Data East Arcade Classics (Wii) :: Game Review

• Wii

by TheDCD on 03.08.10

The PlayStation 2 was once home to a number of arcade compilations from companies such as Midway, Namco, Capcom, Taito, and others. However, with the PS2 market dwindling in favor of newer hardware, it appears that the Nintendo Wii is picking up the slack. For its first retro-flavored entry in 2010, it’s getting Majesco’s Data East Arcade Classics, a compilation of a dozen “classic” games from the now-defunct arcade maker. There are a few favorites worth replaying, but there are also some forgettable titles — ones I wish hadn’t been considered in favor of better games. C’mon, Robocop isn’t even here!

Probably the three biggest highlights of the bunch are Burgertime, Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja, and Caveman Ninja. Burgertime, as you might remember, is a fun little game in which you try to form giant burgers as you run around and avoid rogue foods like eggs and hot dogs. Bad Dudes is a decent beat-em-up Double Dragon clone in which you try to save the president (“Let’s go get a burger! Ha ha!”) from an evil ninja clan. Then there’s Caveman Ninja, also known as Joe and Mac, in which you battle the caveman odds against creatures and enemies while chasing after your girls.

Other games are here, including the “rare” Burgertime sequel Peter Pepper’s Ice Cream Factory (which sucks), the Ikari Warriors clone Heavy Barrel (which isn’t bad), the Pac-Man spin-off Lock ’n’ Chase, the basketball game Street Hoop, the pool game Side Pocket, the beat-em-up Crude Buster (aka Two Crude Dudes), and the spy action game Secret Agent (aka Sly Spy). It's not a bad collection, but there are some obvious favorites missing, such as Robocop (probably due to licensing issues), Spinmaster (from the Neo-Geo), Windjammers (from Neo-Geo), Street Smart (a fun, quick beat-em-up), and my personal favorite, Captain America and the Avengers (again, damn licensing issues).

These games are mild fun, but that’s really all you’ll get in this cheap $20 collection. The menus aren’t anything to write home about, despite the presence of classic game logos and a subpar selection menu. There are no in-depth explorations to the company’s history, no bonus goodies, and nothing in terms of control manipulation. You’re stuck with the default stuff, and well, that’s pretty much it. The games play well enough, but I would’ve really preferred some extra options to make it feel more like my own experience and not Majesco’s. Default isn’t always the best way to go, despite what game companies tell you.

As for emulation, it’s solid but nothing special. These are games from the 1980s and ’90s after all, and not anything that can measure up with today’s modern-day efforts. Still, there are treasures to unearth here, such as the punk-looking heroes in Crude Buster (“What a day!”) and the humorous animations in Caveman Ninja. Plus, I just love going off on enemies once I form the Heavy Barrel gun. It fires beams so quickly and efficiently that they fry everything — and I mean everything — in their path. Two-player support is a major plus as well, as there are some games you’ll just want to play with a friend. Bad Dudes definitely comes to mind.

If you’re a classic gamer and don’t want to mess with a MAME emulator, Data East Arcade Classics is a solid purchase for $20. You get 12 games for less than $2 each, and most of them are certainly worth it. However, with a little more time and effort, this could’ve been a compilation that lived up to the company’s reputation, instead of a reminder serving us that time isn’t kind to all game manufacturers. We already knew that, silly. The Bad Dudes told us.