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Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Midway Collection 2

Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Midway Collection 2 is a compilation of arcade video games either made by, or acquired by Midway Games for the PlayStation and Windows. This game is technically the sequel to Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits, which also had Midway acquired games included, also released on the PlayStation.[2][3]

Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Midway Collection 2
Developer(s)Digital Eclipse
Publisher(s)Midway Games
Platform(s)PlayStation, Windows
Release
Genre(s)Compilation
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

This series ran parallel to the Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection series, as both series include a Volume 1 and a Volume 2.

Games

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This compilation contains the following games:[4][5]

  1. Blaster (1983)
  2. BurgerTime (1982)
  3. Joust 2: Survival of the Fittest (1986)
  4. Moon Patrol (1982)
  5. Root Beer Tapper (1983)
  6. SPLAT! (previously unreleased) [1982]
  7. Spy Hunter (1983)

BurgerTime was produced by Data East, then licensed to Midway for North American release. Moon Patrol was produced by Irem and licensed to Williams Electronics.

Reception

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The compilation was positively received by critics. Most commented that the three genuine hits in the collection (Burgertime, Moon Patrol, and Spy Hunter) held up well,[7][8][9][10][14] though reactions to the re-presentation of Spy Hunter varied a bit. Next Generation and IGN praised the digital recreation of the arcade cabinet's light-up weapons displays and regarded it as the killer app of the lineup,[9][10] but the four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) unanimously said Spy Hunter could no longer hold their interest,[7] and Josh Smith of GameSpot remarked that the controls do not work well with the PlayStation joypad. He said that otherwise the games in the collection translated better to PlayStation controls than did those in the earlier Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 1, commenting that "In comparing one [retro game] 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."[8]

Reactions to the four more obscure games in the collection varied more, but most critics found at least one in the bunch which they greatly enjoyed. John Ricciardi of EGM said that though he had never been a fan of Root Beer Tapper, he found it much more enjoyable than he remembered, and his co-reviewer Sushi-X said it was an old favorite of his.[7] Next Generation and IGN argued that Blaster and Joust 2 were the reasons to get the collection for true gamers, due to their rarity and groundbreaking gameplay.[9][10] Smith also considered these two games to be exciting and refreshingly bizarre inclusions.[8] GamePro ventured that Joust 2 was the best of the seven games and a substantial improvement over the original Joust, though they were overall less enthusiastic about the compilation than most, concluding that it has a strong lineup of games but is ultimately "for historians only."[14] John Ricciardi and Kraig Kujawa of EGM, while making clear that they found the compilation a good value, especially with the bonus of the trivia game, concluded that gamers should decide whether to buy it based on whether they personally like the games included on it.[7] Next Generation instead summed up, "All in all, Midway Collection 2 brings the glory days of the arcade back without feeling like a cash-in. Hallelujah."[10] IGN was also generally laudatory, saying that the trivia game alone makes Midway Collection 2 worth buying for retrogaming enthusiasts.[9]

EGM named Midway Collection 2 a runner-up for "Best Compilation" (behind Street Fighter Collection) at their 1997 Editors' Choice Awards.[15]

Reviews

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References

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  1. ^ Jebens, Harley (November 10, 1997). "Arcade Games Migrate to PC". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 19, 1998. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  2. ^ "Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Midway Collection 2". IGN. 26 November 1997. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  3. ^ Smith, Josh (29 April 2000). "Midway Presents Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Midway Collection 2 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  4. ^ "Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Midway Collection 2". IGN. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  5. ^ Ocampo, Jason (1997). "More of the greatest hits". Computer Games Magazine. Archived from the original on December 15, 2002. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  6. ^ Weiss, Brett Alan. "Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Midway Collection 2 Review". All Game Guide. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e Ricciardi, John; Sushi-X; Hsu, Dan; Kujawa, Kraig (February 1998). "Review Crew: AGH: Midway Collection 2". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 103. Ziff Davis. p. 111.
  8. ^ a b c d Smith, Josh (March 10, 1998). "Midway Presents Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Midway Collection 2 Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d e Douglas, Adam (November 26, 1997). "Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Midway Collection 2". IGN. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Finals". Next Generation. No. 38. Imagine Media. February 1998. pp. 110–111.
  11. ^ Bauman, Steve (1997). "Arcade's Greatest Hits". Computer Games Magazine. Archived from the original on November 29, 2002. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  12. ^ Clark, Stuart (May 23, 1998). "Mix and Match". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 193. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "These games will be what you're thankful for". Florida Today. November 28, 1997. p. 101. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b Dan Elektro (February 1998). "PlayStation ProReview: Midway Presents Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Midway Collection 2". GamePro. No. 113. IDG. p. 90.
  15. ^ "Editors' Choice Awards". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 104. Ziff Davis. March 1998. p. 96.
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