Activision Decathlon, The (Atari 2600) - online game | RetroGames.cz
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The Activision Decathlon - Atari 2600

Atari 2600 joystick:

Atari 2600 joystick


Joystick control:

 

Player 1: Player 2:
joystick ↑↓←→ WSAD
trigger Spacebar Ctrl
RESET F1 F1
SELECT F2 F2
"Novice" F5 F7
"Expert" F6 F8
black-white / color mode:  F3/F4
paddle mode: right mouse button

Emulation speed:

If the game emulation is slow, try to speed it up by reloading this pa­ge without ads or choose a­no­ther emulator from this table.


Other platforms:

Unfortunately, this game is cur­rent­ly available only in this ver­si­on. Be patient :-)



Game info:
The Activision Decathlon - box cover
box cover
Game title: The Activision Decathlon
Console: Atari 2600
Author (released): Activision (1983)
Genre: Action, Sport Mode: Multiplayer
Design: David Crane
Music:
Game manual: manual.pdf

File size:

1130 kB
Download: not available (stream only)

Game size:

8 kB
Recommended emulator: Stella

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

   The Activision Decathlon is a sports game written by David Crane for the Atari 2600 and published by Activision in 1983. It was ported to the Atari 8-bit family, Atari 5200, Commodore 64, ColecoVision, and MSX. Up to four players compete in the ten different events of a real-life decathlon, either in sequence or individually.
The Activision Decathlon - Pole Vault (Atari 2600)
   The Activision Decathlon - Pole Vault (Atari 2600)
The game became somewhat notorious for the amount of wear or damage inflicted upon console controllers, namely the Atari 2600 version where rapid back-and-forth movement of the joystick propels the athlete down the track. A player whose score met or exceeded the values below could send photo documentation to receive an Activision Decathlon Club patch in one of the colors of an Olympic medal: 8,600 points (Bronze), 9,000 points (Silver) and 10,000 points (Gold).
   Shortly after release, Activision's Decathlon drew comparisons to Konami's popular arcade game Hyper Olympic (Track & Field), which was introduced at the Amusement Machine Show a month later in September 1983. According to Cash Box magazine, several people claimed there were 'cursory similarities' between the two games.
   The Atari 2600 version of Decathlon was reviewed by Video magazine in its 'Arcade Alley' column where it was described as 'an absolute triumph of imaginative programming' and as 'a masterwork'. Computer and Video Games rated the VCS version 92% while giving the ColecoVision version a 93% score.
   In 1985, the game appeared at number-two on the Atari 8-bit chart in the United Kingdom. The game was later reissued simply as Decathlon by the UK budget label Firebird. It was included in the 2002 PlayStation 2 compilation Activision Anthology.

Events:

  • 100-Meter Dash
  • Long Jump
  • Shot Put
  • High Jump
  • 400-Meter Race
  • 110-Meter Hurdles
  • Discus Throw
  • Pole Vault
  • Javelin Throw
  • 1500-Meter Race

More details about this game can be found on Wikipedia.org.

For fans and collectors:
Find this game on video server YouTube.com or Vimeo.com.
Buy original game or Atari 2600 console on Amazon.com or eBay.com.

Find digital download of this game on GOG or Steam.

 
Videogame Console:

This ver­sion of The Activision Decathlon was de­sig­ned for A­ta­ri 2600, which was com­mer­ci­al­ly ve­ry suc­ces­s­ful vi­deo ga­me con­so­le of se­cond ge­ne­ra­tion pro­du­ced by A­ta­ri from 1977 to 1992. It was the first con­so­le that used re­mo­vab­le me­mory mo­du­les with ga­mes. At the time of its grea­test fa­me, mo­re than 30 mil­li­on units of this con­so­le were sold for about $ 200 a pie­ce. To da­te, the ga­me li­bra­ry for this con­so­le con­tains near­ly 1,000 o­ri­gi­nal ga­mes. Mo­re in­for­ma­ti­on about the Atari 2600 can be found here.


Recommended Game Controllers:

You can control this game easily by using the keyboard of your PC (see the table next to the game). However, for maximum gaming enjoyment, we strongly recommend using a USB joystick that you simply plug into the USB port of your computer. If you do not have a joystick, buy a suitable USB controller on Amazon or AliExpress or in some of your favorite online stores.

 
Available online emulators:

5 different online emulators are available for The Activision Decathlon. These emulators differ not only in the technology they use to emulate old games, but also in support of various game controllers, multiplayer mode, mobile phone touchscreen, emulation speed, absence or presence of embedded ads and in many other parameters. For maximum gaming enjoyment, it's important to choose the right emulator, because on each PC and in different Internet browsers, the individual emulators behave differently. The basic features of each emulator available for this game The Activision Decathlon are summarized in the following table:
 

Emulator Technology Multiplayer USB gamepad Touchscreen Without ads
Javatari 5.0 JavaScript YES YES YES YES
Javatari 0.91 JavaScript YES YES NO YES
NeptunJS JavaScript YES YES NO NO
EmulatorJS JavaScript YES YES YES YES
JStella Java applet YES NO NO YES


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Comments:


 

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