Darius Cozmic Collection Reviews
Darius received a beautiful and well-deserved tribute to this legendary series of its kind. With the help of M2 we have the possibility to try more than a dozen titles and recall old moments from the Arcades' golden past.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Do not get me wrong, this is a very good collection, but it is very hard to justify a purchase at full price for what is essentially 3 unique games and 4 variations.
If you’re a fan of classic arcade shoot-’em-ups, Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade is easily worth the price of admission. However, it’s worth noting that Darius and its two revisions are all but unplayable in handheld mode for those of us with mere mortal eyes, which means those with a Switch Lite likely won’t be able to enjoy a substantial chunk of this compilation.
M2 provides the necessary context to enjoy the experience without changing the actual game.
Darius Cozmic Collection: Arcade revisits the series' first three games with extensive user interface extras. Being able to play so many different versions of these games is interesting, but the collection is still ultimately geared towards hardcore shoot-'em-up fans or fans of the Darius series.
All three games available in Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade, in all of their included versions, are well worth playing for any fan of shoot 'em ups out there. Those are the best ports anyone could hope for, and there is nothing wrong with them in their own right. The fact that running them on a home arcade cabinet is practically impossible because of the multi-monitor nature of the first two games included, makes this collection very desirable indeed for the sake of preservation alone. The price of admission, however, is pretty steep if one considers that only three games are truly included - no matter how great they are, and that the first neither has aged particularly well, nor is comfortable to play on modern 16:9 displays. G-Darius and Dariusburst Another Chronicle are sorely missing from this compilation, to the point of being outrageous. A very good collection then, just not priced very sensibly.
Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade may have fewer titles than the console collection; however, the original arcade games are such a pleasure to play.
Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade is a good compilation and the titles included are of a high quality, but as comprehensive as it is, it's still a little limited for the price. Enthusiasts, however, will be delighted by it.
This bring us to both collections’ biggest issue. Darius as a series must be programmed with some kind of rare metal because they always seem to command a very high price for entry. I noted this back in the day when I reviewed Dariusburst Chronicle Saviours for the Vita. This issue will be the main reason people will avoid a purchase, especially with current circumstances in the world. The other notable issue is that these collections are not complete collections of the Darius series. This is nothing new with retro collections in general, but the oddest omission is that of the first Darius game on the Console Collection. The reason it’s a bit fishy is that this game was released on the Mega Drive Mini which was also developed by M2 and yet is strangely missing from this collection. There are also a variety of other titles and ports missing that enthusiasts of the series may be disappointed not to have. Both the Arcade Collection and Console Collection are brilliant. M2 has once again outdone themselves and proved they’re the best at retro gaming on modern systems. It’s a shame the price is so darn high though, especially since I really couldn’t see owning only one of these collections. If you do take the plunge you have a brilliant collection of one of the best schmup series from ye old days.
Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade brings together 3 of the most popular Arcades from the Darius franchise and various versions of two of them. Like the other console-based compilation, the good finish of the product from M2 is clouded by the lack of a Museum or Gallery, and the less content of this compilation compared to the other, although it compensates for it with a lower price. . But if you are a fan of the Taito franchise, this is an opportunity that you should not miss to complete the Darius Cozmic Collection.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
All in all, this is a high-quality collection of games, but the experience is brought down by some missing content and a high price tag.
Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade is a rock solid collection of Taito classic shooters in one package that can be listed more premium than casual fans may be willing to pay.
The Darius Cozmic Collections are both mostly enjoyable titles that collect a good number of incredibly hard but normally fun shoot-em-ups.
Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade is fun, rewarding and a massive nostalgia trip. The soundtrack is amazing as are your game options when playing this group of great shoot 'em ups. I would have perhaps liked other titles instead of copies of the same game but hey, you can't have everything.
I remember reading about Darius first in early 90s game magazines, and thought I'd have to make do with the console versions. Playing the arcade versions actually made me even more excited to try the console games in the other collection that came out. There's some frustration to be found in this collection, but overall it's another quality batch of shooters for Switch owners.
An extremely well put together love letter to a classic series of shoot 'em ups. Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade reminds us how brutal games used to be whilst allowing newcomers in gently. A tad expensive but polished to a sheen.
M2 has done justice to Taito's extraordinary shooting series with Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade.
Fans of Darius or bullet hell games will likely appreciate everything Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade has to offer. It's crazy, flashy, and most importantly fun. It's a shame some of the games, like Darius, are not as accessible but the inclusion of Darius Gaiden helps bridge that game. Add in multiple paths, different experiences and it's easy to get a lot of value out of Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade without even bothering with high scores or online rankings.
Fish-obsessed 2D shooter series Darius gets two separate compilations, one of which features one of the rarest video games ever made.
Darius Cozmic Collection does offer a lot of enjoyment for fans of shmups, regardless of which version is played.