Customer Reviews

Midway Arcade Treasures 3

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It really has been a surprise about what makes a great racing video game. However, many classics haven't really stood out within the the test of these times. Nevertheles, classics have always found a great way of coming back into the mainstream. That has happened with compilations of games from Atari, Capcom, and recently Midway. With Midway's compilation of classic games from the 80's and 90's for the home consoles PS2, Gamecube and Xbox, they have really brought anybody who was never into the past of games like Mortal Kombat or Marble Madness a second chance. Now, it is in the racing extreme as well.

Midway Arcade Treasures 3 for the Playstation 2, is a fantastic racing compilation that detail several arcade classics that debut onto the console market. The games have been all restored beautifully, without much of a hinderence. The compilation includes so many great arcade and console greats like one of the very first 3-D racing games, Race Drivin', the fast and extremely furious San Francisco Rush: The Rock Alcatraz Edition, and its futuristic counterpart San Francisco Rush 2049, and classics like Off Road Thunder and Badlands. The control and manuverability is very easy to function and still has plenty of enjoyment in those gears.

Although many people for Playstation 2 that love racing games might pass this up in place of games like Gran Turismo 4, or Crash Bandicoot Tag Team racing games, Midway's Arcade Treasures 3 is a great buy for anybody who feels the desire of being a speed demon.

Graphics: B+

Sound: B

Control: B 1/2+

Fun & Enjoyment: B+

Overall: B

This game has great graphics in most of its games, considering the time that it was made. Most graphics can pass as n64 material, a few even gamecube. Overall this game has good graphics. The best games on here are, Hydro Thunder, Rush 2049, Offroad Thunder, Bad Lands, and Super Offroad. STUN Runner sucks and so does Race Drivin. Rush the Rock is o.k. A bad thing about this game is it doesnt have interviews like the first two midway arcade tresures did and it doesnt have near as much games as the first two did and it is sad that all of the games have to be racing, dont get me wrong, I love racing games but I think this is an overdose and too much. I think that this game is worth 10 dollars. For more info on arcade/ compilaton games check ot my reviews on... Midway Arcade Treasures 1 and 2, Taito Legends 1, Capcom Classics Collection volume 2, Intellivision Lives and Atari Anthology. And soon to come reviews... Capcom Classics Collection volume 1, Taito Legends 2, Namco Museum 50th anniversery, Sega Classics Collection and/or Sega Genesis Collection.

The third installment of Midway's Arcae Treasures series features 8 arcade racing games ranging from being over a decade old to being release only a few years ago. The highlight of this compilation are the San Francisco Rush games; Rush 2049 and Rush the Rock: Alcatraz Edition. Both are still as fast and furious as they were in the arcade, and both still look good as well. Next up is the boat racer Hydro Thunder, which was moderately received when released upon home systems at the dawn of the 128 era with the release of Sega's Dreamcast. There's plenty of polygon dropout, and the game is still as average as it was in the arcade. Super Off Road and Badlands are similar styled racers from years back, and both haven't aged very well. The racing sim Race Drivin' has always been an acquired taste, while good 'ol S.T.U.N. Runner and Off Road Thunder are fun for a while. Despite the cheap price, it would have been nice to have a few more games or some extras available, but it's great to be able to play the Rush games again. For racing fans who enjoyed these games either in the arcade or on previous home releases only.

the games are good...best ones are Hydro Thunder, OffRaod Thunder and the 2 Rush games.. thats the only reason why i bought it.. Race drivin isnt as much fun as it used to be in the arcade and either is Super off road.. the other 2 games pretty much suck... 4 strs for not all games being good....hydro thunder and off road thunder are actually better than they were in the arcade...

If you dont like the games on here you probably wont buy it. Its cheaper than buying the individual games for the original console.

The games in this collection are a great load of fun to play and will no doubt bring back memories for you old time gamers. The controll for all the games is great but where this collection lacks is in the graphics. The graphics seem a little muddy and jaggy, I know they were not cutting edge when they came out but Hydro Thunder and Off Road Thunder in particular looked much better on the Dreamcast and Xbox which used to be the direct competitor of the Playstation 2. If you haven't jumped on the PS3 or 360 bandwagon yet then pick this up for fun.

My son loves this selection and all the games are good for kids of all ages!

Midway has very deep roots when it comes to gaming. Whilst the younger generations might not acknowledge life before Mortal Kombat, many of us spilled entire months' worth of allowances into many of Midway's old machines.

So, here's Midway Arcade Treasures 3. This focused on all of Midway's greatest racing franchises. Granted, in the arcade, the machines were built like cars with steering wheels, gas peddles, and brake peddles, but they can still prove to be fun. The high-speed intensity is still there. The games are as adrenalizing now as they were back in their proper times, but they're not quite the same.

For the most part, the bulk of these games are actually ports from the Dreamcast to this collection. Certainly not a bad thing, but many of them won't have the coin-op feel if that's what you're really looking for. The framerates in most games stay consistent. The visuals are quite polished. And why not? The Dreamcast was a great system.

The problem comes in for the PS2 version. In previous Arcade Treasures, you were allowed to map the controls to whichever buttons you wanted. That's not the case with Arcade Treasures 3. No, instead, all games are pre-mapped and not done well. While in the GameCube and XBox versions, it would make sense to map acceleration to the R trigger and braking to the L trigger, doing this with L1 and R1 on the PS2 won't cut it. Things are different when it comes to the PS2. In PS2 racing games, acceleration is mapped to Cross, and braking is mapped to Square. This makes the game cumbersome to any PS2 gamer who regularly uses the standard PS2 controller for other PS2 racing games.

Bottom line: If you have a GameCube - or even a Wii, for that matter - buy the GameCube version. If you have an old XBox, buy that version. But if the control mapping doesn't faze you, then you may find something to like about this version. The overall emulation is still quite solid, and while some people would ask "why would you wanna play old racing games," the rest of us will ask "why not?" I would still play Rad Racer if I had a working NES!

Midway Arcade Treasures 3 follows the same formula as the previous releases. You buy the collection for one, maybe two of the games. A couple seem interesting but actually suck because the PS2 controller just doesn't do them justice. You find out that one game is a lot more fun than you thought it would be and the one you bought the disc for is OK, but not totally freaking awesome like you hoped for.

My 6 year-old son enjoys Offroad Thunder and Hydro Thunder, I'm a fan of SF Rush 2045 and the rest of the games are better left in the pits.

Maybe someday someone will create a freewheeling controller for games like Off Road or Badlands.

This is the best game ever we play everyday for hours and hours. Anybody that loves to play psp2 games will love this game. It is a must have for everyone that loves to play games.