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I bought a PS2 solely for this game...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: November 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

When I heard that a compilation game featuring almost arcade- quality ports of MK2 and MK3 was being released, I had to have it- but I didn't have a PS2 to play it on. I now own one, and this compilation of old-school arcade favorites. Out of the 20 games, I've only tried 4, so I'll go through them here.

Championship Sprint- Old-School racing in the tradition of RC Pro-Am and Super Off Road; the camera is directly overhead of the track. Controls are very twitchy and I suspect you'd need a lot of practice before you can make it through a race without hitting the walls.

Hard Drivin'- A 3-D driving simulator; it's somewhat slow and choppy though. The stunt track is fun to drive on & destroy your car.

Mortal Kombat II- the reason I bought the game. It's not nearly as bad as a previous review has made it out to be- the characters are large, colorful and almost arcade quality, especially if you opt to enlarge the screen. Fatalities are easy to pull off thanks to the D-pad, even though you have barely enough time to type them out- and they're just as bloody and noisy as you remember them. Sure, there's some slowdown, and the AI is as cheap and unfair as ever (the computer can throw you even if its character is slipping on one of Sub-Zero's Ground Freezes), but this is as close as you're going to get to arcade-quality Mortal Kombat II without actually having the cabinet in your house.

Mortal Kombat 3- It's a good fighting game, but to me Mortal Kombat peaked with part 2. MK3 introduced the dreaded "dial-a-combo" system, which I admit I kinda liked when I first tried it but it quickly grows tiresome. MK3's fatalities were definitely lamer than its predecessor's as well. Finally, the emulation in this compilation is flawed- for example, the music played at the "Finish Him/Her" screen continues playing even after a fatality is performed.

I'm happy with this game- especially when I remember how psyched I was to be paying almost sixty dollars for the SNES version of MKII 10 years ago- with much smaller characters and vastly compromised sound effects compared with the arcade game.

Mortal Kombat saves this terrible collection

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 11 / 18
Date: October 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Mortal Kombat 2 & 3 are the main highlight of this collection. Treasure one had better amount of good games but this one got better quality.

Sound quality for Mortal Kombat 3 is not so good IF you use TV speakers due to the DCS sound system but sounds great when you use amplifier system. There is some baffle noise during the short 'charcter icons on mountain' screen but not much or none during games. This is not Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, so there are only 14 characters... but this game is much better than Triology for PSOne. Graphics for both Mortal Kombat games are great, just like arcade. Rampage world tour is another great game, totally different and better than the original.

Mortal Kombat II - great game!
Mortal Kombat 3 - great!
Gauntlet II - great, unlimited quarter helps this game because it is meant to be a quarter sucking machine. In Gauntlet I master players can play forever with one quarter however this no longer possible in Gauntlet II.
Spy Hunter II - bad, split screen concept killed this game
Xybots - horrible! tiny screen during gameplay is lame
NARC - good, 2-D side scroll mayhem with stupid doors
APB - average...
Cyberball 2072 - below average but better than 10-yard fight
Timber - HORRIBLE! much worse than Tapper
Total Carnage - good game, similar to Smash TV but better
Pit Fighter - HORRIBLE! very cheesy, good for multi-player laugh
Wizard of Wor - HORRIBLE! Atari 2600 quality
Xenophobe - average game, small screen, meant to be 3 player game
Primal Rage - good game, clay dino fighting, kinda cool
Arch Rivals - decent game that quickly turns horrible and dusty
Rampage World Tour - great game, much better than first.
Kozmik Krooz'r - below average space shooter
Championship Sprint - good game, feels like radio control racing
Hard Drivin' - HORRIBLE! very slow, choppy and blocky
Wacko - HORRIBLE! A reject that never made its way into arcades.

If you have played or seen these games back in the days in arcades then you will feel like you own these machines, watching the demos is sweet. The variety of multi-players games is cool.

Overall this collection is decent. If you like MK2 and MK3 then buy it! BTW this game is on sale at Target and Toys R Us for $15.

Sweet

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 07, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The second installment in Midway's Arcade Treasures series is undoubtadly the best; featuring many games that are still a blast to play, not to mention many games that I myself grew up with and remember quite fondly. Here, we get Mortal Kombat 2 and 3, NARC, Pit Fighter, Rampage World Tour, Total Carnage, Primal Rage, Arch Rivals, and plenty more. It's to be noted now that Mortal Kombat 2 is much harder than I remember it being, but it still looks and plays great, as does 3. NARC is still a smash to play, as is Pit Fighter and the aforementioned games. Cyberball 2072, Xenophobe, and Spy Hunter 2 are solid enough as well, but there are a few duds here as well scattered throughout the gems. Gauntlet 2 (though I was never that much of a fan of Gauntlet to begin with), APB, Championship Sprint, and Hard Drivin' aren't anything to write home about, but the good outweighs the bad here. However, where's the original Mortal Kombat? Or how about Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3? Or Area 51, Maximum Force, or any other light gun shooter for that matter (and there were quite a few), but none of them are here, or on any other Midway compilation for that matter. Oh well, at least we get some of Midway's best games here with this collection. All in all, Midway Arcade Treasures 2 is one of the best retro compilations on the market, and while it does feature some duds, there are some gems thrown in to boot.

