Activision Hits Remixed review

A subset of the 2600 games on offer are true classics. Games like Pitfall, River Raid, Demon Attack, Megamania, Spider Fighter, and Fishing Derby are simple, addicting tests of skill and coordination that can still suck you in today. It's all about getting the highest score, and Remixed keeps faithful track of your achievements, even offering the odd unlockable commercial or virtual iron-on patch - price these trinkets on eBay, why don'tcha - as extra incentive to excel. You can also check out manuals and box/card scans, though the latter are not nearly as high-res and legible as they were on PS2.

Other Remixed games are not so enduring, to be kind, and are simply there for completeness to pad out the game count. Kaboom!, normally well-regarded by fans, is hard to enjoy due to the lack of a proper paddle control - neither the analog nub nor the d-pad can really do the job. Others, like early space flight sim Space Shuttle, just don't make any freakin' sense. Luckily, every cart has a nicely presented manual. Good or bad, most every game seems to be emulated well, with graphical filtering only becoming apparent in full-screen mode. Game-sharing lets you play with others, too.