{"id":92654,"date":"2019-04-27T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-27T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/switch-eshop\/arcade_classics_anniversary_collection"},"modified":"2019-04-27T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-04-27T17:00:00","slug":"review-arcade-classics-anniversary-collection-perfectly-functional-but-not-much-else","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2019\/04\/27\/review-arcade-classics-anniversary-collection-perfectly-functional-but-not-much-else\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection &#8211; Perfectly Functional, But Not Much Else"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/bbc4ffec22a80\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/bbc4ffec22a80\/small.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection Review - Screenshot 1 of 6\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/96122\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/96122\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection Review - Screenshot 1 of 6\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Not content with sitting back and watching the likes of Sega, Capcom, Nintendo et al releasing retro compilations, Konami\u2019s decided to get in on the act too. To celebrate the company\u2019s 50th anniversary, the big K is launching a trio of anniversary collections. The <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/castlevania_anniversary_collection\">Castlevania<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/contra_anniversary_collection\">Contra<\/a><\/strong> collections will be coming in the near future and we\u2019ll cover them in due course, but for now let\u2019s take a look at the first collection, dedicated to Konami\u2019s arcade history.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/switch-eshop\/arcade_classics_anniversary_collection\"><strong>Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection<\/strong><\/a> consists of eight vintage arcade titles, all running under Hamster Corporation\u2019s much-praised Arcade Archives emulator. We\u2019ll get to the general software in a bit, but it makes sense to cover each game individually first, because there&#8217;s a mixed bag here &#8211; if by that you mean taking a bag marked &#8216;Good shoot &#8217;em ups\u2019, putting a rubbish Castlevania spin-off into it, and mixing it around.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection Review - Screenshot 2 of 6\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/96124\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/96124\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection Review - Screenshot 2 of 6\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>First up is <strong>Scramble<\/strong>, by far the oldest game in the collection. Released in 1981, it\u2019s credited with being one of the first ever side-scrolling shoot \u2018em ups, yet despite this, it still holds up relatively well 38 years later. It\u2019s also the first to introduce a mechanic that Konami decided to use numerous times over the years, as seen elsewhere in this package: the use of one fire button to shoot forwards and another to drop bombs. It may not be visually stunning but it controls tightly and the tricky final shot you need to make at the end of each loop is still satisfying to pull off.<\/p>\n<p>Then there\u2019s <strong>TwinBee<\/strong>, the first game in the much-loved TwinBee series and an early example of the cute \u2018em up subgenre. This one takes a little while to get going, but once you manage to build up your arsenal of weapon upgrades it becomes a nifty little shooter. The same goes with <strong>Nemesis<\/strong> (or Gradius, as it\u2019s more well-known), which also starts you off with a mere pea-shooter but eventually has you filling the screen with lasers, bombs and the like. The NES ports of TwinBee and Nemesis\/Gradius may already be available through Switch Online, but the arcade versions are clearly the definitive experiences.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection Review - Screenshot 3 of 6\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/96121\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/96121\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection Review - Screenshot 3 of 6\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p><strong>Life Force<\/strong> (also known as Salamander) is a spin-off of Nemesis and ditches that game\u2019s weapon selection system in favour of the more common \u2018collect power-ups from fallen enemies\u2019 mechanic you tend to see in most shooters. Meanwhile, <strong>Typhoon<\/strong> (or A-Jax as it was known outside of Europe) is the collection\u2019s most ambitious effort and probably the best game of the eight: it regularly switches from a 3D rail shooter to a vertical scrolling shooter and accomplishes both well.<\/p>\n<p>For some reason, even though seven of the games on offer here are shoot \u2018em ups, Konami decided to also include <strong>Haunted Castle<\/strong> \u2013 a horrendous Castlevania spin-off \u2013 in this package. It\u2019s got great art design and the music is cracking but it\u2019s one of the very worst examples of an arcade game designed to kill the player quickly and make more money. The constant onslaught of enemies and badly-placed obstacles makes the whole thing feel cheaper than a Humble Bundle, and while you can technically get through it here by brute force via the ability to use save states, doing so is about as fun as spending hours learning how to kick yourself in the groin and then eventually succeeding.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection Review - Screenshot 4 of 6\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/96117\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/96117\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection Review - Screenshot 4 of 6\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Rounding things off are two more shoot \u2018em ups. <strong>Vulcan Venture<\/strong> (aka Gradius II) brings back the weapon selection system from the original Gradius but also gives you four different weapon configurations to choose from before you start, adding a basic but welcome level of customisation to proceedings. Finally, there\u2019s <strong>Thunder Cross<\/strong>, the youngest of the bunch (albeit not by much, given that it was released in 1988). It dials back a lot of the other games\u2019 features and feels more like a straightforward shooter, but doesn\u2019t necessarily suffer for it. It also doesn\u2019t have an alternative title, which is probably even more surprising given the other games included.