I’m not usually one to play older gen games, I mean why waste time playing an old game with so many great looking new gen games to play? That is why, when I received Midway Arcade Origins from Warner Brothers for the PS3, I assumed I wouldn’t play it more than the ten mins it took me to “check it out”. Well I was wrong, as the hidden nostalgic gamer in me appeared.
Midway Arcade Origins contains 31 Midway arcade games assembled on one disc. Joust, Defender, Gauntlet, Rampage, and Spy Hunter are just the beginning of whats included. (See below for a full list.) The main menu is pretty cool and is made up of the original arcade cabinets and their marquees, for all 31 games.
Once you decide which game to play, you then need to choose which game mode you would like to play. Free Play mode allows you to adjust some settings and tweak how the game plays. You can change the difficulty, add more lives per credit, increase the gameplay timer, and more depending on which game you’re playing. There are also endless credits in Free Play mode, allowing you to finally get all the way through Gauntlet with your friends!
The other game mode is called Score Attack. In Score Attack, you are only given one credit to get as far as you can with the default settings. This is also the only mode where Trophies can be unlocked,(see the Trophy list below).
The graphics are pretty much what you’d expect in a retro game. There’s a filter that you can apply to the graphics in order to give them a smoother, more modern look, or you can stick with “the pixel perfect, non-filtered version, which still looks great on a high definition television.”
The controls for most of the games are pretty straight forward and work really well with a few exceptions. A steering wheel might make APB easier, but I’m not sure if you can use one.
I have already spent hours playing these games alone and with my children. Having them experience the games I used to play has been quite fun. Guantlet, Gauntlet 2, and Rampage are probably my favorite games in the set, however I have spent a lot of time playing APB, Rootbeer Tapper (Wreck it Ralph anyone?), and Spyhunter. Over all, Midway Arcade Origins is well worth the $29.99 price tag in my opinion.
Here is a list of all 31 games, as well as their corresponding trophies:
720 |
Gold Medalist | In Score Attack Mode, earn a Gold Medal on any event. |
| APB | Get Freaky | In Score Attack Mode, take down Freddy Freak. |
| Arch Rivals | All-Star | In Score Attack Mode, score at least 6 consecutive points. |
| Bubbles | Clean-Up | In Score Attack Mode, sweep up a big bug. |
| Championship Sprint | True Champion | In Score Attack Mode, get first place in 3 consecutive races |
| Tournament Cyberball 2072 | Great Coaching | In Score Attack Mode, score at least 12 consecutive points |
| Defender | They Need a Hero | In Score Attack Mode, save 3 civilians |
| Gauntlet | Doesn’t Need Food Badly | In Score Attack Mode, reach Level 8 |
| Gauntlet 2 | Survivor | In Score Attack Mode, reach Level 7 |
| Joust | Dinosaur Slayer | In Score Attack Mode, defeat a Pterodactyl |
| Joust 2 | Long Live the Bird | In Score Attack Mode, reach Wave 5 |
| Marble Madness | High Roller | In Score Attack Mode, defeat the beginner race within 15 seconds |
| Pit Fighter | Ultimate Fighter | In Score Attack Mode, defeat 3 consecutive opponents |
| Rampage | Monstrous | In Score Attack Mode, defeat 3 consecutive cities |
| Rampart | Target Practice | In Score Attack Mode, defeat the first 3 ships in the first level in one battle |
| Robotron: 2084 | Family Man | In Score Attack Mode, rescue 7 family members without losing a life |
| Rootbeer Tapper | Tap that Glass | In Score Attack Mode, serve 25 customers without dropping a glass |
| Satan’s Hollow | Savior | In Score Attack Mode, defeat Satan |
| Sinistar | You Hunger | In Score Attack Mode, defeat Sinistar |
| Smash TV | Reality Show-Off | In Score Attack Mode, defeat the first level |
| Spy Hunter | Score Hunter | In Score Attack Mode, break 10,000 points |
| Spy Hunter 2 | Saint | In Score Attack Mode, play the game for 15 consecutive minutes |
| Stargate | Civvie Saver | In Score Attack Mode, rescue 3 civilians |
| Super Off-Road | X-Treme Off-Road | In Score Attack Mode, get first place in 3 consecutive races |
| Super Sprint | Burning Rubber | In Score Attack Mode, get first place in 3 consecutive races |
| Toobin’ | Ride the Wave | In Score Attack Mode, complete Colorado without sinking |
| Total Carnage | Total Warpage | In Score Attack Mode, use a shortcut |
| Vindicators Part II | On Base | In Score Attack Mode, defeat your first base |
| Wizard of Wor | Worrior | In Score Attack Mode, have at least 10,000 points and 3 times your opponent’s score at the same time |
| Xenophobe | Not Afraid | In Score Attack Mode, survive the first level |
| Xybots | Third-Person Shooter |
In Score Attack Mode, survive 3 levels without dying |
Review
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 31 Different Retro Games, Nostalgic Looks Great in HD Leader Boards 1 - 4 Player Games | Some Poor Controls No Online Multiplayer |
| Rating |
This review is based on a Retail PlayStation 3 version of Midway Arcade Origins provided by Warner Brothers Games.
Tweet
Written by: Oly
- Senior PR Manager
#1 by EdEN on November 30th, 2012 [ 103377 Points ]
Well, look at that! Got to say I’m now intrigued by this disc as I was sure it would be just a quick cash-in, but now I see that it was given the care it needed.
Great review!
#2 by pedrolabate on November 30th, 2012 [ 39934 Points ]
This looks pretty interesting. I’ve spent countless hours playing Gauntlet and Rampage, and countless more playing those games on the N64. I might have to pick this up eventually.
#3 by cherryrasulka on January 20th, 2013 [ 50 Points ]
This sounds like it would be fun! I always loved the old school Midway games!