When players think of the classic arcade
game manufacturers, Data East is not usually one of the first names that
comes to mind. Despite releasing a number of memorable titles, it seems
that the company's lack of recent output has diminished its reputation.
This compilation for the Wii should go a long way in restoring memories
and will hopefully rectify this situation. Titles such as Burnin' Rubber,
BurgerTime, Heavy Barrel and, Bad Dudes were huge back in the 80's and
their return shows that their solid gameplay has held up well over time.
More obscure releases like the Peter Pepper's Ice Cream Factory and Secret
Agent also deliver some fairly good gameplay. Players begin by choosing
one of the 15 classic games from the main menu, which brings up a quick
load screen and the games begin. One of the more interesting aspects of
the disc is that it lets you unlock extra features for completing certain
tasks within various games. For example, you'll earn a ribbon for scoring
a certain amount in a game or defeating a number of enemies. Building up
enough of these allows you to unlock specific extras such as artwork,
arcade machine bevels and even some extra modes in some cases. You can
also save and assign your high scores to you Mii characters if you want
to.
These extras are cool, but its the games
themselves that will keep you coming back. Each title in this compliation
is very nicely rendered and the games individually are, for the most part,
entertaining and enjoyable with accessible controls and straightforward
play mechanics. Older players will probably be drawn to the simplistic
arcade games from the early 80's first, and these titles, such as
Burgertime, Burnin' Rubber (better known as Bump 'n Jump) and Lock 'n
Chase deliver the classic gameplay players have come to know and love over
the years. These tiles have been emulated almost flawlessly and playing
them again after so much time shows how little their appeal has
diminished. Burnin' Rubber remains quite a challenging title and its
addictive mix of racing and car smashing makes it entirely enjoyable.
Younger players might not remember Lock 'n Chase, but this Pac Man
derivative adds some unique elements to maze games with its locking doors
and special power ups that make this surprisingly challenging.
One of the more interesting, yet obscure
titles on the disc is Peter Pepper's Ice Cream Factory. It's a bit of a
strange game in some ways, but becomes better the more you play it. Its
basic structure is similar to Burgertime, in that you have to assemble
food. However, instead of merely dropping things horizontally, you can
throw ice cream scoops around the screen while avoiding the bad guys. It's
a lot more challenging than the first game, and it takes some getting used
to its quirky design and approach. The screens can be a little confusing
and while its not quite as simple or fun as Burgertime, Ice Cream Factory
is kind of like an advanced version of that game that makes things more
complicated and challenging. Moving forward, there are some very good NES-era
games on the disc that bring a different type of challenge. The most
famous of these is likely to be Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja, a very good
edition of the arcade game, with its solid side-scrolling brawling action
impressive array of enemies and excellent stage design making it just as
enjoyable as ever. Its nice to see the arcade edition here, which benefits
from the visual and sound upgrades. Its does get a little repetitive after
awhile, but its still a highly enjoyable game.
Bad Dudes remains a solidly entertaining
title, but beat 'em up fans will find another excellent title in a similar
vein called Crude Buster. This seems like it was a spiritual sequel to Bad
Dudes, where you have a greater amount of freedom to move around and more
varied set of weapons that you can pick up. This one takes place in a
post-apocalyptic city and its main characters have an 'attitude' that
makes the game more enjoyable than you'd expect it to be. A less violent
and more traditional 2D platform title appears in the form of Caveman
Ninja, which is a later period release that offers some entertaining
gameplay and some fairly interesting level designs. It feels a little bit
childish and cartoony by today's standards and this juvenile approach
might seem a little off-putting these days. Secret Agent is a title that's
apparently been stripped of a former film license and while its gameplay
is decent, its not particularly memorable, though it does offer some
fairly cool cinematic cut-scenes in places. However, most of the levels
involve predictable and monotonous punch/kick battles with waves of
faceless bad guys. In the end, its somewhat interesting but Secret Agent
is probably one of the least enjoyable titles on the disc.
Most
of the games on this compilation are fairly enjoyable and sometimes more
challenging than hazy memories might lead you to believe. For example,
while the visuals in Heavy Barrel might seem quaint by today's standards,
the game still delivers some intense action that requires your full
attention. It's definitely a lot harder to progress through its levels,
since the enemies attack your character relentlessly. The game's controls
do a fairly good job of recreating the arcade game's unique movement and
aiming interface, with the Wiimote used to rotate the aiming device. It's
a bit easier using the classic controller, since the movement and aiming
are assigned to each analog stick. This is definitely one of those games
that you need to play for some time in order to truly master it. Heavy
Barrel is definitely one of those games that you'd enjoy if you grew up
playing titles like Commando or Ikari Warriors. It remains a challenging
and fun title, though it definitely shows its age in some of its
presentation and visual styles.
Express Raider takes on a similar style,
though in this shooting title, you're a cowboy in the old west and have to
shoot your opponents. This is a surprisingly fun game once you get the
hang of it. One of the best games on the disc is Super Real Darwin, a
solidly entertaining and challenging horizontally scrolling shooter in the
mold of Raiden. The game offers solid shooting action, numerous power-ups
and a fairly good soundtrack. Some of the later stage Data East games are
also included, though they don't seem to have quite as much punch as they
once did. Side Pocket is a so-so billiards game with rather flat graphics
and somewhat dull gameplay, though its fun to see how far things have
evolved. Its strange to play a pool title on Wii where you don't have to
mimic pulling back on the cuestick. Finally, the disc includes a fairly
decent rendering of the Colums-esque puzzler Magical Drop III, which has
some cute anime style characters along with some challenging gameplay
mechanics and a really fun versus mode.
Taking a broader look at the
package, the games on the disc offer a broad overview of game design
evolution in the 80's with a good sampling of genres and styles. For those
looking for quick pick-up-and-play action, Data East Arcade Classics
offers exactly what you'd expect. Many of the game are perfect for playing
in short bursts. Those who demand authenticity will probably be impressed
by the consistent quality of the emulation since the titles look and play
very much as they did in the arcade days. Most of the games on the disc
remain quite enjoyable to this day and the compilations low price and
diverse selection make for a solid recommendation.
- Michael Palisano
