Midway Arcade Treasures 3

Having surrendered many a coin to the arcades, it was the racing games with their enticing cabinets with wheels, pedals and a stick shift that called to this reviewer many a time.  Whether it was an adolescent fascination with all things automotive or an impatient desire to drive, even if it’s the virtual highway, but racing games have always been a favorite of mine.  So it came as a surprise that Midway Arcade Treasures 3 has strayed from its potpourri of gaming genres to focus solely on the racing games of the late 80s or early 90s.  Yes, eight classic racing games come bundled in this package and some of them are actually still as good as when they first came out.

Midway has brought us a number of memorable titles over the years that range from Paperboy to Rampage but with this third compilation it brings us classic arcade racing games like Super Off Road or Hydro Thunder.   Unlike past two Midway Arcade Treasures compilation, don’t expect much in terms of extras (no interviews or secrets in the Bonus Content menu this time) or other gaming genres.  It’s all about the racing and there are eight of them.  There’s Hydro Thunder, San Francisco Rush 2049, Super Off Road, Race Drivin’, San Francisco Rush: The Rock Alcatraz Edition and Off Road Thunder.  There are even driving and shooting games like Badlands and S.T.U.N. Runner.  Then there’s the excellent Off Road Thunder plus a Super Off Road Track Pak loaded with extra tracks for Super Off Road.

We’ll start with the best of the bunch and there are certainly many of them that still hold up rather nicely despite its dated look and feel.  Hydro Thunder, for example, is one of the many games in this collection that plays beautifully on the Xbox and is still one of my top favorite turbo jet boat games.  Who doesn’t love an arcade racer with plenty of obstacles and relentless opponents that will try to ram you off the aquatic racecourse?  Then there’s San Francisco Rush 2049, a futuristic racing game with fun race modes that make for some wild yet challenging races.  Its four modes are comprised of a Single player game, Ghost Race, Circuit, Stunt and a Practice mode.  Then there’s Off Road Thunder, a rally racing game with a fantastic Demolition and Snag the Flag.

The reason these three games deserve to be played again and again is because they feel right at home on a console like the Xbox.  Seeing as how San Francisco Rush 2049 was released on the Sega Dreamcast and is the very port you’ll play in this collection, you’ll see why it feels right at home.  Sadly the same can’t be said about my personal favorite Super Off Road and its accompanying 1989 Track Pak.  It is here where gamers will miss its original format, mainly the racing wheel and pedal.  Here the controls are not as responsive as Hydro Thunder and will surely test the patience of most gamers that don’t like struggling with the awkward twists and turns this game throws at you.

Then there is the weak driving and shooting games that time should have forgotten.  Games like Badlands, although similar to the far more superior Super Off Road, really don’t make driving and shooting all that fun.  There’s also S.T.U.N. Runner, an even worse shooter that puts you behind the cockpit of a futuristic bobsled that never fails to crash into something.  Midway has successfully given us an excellent driving and shooting game with Spy Hunter but these games just don’t have the same appeal.  This finally brings us to San Francisco Rush: The Rock Alcatraz Edition that, while not quite as good as San Francisco Rush 2049, offers zany jumps, secret shortcuts and neat hilly streets of San Francisco.  If you don’t remember this game it’s because it wasn’t so good to begin with but there are racecourses that would be a shame not to play through.

Midway Arcade Treasure 3’s saving grace is its multiplayer aspect that, despite missing out on System Link or Xbox Live online play (you can log on to post your scores), was meant to be shared with a group of four friends.  Many of these games share the same screen so gamers will have the same view of the action and there are enough vehicles to choose from whether you’re playing Hydro Thunder or Super Off Road.

On the graphical front, all eight of these games feel the sting of old age.  Some, like S.T.U.N. Runner and Badlands look like they did when the Atari first released them while the early 1990 games such as San Francisco Rush 2049 and Hydro Thunder look surprisingly good.  As for the soundtrack for each game, they are all quite dated but strangely enough they don’t annoy whatsoever.  Then again, the rocking tunes found in Off Road Thunder will have you turning down the volume.  As for the sound effects, they all tend to feature the same revving of engine and nitro boost sounds.

For fans of the racing genre, Midway Arcade Treasures 3 is collection of classic racing games that still hold up pretty well despite their age.  As fun as these games are, though, some of these games weren’t made for a console in mind and so gamers who fondly remember these golden oldies will find the controls quite frustrating.  Top that off with a number of stinkers among the bunch and you have a collection that is not as good as it could have been but still worth playing.  

Gameplay: 7.5
Some games, like San Francisco Rush 2049 play perfectly on the Xbox and Hydro Thunder is still fun after all these years.  Other games just don’t feel or play as good as it use to thanks to the awkward control scheme.  The games certainly play a lot better when racing against a group of friends.

Graphics: 7.0
Badlands and S.T.U.N. Runner is quite the eyesore but the others aren’t bad at all.  Hydro Thunder, for example, has colorful backdrops and neat jet boat models that really stand out.  Off Road Thunder has some decent vehicular damage.  It’s not bad at all, actually.

Sound: 6.5
Think back to the games of yesteryear when the soundtrack seemed to continue on a loop with very little variety and you get an idea of what kind of music you’ll hear throughout the collection.  Surprisingly enough, though, it isn’t all that bad.  The sound effects are minimal but Ok.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Each game has an Easy, Medium and Hard difficulty setting but, for the most part - each game gets harder the more levels you complete or races you win.  Hard usually means the racecourses are more treacherous to navigate through and the opponent AI more unforgiving.

Concept: 7.5
Focusing on the racing genre is a good idea but some of these just don’t translate as well.  Still, the ones that do are welcome additions to any compilation.  The Bonus Content features for all eight of the games don’t offer video interviews or any other extras and the lack of Xbox Live or System Link is a real shame. 

Multiplayer: 8.0
Clearly racing games are meant to be shared with others and while there is no Xbox Live multiplayer the game is perfect for up to four players.

Overall: 7.8
Racing fans will find a lot to like about Midway Arcade Treasures 3 but then again a few of these gaming gems are mixed in with games that just don’t feel right at home on the Xbox.  Having said that, though, for those who haven’t experienced these games you shouldn’t miss out on them so minimally rent this collection right away.