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.The Wargamer

Midway is back, releasing another salvo of older titles in their newest compilation, Midway Arcade Treasures 2. Included are additional features, like video interviews with developers, pictures of advertisements, clips of promotional videos, and secret tricks. With a better selection of games, an improved menu system, refined controls, and with a low MSRP, it's a solid bargain, despite some poor ports.

The original arcade collection was a pretty solid stable of games, but the varied quality of the port jobs tarnished it a bit. This time around, it's pretty much the same story. The problems here are mainly graphical, with shadow glitches in Mortal Kombat II, stage backgrounds imposed during loading in Mortal Kombat 3, sped up animations for Pitfighter, as well as muffled sound and strange happenings in all (random control problem, sound playing when it shouldn't, etc.). Even with the problems, I still think the games play better than those in the original, and that is mainly because of the improved controls (digital or analog available - no repeat of the Spy Hunter episode from the original). There are also arcade versions of previous titles stripped down for the home console of the age (Narc), and the new menu system isn't bogged down by needless animations, allowing for faster access to all the games and extras.

Sporting both originals and sequels, the titles on Arcade Treasures 2 span from 1981 (Wizard of Wor) to 1997 (Rampage World Tour). First-timers include Narc (a two-player side-scroller action title), Xybots (a third-person 3D shooter), Hard Drivin' (3D tough-as-nails driving simulator), Wizard of Wor (Pac-Man-like mazes with guns), Arch Rivals (early NBA Jam), Primal Rage (fighter with dinosaurs), APB (Super Sprint with objectives and a police motif), Xenophobe (side-scrolling action title), Cyberball 2072 (futuristic, simple football title with an exploding ball), Kozmik Kroozr' (Robotron..er..in space), Timber (surprisingly addictive title that requires trees to the left or right be cut down in a certain amount of time, while avoiding obstacles), Wacko (eight-way planet-bound shooter, very addictive

because it requires shooting two similar enemies back-to-back to make them disappear), and Pitfighter (old, simple fighter). Sequels, a few of the originals having appeared on the first Arcade Treasure, include Mortal Kombat II, Mortal Kombat 3, Total Carnage, Spy Hunter 2, Championship Sprint, Gauntlet 2, and Rampage World Tour - unfortunately, Mortal Kombat I was removed to be included with Limited Edition versions of Mortal Kombat: Deception. Surprisingly, many of the titles hold up today, with Xybots and Timber being two of the more addictive titles.

The extra goodies are nice to have, but the videos are often poorly compressed and the audio not faring much better. During the video segments of the Narc interviews, it is nearly impossible to understand what is being said when more than two people are speaking. There are some segments, though, that are particularly good, including the four-part 'Making of' feature for Mortal Kombat 3 - which almost made me like the game - and several promotional videos that are of varying degrees of quality. There are a plethora of arcade cabinet shots, pictures of advertisements and marquees, all of which allow for the camera to be panned and zoomed to get a better view of all their glorious aged art and hipster 80's slang.

With all compilations, it's really up to how the player can adapt to older titles. Some people have no problem plugging in their NES or 286 and having at it, while others recoil back at the beeps and boops - I'm looking at you, Cyberball 2072 - and rectangular heroes. Setting this collection aside from the rest is that many of the games are only a decade old, with most gamers having played at least a few before. If free time is a rare commodity for you, and newer titles a preferred focus of your gaming efforts, this release still makes a solid 'rainy day' addition to the library, with many of the titles from the pick-up-and-play era.

Overall: 7.5/10
I had a good time with the original, and I had a good time with this one. As much as I would love perfect ports of the titles, these certainly make due. The added options for control, and the controls themselves being markedly improved from the original, went a long way in making the titles enjoyable. With a budget retail price, a good selection of games, and plenty of photos and ads for the nostalgic freak, Midway Arcade Treasures 2 is a solid addition to any gaming library.

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