Activision (easter egg on Boxing on the Playstation 2 Game Activision Anthology (Activision, 2002)). [Category: Commercial]

OK, folks, I know that the vast majority of you are not so rabid fans of ephemera that you would dig up this one, unless you also happen to be a fan of vintage video games. Not only does it require you to have a Playstation 2 and the game, but you have to get a certain score in Boxing to unlock this film. But it just so happens that my husband is a video game fanatic, and he got the requisite score. So I'm going to take advantage of it, even though I feel like I'm at a carnival and he just won a large stuffed bunny for me at the shooting gallery. This film announces the brand-new 1982 Activision video games for your Atari game system and lets you meet some of the game designers. Remember Atari, folks? That ultra-primitive game system that was just a step above Pong, but was nevertheless the cool thing to have back in 1982? I know it's unfair and way too easy to laugh at old technology, but seriously, it's hard not to get the giggles when watching those Activision executives and game designers be so excited about those blocky, primitive games. While they rave on about Activision's "state-of-the-art graphics", you get to see a designer actually draw a game character by filling in squares on a piece of graph paper. Add to that the fact that everybody looks so 70s, and you've got a film that's a real hoot to watch. They throw in several of Activision's tv commercials during the film as well, and they're fun to watch too.

Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.