StarSoldier1's Full Review: Midway Arcade Treasures 2 for Xbox
MIDWAY ARCADE TREASURES 2 (Midway, November 2004)
Back in 2003, Midway released a special compilation of 24 arcade legends on one disc for most of the popular consoles. It looks like the game was a hit because here is another collection of 20 games of their famous (and not so famous) quarter munching games complete with bonus material.
So are these games worth it? See if any of these 20 arcade titles interest you:
A.P.B.
This game is comical look at cops trying to hunt law breakers and big time wanted criminals. A.P.B. is one fine looking overhead game and the various sound effect and voices are well done are but it suffers from some very touchy controls and boring missions. Not a good start so far but it gets better.
Arch Rivals
Here was a popular 2 on 2 basketball game where you not only have to worry scoring points and making passes but you can throw punches at your opponents in a cool twist if things don't go your way. The game may look and sound fairly old but the funny graphics and the fast action works great so Arch Rivals may surprise you.
Championship Sprint
This game is the sequel Super Sprint which can be found on the original Midway Arcade Treasures. Here 4 multi-coloured F1 cars race across several tracks with increasing difficulty and more hazards. Championship Sprint still isn't much to look at and there is no background music so this is not a true sequel but it is an expansion pak with little new.
Cyberball 2072
Here is a futurist looking football game with lots of different plays available but if you are use to other Xbox ball games like ESPN and Madden then game will seem pretty ancient especially in the sound and graphics department.
Gauntlet II
The original Gauntlet didn't have the best visuals or sounds (except for the voices) it was still an addictive up to 4 player action RPG and part II is more of the same with a few new traps, enemies, and there is even a boss character at the end. The unlimited continues really ruins the game since it removes all the challenge but at least you now have the option to turn it off. If you loved the original Gauntlet then you'll be sure to like this one too and this is the only four player game on the disc too.
Hard Drivin
Atari's Hard Drivin is one of the first ever racing games done in stylist 3 dimensional polygon graphics. Although the game looks fairly crude compared to what we have today and there isn't much for sounds, it still has a lot of appeal thanks to excellent track design and the funny crash replays.
Kozmik Krooz'r
I never even heard of this game before but after playing through it a bit I can see way. In this obscure space shooter you help a lone alien shoot down enemies that surround him. Unfortunately, this plays like a less exciting Robotron 2084 and it doesn't take long for the graphics and sounds to bore players either.
Mortal Kombat II
Now we're talking! Mortal Kombat II is one of best selling arcade games of all time and it easy to see why. If you have been living under a rock, Mortal Kombat II is the hit sequel to the controversial original. This one on one fighter that uses digital actors has more characters, new moves, and even more gratuitous violence then ever before. Since this is on the Xbox now, everything is here! None of the endings were edited, all the voice samples are included, the fighters are all full size, and the game doesn't even have any of the loading problems that plagued the dreadful Sega Saturn version. This is not only an arcade perfect port but the furious action still holds up well today.
Mortal Kombat 3
Although MK3 has a lot of great features like secret codes and combo attacks that make it superior to MKII, the game still rubbed me the wrong way. Some returning characters had no new moves and many of the new fighters like the robotic ninja feel so out of place. This is where I thought the series started going down hill.
Narc
I heard this side scrolling shooter was a big hit in the arcades and the game actually has a positive message of taking down drug dealers. Sadly the repetitive enemies and sloppy controls will make you want to take something illegal to forget about this game.
Pit Fighter
Much like Mortal Kombat II and MK3 here, Pit Fighter uses real and very detailed digital actors with digital voices in a vicious fighting tournament setting. Unfortunately, with its chunky game play and horrible animation, Pit Fighter just doesn't age too well.
