Namco Museum Archives Vol 2 Reviews
The second Namco Museum Archives compilation is far more eclectic than the first. Vol 1 had more of the typical classics you’d expect from a Namco collection, and while that may seem a bit boring and predictable the reality is that they were classics for a reason: most of them are more fun to play. While there are still some great titles in here – Rolling Thunder and Mappy-Land are highlights – the general quality is lower than that in the first volume. The only reason you should be opting for this one over the first is if you’re sick to the back teeth of Pac-Man and Dig Dug and are looking to discover some lesser-known NES games.
Namco Museum Archives - Volume 2 offers the opportunity to dive into the immortal classics with friends and maybe even find something new for yourself.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Like the other collection, you get 11 pretty good games in Namco Museum Archives Vol 2. Galaga, Gaplus, and Dig Dug 2 add enough value to justify the collection and the modern features make it accessible for everyone. It's a shame this release features a few of the weirder titles but fans of classic games will likely enjoy replaying or experiencing these titles.
Namco Museum archives Vol 2 isn’t the all-out celebration of retro classics that it could have been, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not worthy of your money or time. There are some genuinely great games here, with gameplay that stands the test of time. But of course, there are also a few howlers. With a price that’s very reasonable compared to many, however, you won’t mind. And then there’s Gaplus; perhaps the shining jewel in Namco Museum Archives Vol 2‘s crown. You may have played it in its original form elsewhere, but its demade form makes this collection just that bit more interesting.
Thankfully, it’s easy to enjoy Gaplus today either through emulation or via the aforementioned official “demake” by Namco. Like most fixed shooters of the era, it’s a challenging game, for sure — but the few extra features over its predecessors may well make it a bit more accessible to those who have previously struggled a bit with the genre.
However you choose to play Galaga today, it’s still a worthwhile experience. While the inherent limitations of early ’80s fixed shooters may initially prove frustrating to those raised on later titles, Galaga is a great means of developing your shoot ’em up skills, and is regarded as an all-time classic with very good reason indeed. It holds up extraordinarily well today, and is one of those titles I suspect we’ll still be playing another 40 years from now.
Like with NAMCO MUSEUM ARCHIVES Vol 1, the second volume is a mixed bag in terms of games - in this case there are fewer gems, but fewer pieces of junk as well. The main issue remains the fact that this shouldn't be a two-part collection. In other words, if interested (and you should be), keep an eye on that price, and hit that 'Purchase' button when it gets reasonably low.
Compared to the first volume, Namco Museum Archives Volume 2 feels like a better package of games all around. While there are still a large number of arcade-to-NES ports here, the genre variety is much broader, and fewer games have made appearances on previous compilations. There are still a few clunkers here, but most of the titles are solid, and while nothing is as sought-after as Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti was, there's still a good collection here. For the retro fans, this is worth checking out for $19.99.
Although the Gaplus demake isn't as cool as the 8-bit version of Pac-Man Championship Edition, the other 10 games are what make Namco Museum Archives Vol 2 a slightly superior product. I've never seen a niftier treasure trove of NES hidden gems.
NAMCO MUSEUM ARCHIVES Volume 2 includes other 10 classic Namco games for Famicom -some of them developed by third parties-, and adds the 8-bit version of the Arcade Gaplus as an extra. A selection of titles a little weaker than that of the first volume, a good emulation from M2 and an attractive price is what the second volume of the Namco compilation offers us, slightly below the first installment.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Very much like the first volume, Namco Museum Archives Volume 2, presents a set of solid well known titles for NES and Namco old school fans. The compilation considers a good variety on genres, with some titles more interesting than the others. From these, Gaplus and Mappy Land provided us with amazing hours of good fun! While being a solid collection it still fails to provide additional content, similar to the Japaneese version. Also, a better care of some of the most well known titles could ve beneficial for the compilation. Most important, these two volumes should be delivered a a single pack, which indeed would be a must have to any gamer worth of the name.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
WORTH CONSIDERING - Namco Museum Archives Volume 2 contains a more eclectic batch of games that may have a harder time resonating with much of the gaming public. That being said, it’s worth checking out if you have a history with the titles included and several are still very playable today.