<\/p>\n<p>What we have here, then, is a collection of seven historically important shoot \u2018em ups and a rubbish platformer for a relatively low price (it works out at \u00a32 \/ $2.50 per game). Considering they\u2019re all running on the same engine as Hamster\u2019s Arcade Archives releases, and considering those usually sell at more than triple that price, that sounds like a good deal, no? Well, yes, but it\u2019s also worth bearing in mind that the games here aren\u2019t handled with the same high standards as Hamster\u2019s standalone titles.<\/p>\n<p>First and foremost, there should be no concerns about the emulation: it\u2019s flawless. Everything looks, sounds and runs like it\u2019s supposed to, all the comically bad slowdown during intense shoot \u2018em up moments happens exactly when it should in the original arcade releases, and at their core it\u2019s more or less impossible to distinguish the eight games here from their coin-op counterparts. Instead, the issues lie with the other features that are usually associated with Hamster releases, and the fact they\u2019re nowhere to be seen this time.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection Review - Screenshot 5 of 6\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/96119\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/96119\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection Review - Screenshot 5 of 6\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>A couple of the games have a vertical aspect ratio, as was the case with many arcade titles at the time. Whereas other Hamster games give you an option to play in \u2018Tate\u2019 mode (i.e. rotating the screen 90 degrees so you can turn your Switch vertical when playing in handheld and play with a more suitable viewpoint), there\u2019s no such option here. Neither is there the usual Caravan mode you get in those other releases, where you get 5 or 10 minutes to rack up the highest score possible then post it to an online leaderboard. In fact, there are no online leaderboards to speak of at all, and the game doesn\u2019t even track your best local high score (you\u2019ll need to create a save state and use that to keep playing, otherwise every time you start a game you\u2019re essentially booting a clean, unused ROM).<\/p>\n<p>Another disappointing omission is the option to choose between Japanese and western versions of each game, something Hamster almost always does when there are regional variations: and there are definitely variations here. The level order in Typhoon differs depending on which region you play, and some versions of Haunted Castle are even more obscenely difficult than others, with enemies doing more damage. This damage setting is an option you can toggle, but purists would argue you\u2019re then playing a weird Frankenstein\u2019s Monster that combines different elements from each region.<\/p>\n<p>More importantly, the Japanese version of Life Force was fundamentally different in terms of game design. It kept Gradius\u2019s weapon selection mechanic, where you collected generic power-up capsules and used them to switch to certain weapons whenever you wanted. The western version, however \u2013 the one included here \u2013 follows the more traditional shoot \u2018em up standard of swapping your weapon for whatever item you next pick up. This makes one particular boss practically impossible to beat if you happen to be armed with the wave weapon at the time (since it doesn\u2019t fit into a gap you need to hit), something you could avoid easier in the Japanese game.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection Review - Screenshot 6 of 6\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/96120\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/96120\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection Review - Screenshot 6 of 6\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Don\u2019t get us wrong: there are still some welcome additions here. The \u2018digital book\u2019 that accompanies the game comes with a bunch of interesting behind-the-scenes storyboards and sketches, though whoever edited it went a little overboard translating it, laying the English text over the original Japanese. Some of these pages are text only, meaning claims that they\u2019re \u201coriginal design documents\u201d start to get a bit silly when the only \u2018original\u2019 part left is the yellow paper. The option to switch between the original Japanese documents and the translated version would have been preferable, and it\u2019s generally nowhere near as interesting to read as those featured in Capcom or SNK\u2019s recent anniversary collections, but it\u2019s certainly better than nothing.<\/p>\n<p>In terms of in-game features, the option to turn on autofire for each button is an extremely welcome one, though we wish we\u2019d noticed it earlier (if you have a partner, don\u2019t try to play Nemesis in bed via the traditional method, or the noise of you constantly battering the A button will have you sleeping on the couch before you can say \u201cactually dear, it\u2019s more commonly known as Gradius\u201d). There are also a couple of \u2018blurring\u2019 options: one simply blurs the pixels and the other adds scan lines. It\u2019s as basic as it gets, but it\u2019s functional enough.<\/p>\n<p>That sums up the package in general, actually. The adequate digital book and auto-fire options aside, what you have here is a no-frills selection of arcade games \u2013 the majority of which still hold up well to this day \u2013 that function exactly as they should and not much else. You\u2019re essentially getting eight of Hamster\u2019s Arcade Classics games for the price of around three, but with none of the extra bells, whistles and additional features that come with them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Not content with sitting back and watching the likes of Sega, Capcom, Nintendo et al releasing retro compilations, Konami\u2019s decided to get in on the act too. To celebrate the company\u2019s 50th anniversary, the big K is launching a trio of anniversary collections. The Castlevania and Contra collections will be coming in the near future [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-92654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92654"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92654\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}