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Midway Arcade Treasures - Playstation 2

Retro gaming is big business. There's something about games from the 80s and early 90s and many still have a timeless appeal that defies age. Granted, many look dated but the gameplay has managed to stand the test of time wonderfully. It's no wonder that a lot of gamers still use old computers and consoles and that a massive number of PC users are now using their computers to emulate older computers and consoles and arcade machines using software like MAME...

Well now Midway have decided to release several collections of their old arcade classics for the PS2 and XBox for a new audience that were originally released under their own Midway label and the old Atari arcade brand, the first of which is Midway Arcade Treasures...

There are no less than 24 classic arcade games on this compilation ranging from well known games like Defender and Gauntlet to lesser-known titles such as Bubbles and Rampart, spanning over a decade of arcade gaming from 1980 through to 1991 from the arcade archives of Midway and Atari.

In terms of producing this compilation, rather than attempting to convert these to the PS2 one by one, Midway have instead taken the route of developing an arcade emulator and then using that to run all of the games. It's not only a far more efficient way of converting the games and a faster way of developing the compilation, but also allows for more arcade-perfect conversions and makes the entire package cheaper to produce which allowed Midway to release the package at such a stunning price!

The first thing that struck me when it came to playing the games was the control system. Rather than trying to keep things simple using the d-pad or analogue sticks and one or two buttons where necessary, for some strange reason a lot of the games use a vast number of buttons, both analgogue sticks, shoulder buttons and seemingly every button on the controller by default! In a lot of cases, it can make some of the games almost completely unplayable so the first thing you'll find yourself having to do is redefine the controls to something more usable. To say that it's frustrating would be an understatement!

For example, Spy Hunter defaults to using the left analogue stick to steer your car (which is over-sensitive and unsuitable for the game) and the right analogue stick to accelerate or brake (which just doesn't work for the game) with a mix of the regular and shoulder buttons for weapons. What does work better is the d-pad for steerings and speed controls. You just have to remember before you try each game for the first time to check the controls and see what works for you.

Granted, the graphics and sound on these are going to be dated compared to anything released in the last 15 years, but at the time many of these games were truly revolutionary. The sheer number of characters on screen at once in Gauntlet or Smash TV was simply breathtaking for gamers back in the 80s and it was always a time when the gameplay had to come first.

There is an incredible amount of variety in terms of the games on offer - whether you are after racing games, arcade shoot-em-ups, puzzle games or something a little different (Paperboy or Marble Madness for example), there should be something here for everyone. It's hard to pick out just one or two real highlights on the disc to be frank as there are plenty of real classics on offer here. However, the stand-out titles for me would have to include Defender, Gauntlet (especially when you have a few friends over!), Paperboy, and Spy Hunter.

Despite the inclusion of some real arcade legends, there are a few absolute turkeys as well! While Rampage was a fairly novel idea - a game based on all the old Japanese Godzilla-style monster movies - it never translated into a good game and I always felt that it was overrated. Splat! was just incredibly annoying and had me desperate to return to the menu after mere seconds and Satan's Hollow (the only game I hadn't heard of before getting this compilation) had just suffered the most in terms of showing its age and just barely warrants inclusion. The only other I would really say didn't appeal to me was 720, but again I felt that the original was over-rated. Perhaps the inclusion of two sequels - Defender II and Joust 2 - could have been held back for the second collection as well?

Now, the inclusion of 24 arcade classics on one DVD for the PS2 for £15 would make for remarkable value for money, but Midway haven't stopped there and they've packed the disc with extras as well! A lot of the games have a selection of bonus features in addition to the games. For some, these include photo galleries including images of the original arcade cabinets, adverts and promotional artwork, mini-essays with background notes on the games themselves and in the case of a number of the more significant games or where they have managed to trace the developers... interviews!

These are presented as video footage, broken down into bite-sized clips, usually on a question by question basis. In terms of the clips themselves, they are generally of a relatively poor quality, some having lip-synch problems, and have obviously been recorded by the compilation's development team rather than a professional camera crew amateur and using a domestic camcorder. However, the interviews themselves are fascinating and offer a wonderful insight into the development of the games themselves and what was going through the programmers minds when the games were being created.

While the extras are really only going to appeal to the gaming geeks or those who are passionate about retro gaming, I guess that that description would probably apply to about 80% of the people likely to buy this compilation anyway! Admittedly, you're only going to view the interviews once, but if does add an extra dimension to an already impressive package.

If you have the slighted interest in classic arcade gaming then this is an essential purchase. While I have to admit that not all of the games that are featured here have stood the test of time particularly well - and the choice of some is rather strange - there are still some real diamonds here including Defender, Gauntlet and Spy Hunter. I have to say that it is worth buying this collection just for those three alone. At £15 for 24 games, this is an absolute steal!

Overall - 94% - Reviewer: Simon Plumbe