PlayStation 2

SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1

You can easily find something for everyone here. It helps if you're an SNK fan, but the fun here is universal. Some of the games here were the best time you could find in an arcade back in the day, and they've held up pretty well. Pretty much every genre of arcade game from the time is represented here, from side-scrolling shoot-em-ups (look up shmups) to classic fighters. This is at least worth a try for newcomers, and easy to recommend for SNK fans.

The emulation is generally good, although I did notice substantial slow-down in Shock Troopers. The customization options are disappointing, limiting you to pre-defined combinations of difficulty, lives, and continues. High scores are saved to memory card. I prefer the Wii version, but SNK Arcade Classics is still a solid value that will keep arcade-minded gamers in a state of euphoria for weeks on end.

SNK Arcade Classics: Volume 1 is a good start for a Neo Geo collection disc. It offers a wide range of games and will take a lot of gamers back to the days they spent pumping quarters into a game machine. Gamers who are too young to have been at the arcade in the early 90s will most likely find a lot of the games out dated and may not find them fun. But those of us who can enjoy the simple thrills of flashy muti-player arcade games will be very happy with this collection.

SNK Arcade Classics: Vol. 1 only has 16 games and some of them don't have any real value now, but the bulk of the package is quite excellent and absolutely recommended for the hardcore or retro curious.

SNK Playmore did a pretty good job of putting together a nice sampler of their classic titles. It's fun to poke around and play through these older games. Going through them almost gave me a sense of strolling through the dimly lit arcades of yesteryear, armed with a pocket heavy with quarters. If you consider how valuable some of these titles are to collectors, you could say that you're get thousands of dollars worth of games for your $20 (PS2) or $30 (PSP). If "old" is good in your book, this collection is definitely worth your time and money.

As a collective whole, SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 is a mix of good, bad and average. The achievement style goals system adds value to this this already well priced package, whilst it’s packed with extras that aren’t particularly interesting but are certainly better than nothing.

To come full circle, only time will tell if the PlayStation 3 is set to suffer a similar fate as the sadly estranged Neo-Geo, but if the ridiculously long legs of Sony's second-generation system as exemplified by this latter-days release is anything to go by, there should be plenty of life left in the big black box. SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 might not bring anything particularly new to its now-outmoded platform, and there are certainly superior alternatives to most all of the games it collects out there, but as a confirmed crowd-pleaser and in terms of sheer bang for your buck, you'd be doing the gaming industry of yesteryear a disservice if you were to overlook it on those grounds.

There are flaws, then, as there are with all these PS2 releases, but it's a promising enough start, and if this is a path SNK continues to walk we'll be there to meet it at the other end with cracked knuckles next time around.

So if you’re a retro gaming fan or feel the need to experience some old school SNK awesomeness, then give this a go. It may not be perfect, but at least it’s a good deal.

Technical errors and missing game selections aside, SNK Arcade Classics Volume 1 is still a great compilation for Neo-Geo fanatics and retro gamers. You'll find hours of gaming fun here, whether you're in a heated Baseball Stars 2 match or showing off your magic skills in Magician Lord. Let's hope that Volume 2 has a little more polish.

SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 brings us a hearty collection that isn’t bad at all but it’s just not presented as good as it should have been considering the console’s track record of doing justice to other classics. In other words, while not all of these games are winners, they should at least run without framerate stutter or unnecessary slowdowns. Still, many of these games will provide gamers with some fun times.

Because compilation games are in such a niche market, I doubt too many will be swayed by my opinions, but I’ll state them anyway. This is one of the best compilations around. Anybody with fond memories of playing on the “Big Red” arcade cabinet should check out this game. While most of SNK’s compilations have been fighting game-exclusive, this one brings everyone else into the fold. Check it out, people. It’s worth picking up.

If you missed out on the Neo Geo and you want to experience some nostalgic goodness, this compilation works just fine. Unfortunately, the experience is definitely hampered by some technical problems like long load times and in-game slowdown. If you can look past these issues, you'll have a good time. Remember: you're only paying $1.25 for each title on the disc.

SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 is a decent way to get a quick fix of SNK’s past without resorting to skullduggery. Even if you were to purchase some older versions of these on the Super Nintendo, PlayStation, or import the Sega Saturn releases, you are still looking at well over a hundred dollars. Many of the games fared well, but it’s a shame that some even have problems at all – it’s not like better versions haven’t been released elsewhere on lesser hardware. Actually, the real shame is that the advancements made up to 2008 have been bested by a game released in 1994.

Les loadings poussifs au lancement d'un titre ou au retour vers le menu de base plombent aussi l'ambiance, tout comme les médailles un peu idiotes car nécessaires pour débloquer World Heroes et des listes de coups bien utiles. Malgré un manque de plus-value, cette compilation reste tout de même solide et bon marché, loin des prix salés de la Console Virtuelle.

La plupart des joueurs vont passer leur route devant cette compilation de titres SNK issus des années 90, mais il y aura toujours un public de nostalgiques qui trouveront là un moyen de posséder les jeux qui les faisaient rêver pendant leur enfance. Les collectionneurs pourront ainsi ajouter ces 16 jeux à leur panthéon vidéoludique personnel comme autant de symboles d'une époque révolue.

There are several PlayStation 2 arcade collections that are more balanced. Some offer more games. Where this collection excels is the amount of playability offered for a reasonable price, especially when individual Neo Geo titles are ringing up at $9 apiece on the Wii's Virtual Console. Could this compilation have been better? Certainly. Five of the games are already available in the publisher's earlier collections, and some of the platform's more distinctive titles (Over Top, Crossed Swords, etc.) have missed the cut. Despite a few minor complaints, SNK Arcade Classics is a safe purchase for retro game fans looking for a challenging, action-packed trip down memory lane.

Overall, SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 is a fairly accurate representation of the company's library during the time from which most of the titles were taken: a truckload of fighting games, a few sports games, and some gems that managed to sneak by. Nostalgia enthusiasts could do a lot worse than to pick up a used copy at their local game store, and $20 is about right for the new price. SNK Playmore could have done better than this offering, but they could have done a lot worse, too. Just don't pick up a copy for your kids; I assure you, they won't understand the appeal.