It's been a while since the first arcade emulator roundups came out. By now, most of us have decided whether the shortcomings of these early classics' graphics and sound are worth it for their raw playability. In comparing one volume to the next, only two things really matter: the number of good games in the collection and whether or not the gameplay of the individual emulations feels right with a console controller. Midway's second offering is strong on both accounts.
In case you're not familiar with the concept, what you have here are emulations of seven different arcade games from the heyday of the '80s - that is, the original hardware has been transferred into software for your PlayStation. These are exact replicas (the code is the same) of the originals, with the exception of screen dimensions and controller interface, since Joust 2 had a joystick and a flap button, not a PlayStation controller.
How does this volume's roster look? Well, it looks great. Moon Patrol and Spy Hunter were definite classics the second they hit the arcades. Spy Hunter was also one of the first games with weapon power-ups, and back in the 80's, nothing had ever felt quite so badass. Joust 2 is the mysterious lost sequel to the immensely popular original and revamps its parent's high-flying ostrich chivalry with much more creative level design. Burgertime holds a special place in a lot of hearts, and perhaps we'll never know why - although, there is something psychologically compelling about being chased up and down ladders by giant two-legged fried eggs - and who puts eggs on their burgers, anyway?
Of the lesser known games (read: filler), Blaster is one of the strangest forgotten arcade games ever seen. It's an early attempt at a space travel game with a 3D radial perspective, that is, things start out small in the center of the screen, growing and moving toward the edges of the screen as you approach. Blaster features some truly psychedelic missions, like rescuing trippy, spinning Frank Poole-type astronauts just floating alone in space, while being shot at by brightly colored blocks! Well, it was the '80s after all; even at school at least a few of your enemies were always just geometric shapes.
Thankfully, this volume doesn't suffer from the controller dilemmas of a lot of these compilations. Midway's first Atari Collection wasn't so lucky, as nearly all of its games had wildly different controllers in the arcade. Centipede and Missile Command (trackballs), Super Breakout and Tempest (spinners, or paddles), Battlezone (two joysticks), and Asteroids (rotate and thrust buttons) - none of these games felt quite right with the PlayStation controller. The Midway Collection makes a much smoother jump to console gaming. Most of these games were joystick-controlled in the arcade, with maybe one or two buttons, and joysticks have a lot more in common with D-pads than trackballs do. The only exception is Spy Hunter, which takes getting used to, and never feels quite right.
So if you're willing to overlook the graphical shortcomings of our forefathers in favor of some good old-fashioned playability, this collection of arcade emulations will provide solid retro fun. It's got a great combination of exciting gameplay (Joust 2) and pure what-were-they-thinking weirdness (Root Beer Tapper). This volume features some of the more innovative game design of the '80s and doesn't suffer too much from translation problems in the interface department.
