Midway Arcade Treasures 2

"All that glitters isn't always gold!"

After the original Midway Arcade Treasures proved to be a big success, it was only natural that a sequel should be made. Apparently, Midway felt this way too, and dug deeper into their archives to give us another trip down memory lane. However, while the first one was a great blast from the past, this time some of the glitter isn't necessarily gold!

Graphics: 9/10
All of the classic graphics that you remember, from the different criminals in APB, to the gore galore of Mortal Kombat 2, and even the different types of buildings and inhabitants of Rampage World Tour (although calling that classic is a little questionable) are perfectly reproduced on your PlayStation 2 game console for the most part. However, they're not without their flaws. In Mortal Kombat 2, the shadows of the fighters will sometimes flicker for no apparent reason. Other than minor flaws like that here and there, they still keep their original charm intact.

Sounds: 7/10
To say that all of the original music and sound effects are still intact would be true for the most part. However, there are times where you'll notice that parts of some songs seem to be missing a few parts, and also occasionally with a sound effect or two. It's almost as though the game was designed to be played in stereo. Unfortunately, there's no way to configure the game to be played with a monoaural output. Whether it's a glitch or just the way the game was designed is unknown, but it represents an oversight on the programmers' side.

Controls: 7/10
Some games fare better than others in terms of controls. Games like Arch Rivals, Wizard of Wor, and Xenophobe work well with the ability to use either the digital pad or analog sticks. If you're getting it for the Mortal Kombat games, though, you'll be glad to know that the Dual Shock 2 seems like it was made just for the games. Other games which used more than one joystick, such as Total Carnage and Kozmik Krooz'r, make good use of the dual analog sticks, but you can also use the digital pad and the four symbol buttons as well. Other games, however, such as Championship Sprint and Hard Drivin', have some slight problems with the analog controls that were brought over from the arcade. In Hard Drivin', for example, you might notice you turn too little or too much, while the accelerator seems to work off and on. Unfortunately, there's no way to set the analog sensitivity. On the other hand, all of the games feature fully configurable controls, with two custom settings available, although most of the default settings seem to work well.

There are a few glaring faults that can't be ignored, though. Most notably, the way many of the original special moves in Primal Rage don't work like they should, and certain features from Mortal Kombat 2, such as random select, are unavailable. While the reason for the former is unknown, the latter is because the start button pauses the game itself, where in the arcade, you had to hold up and press start to do the random select. Another oversight, perhaps?

Replay: 9/10
You've got a package of 20 games onboard, although some, such as the Mortal Kombat games and Primal Rage, are a little questionable in terms of whether they could be considered classics. I mean, ten years ago I was playing Mortal Kombat 2 on my Super NES, now I'm playing it on my PlayStation 2!
Also, the fact that STUN Runner and Steel Talons were taken off and replaced with little known games Kozmik Krooz'r and Wacko is also a glaring fault.
Nevertheless, here are the games:

-APB
-Arch Rivals
-Championship Sprint
-Cyberball 2072
-Gauntlet II
-Hard Drivin'
-Kozmik Krooz'r
-Mortal Kombat II
-Mortal Kombat III
-NARC
-Pit Fighter
-Primal Rage
-Rampage World Tour
-Spy Hunter II
-Timber
-Total Carnage
-Wacko
-Wizard of Wor
-Xenophobe
-Xybots

Overall: 8/10
While it's not without it's questionables and flaws, Midway Arcade Treasures 2 is still a decent trip back in time. For $20, you can't go wrong, but just remember that all that glitters isn't necessarily a treasure!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/15/04