Not content with sitting back and watching the likes of Sega, Capcom, Nintendo et al releasing retro compilations, Konami’s decided to get in on the act too. To celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary, the big K is launching a trio of anniversary collections. The Castlevania and Contra collections will be coming in the near future and we’ll cover them in due course, but for now let’s take a look at the first collection, dedicated to Konami’s arcade history.
Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection consists of eight vintage arcade titles, all running under Hamster Corporation’s much-praised Arcade Archives emulator. We’ll get to the general software in a bit, but it makes sense to cover each game individually first, because there's a mixed bag here - if by that you mean taking a bag marked 'Good shoot 'em ups’, putting a rubbish Castlevania spin-off into it, and mixing it around.
First up is Scramble, by far the oldest game in the collection. Released in 1981, it’s credited with being one of the first ever side-scrolling shoot ‘em ups, yet despite this, it still holds up relatively well 38 years later. It’s also the first to introduce a mechanic that Konami decided to use numerous times over the years, as seen elsewhere in this package: the use of one fire button to shoot forwards and another to drop bombs. It may not be visually stunning but it controls tightly and the tricky final shot you need to make at the end of each loop is still satisfying to pull off.
Then there’s TwinBee, the first game in the much-loved TwinBee series and an early example of the cute ‘em up subgenre. This one takes a little while to get going, but once you manage to build up your arsenal of weapon upgrades it becomes a nifty little shooter. The same goes with Nemesis (or Gradius, as it’s more well-known), which also starts you off with a mere pea-shooter but eventually has you filling the screen with lasers, bombs and the like. The NES ports of TwinBee and Nemesis/Gradius may already be available through Switch Online, but the arcade versions are clearly the definitive experiences.
Life Force (also known as Salamander) is a spin-off of Nemesis and ditches that game’s weapon selection system in favour of the more common ‘collect power-ups from fallen enemies’ mechanic you tend to see in most shooters. Meanwhile, Typhoon (or A-Jax as it was known outside of Europe) is the collection’s most ambitious effort and probably the best game of the eight: it regularly switches from a 3D rail shooter to a vertical scrolling shooter and accomplishes both well.
For some reason, even though seven of the games on offer here are shoot ‘em ups, Konami decided to also include Haunted Castle – a horrendous Castlevania spin-off – in this package. It’s got great art design and the music is cracking but it’s one of the very worst examples of an arcade game designed to kill the player quickly and make more money. The constant onslaught of enemies and badly-placed obstacles makes the whole thing feel cheaper than a Humble Bundle, and while you can technically get through it here by brute force via the ability to use save states, doing so is about as fun as spending hours learning how to kick yourself in the groin and then eventually succeeding.
Rounding things off are two more shoot ‘em ups. Vulcan Venture (aka Gradius II) brings back the weapon selection system from the original Gradius but also gives you four different weapon configurations to choose from before you start, adding a basic but welcome level of customisation to proceedings. Finally, there’s Thunder Cross, the youngest of the bunch (albeit not by much, given that it was released in 1988). It dials back a lot of the other games’ features and feels more like a straightforward shooter, but doesn’t necessarily suffer for it. It also doesn’t have an alternative title, which is probably even more surprising given the other games included.
What we have here, then, is a collection of seven historically important shoot ‘em ups and a rubbish platformer for a relatively low price (it works out at £2 / $2.50 per game). Considering they’re all running on the same engine as Hamster’s Arcade Archives releases, and considering those usually sell at more than triple that price, that sounds like a good deal, no? Well, yes, but it’s also worth bearing in mind that the games here aren’t handled with the same high standards as Hamster’s standalone titles.
First and foremost, there should be no concerns about the emulation: it’s flawless. Everything looks, sounds and runs like it’s supposed to, all the comically bad slowdown during intense shoot ‘em up moments happens exactly when it should in the original arcade releases, and at their core it’s more or less impossible to distinguish the eight games here from their coin-op counterparts. Instead, the issues lie with the other features that are usually associated with Hamster releases, and the fact they’re nowhere to be seen this time.
