Warning, Warning!  This review will have references to the “old school.”  Midway has been gracious enough to grant us a trip back to the olden (maybe glory days) days of Arcade gaming with Midway Arcade Treasures.  For some of us, this is trip down memory lane, a visit to our old school ways.  For others, this collection is a history lesson in how the video game industry has grown over the years.

Gauntlet, 720, Defender, Joust, Klax, Marble Madness, Paperboy, Rampage, Rampart, RoadBlasters, Robotron 2084, Smash TV, SpyHunter, Super Sprint, Toobin are some of the games included in Midway Arcade Treasures.  These games are treasures to some gamers and history making events for the video game industry.  With Midway Arcade Treasures not only do you have the chance to play these games again, but you can even learn the history behind the development of the games.  There are even trivia questions for some of the games to test your video game knowledge.

The games themselves are emulated versions of the actual arcade games.  Previously some collections of these games were based off of the different versions of the games.  For example, one collection could be emulated versions of the 8-Bit Nintendo Entertainment System games.  But this is not the case with Midway Arcade Classics.  All of the games presented in this collection are emulated from the actual arcade game.  This itself is a blessing and a problem as well.  For the old school gamer, all of the games are exactly the same as they remember back in the 80’s.  The simple graphics and sound effects might turn off the new generation of players.  

Most of the games on the collection are emulated very well.  However some of the games suffer and didn’t make the transition from 80’s arcade game to PS2 game.  We should remember that the PS2 is emulating the games presented on this collection.  All of the games were originally programmed to run on different systems entirely and especially not a system as powerful as the PS2.  For most gamers they will probably never notice a big difference in the performance of the games.  I did notice that during one game, RoadBlaster, the game froze up for at least a minute.  This was the only big problem I noticed when playing the games.  Arcade purist and hardcore old school gamers will probably find other glitches in the emulation, but it’s nothing that takes away from the package.

Some of the games presented in the collection offer a history lesson on how the game was developed.  When you select the games from the menu you can press the Square button to bring up the history section for that particular game.  Besides a history lesson you can also view different pictures of the Arcade cabinet, graphic logos, advertisements of the game, trivia questions about the game and a video interview with the developers.  The different pictures presented of the games were well done and allowed you to zoom in on the pictures.  The video interviews varied in quality from game to game.  Don’t expect DVD quality on the video interviews.  The quality on some of the interviews was very bad.  Now be warned, not all of the games in the collection contain a history lesson or video interview.  You will probably be surprised by the games that do not contain a history lesson or video interview.  For example, why isn’t there any information about Gauntlet?  COME ON!!

All in all, Midway Arcade Treasures is a great collection of games for the PS2.  Old school or new school should have no problem finding enjoyment from this collection.  The history lessons on some of the games were informative as well, but it would have been nice if it was included for every game.  It’s all about the games anyway and with over 20 games to choose from, you get more bang for your buck.

Gameplay 7.8 

As mentioned earlier most of the games in the collection are emulated exactly the same as the arcade versions.  But this is where the gameplay could be impacted.  Some of the games were designed with special controllers or special devices that the players used in the arcade.  None of those devices are available for the PS2 and this can cause a problem.  For example 720 had a joystick to control your skateboard in the arcade version and duplicate those controls with the PS2 controller is difficult.  One tap of the controller and you could be skating off into a different direction.  Fortunately there is an option to change the setup for the controls.  You will probably find yourself changing the controller setup on several of the games.  Since the games are classic games, don’t expect the same gameplay standards of today.  You might only be able to move in one direction and perform one action at the same time.  Once again, the old school gamers have seen this before and it won’t be a problem.  For others, it might lead to intense frustration because of the gameplay limitations.

Graphics 7.3 

All of the graphics for the different games are accurate to their arcade version.  Since these are emulated straight from the arcade games the graphics are as close as possible to the originals.  The graphics for the different games range from simple block graphics, to more detailed 2D sprites.  The early arcade games, such as Defender just don’t look as good as Smash TV or Vindicators.  None of the games compare to modern games of today but some of these games were graphic masterpieces of their day. 

Sound 7.3 

Once again these are classic games from the good old days of long ago.  The sound effects for the games are replicated accurately to their arcade versions.  I didn’t notice any differences in the sound effects and voices from what I remember playing years ago.  The sound effects are simple compared to today’s standards but some of the games include classic sound effects that everyone should hear.  Just hearing the computerized voice from Gauntlet brought back found memories of me dropping quarters into the arcade game.     

Difficulty Medium 

Some gamers will probably be surprised just how difficult some of these games really are.  Some of the games are a true test of skill, since you will probably play the stages over and over again until you get just the correct pattern.  You do have the option of changing the difficulty settings for each game before you play.  Most of the settings are set to medium as the default.  There is also an option to change the number of credits you can use during the game.  The games do not offer unlimited continues so you will have to learn patience and keep trying the stages over and over again.

Concept 7.5 

The idea of an arcade collection is nothing new especially with the Atari collection that came out on Playstation 1 a couple of years ago and the recent Intellivision collection released.  The number of games included in this collection is very impressive, especially considering the price for the game ($19.99).  However some of the games included are a big question mark in my book.  I never played Bubbles, Blaster, SPLAT, or Satan’s Hallow years ago in the arcade.  Also why did the developers stop at 24 games?  Why not 30 or 40 games?  The history section is a welcome feature they should have been included on all of the games.  I’m sure there’s enough information from magazine articles or internet pages to include a short history lesson for all of the games in this collection. 

Multiplayer 7.3 

A majority of the games in this collection do offer multiplayer options.  Some even offer more then two players at the same time.  Rampage, Rampart, and Super Sprint are three games that allow up to three players to play at the same time.  This is really fun for a group of friends to get together and relive cherished memories of long ago!  If you like you can even play Multiplayer the old school way, taking turns.  Two players take a turn playing the game to see who can earn the high score.  Sometimes it doesn’t get more old school then waiting for your friend to get done so you can play next.

Overall 7.4 

Even with the average score, Midway Arcade Treasures really is a gaming treasure.  The ability to play these games again without tracking down the games on different systems is nice.  Since the games are emulated from the arcade versions you won’t be disappointed with different graphics and sound effects from what you remember as a child.  However the different controls for each game is difficult to replicate properly with the PS2 controller.  The quality of the video interviews is shameful considering the PS2 can play DVD movies.  The lack of history for the different games was a big mistake that someone should have caught before the game was released.  The choice of games available will probably disappoint some gamers.  Certain omissions were made but why?  Will we see a Midway Arcade Treasures Volume 2 next year?  But even with these shortfalls, Midway Arcade Treasures is a solid collection of great games that no one should over look.