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 SNK
Arcade Classics (Wii)
Featuring 16 classic titles, SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 delivers a solid
selection of the company's legendary games for the Wii There's a varied
genres covered ranging from action titles like Sengoku and King of the
Monsters and Last Resort and of course several fighting titles like World
Heroes, Fatal Fury and the original Art of Fighting. Each title is
faithfully reproduced here, looking and playing identically to their
arcade counterparts. Numerous extras such as unlockable artwork, moves
lists and movies are unlockable as well. Using either the standard Wiimote
or the classic controller, the games play identically to their originals.
SNK delivers a great value for Wii owners, who will find plenty of
hardcore classic gaming in this package. |
Wii owners can be forgiven for feeling that
their system has gotten a bad rap from the self-professed 'hardcore'
gaming crowd. It's not that the innovative controllers and Nintendo's own
release schedule seems to ignore these players, but the console doesn't
seem to be the ideal place for the hardcore gamer. However, the overlooked
virtual console releases are quite extensive and a number of excellent
packages are available for the system that bring the classic 2D arcade
experience home flawlessly. One the best developers, SNK Playmore has
supported the Wii from day one with a series of excellent releases,
including Metal Slug and King of Fighters compilations. Continuing on with
this trend is SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1. This title includes a variety of
genres and titles that offers a well-rounded retrospective on SNK's
legendary titles that delivers the solid gameplay and fantastic visuals
that made Neo Geo titles stand out from the pack. The Wii edition doesn't
change to much from other versions of the game and has a similar selection
of games and menu screens. Players can use the standard wiimote controller
as a good start, and use it in a traditional NES style horizontal
position. For a more accurate experience, players can choose to connect
the classic controller, or go all the way with Hori's Wii Fighting Stick,
which delivers an almost flawless arcade experience that makes you almost
feel like you're playing on Neo-Geo hardware. These control configurations
should please gamers looking for an authentic recreation of the arcade
gameplay while delivering plenty of value.
 The
highlight of this release is probably the first console appearance of
Shock Troopers, a really superb action/combat title that expands and
innovates the company's older Ikari Warriors game with both vertical and
horizontal action, excellent character animations and the challenging, yet
not excessively frustrating gameplay that became SNK's trademark. This is
a high-quality title that's as good as anything on the Neo-Geo, and its
accessibility to a mainstream audience should be cause for celebration.
Next up we have Art of Fighting, one of SNK's seminal titles that served
as the genesis of later series such as King of Fighters. While the move
lists and animation seem a little bit lean these days, the solid and tight
play mechanics in this title set the stage for what would come later.
Speaking of which, the excellent KOF '94 is also included on this disc,
and playing both games back-to-back shows a dramatic jump in quality with
a massive number of characters, vastly improved backgrounds and character
animation and much deeper gameplay that makes it one of the highlights in
this long-running fighting franchise. The stylish kanji inspired fighting
world of Samurai Shodown was one of the most memorable series in history
and the inclusion of its first installment shows the balance, depth and
fantastic character design that would become the series' trademark later
on. World Heroes was a bit of a generic Street Fighter II clone, but its
excellent balance and great animation made it a solid addition to the SNK
library, though later revisions were when the series really began to shine
in terms of overall quality and design. Another original fighter was Fatal
Fury, a legendary SNK title if there ever was one, though this was also
limited in terms of character numbers and move lists, it had several
innovative features such as the ability to fight on different planes, and
moves that would make the camera zoom in for a close-up view of the
action. It's also a surprisingly difficult title in terms of opponent AI
and while it's difficult to beat, it makes a great introduction to the SNK
style of fighting, which was more technical and less flashy than Capcom's
approach.
These popular titles made SNK synonymous
with the fighting genre, but the company delivered excellence in other
genres as well. While the graphics in the side-scrolling Magician Lord
were amazing for their time, what stands out about this classic adventure
is its difficulty, where enemies attack you mercilessly, giving you little
room for error. The game's outstanding design made for some very difficult
boss battles, but persistent players were rewarded with one of the
console's most satisfying experiences. The horizontal scrolling shooter
Last Resort shows off the Neo Geo's technical capabilities with a cool
cyberpunk look and some surprisingly difficult boss battles, but it offers
only a taste of the many excellent shooters on the system. King of the
Monsters was probably one of the most popular SNK titles amongst what are
now called casual players, and while its simple play mechanics and destroy
everything motif were seen in Rampage, the game's vastly superior graphics
and open-ended environments made for some truly impressive battles between
the gigantic combatants. King of the Monsters has held up surprisingly
well and it makes a great pick up and play title for gamers looking for a
quick burst of action. Fans of the old-school Final Fight style brawler
will probably enjoy Burning Fight, which features very familiar play
mechanics, though much better visuals than many of the home-console
versions could deliver. In a similar, but somewhat strange style is
Sengoku, another side-scrolling brawler, but this time you're fighting
against hordes of undead samurai on surreal stages that take place both in
cities and a kind of strange netherworld, which makes this more
interesting than the standard cities most of these titles usually offer.
Platform fans will have much to like with Top Hunter, a very interesting
and challenging title where you have to change planes and make more
strategic moves in order to progress from level to level. A pair of sports
games are also included, the arcade-style action of Super Sidekicks 3: the
Next Glory makes it fairly easy to play and instantly enjoyable, and this
version's excellent graphics and broad selection of teams make it
accessible as well. The golf title Neo Turf Masters is also fun, offering
some fairly interesting courses, solid visuals and an excellent feel
overall that should please casual sports fans.
 Wii
owners looking for classic gaming action could do worse than this
compilation. While many of the games on this disc are also available via
the Virtual Console, purchasing them individually would be much more
expensive, and less convenient than the single disc purchase. The
emulations are nearly flawless for each game, and the relatively speedy
load times make the overall experience an enjoyable one. SNK Arcade
Classics' broad selection of genres and games allows for plenty of
variety, and its use of multiple control configurations lets players
choose to play in a casual manner with just the wiimote or go all the way
with the classic controller and even an arcade stick. There are several
other compilations available on the Wii, but SNK Arcade Classics offers a
large range of solid titles at a fair price, making it good choice for
those looking for an authentic arcade experience on the Wii.
- Michael Palisano
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