Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection Reviews
A seemingly random collection of Konami arcade games that's so incoherent and bare bones it won't please retro fans or newcomers.
Konami Anniversary Collection: Arcade Classics is quite a lazy collection of a bunch of good 80s games. The emulation is quite smooth, most of the games are still fun, but some bizarre games choic, a quite essential look and the lacks of peculiar features such as online support make the collection just average.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Konami's Anniversary Collection: Arcade Classics is a poor collection. There is no delicate way to say that. The work done on this project is approximate and devoid of passion and it only takes a few minutes to realize it.
Review in Italian | Read full review
If you're as much of a Konami shoot 'em up fan as I am then you'll have an enjoyable time with Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection.
Arcade Classics is a satisfactory anthology for the Konami faithful.
Out of all the retro compilations Konami has coming our way, Anniversary Collection is probably going to be the weakest. Its collection of games is questionable, especially with “classics” that are anything but. That said, though, it’s a sure-fire hit for fans of hard shooters, especially with the Life Force and Scramble games thrown in.
Arcade Classics is a really fun package with a ton of addictive score chasers with only one of them being not as fun to play (Haunted Castle) unless you’re a really dedicated player. The overabundance of shooters may seem a bit off at first, since Konami had other fun games that weren’t shooters, (Roc N Rope, Track N Field and Shaolin’s Road to name a few favorites) but all of these shooter picks are quality choices.
We really hope that Konami will treat the upcoming Castlevania and Contra collections with much more love and attention to details, because this first outing in the retrogaming market is far from remarkable.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Arcade Classics reunites some of the most iconic Konami coin ops, although we've missed a little more variety (7 o the 8 games are shumps), more options (like being able to play some of them vertically) and more extras aside from the included digital book. But if you love retro games, it's not a bad choice for 20 euros...
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection is a nice nostalgia trip, but not an essential purchase. Though all of the games bar Haunted Castle are good fun, none but the Gradius games and Thunder Cross truly stand the test of time. Considering the arcade games missing here, it's hard to accept this as a 'classics' collection, but for what you're given, you could certainly do worse.
It also has a feature that allows you to watch playthroughs of each game and hop in when you feel like it. Even the SNES Classic has a rewind feature that lets you jump back in time to retry a particular segment. A lack of online leaderboards or any type of achievement system also lowers the replay value of the Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection. Unless you are terribly nostalgic for the games in this package or a die-hard shoot-em'-up fan, I can't fully recommend it when there are such better value propositions out there.
"Original experience shoots this collection down."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
You’ll still have a decent time playing through them all, even though the lack of online leaderboards, lack of high score saving and general lack of options certainly make its budget price feel justified.
Don’t go into it with lofty expectations, and Konami Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection will serve you just fine.
It's hard to say how thorough and genuinely in-depth Konami went when it came to representing the best of the best here, but it's clear that the Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection is not the flying start fans would've hoped for.
The result of all of this is a highly limited package that doesn't do Konami any favours. For a company to have such an incredible heritage - including two of the most influential games of all time in Frogger and Track & Field - and then to ignore all of that for a range of early era SHMUPs (and one platformer) that few will remember is bemusing, to say the least. There is some limited appeal in there for people who are fans of the one particular genre, but even then, the package does a very barebones job of celebrating that.
Konami starts off the celebration of 50 years of work with a nice collection of arcade games. The most games in this set did already come out on different platforms, but the bonus book is a nice addition. The Haunted Castle game does not make sense here.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Despite the interesting nature of its proposal, Konami does not manage to show off with Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection. Although the games it incorporates are authentic classics, many more titles that offer better gameplay, a greater variety of the genre and a greater number of games are missing. Despite this, if you are fans of the genre or want to discover the origin of current video games, you can give it a try.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Konami Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection brings some classics home, while also reminding us how absolutely insane and brutal the arcade age was in its heyday.
Konami's first anniversary collection for their 50th anniversary contains some notable arcade classics, but the fact they've been previously released digitally with more options should appeal to only the most ardent of nostalgic fans.