Bringing
together an excellent cross-section of Konami's 80's classic titles, this
compilation brings the classic arcade experience to the palm of your hand
on the Nintendo DS. Most of the games on the cartridge should be familiar
to video game veterans and they're all here just as you remember them from
the arcade games. Working through the games is like going into a time
machine and should bring a flood of memories back to gamers. Players can
start at the beginning with the classic side-scrolling shooter Scramble,
which offered a revolutionary system of straight shots and bombs to create
one of the most challenging and entertaining shooters of its age.
While
the graphics might seem a little bit primitive by today's standards, the
gameplay is still quite enjoyable and addictive. Its also interesting to
play this from a historical standpoint, since it served as the foundation
for many of the Konami shooters that followed. Another early title in this
installment is Horror Maze, which has been retitled from its original
incarnation Tutankham for some reason. Horror Maze/Tutankham seems
incredibly simple on the surface, but its two way shooting and challenging
mazes make it surprisingly difficult, especially in it later levels where
you have to collect the key before you can unlock the puzzle. Players will
also find another early winner in Pooyan, a simple game where you have to
shoot down a series of wolves falling from the top of the screen before
they run over to your cage and knock you out of it. Pooyan remains quite
charming these days and its simple play mechanics make it thoroughly
enjoyable. Another solid entry in this installment is Track & Field.
Loosely based on the Olympic games, this title has you going through a
series of athletic events such as running and javelein, where you have to
push buttons in sequential order. The challenge in this title is learning
the timing and rhythm that will get your character moving the fastest.
It's not the most complex game, but it holds up well with controls that
are still fun despite its somewhat repetitive controls and simple play
mechanics.
In a similar yet very different vein is
Circus Charlie, which places you as a clown who has to compete in a
variety of events. It's a lot simpler than Track & Field, but uses
some of the same mechanics and graphic conventions, making it fit into the
compilation nicely. Another solid title in this compilation is Time Pilot,
which is an awesome open-ended shooter with loads of cool enemies and a
unique time traveling play mechanic that helps the game stay fresh in
repeated plays. You can definitely sense that classic Konami feel in this
game. Players will also find a few more obscure releases, such as the odd
platformer Roc 'N Rope, which isn't as much fun as you'd think it would
be. Shaolin's Road is another somewhat similar platform title, though it
doesn't really hold up well. Yie-Ar Kung Fu prestages many of the latter
fighting games to come, and while its simple play mechanics and lack of
moves may make it feel limited, it's still fun to play. There are a couple
of later stage releases included this time as well, including the classic
arcade version of Gradius, which has lost none of its appeal. The game is
the arcade edition, and as such, is a bit more difficult but more
elaborate than the NES version most players probably remember. The music
and graphics remain excellent, and the game's innovative power-up system
and boss enemies make it a landmark title all players should enjoy, even
if only from a historic perspective. Suprisingly, Konami has also included
another shooter, the somewhat obscure title Rainbow Wall, which is better
known as Twin-Bee here and remains as charming and cutesy as it was in the
past. From the company's later 80's heyday, there's also the arcade
classic Rush 'N Attack, which is a typical of its era side scroller with
plenty of weapons power-ups and some interesting levels. Unfortunately,
the DS' screen seems a little small for this game and lacks the resolution
to really show it off. The package tops off its releases with the
legendary side-scrolling shooter title Contra, which looks and plays just
as smoothly as you remember, though its probably much harder than you
think as well. Konami has done an excellent job with the package, and its
game selection is superb, making this one of the most playable and
enjoyable compilations to appear on the DS to date.
In
addition to the games themselves, there are plenty of options to choose
from, and the game has a cool feature that allows players to operate the
actual arcade dip switches to set options such as number of lives,
difficulty and continues. This is a really cool system, but players can
also use a simpler interface to set these options as well. You can choose
with screen configuration, vertical or horizontal to play and can set the
screen the games appear on, either upper or lower. For arcade die-hards,
each title in the package also includes an extensive selection of
background information including arcade flyers, a brief history of the
game, and even music selections. Konami Classics Series' presentation is
superb and the games themselves have held up well over the years. While
there are a few titles that either haven't held up well or don't translate
to the DS platform, the general high quality of the games here is
impressive. The emulations are fairly faithful to the original games with
the graphics, sound effects and controls generally accurate. While Konami
hasn't added any touch-screen functionality to the games, this is probably
a good thing. The games are as good now as they were when they were
released, so they really don't need enhancements. The use of original
arcade artwork on the non-game screen is a nice touch that adds to the
authenticity and makes this like having a classic arcade in your pocket.
Overall, this is a solid compilation that offers an excellent selection of
classic games that works nicely on the DS.
- Michael Palisano
Grade:
C+