Primal Rage
Sure, everyone is talking about the two Mortal Kombat games here but we can't forget about Primal Rage. This game is another violent one on one beat them up but you control one of seven dinosaurs trying to conquer the new earth. I really like this idea and it's a shame there are no sequel! Primal Rage still holds up pretty well since the beautiful animation still looks incredible to this day and the sounds are definitely impactful but the palette swapped characters and sometimes spotty hit detection help keep it from being perfect. This very violent game is still one of the better games on the disc.
Rampage World Tour
Here is the long awaited sequel to the cult favourite Rampage. The game play is basically the same because up to three giant monsters go around the world to destroy major cities for fun and eat people for health. OK, the game still has a lot in common with the first game but it also has a great list of moves and it has some beautiful presentation as well.
Spy Hunter 2
Now before you get too excited about the sequel to the popular Spy Hunter, this newer 2 player split screen game loses a lot of the action. Hunting down criminals in a car is not too much fun when you have to deal with poorly done 3D effects and slow game play. Even though the game still has that famous Peter Gun track in it, Spy Hunter 2 gets old very quickly and the original was way better.
Timber
Timber is an odd title that looks and sounds just like Midway's Rootbeer Tapper but here you or a friend control lumberjacks to see who can cut down the most trees the fastest. The game is definitely on the simple side but it is still an easy to get into title that's great fun.
Total Carnage
Just imagine the game Smash TV in a scrolling war zone and you got Total Carnage. Even some of the game show-like sound effects and limited weapons look the same. Total Carnage could have a great action title like an Ikari Warriors or Contra but with its countless enemies and insanely difficult bosses, the game was just way too hard.
Wizards of Wor
Since Wizard of Wor came out in 1980; it is the oldest game in MAT2. This game started out as a fun Pac Man clone with some cool digital voices but the game play is way too quick and you can't even see some of the enemies all the time. If you want to make a good video game, it should not have invisible enemies!
Wracko
Wracko appears to be a sequel to Kozmik Krooz'r but instead of saving the series from mediocrity, this ugly looking and sounding game just added the final nail to the coffin. You still control a little alien that has to shoot down monsters but now you have to shoot same the creature type to kill them off for good. Wracko ends up feeling more like work then a game.
Xenophobe
This game here was suppose to capitalize on those popular alien survivor movies but this up to three player game is very tough to control in the heat of battle. Using a button to duck just isn't right, the graphics and sounds are below average, and the odd split screen just ruins the action. The bottom line is that I hate this game!
Xybots
This third person action game takes place in 3D mazes where killer robots are running loose. The game play was on the slow side and it was annoying that you can only fire in a fixed direction (first person shooters like Halo spoil us) but it was cool idea and even the two player game was fun.
OK, some of these games are pretty bad here but I'm still very impressed of what we got overall. Sadly, if you remember the previews for MAT2 this wasn't the list we were originally promised. Although it's cool that we got Mortal Kombat II and MK3 here, I wish the original Mortal Kombat was also included so that it would complete the trilogy. S.T.U.N Runner didn't make the cut either. I used to play that 3D shooting game all the time back in the 90's and the only home version I can think is for the Atari Lynx. I bet half of you don't even know what an Atari Lynx is? The polygonal flight sim Steel Talons also got the axe.
Even though it was a shame that Midway didn't give me all the games I wanted at least there are a good list of DVD extras available. Games like APB and MK3 have special behind the scenes and developers retrospectives on their respective titles. Unfortunately, most of these videos have terrible sound quality and it can be hard to make out what the group is saying half the time. Not all the games have video biographies either but all have brief history and pictures of the original arcade cabinet.
The first Arcade Treasures was a good collection of games but this one is even better. Not all the games are winners but it wasn't too long ago when gamers would gladly spend 50 cents per play for games like Mortal Kombat II and Primal Rage and now you can drop a mere twenty bucks and own them forever! If you consider yourself an arcade connoisseur then be sure to check out Midway Arcade Treasures 2.
Run Xybots through deadly mazes, wander with the Wizard of Wor and chop down trees in Timber Exciting battle action with Total Carnage, Spy Hunter II ...More at Amazon
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