A couple of the games have a vertical aspect ratio, as was the case with many arcade titles at the time. Whereas other Hamster games give you an option to play in ‘Tate’ mode (i.e. rotating the screen 90 degrees so you can turn your Switch vertical when playing in handheld and play with a more suitable viewpoint), there’s no such option here. Neither is there the usual Caravan mode you get in those other releases, where you get 5 or 10 minutes to rack up the highest score possible then post it to an online leaderboard. In fact, there are no online leaderboards to speak of at all, and the game doesn’t even track your best local high score (you’ll need to create a save state and use that to keep playing, otherwise every time you start a game you’re essentially booting a clean, unused ROM).
Another disappointing omission is the option to choose between Japanese and western versions of each game, something Hamster almost always does when there are regional variations: and there are definitely variations here. The level order in Typhoon differs depending on which region you play, and some versions of Haunted Castle are even more obscenely difficult than others, with enemies doing more damage. This damage setting is an option you can toggle, but purists would argue you’re then playing a weird Frankenstein’s Monster that combines different elements from each region.
More importantly, the Japanese version of Life Force was fundamentally different in terms of game design. It kept Gradius’s weapon selection mechanic, where you collected generic power-up capsules and used them to switch to certain weapons whenever you wanted. The western version, however – the one included here – follows the more traditional shoot ‘em up standard of swapping your weapon for whatever item you next pick up. This makes one particular boss practically impossible to beat if you happen to be armed with the wave weapon at the time (since it doesn’t fit into a gap you need to hit), something you could avoid easier in the Japanese game.
Don’t get us wrong: there are still some welcome additions here. The ‘digital book’ that accompanies the game comes with a bunch of interesting behind-the-scenes storyboards and sketches, though whoever edited it went a little overboard translating it, laying the English text over the original Japanese. Some of these pages are text only, meaning claims that they’re “original design documents” start to get a bit silly when the only ‘original’ part left is the yellow paper. The option to switch between the original Japanese documents and the translated version would have been preferable, and it’s generally nowhere near as interesting to read as those featured in Capcom or SNK’s recent anniversary collections, but it’s certainly better than nothing.
In terms of in-game features, the option to turn on autofire for each button is an extremely welcome one, though we wish we’d noticed it earlier (if you have a partner, don’t try to play Nemesis in bed via the traditional method, or the noise of you constantly battering the A button will have you sleeping on the couch before you can say “actually dear, it’s more commonly known as Gradius”). There are also a couple of ‘blurring’ options: one simply blurs the pixels and the other adds scan lines. It’s as basic as it gets, but it’s functional enough.
That sums up the package in general, actually. The adequate digital book and auto-fire options aside, what you have here is a no-frills selection of arcade games – the majority of which still hold up well to this day – that function exactly as they should and not much else. You’re essentially getting eight of Hamster’s Arcade Classics games for the price of around three, but with none of the extra bells, whistles and additional features that come with them.
Conclusion
At only a couple of bucks per game it’s hard to complain too much about this compilation, especially when there’s only really one stinker in the pack. If you aren’t a fan of classic arcade shoot ‘em ups then there isn’t really much for you here: you may want to hold fire and see if the upcoming Castlevania or Contra collections are more to your taste. If you like your shmups though, there are seven iconic vintage examples of the genre here and they perform flawlessly. 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.
Comments 62
It's kinda funny? Haunted Castle was probably the one a lot of people were excited for because of its ties to Castlevania, and it's the worst one on the bundle.
That's okay, because the other games are pretty good, I think.
I bought this collection primarily for Haunted Castle, as a Castlevania fan I felt like I should play it at some point...
And honestly... I didn't think it was that bad, at least when considering how much hate the game gets. My first runthrough was kinda painful but after doing that and watching a good no-damage playthrough I can go through the game on normal difficulty without too much hassle and in the end I had quite a bit of fun with it, my ears in particular enjoyed it, seriously that soundtrack is freaking gold.
Gradius 1, 2, Life Force and Thunder Cross were a lot of fun also. The rest not so much.
