Old-school compilations can be hit-or-miss for many gamers, thankfully Midway succeeds more often than fails with MAT2.

User Rating: 7.2 | Midway Arcade Treasures 2 XBOX
By spinoff | Review Date:
The arcade experience holds a special place in the lives of many gamers, and it is releases like this which can often either bring a nostalgic joy or a scream of anger to the minds of such people. Midway Arcade Treasures 2 is thankfully the former far more often than the latter, and that combined with a budget price tag make it a definite buy for fans of the "old-school" or curious new-comers wondering what it was like to play back in the day. The pseudo-sequel to Midway's previous arcade compilation (there are six official sequels from MAT1 out of the twenty games in this set) MAT2 presents itself with the can't-miss promise of twenty games for $20 spanning a period of almost two decades in Midway's arcade history. The full list: APB, Arch Rivals, Championship Sprint, Cyberball 2072, Gauntlet II, Hard Drivin', Kozmik Kroozer, Mortal Kombat II, Mortal Kombat 3, N.A.R.C., Pit-Fighter, Primal Rage, Rampage World Tour, Spy Hunter 2, Timber, Total Carnage, Wacko, Wizard or War, Xenophobe, and Xybots. There is certain to be something for everyone on that list. There is plenty of variety to be had in the games, but to be completely honest the titles that certainly stick out are the Mortal Kombat 2 and 3, which for many 2d fighting fans should probably be worth the price of a purchase alone. All of the games are well-done in their delivery, complete with customizable options (the arcade dip switches), difficulty, and nifty background information for each game. Special attention was paid to the MK titles, with a few extra goodies for your viewing pleasure. Control for the most part is spot-on to the original arcade versions. You can customize the buttons to your liking, and even unique configurations like Total Carnage's dual stick control translates very well onto this generations control pads. There are a few problems however, particularly in the sound department. Certain games such as Championship Sprint and Rampage WT have very poorly emulated sound clips, and can sometimes come across as inaudible, indecipherable, over-trebled or somewhere in-between. In the grand scheme of things this a minor issue, but for those with more familiar memories of the game, you will take notice. Another question which comes up often is concerning the worth of some of these titles to actually be put on such a compilation. Sure MK 2 and 3, NARC, Total Carnage, and Rampage are assumed "classics", but some like Pit Fighter and APB still leave me with my head scratching. Playing some of these games today feels more like a history lesson than a nostalgia trip, concerning the history of where arcades would often misstep in their long and losing battle against 8 and 16-bit consoles in the early 90's. Of course another possible problem to note is simply the age of these games. For many gamers, they may find it hard to want to drive around the little track of Championship Sprint or the view blocky polygons of Hard Drivin' when Gran Turismo 3 or Burnout 3 are just a disc change away. It is interesting to pop in the collection to see where games today have come from, but once the curiosity is gone, some people may find it better just to go back to whatever they were playing before. For the nostalgic gamer who still occasionally dusts off their 16-bit or older systems, Midway Arcade Treasures 2 seems like a no-brainer. There's enough here to keep you occupied for at a least good amount of time, and the $20 price tag only sweetens the deal. Other people may find only a rental sufficient to meet their interest for the big names here, but if you have any yearning at all for the remembrance of long nights pumping quarters at your local arcade, look no further than Midway Arcade Treasures 2 to grant your history fix.

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