With the success of the first volume of classics, Namco has released the second volume in their five-disc collection of seminal arcade standards. This offering contains six Namco games, including the ever popular Mappy, Xevious, and Super Pac-Man.
When it comes down to it, Namco has transformed the 1995 Playstation into a 1983 arcade machine. The games have been modified slightly to take into account the size and shape of a TV screen, and a few features like pause and continue have been added to certain games. The original dip switch settings of the arcade versions have also made the transfer, allowing players to tweak the difficulty to their liking.
The graphics, while completely pale when compared to even the most pathetic games of this decade, still have a certain charm even after all these years. The sound is packed with blips, bleeps, and other electronic noises sure to remind gamers of the times they cut class to hang out in the corner arcade up the block from the junior high.
While Mappy, Xevious, Gaplus, and Super Pac-Man are infinitely playable, the lesser-known Grobda and Dragon Buster are mediocre at best. Grobda plays like a slightly updated version of the Atari 2600 tank battler, Combat. Dragon Buster has a role-playing element to it, with the player being cast as a sword-swinging maniac in a side-scrolling maze.
These arcade classics may not have the pizzazz of today's games, but in terms of raw playability these classics can't be stopped. Break out your stash of New Coke and welcome yourself back to the 80s.