Okay, let me clear something up here

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 20
Date: December 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Why did this game get an M for Mature rating? I am under 17 years old (but above 13), and have no objection whatsoever to the content in these games. Some of them aren't offensive at all (say, Timber). This game is rated M for Mature because of:

Blood and Gore
Intense Violence
Drug Reference

The only real "Blood and Gore" is in Mortal Kombat and Narc! Although there is a teeny tiny bit in Pit Fighter, if you watch carefully. I understand the "Intense Violence" bit. After all, there's a lotta violence, shooting, exploding bodies and what-have-you in Narc. And Mortal Kombat. But "Drug Reference"? Destroying the masssive drug lab in Narc is "Drug Reference"? Kinda ridiculous. Would the Power Pill in Pit Fighter qualify as "Drug Reference" too? I hope not. All it is is a green pill that is found in a breakable object and boosts your fighting abilities! Don't get me wrong here, but I'll eat my hat if that Power Pill doesn't have a freakin' trace of drugs in it.

Okay, enough debating: The game(s) are extremely entertaining, especially considering you can view statistics for the game (i.e. sound support, joystick, 1 or more players, etc.), check out promotion posters, and even electronic press kits and interviews with the game's developers. It's double as much fun as the original Midway Arcade Treasures.

On a parting note, Narc had so much violence and mature content that the game used the tagline: "Say NO To Drugs!", in a bizarre twist of irony. You can see it inscribed on the top of the cabinet, under the Narc logo. So violence is A-OK, but drugs are bad? Thanks, America! You sure are great!

I really don't understand...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 8 / 13
Date: October 18, 2004
Author: Amazon User

...how the team at Midway felt comfortable releasing this compilation this way. It's as though they didn't even play-test it. But since we all know they did, it suggests a cheap, quick-and-easy effort in an attempt to cash in on the tail end of the nostalgia boom.

Lets get into this...

(As a side note, there is sound issues with almost all the games included.)

The Mortal Kombat titles are easily the strongest selling point of the game. I know its the reason I bought it! Both versions are very choppy with grizzled, pixelated graphics. The sound is equally horrible to the point where its practcally unbearable. Its like it was recorded with absolutely no bass at all with the treble turned up all the way. Trust me, you'll hate it after the first few seconds. If you were hoping for a clean translation with high expectations with the PS2, forget it. You will feel like you were playing on a SNES with crappier sound.

The other game I was interested in was Wizard of Wor. Again, a huge disapointment. There are problems with the sound being out of place with random bleeps and blips for no reason, and the gameplay itself is waaaaay faster than the original to the point where you will be button mashing instead of plotting out a course through the maze.

Next up, with frustrations rising, I tried Primal Rage. As before with the MK games, this had all the same problems listed. Another disapointment.

Forget about Pit Fighter. You will play it for a total of six seconds before you realize that the speed of the game is way too fast to the point where its unplayable. That's right - UNPLAYABLE.

The other games are to a lesser extent higher in quality of translation, but the problem is, most people - myself included won't be buying the game to play Xybots or Wacko.

And one other thing: Would it kill Midway to actually include a decent handbook with the game. I mean really, its common sense especially for the MK games. People are going to want to know how to do the moves. I guess a they were too cheap to include a few extra pages so players wouldn't have to go online and print them out.

Rampage World Tour? HELL YEAH!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: October 09, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Just buy this great, great thing for Rampage World Tour. I remember playing that classic as a child. That was probably the first game I ever played on the Nintendo 64. Ah, what tight a grip nostalgia has on us.

The games on this piece of gold are as follows,

Rampage World Tour
Mortal Kombat II & 3
Gauntlet II
Pit Fighter
Primal Rage
Hard Drivin'
Kozmik Krooz'r
Narc
Championship Sprint
Cyberball 2072
Spy Hunter II
Arch Rivals
Wacko
Total Carnage
A.P.B.
Wizard of Wor
Timber
Xenophobe
Xybots

This game is an unbelievable value, 20 BUCKS FOR 20, THAT'S RIGHT 20 CLASSIC ARCADE GAMES AND THAT INCLUDES MORTAL KOMBAT II, 3, AND RAMPAGE WORLD F'N TOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's Ok, MK 1 Is Still Coming

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: September 17, 2004
Author: Amazon User

