Jump to content
LCVG

Midway's Arcade Treasures!


Mark E

Recommended Posts

I am so, so hyped about this package. Finally a piece of shovelware that has a nice hefty shovel-load to drop for all the cash outlay. Long as the ports are all well done this is going to rule.

 

Here's the list of included games:

 

  • Gauntlet

Rampart

Spy Hunter

Defender

Defender II

Joust

Joust II

Paperboy

Rampage

Vindicators

Marble Madness

Toobin'

Robotron: 2084

Smash TV

Bubbles

RoadBlasters

Blaster

Sinistar

Super Sprint

720 degrees

KLAX

SPLAT!

Satan's Hollow

 

Plus multiplayer, plus designer interviews and such. I mean, something there for everybody, no? Being able to hook up for a note-perfect arcade port of four-player Gauntlet alone would be worth it. Toss in other personal faves such as Smash T.V., Spy Hunter, and Rampage and you have a sweet looking package.

 

This, to my mind, is the only way to do arcade titles. The limited play value for most non-fighter games needs to be offset by combining a bunch into these packages. Very sweet. Wonder where Narc is though? :P

 

My dream is that eventually Konami releases a compilation of all their beat 'em ups, though the licensing issues with that will mean zero chance of that happening (though really, who wouldn't relinquish the rights to Bucky O'Hare at this point? :P).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 53
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Smash TV alone is worth $50.

 

No argument here, I have the perfect port they did in the old Midway Classics for the PSOne. Totally awesome playing it with the dual analogs. And yes, this is multi-platform, that's why I put it up in the general discussion thread.

 

Don't fret, only my platform is likely to be cancelled at this point ;).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Article on IGN about this collection. Xbox version will feature Xbox Live support allowing you upload and compare scores. Didn't really expect head to head play:) but its a nice little feature. Also the PS2 version gets some praise for its dual joystick comfortability

 

Heres more:

 

The Classic Gaming Expo happened this past weekend (August 9-10), and Midway Games was at it showing off the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox arcade compilation, Midway Arcade Treasures. This budget-priced collection of classics will include more than 20 titles from Williams, Midway and Atari Games.

Not surprisingly, Midway has commissioned emulation veterans Digital Eclipse to handle the compilation package across all three systems. Digital Eclipse is best known for Game Boy development, but the team also rose to fame with arcade compilation packs over the years for both Midway and Atari. The final retail version of Midway Arcade Treasures will feature the following list of games:Spy Hunter, Defender, Defender II, Gauntlet, Joust, Joust II, Paperboy, Rampage, Marble Madness, Robotron 2084, Smash TV, Bubbles, RoadBlasters, Blaster, Rampart, Sinistar, Super Sprint, 720, Toobin', Klax, Splat!, Satan's Hollow, and Vindicators.

 

All three versions will be virtually identical to each other, which means that the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube will feature DVD-quality video interviews from the creators of these classics. The exclusive exception is the Xbox system's Xbox Live support; players will be able to upload their high scores to a server to compare their best to the rest of the world. All of the extra content will be readily available right from the get-go; there won't be any hidden unlockables to earn.

 

Midway only had the PlayStation 2 version of Midway Arcade Treasures at the CGExpo, and even this version was very early; it featured a rudimentary (and seemingly temporary) menu selection where players could choose one of the 20-plus games on the disc. Only a handful of games in the collection were playable, including Defender, Joust, Rampage, Robotron 2084, Joust II, Bubbles, Blaster, Moon Patrol, Tapper, Rampage, and Satan's Hollow, but the emulation was absolutely spot-on in the games that were available.

 

Robotron: 2084, for example, was an absolute joy to play thanks to PlayStation 2's two control sticks; both the GameCube and the Xbox feature similar controllers in this respect so the other two consoles will be able to handle the dual-stick configurations just as well.

 

Our resident music editor SpenceD will be pleased to hear that Root Beer Tapper was 100% accurate as well, though the development team really, really needs to map the "tap" control to the right analog stick to accurately re-create the arcade cabinet's "pull tab" control scheme.

 

The only game that had the biggest control issue was SpyHunter; while the emulation was perfect, the controls obviously weren't mapped correctly to the analog controller. It was impossible to get the car to drive straight on the road. But just a small tweak and it will be fine.

 

Midway's shooting for a $20 price point for all three versions of Midway Arcade Treasures, scheduled for release this November.

 

 

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/433/433090p1.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good to hear the emulation of Rampage is going to be well-done, that was one of the only problems with the last collection, the Rampage conversion had shit control.

 

Interesting throwaway about Moon Patrol and Tapper though, I don't see those on the list I found, that's a pleasant bonus, especially the goofy fun of Moon Patrol ;).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

shooting for only $20 bucks!!???

 

This thing is going to be a blockbuster!

 

Now I will be able to get farther in Gauntlet, Robotron, and Moon Patrol than I was able to get in my teenage non-quarter-having days.

 

I don't remember much about Joust II. Was it significantly different?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thats a frankly great line-up, but I'm concerned as to how well the controls of the two games I'd most like there, Marble Madness and Rampart, will map to joypads. They both rely on trackballs, and so might be a nightmare...

 

Speaking of controls, wouldn't the digital controls of Robotron be better off on the PS2's digital pad and the four face buttons than the two analogue pads? PS2 analogues are slushy at the best of times; I wouldn't want to be relying on that to do a quick change of fire direction.

 

Super Sprint and 720 rely on spinners, come to think of it as well. Could be nasty...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Super Sprint and 720 rely on spinners, come to think of it as well. Could be nasty...

