Five Classic Activision Games Missing From Call of Duty: WWII

Call of Duty is one of the greatest FPS franchises of all time. It has managed to redefine the FPS genre with amazing visuals and tight gameplay mechanics all the while still providing a venue for the time honored traditions of killing Nazi’s and zombies. Let’s be honest, nearly every game can be made better simply by adding zombies. Zombies are to video games as cowbell is to music, vampires are to YA fiction, and Nutella is to anything you want to put into your mouth. ANYTHING. Infinity Ward knows this all too well but what is a developer to do when you define the future? Well, you find a link to the past to make the future all the more intriguing.

Call Of Duty: WWII is far too new for our beloved magazine to give it the attention is so deserves but included in the game is a fun bit of retro gaming goodness. Located in the R&R tent found within the game’s HQ is an easter egg filled with 15 classic Activision games which includes:

• Barnstorming
• Boxing
• Chopper Command
• Cosmic Commuter
• Demon Attack
• Enduro
• Fishing Derby
• Grand Prix
• Kaboom!
• Pitfall II
• Private Eye
• River Raid
• Seaquest
• Skiing
• Spider Fighter

A winning combination to be sure but it comes up just short of total victory. Here are five Activision games that should have been included in the allied offensive.

Commando

How this one got missed is beyond me. The graphics and gameplay are stellar which is a phrase not commonly used when writing about an Atari 2600 game.

 

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Double Dragon

I know this game gets a lot of flak for being one of the most forgettable entries into the Double Dragon series but consider this. The Atari joystick and its limitation of having one button severely hindered gameplay as performing combo attacks with this type of controller was nearly impossible but playing with a real D-pad could actually make this version enjoyable to play.

 

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H.E.R.O.

This game is a must play for anyone who owns a 2600. Armed with a jetpack, dynamite and a friggin laser beam, you must maneuver our hero through caverns filled with enemies. The game was programmed by John Van Ryzin, who also programmed Cosmic Commuter which managed to make the final cut.

 

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Kung Fu Master

Considered to be one of the better arcade ports on the 2600, Kung Fu Master should have been included simply because of its great hand-to-hand combat.

 

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Robot Tank

Tank warfare on the 2600 that is not Battlezone. While not necessarily better than Battlezone, Robot Tank is a good tank simulator that would have been right at home in the R&R tent.

 

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