone's rights. — Frecklefoot | Talk 17:42, 5 January 2007 (UTC)

I Would add THPS 2,3,4 Tony Hawk's UNDERGROUND 1,2 Tony Hawks AMERICAN WASTELAND. SPIDERMAN 2,3 Kelly Slaters pro surfer,Shaun Palmers pro snowboarder,the pro wakeboarder game Matt Hoffmanns pro BMX 1,2 DOOM ,DOOM 2

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