Midway Arcade Treasures

by Midway

Product Features

• Choose to play over 20 great games, or browse the great DVD content for game histories, developer interviews, and game secrets from back in the day
• Take a trip back in time, with arcade classics like Spy Hunter, Defender, Gauntlet and Joust
• Go wild with Rampage, Marble Madness, Smash TV, Paperboy, and RoadBlasters
• Enjoy strategy fun with Bubbles, Stargate, Moon Patrol, Sinistar and 720
• All these and many more -- it's like haviung an old-school arcade at home!

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000AI1KR
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches ; 8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: December 10, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,953 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Midway Arcade Treasures is jam packed with over 20 classic arcade games including all-time favorites Spy Hunter, Defender, Gauntlet, Joust and more for the first-time on next generation consoles.

Take a trip down memory lane with more than 20 video games you loved to play at the arcade. Including, the fast pace action of Spy Hunter, the multi-player collaboration of Gauntlet, the space age adventure of Defender, and the dueling combat of Joust; the Midway Arcade Treasures has hundreds of hours of classic gameplay action.

And that’s not all! This ultimate arcade collection also contains cool DVD content with game histories, creator interviews and top secrets from back in the day.

Product Description

Midway Arcade Treasures brings back the arcade classics -- on your GameCube, for the first time!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely An Arcade Treasure, December 19, 2003

By 

Mike J. (Pawtucket, RI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Midway Arcade Treasures (Video Game)

Midway struck gold with this latest release. Over 24 classic arcade games are included. Fun for the entire family, all ages and it's not too expensive.

The disc contains:

720*, Blaster, Bubbles, Defender, Defender II, Gauntlet, Joust, Joust 2, Klax, Marble Madness, Paperboy, Rampage, Rampart, Roadblasters, Robotron: 2084, Root Beer Tapper, Satan's Hollow, Sinistar, Smash TV, Splat!, SpyHunter, Super Sprint, Toobin', & Vindicators.

Also included is:

Interviews: informative, intriguing and sometimes funny. The creators & programers discuss the design and creation of many of these classic games.

Trivia: information on and about these classic games.

Gallery: containing conceptual artwork, drawings, photos and merchandising sales info about theses classic games.

History: historical accounts of the many classic games and their place in the video gaming industry.

This is an absolute treasure. To play these games again after so many years brought back so many memories. Although it does take some getting used to using the gamecube controls & buttons vs. the original arcade controls, it does hold up very well. Be prepared for hours of sore thumbs and headaches. And you don't need a bucket of quarters to play. How cool is that!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Classic Gaming Fun, December 19, 2003

By 

A. Stefanski "just someone" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Midway Arcade Treasures (Video Game)

Retrogaming has become more and more popular in recent years. A number of titles have been released for various systems allowing people to play older, "classic" games on newer systems. However, none of them have offered as many games in one package as Midway Arcade Treasures does - 24 games spanning a good portion of the 1980's are present on this disc.

Some of the titles here were rather obscure at the time, such as Blaster, Splat!, and Satan's Hollow. Others are key games that altered the path of the industry, such as Defender, Robotron: 2084, and Gauntlet. But they all are reproduced in their full arcade glory, allowing players familiar with the games to enjoy them again, and new players can see games responsible for making gaming what it is today.

Some of the games here just aren't all that much fun anymore. Satan's Hollow, for example, just doesn't have gameplay that really stands up to the test of time. But don't let that turn you away - others of the 24 have gameplay that have aged quite well. Gauntlet still offers challenge, Sinistar is still extremely hard, and Robotron: 2084 is still one of the most playable games ever made.

The Gamecube controller works well for many of the games - the movement stick and C stick combo offer nice control for the dual joystick games (Robotron: 2084 and Smash TV), and they've managed to find working control schemes for just about all of the games. Those that used more unusual analog controls (the steering wheel for Super Sprint, trackball for Rampart) do suffer in regards to control, though, with the car in Super Sprint being really tough to steer accurately.

There are a number of extras on the disc that are worth looking at. You can see interviews with game designers, and find out what made them create the game as they did, and what they thought of player reactions to the game. Not all games have interviews though - one notable game missing them is Gauntlet. There is a written history of some of the games, mostly games that were in previous collections such as the 6 from Williams Arcade Classics. Many of the games also have images of flyers and game cabinets, images you can zoom and slide around. There's nothing too amazing in here, but it can be entertaining.

Overall, with the number of games here, you're sure to find a few that are worth playing. (...)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great value, January 2, 2004

By 

Dennis Laycock (Columbus, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Midway Arcade Treasures (Video Game)

First, a confession: I think I am a little too young for this game. The only game on this collection that I played extensively in the arcades is Smash TV, which is the newest game featured. Most of these games, like Defender, Joust and Klax, I know only from the Atari or Nintendo home versions, and a few I've never played.

That said, this is still an amazing collection, even if you don't remember any of them. I think the cream of the crop is probably Klax, a Tetris-based puzzle game with interesting sound effects and changing goals. Marble Madness is also great. Even though it's extremely short (you could finish the whole game in about five minutes), it will take you a long time to become good enough to do it, since you can't continue.

I couldn't get into some of the admittedly important "classics" on this disc, however. Robotron 2084 must have been great in 1984, but with the nearly identical and much better Smash TV right here, what's the point? Similarly, I don't think I'll be playing Defender too much when I've got games like Gradius IV in my collection.

There are a couple of stinkers on here, too. Does anyone really enjoy Toobin' or 720? And while Super Sprint is fun in the arcades, it's impossible to control with a joystick.

The thing that struck me most about this collection is how these older games are not for wussies like new games are. If you don't know what you're doing, you'll lose all your lives in a matter of seconds. Contrast that to newer arcade games, which usually let you play for a certain amount of time no matter how much you stink.

At any rate, I probably would be willing to pay the $19.99 cost of this game for Klax alone (I remember paying more for the Atari Lynx version of Klax and Nintendo's Marble Madness), so this was a no-brainer purchase. However, what I really, really want is a collection of old NES games for GameCube... Metroid, Contra, Life Force, Mega Man, RC Pro-Am, Double Dribble, etc. Nintendo, Capcom, Konami, are you listening?

NOTE: In case you're curious, the "T" rating comes solely from the gore in Smash TV. All the other games are perfectly fine for kids (and even Smash TV is tame compared to most modern action games).