This really seems like a step back from that ds konami arcade collection. Should make a 2nd one on switch with more game variety.
Shame about Tate mode
Life Force is the best of the bunch in my opinion. I play it the most.
Wait, wait, wait... Let me get this straight... Konami released a game!?
Yes I bought it being a huge retro fan but very cheap on quantity and some odd choices made by Konami. They have way more popular arcade games to choose from! Hopefully they realize this and do a Vol 2!! Cmon Konami!
I bought this for Scramble and Nemesis but can’t stop playing Lifeforce and Twinbee. Haunted Palace isn’t so bad but it’s way too hard for me to ever get far. Overall I’m very pleased with it.
Love life-force and twin bee. It's a good solid collection for shoot-um up fans. Shame about the lack of tate mode. More please Konami.
I hope they release some kind of Parodius collection. Given the franchise has suffered the curse of never being localized over here, it'd be a nice gesture on their part, and thanks to region free online shops, it technically wouldn't have to leave Japan, anyway.
"Everything looks, sounds and runs like it’s supposed"
I don't know if it's my ears, but I think the sounds and music in Gradius are too high-pitched. I don't remember the arcade version being that treble and "metallic".
I love 4 of the games in this collection, which justifies the price to me. The selection may be far from perfect but I love these konami's old shoot them ups.
@Medic_alert I agree with you. There's not enough love in it, which is sad. One more missed opportunity to nail it when it comes to making a classic collection
This Konami collection seems okay enough. I'm not a shmup fan, but I am a huge Castlevania fan, so I may get this just so I have Haunted Castle. Even though I already have Haunted Castle for PlayStation 2. ...
And yes, Haunted Castle is not a good example of Castlevania, but it is a fun and interesting curiosity for people who are already fans and know what to expect.
Hopefully there's no input delay like there unfortunately is with Mega Drive Colletion and Mega Man Legacy Collection 1.
@Medic_alert
The retro releases with the most amount of love in them are definitely Sega's SEGA AGES releases. They make each game worthwhile in a completely new way, including tons of options that only the enthusiast can truly appreciate (such as letting you choose to use FM Sound in Phantasy Star), as well as introducing brand new things that weren't possible in the original (such as putting the Drop Dash in Sonic 1).
So even though Sega's big Mega Drive Collection is kind of bleh, the AGES games deserve recognition at the very least for doing it right.
Better than that lag-fest, cash-grab Sega collection. I literally called Nintendo and got a refund for that game.
I’m hoping Konami will put out a TG16 collection of the games they put in the Wii U that really should have come to Switch
@NinChocolate You’re referring to the “rebirth” games, right? I grabbed them from the Wii eShop shortly before Nintendo disabled adding credit. Haven’t tried them much; need to go back sometime — thanks for the reminder!
Is this getting a physical?
I got the same impression from the trailer. It's like they didn't even try to pick a truly varied and compelling selection of games here.
@Stocksy All of these Konami collections are digital only.
For 20 bucks I was expecting a little more variety - 90% shooters isn't exactly exciting.
There were so many other classic arcade games from Konami's past that deserved to be on this list (TMNT arcade, Pooyan - tho technically also a shooter, Penguin Adventure, etc.)
The inclusion of Haunted Castle is kind of baffling - why not put this one in the Castlevania collection?
Maybe this was the only way to get attention for non bullet hell fans?
8 so so games for $20. Now Sega Genesis Classic Collection has 50 games (many of them classic games) for $30 . SNK 40th Anniversary Collection had 31 games. In comparison, this seems like a bad deal. Should have had more games in the collection. Konami will do this again with only 8 Castlevania games and later 8 Contra games. Why not more games in these collections?
I was reading this review and I got to the “actually dear, it’s more commonly known as Gradius” line and instantly thought 'damn, thats a good joke. Reminds me of the ONM days.'
I scroll up and what do I see? Written by one Chris Scullion. I would love if you ever found the time to get more reviews out. As an avid reader of ONM back in the day, I often find myself getting nostalgic for it. You're a wonderful journalist and you inject your writing with such a class British humour, I can't get enough of it
Japan doesn't get their version of Life Force for the JP version of the Collection. They get the original Salamander version, which has pick ups instead of the Gradius style power up bar (which is only in the JP Life Force).