 

Actually 720 is particularly problematic because it used a custom controller exclusive to that one title if I remember correctly. The PSOne Hits package contained a workaround but I never tried 720 so I don't know how effective it was.

 

Super Sprint was ok. I'd forgotten Rampart used a trackball, but it was successfully ported to consoles so they probably have the kinks out of that one. Marble Madness I can confirm plays aight with a joystick, at least the old IBM version did.

 

Rampage and Gauntlet are the two I'm looking most forward too. Shame Midway doesn't hold the rights to Xenophobe. The four-player Gauntlet marathons are going to rock.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, 720 had a controller that rotated around a circle and was slanted outward, but could never go to center. Plus, it was floating freely in that circle, so you could give it a big spin and it would make several revolutions on it's own.

 

Back then, I lacked the coordination to ever pull off a 720, so maybe with the xbox scheme, I can go for a 1080!

 

It's definitely going to be tough to emulate the controls for those games that had unique control apparatuses, but it's still going to be worth it for the stroll down memory lane.

 

Why are they calling it Defender II and not Stargate? Are those two different games, or is it a copyright issue?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, 720 had a controller that rotated around a circle and was slanted outward, but could never go to center. Plus, it was floating freely in that circle, so you could give it a big spin and it would make several revolutions on it's own.

 

Yep, it did indeed. Basically a spinner, just like the one on Tempest or Arkanoid, except this one had grown a joystick handle out of one side. Its funtionally identical though.

 

Similiarly, Super Sprint was wheels, except you could rotate them as many times as you like, and had to pretty darn fast to get round tight bends. Spin them in fact :D

 

I'm glad to hear that Marble Madness plays ok, though one of these days I'll get my head around the nightmare that is UAE (or just get some sort of mouse converter) and play the glory that is the Amiga version again (complete with 2 player simultaneous mode!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Defender II *is* Stargate, I believe there was some sort of copyright problem in the intervening years, but can't recall what.

 

From mame.dk:

"Stargate was the first game designed by Vid kidz, the design firm founded by Jarvis and DeMar when they decided to go independent. Williams became desperate for a game after the designers left, so they took Vidkidz under contract. Stargate took four months to complete. All Vidkidz games were designed on a dual 8" floppy, 1 MHz 6809 Motorola Exorcisor system that cost $30, 000 in those days. The name was changed to Defender II right after the game had stopped being manufactured, because Williams wanted to make sure they could own the trademark on the title."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just watched the IGN insider interview with Chad Lowe, associate producer of the game. The interview was posted yesterday.

 

He touched on many of the same points, but included these tidbits:

 

 

-----

The game is NOT reprogrammed. Should be the same roms as the arcade machines

 

25 games in all.

 

the DVD interviews and special features will be readily available. There will be NO Unlockables.

 

Among the included extra features will be interviews, pictures of the original kiosks, and "top secret" documents from the 80's

 

They are on-target for a mid-november shelf date, $20 price.

 

Believe they will get an "E" rating as the violence in smash TV from the 80's is not as bad as 2003 violence.

 

Game has a desert explorer feel, you will enter a pyramid, and there will be heiroglyphics representing each game. Since the game is called Midway's Arcade Treasures, you will be opening a "treasure chest".

 

Will be able to save high scores to memory card on PS2 and gamecube.

 

Xbox will support LIVE, but only for posting/comparing high-scores.

 

Gauntlet will support 4 player simultaneous, and Rampage will support 3 player simultaneous.

 

Every feature of every game will be there. If it was in the arcade, it will be in the game.

------

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awesome news Carlucci, thanks for posting that.

 

I find it fascinating that the flying eyeball of Smash TV only warrants an E rating. Well, might warrant one, it'll be something to keep an eye on (har har) at any rate ;).

 

Ahhh, this is quickly pushing its way up on my Must Buy list with scary force. I'm dying to get back at some of these old school titles. Especially Gauntlet. I haven't heard 'Don't Shoot The Food!' in ages!

 

Hopefully Midway brings out another compilation with later arcade games they made (I'm sure they had some, titles just not coming to mind ;)).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hopefully Midway brings out another compilation with later arcade games they made

 

He touched on that. Said that a lot of focus groups wanted the game "NARC" to be included, but he said it MAY have not been included because a "next generation" NARC is in the works.

 

He said he wasn't sure if they are going to do it as a series, but it's not his call as a game producer. He did acknowledge that they are aware of how hot "Retro gaming" is, so it could evolve into a series.

 

 

One other thing I wish they would confirm is whether the games will have all the DIP Switch type settings, where you can set the number of lives, how many points for extra life, etc. (the kind of things the arcade owner had control over.)

 

I agree that this is going on the MUST BUY list. Heck, they could have included only HALF the titles and it would still have been a great deal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Ahh, time to bump this baby back up. Does anybody have a solid release date on this? Amazon and EBWorld are all giving a December date, Midway says Fall, IGN said November, and there was an ad on last night's GameSpot that said it was out now.

 

Anyway, looks like the $19.99 price point is a go, which is good. The Midway site lists 1-2 players so I hope they just haven't mentioned the Gauntlet and Rampage options ;).

 

Semi-big news though, here's the link to the trailer!

 

Trailer Trailer Tro-Trailer

 

Takes a while to download and it isn't super-impressive, but it's got some shots of the classics there to get you all nostalgic. Once I get Gauntlet, oh man... "Don't shoot the food!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...