5 Activision Games You Forgot Were Awesome

Activision was founded in 1979, meaning it has been around through nearly every major video game console’s lifespan. With that much history, it’s fair to say that the developer has built up one of the largest catalogs of any publisher in gaming. Of course, most players know about the company thanks to its major series like Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. However, with nearly 50 years of video game releases, there are dozens of hidden gems in Activision’s catalog.

Here are five games from the legendary publisher that you likely forgot existed.

5) Civilization: Call to Power

Call to Power sits in a weird spot. On one hand, Activision was trying to capitalize on the Civilization name despite not having the people who made that series a success on the project. In fact, the sequel, Call to Power 2, can’t even have the Civ tag as Activision had lost the rights when they returned to Firaxis.

However, Call to Power is a solid Civ knock-off, letting players take their civilization into the year 3000. That opens the doors to some out-there ideas for the future, making this a fun time capsule to go back to. Sure, Firaxis’ Alpha Centauri ate its lunch in terms of Civ-like gameplay, but Call to Power is far from a bad game. After all, who doesn’t want to win a game of Civ by finding a wormhole and completing the Alien Life Project?

4) Rampage

The arcade version of Rampage was developed and published by Bally Midway, but Activision stepped in to bring the hit action game to Atari consoles and PCs. Players jump into the shoes of a person who has been transformed into a massive monster via experimentation. They then climb up buildings, punching them down to earn points, while dodging enemy bullets.

It’s a relatively simple game, but the mix of a wacky story, easy-to-grasp controls, and great co-op made it a massive hit. That led to five sequels and a film adaptation starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, but Activision was only really involved with the original game. Thankfully, most agree that’s the best Rampage ever released.

3) Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins

Similar to Rampage, Tenchu 2 was published by its developer, Acquire, in Japan. However, Activision handled the worldwide release. To be clear, Tenchu 2’s development was given a greenlight by Activision after the original was so successful in the West. In fact, it was originally going to be a Western exclusive because of how the first game performed.

Thankfully, everyone got ot play the exceptional stealth gameplay. It’s only a slight upgrade from the first game, but it did enough to earn plenty of praise and find its way to the top of sales charts. The standout feature was the mission editor, which let players create their own levels for friends to play through. Then, Activision bought the IP, and things have mostly been downhill since.

2) True Crime: Streets of LA

Streets of LA was widely seen as a Grand Theft Auto knock-off, and with good reason. It was one of the first open-world crime games to come out after GTA 3, and it shares a lot of DNA with Rockstar’s masterpiece, so you can’t really blame people. That said, having you play as a member of the LAPD instead of a criminal does make for a nice twist on the formula.

Sure, it’s not as good as Rockstar’s series, but it was a solid take on the genre. Reviewers and players agreed, as Streets of LA performed well critically and commercially. Of course, the real reason anyone would remember Streets of LA is that it eventually gave us Sleeping Dogs, which was originally planned to be called True Crime: Hong Kong. We did have to get through the disappointing True Crime: New York City to get there, but still.

1) X-Men: Legends 2 – Rise of Apocalypse

Similar to True Crime: Streets of LA, X-Men Legends 2 led to the much more popular Marvel Ultimate Alliance series. However, it’s always a great time when Professor X and Magneto end up on the same side of a fight. That’s exactly what happens when Apocalypse rears his world-destroying head.

Being able to have Toad, Wolverine, Gambit, and Sabretooth in the same team is a blast. If you can round up three friends for a session, it’s even better. Thankfully, this one lets you play online, making it a bit easier to schedule with your buds, but it’s a fun romp no matter how you slice it. Ultimate Alliance absolutely improved on the foundation X-Men Legends built, but the more focused X-Men story is still worth checking out if you haven’t yet.

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