Found out purely by accident that Haunted castle gives you more life if you keep pressing start after the game loads in. Uses up more credits to give you more life. With max possible life meter from this, I found the game much easier and more fun.
Spot on review.
No Tate mode is the killer here. My FlipGrip says no!
While I can agree that the game selection is baffling, and the customisation lacklustre compared to normal arcade archives releases, I consider Vulcan Venture (or Gradius 2) to be one of the finest shoot ‘em ups ever, and Nemesis, Life Force, Thunder Cross and Typhoon are all very jolly. Don’t be put off by the fact that Haunted Castle is rubbish, or be too sniffy about the fact it hasn’t been handled with the care of a SEGA AGES release, there’s still some sheer joy to be had here.
The only game that matters here is Life Force, but at $20 it’s a bit steep.
@brianvgplayer Thank you for the clarification on the JP version of Life Force. Absolutely zero reason for Konami to not include the regional variants on these.
But wait, is there? I don't keep up with the PS4 side of things, but aren't all of these games in this collection already available to download on the JP PSN for PS4? Could this be some type of gimped release so that the original AA versions still have merit?
I'm going to buy the Castlevania Collection if the emulation is also good.
It's a shame that just like Capcom, they are releasing lazy collections that don't have much to offer, but at least the emulation is fine, unlike Capcom's collections that don't use emulation, using recompilation instead.
And, if the Castlevania Collection sells well, another one will happen, and they will have to include Symphony of the Night this time.
Haunted Castle is pretty good if you turn the difficulty way down
They should have just made a Gradius collection. They were half way there!
This is the sort of in-depth analysis I want to see more of on this site. Great review!
None of the games in this collection interested me, unfortunately, so I would have passed on it regardless. Hopefully the Contra and Castlevania collections are well-done, though, as I'm very much looking forward to playing those.
Is the Lifeforce included here the arcade version of the NES Lifeforce?
It's just nice seeing a Konami release on Switch. I may end up picking this up just for Haunted Castle. I'm a sucker for anything Castlevania. I'll definitely be getting the next two collections and I'm hopeful for more. I'd love a Metal Gear Solid collection and a Castlevania collection that includes the GBA and DS games.
I hate to admit it, however not having TATE mode is a deal breaker for me on this collection. Having my FlipGrip and playing Namco Collection (plus others arcade games) is so perfect that I don't think I could go back now with new non-TATE vertical games. If they ever release a patch (which I'm sure they won't) I would buy this the same day for full price....
Great review BTW... loved the breakdown on each game!
This seems like a pretty good collection to me so I'm not sure why Nintendo life is being so negative. Especially after they were so glowing in talking about the NES mini, SNES mini, and Switch Online NES collections. Sure, there's a lot of great games on those, but unless people haven't owned a Nintendo in 30 years, how many times can to rebuy the same games? Except for Scramble which I have for the Atari 7800, this would be the first time I've had access to these Konami games since the 80's.
"see if the upcoming Castlevania or Contra collections are more to your taste"???
Yes, they are.
Great review. Didn’t know that about the Western and Japanese releases. There are still too many shoot em ups I bought, but need to get good at. Adding another bunch to that pile won’t help, so going to wait for the other collections.
@Heavyarms55 I don't know if I'll ever recover from the trauma of Contra 4 on the DS. Even on easy, it was hard as heck. It took me months to beat level seven, at which point the game stops, mocks you for being a sissy, and tells you if you want to play the rest of the game, you have to start over on medium. MEDIUM WAS IMPOSSIBLE!!!
@TheFox Wow... that is kind of a serious dick move.
@Azathoth Most are available on the US PSN as stand alone releases. As far as I know, Thunder Cross is the only AA Konami game only on the JP PSN. Unlike the collection releases, a few the stand alone games have multiple versions available. The stand alone US Life Force has Salamander, JP Life Force, and US Life Force.
