Konami Arcade Classics

"A classic package that's truly worth the price!"

OK, so when it comes to classic packages, many of them aren't superb by today's standards (such as Namco Museum, Activision Classics, and so forth.) With Konami, though, you get ten great games that are actually more high tech than the initial impression!


Graphics: 10/10
All of the sprites and animations are drawn exactly like their arcade counterparts, right down to the last pixel! Complete with little bits like the crowd cheering when Circus Charlie completes his performance, the way the opposing cars explode if knocked off the road in Road Fighter, and the detail of the ship in Gyruss, you'll feel like you own the machine!


Sounds: 10/10
The sounds are well done, and each soundtrack fits every game perfectly. From the circus music of Circus Charlie, the Oriental martial-arts movie music in Yie-Ar Kung Fu and Shao-Lin's Road, and the upbeat classic music in Gyruss, to the speech samples you'll hear in several games as well as other tidbits, you'll finally be able to relive those classic sounds without having to put your ear up to the cabinet again!

Controls: 10/10
Every game is a two button scheme. Whether it's driving in high or low gear in Road Fighter, punching or kicking in one of various ways in Yie-Ar Kung Fu, helping Circus Charlie dodge the obstacles so he can become the greatest show on this planet, or just helping your Gyruss ship destroy all the aliens in your way, every game is simply done controlwise. I'm surprised almost all of these games never came out on the NES!

Variety:
There's definitely something for everyone here!

Time Pilot: An 8-way shooting game where you pilot a spaceship through various time periods rescuing your comrades and destroying evil fighters.

Yie-Ar Kung Fu: An 80s style Virtua Fighter. You have a punch and a kick, and each joystick movement determines how you attack.

Shao-Lin's Road: A simple game where you just dodge enemy characters by jumping and kicking. Lather, rinse, and repeat. Somewhat like the old NES days when games were just about seeing how far you could go.

Road Fighter: A six-stage racing game where you must complete each stage before running out of fuel. You must dodge other cars and roadside obstacles. Unfortunately, the continue feature from the arcade version was taken out, making things a little harder.

Circus Charlie: You must complete six events by jumping at the right time or else you will end up falling, getting burned, etc. A little like Track and Field.

Scramble: One of Konami's first. Pilot a ship through enemy territory bombing the fuel supplies so you can use it for yourself, and try to get through all five areas.

Super Cobra: A remake of Scramble with more levels and a helicopter instead of a ship.

Gyruss: You rotate a ship flying through hyperspace trying to save the galaxy. Unusual, but fun.

Pooyan: A shooter based on the Pigs 'n' Wolf theme. Cutesy, but challenging!

Roc 'n' Rope: You use a rope to scale mountains while using a flashlight to stun enemies who will try to knock you off your rope. Truly unusual.


Replay: 10/10
The only downer here is that they aren't full emulations. You can't view the demo sequences, instead it will just ask if you want to play again. Also, certain features, such as continuing, etc. are also gone. Otherwise, they're pretty good ports!

Overall: 10/10
I must say time has been on Konami's side! With ten classics like this, it's plain to see why! Take a trip down memory lane with these great games from a great company!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/05/00, Updated 07/16/01