What psyched me most about this release was an arcade perfect version of Mortal Kombat 1. ANd yes it has been Taken Out. But don't lose hope. Mortal Kombat Deception Will soon come out and the Kollectors Edition has a bonus disc w/ an arcade exact edition of MK1. The Midway Arcade Treasures 2 release will still rock b/c for 1, it's only $20. For 2, it still has MK2, MK3, Primal Rage, Spy hunter 2, NARC, and a list of other great titles, which will be closer, if not exact to the original arcade release, than any console release before it. Certain Naysayers will hate on this game for no other reason than to complain. for $20, It's an incredible package. i suggest it to anyone who can appreciate great arcade mayhem, or who was alive and playing during the great arcade renaissance of the early nineties. The nostalgic value of this title alone should make it a platinum release. My only Complaint is that they've taken so long to release it. Midway is doing a great job and have done extremely well as pioneers in the field of "totally freakin awesome videogames". buy it, love it, and tell everybody else to buy an atari.

IT'S ONLY 20 BUCKS, PEOPLE.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: October 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Seriously, who gives a crap about the original Mortal Kombat? You are getting a ton of really great nostalgic games for 20 BUCKS!

Don't knock it. I spent fifty bucks on Mortal Kombat 3. And if you are reading this review, you probably did also.

Great bang for your buck.

18 Excellent 2 player games for only 20 dollars!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: October 08, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is the ultimate party pack and for only 20 dollars! Im so glad that perfect Arcade versions of Mortal Kombat 2 and PitFighter are available on this disk(as well as 18 other games).

I picked this one up yesterday and I haven't even played half of the games yet. 18 of the 20 games are multi-player, so if your looking for a great 2 player deal, this is it. Features some memorible 90's titles like Primal Rage (A jurasic park meets street fighter game). Also features some great nostalgic 80's games such as Timber(where you chop down trees and keep your cranky boss happy.

The main reason I bought this was Mortal Kombat 2(A phenomenal game). Sure it might not be impressive by todays standards, but when you realize that this game came out in a world before Windows 95, then you will be amazed. One player seems to be difficult, but its a great 2 player experience! Me and my brother used to battle for hours... Cant wait to play against him again!

Only 20 dollars and worth every penny! Thank you Midway for this great release!

The price makes this collection of almost-perfect games even better.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: September 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

THE SHORT: The ridiculously cheap price is worth spending on some of these games on their own, let alone in a double digit package. But while most of the games run great, there are some slight issues here and there that make some of these games not quite arcade-perfect.

THE LONG: I love Mortal Kombat II. Adore it. I always have, and though the SNES version was great in 1994, no console has ever had an accurate version of it. That's why this was an exciting release- it promised arcade accurate versions of this game as well as a bunch of other good ones. And if you're just thinking about getting this now, then you didn't have to go through the debacle of having the original Mortal Kombat removed from the package and thrown onto the more cost-prohibitive MK: Deception.

So I checked out message boards and waited for the game, and once it came out and I chatted with others, I noticed a disturbing trend: no one console had a release of this collection that was entirely flawless. The PS2 supposedly had trouble with, I believe, Hard Drivin', and the Gamecube had sound problems or something. The Xbox version was supposed to be flawed in some way too, but I honestly can't remember what that was supposed to have been. All I know is that I was a devoted MKII fan to notice some fanboyish inaccuracies. I won't go into them all here, and while there aren't a lot they are noticeable: stuff like flickering shadows when a character jumps, and screams that go on past death when a character lands in the Pit, etc.

But for every thing the programmers somehow messed up, there are ten it gets right. MKII, as with all others on the disc except for the somewhat muffled MK3, has sound so crisp I'd forgotten how much better it was than past console offerings. The graphics are sharp and the colors bold, and the animation is fluid and correct to how I recall it. Nothing is left out, not even something that a great deal of players never knew about MKII: The computer fights more lazily and gets worked into patterns more easily when using controller 2. This strange, small trick, as well as others such as Shang Tsung's Sub Zero freeze/ fatality skin glitch, were emulated perfectly.

But that's the thing- there are still disappointments despite these best intentions. In making the game, someone neglected to re-map the start button. In MKII, pressing start was part of two tricks- selecting a random fighter and accessing hidden character Smoke, but since pressing start in this collection brings up the main pause menu, start is rendered obsolete in-game so apparently these details are inaccessible. That's probably the biggest mistake, and while it doesn't make the package suck, it'd definitely worth mentioning.

Otherwise, the collection is pretty fine. Most of these games are well suited to the Xbox or PS2 controller's simple layout (The GC controller is absurd for the fighting games) and more importantly, the rest of the games seem about the same as I remember them in the arcade. Like with me and MKII, it would take a devoted veteran to notice any changed details that aren't egregious. More so than the original Midway Treasures, this disc has some great titles- 90's classics such as Narc, Primal Rage, Total Carnage, and of course MKII and 3 are on a disc that by this point costs less than twenty bucks. At that price, imperfections and all, it's hard to pass up on such a modern collection of proven greats.

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