@Heavyarms55 I wish I were joking. I remember that even though it got good reviews, the critics did complain about it's extreme difficulty and the dickish attitude on display in the game. To play it in one sitting took FOREVER. Fortunately, you could save. But it would take one of your precious continues away in exchange for saving! WHY?! What sense does that make? So instead of giving up a continue, I'd just close the DS, plug it in, and wait hours (days?) to calm down so I could resume without risking a full melt down. I know Contra games are famous for their difficulty, but I hope the other aren't as bad as 4.
@brianvgplayer Wow, so you've clarified it. This is just a bundle of previous Arcade Archives releases by Hamster, at 1/3 the cost with 1/3 the features. No doubt there was an agreement to make these inferior so the original AA versions are still valid options for fans of those specific games.
Does the Up up down down left right left right ba (NES Gradius) trick work on the arcade nemesis? Or does unli continues (credits) do away with the need for it?
It's a shame, I really came to love the Hi-Score and Caravan modes, and the region version options in these releases. This is what makes me want to keep trying when I constantly die in arcade games.
It's a shame Konami didn't go the extra mile, or better said, cut corners, because otherwise it would have been a must for me. Now I'll wait for a significant price drop, and even then I'll have to think about it.
No Ninja Turtles, no X-Men, no Simpsons... this isn't a stellar collection
I'm not that much of a fan of shoot 'em ups. I'm also of the opinion that there aren't many arcade games originally released before the '90's that are still worth playing. I'll pass.
Actually, the Famicom, Game Boy, and Super Famicom versions of Parodius da! were all released in Europe simply as Parodius, the arcade version of Gokujou Parodius was released as Fantastic Journey, and a compilation of these two games' arcade versions were released on both the PS1 and the Sega Saturn simply as Parodius again. Oh, and Konami GB Collection Vol. 2 also had a colorized version of the Game Boy version of Parodius da!. All of these were only in Europe, sure, but at least they were somewhat localized... Even if these games need no localization at all.
@TheFox It takes your continues away for saving?! That's it. I will never play this game. That is disgusting! Unless a re-release changes that, there is no way I would play such BS!
Thanks for warning me away.
The US version of this has a terrible version of ThunderCross. 1 shot type, no varied special weapons and the multiples aren’t adjustable. Worth buying the Japanese version for the proper game, and you get Salamander thrown in.
@MajorasLapdog Have you seen Chris Scullion's own website, Tired Old Hack? It's well worth a look, he posts quite a few reviews and other articles on there, all with that classic ONM sense of humour.
I only got it for the history book and Haunted Castle
feel I should just stick to the SEGA AGES releases
@MajorasLapdog Thanks mate! In case you're unaware, I've got my own site at http://tiredoldhack.com and I've got a lot more reviews on there.
@scully1888 @Dogorilla I want to say a big thank you to Dogorilla! I was completely unaware of the site, I've been sitting on the till at work since 2pm reading articles and reviews on Tired Old Hack. Really great stuff and I think I've found my new internet haunt
Considering this powerhouses rich back catalogue this is a shoddy collection of games, with even shoddier sound emulation. The lack of artwork, options and backgrounds just adds to the thrown together vibe. They could of made it twice the value but actually good and people would of been happy to buy it.
they should of have games like rush n attack, double dribble or track n field.
For the history curio, I want to get this, but will wait for a possible sale.
@John_Deacon I wondered about the sound too. I've got Gradius PS4 Archive Arcades and the sound is a lot less "clangy".
@Jimgamer8 Looks like every country is getting the same version, no variations, but I'm not sure
@MrBelmont I ended up buying this collection. The sounds is a little clangy indeed, but nothing very bad. It could be better, though. But I think the only noticeable game is the first Gradius. I haven't played the others as much as it, so maybe it hasn't bothered me yet
I really wish that Hamster would release their versions on the Switch. Sometimes I like to play on the go or in bed and these games are only playable on the PlayStation 4, not on the Vita. Hoping to play some Gradius on the Switch. The arcade version I mean.
Update: They have patched in tate mode. Woot!
Yay Tate mode £3.99 now on sale
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