Customer Reviews

Midway Arcade Treasures

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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. (...)

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).

I remember going to the local 7-11 Store and playing Root-Beer Tapper(Which was named Beer Tapper at the time)! I even bought the home version for the old ColecoVision when it came out.
It's great to be able to play some of these old school games again like:
Root Beer Tapper
Toobin'
PaperBoy
Marble Madness
Defender 1 & II

And many more!
I also liked the little video interviews with the games creators.
They tell how they created the games for the arcades... How they had to rush to get a game ready for the video game arcade shows (Which was kind of like the E3 video game conventions they have now). The only thing I found a little disappointing was the low volume sound for the games. I had to turn the volume way up on my home theater system just to hear the sound properly, but other than that the games are GREAT!

So if you are old enough to remember going into the arcades as a teen in the 80's and spending a ton of quarters on these games... Then you will LOVE this game! and for the price it's being offered at... How can you not want to add this to your collection of classic old school games?

Grab a copy today!

Dream come true! This collection is so awesome, let the tears of joy flow. These old school arcade games are super fun with solid logic, gameplay, mind stimulation, action, challenge, and entertainment. The 24 games are: Spy hunter, defender, defender 2, gauntlet, joust, joust 2, paperboy, rampage, robotron 2084, smash tv, bubbles, roadblasters, blaster, rampart, sinistar, super sprint, marble madness, 720*, toobin', klax, splat!, satan's hollow, vindicators, and root beer tapper!

This game is the best of all 'classic aracde collection games'. You get both QUALITY AND QUANTITY! It also includes game histories, developer interviews, and top-secret documents.

My favorite games:
Gauntlet - Unlimited quarters ruin the game
Paperboy - Fun but hard, the street hazards are hilarious
Ramapge - Fun, destroy buildings and eat people, multi-players
Smash TV - Fun! Lots of carnage. Like the movie "Running Man', multi-players
Super Sprint - Fun! No steering wheels? Feels more like radio control than driving with joystick, still fun, multi-players
720* - Fun!! I like this more than Tony Hawk 4, seriously!
Root Beer Tapper - Fun! The gameplay and concept is classic!

These games are more fun than most modern games. This is a MUST HAVE for all classic old school arcade lovers! If you want to play REAL video games then try this too. THANK YOU MIDWAY!

This is an awesome collection of classic games, 24 in all. Midway has rounded up some of the best arcade games from the 1980s and packaged them together in this spectacular collection. The great thing about this pack is that there is something that appeals to almost everyone here, and, even if you don't really care about all of the games, the price is low enough to justify gettting the collection for just a few of them!

Some of these games have a great deal of memories for me. I remember playing Rampage, Rampart, and Smash TV at the arcades for hours on end. The games I was most addicted to were probably Gauntlet and Spy Hunter. These 4 games are still a lot of fun, and with the multiplayer capabilities are a blast. I played many of the others as well--720, Toobin', Marble Madness--in the arcades, but these games have lost much of their appeal to me now.

Some of these games aren't really that fun anymore (like the last three I named), but I'm still glad I have them. Every time one of my buddies comes over, we play many of the games, laugh, and reminisce. In fact, I don't know that I'll really be spending hours on end with ANY of these games (even Gauntlet can't hold my attention forever anymore), but they are nevertheless entertaining for a few minutes or even an hour. Again, having 24 games makes it all worth it.

The one complaint--Joust. I absolutely loved the two player "deathmatches" in the original Nintendo release, but I can't get that to work on this version. What a shame. Despite this, though, this is a great collection of games which, though it may not be the smash hit of 2003, is nevertheless very enjoyable.

Interesting what others are commenting about in the XBox and PS2 versions. One would think if a publisher ports something to all 3 platforms, they would work nearly identical. My rating is for the GameCube version only.
To review this set, it would heavily depend upon what games the user is familiar with and will actually play. For example, one reviewer was complaining about some old civil war strategy game, which I have absolutely no idea how to control. Another reviewed an arcade game which originally used a trackball or steering wheel. I tried that one out and it seems to work fine, and I can shoot the other cars diagonally in the other lane unlike what he mentioned.
Overall, all the games here seem to work fine. Good graphics, sound, and speed. No crashing or freezing up. All games seem to run their original playable arcade speed. Loading times are very short.
I bought this set mainly for the Defender games, Gauntlet, and Rampage. To comment, they all look and act exactly like the original arcade versions. Comparable to the PC MAME version. Now you can use the controller instead of the PC keyboard.
One should note that the translation is not 100% accurate from the arcade. For instance, you get muffled voice here and there once in awhile. Even that problem is present in the MAME version, which is the best emulation out there. Put into consideration that an arcade cabinet can have more power than an Intel Pentium 10GHz+. The hardware is so different. Replicating that on some cheap console, it is hard not to appreciate this Cube version.

Call me old (it's...uh, sorta true) but I still have way more fun out of these old quarter-munchers than the latest hi-tech game offerings. And at less than a buck a game, it's hard to find fault with this collection.

If you were into coin-op games in the early-to-mid 80's, you'll likely know most of the games here. I would have paid the 20 bucks just for perfect copies of acknowledged Midway classics like Defender, Joust, Marble Madness and Paperboy. But I never dreamed I would see minor but fondly-remembered stuff like Satan's Hollow or Road Blasters on my home system.

It's true, some of the controls are a bit awkward. But nearly all can be customized to your preferences. Mastering Defender II with a Gamecube controller will make you feel like a winner, no matter what you score. And the options menu can be a bit tedious at first. Remember to save your high scores to a memory card!

The sights and sounds are all there, as well as some decent supplemental materials (but not for every game). If you fondly recall feeding quarters to these games all those years ago, this is a must-have.

Arcade games have been done though out all the game systems. Though Nintendo, Sega, and Sony have done them though out their history of old systems but really have not done them well. Most don't have many good games on one game pack or disc. like five at a time then two games are good and one really sucks. Then comes Midway Arcade Treasures for all three next generation systems. I am writting this for the Nintendo Gamecube version. I have not had more fun on a Arcade Games at home since I was a kid playing Roadblasters in the Arcades. All of these games are done great. frame rate are good. sound is good and the gameplay of the controller lay out is a little different but still does great on a gamecube controller. 24 games on one disc means less than a dollar a game (I bet you spent more than that on one game playing it in the arcades going at Defender or Gauntlet). Then they put in some of the great classic Arcade Games like Defender, Joust, Gauntlet and Root Beer Tapper. They put in some challenge games in like Paperboy, Marble Madness and Klax. My all time favorite is Roadblasters made in the middle 80's. it smashes Spy Hunter (which is in this game) and a old game on the NES called Rad Racer together. If you remember the good old days of games that had good game play and great replay value. Then it is a must. If you are a new gamer that wonders what was it like back in the past. You then need to find out. All of you will be tired and fingers will be sore. Best of all won't have to wait in line for to play these games and play out in ALOT in quarters to get far in the games. Enjoy this one you dont find these games very often.

I can't tell you how many quarters I dropped into many of the games on this collection back in the 80's! This is a great collection at a great price. I would suggest getting a 3rd party arcade stick for some of these games, they start around twenty bucks. Oh and the info is incorrect on the product description, some of the games support up to 4 players such as Gauntlet 1 - 4 players, and Rampage 1 - 3 players! And Robotron 2084 can be played using the Directional pad and C stick to make it close to the arcade experience. If you lived in the arcade in the 80s this is a MUST have!