Midway Arcade Treasures 2
| Company type | Private (at time of release) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Video games, including Midway Arcade Treasures 2 |
Midway Arcade Treasures 2 represents the second installment of classic arcade game compilations released by Midway Games for the PlayStation 2, Xbox (not compatible with Xbox 360), and GameCube platforms. This collection features 20 titles that were not included in the 2003 release of Midway Arcade Treasures. The ESRB assigned it an M rating, mainly due to mature content found in games like Mortal Kombat II and NARC.
The Xbox edition had a distinctive feature that enabled players to upload their scores to an online leaderboard through Xbox Live, a service available until April 15, 2010. Since then, online connectivity has been restored using alternative servers known as Insignia. Across all platforms, the compilation offers unique extras such as detailed game histories and interviews with developers.
Games
This set comprises the following 20 arcade classics:
In contrast to other sixth-generation arcade collections, this compilation received an M rating because of violent themes present in some games. Had those titles been excluded, the rating would have been T or below. For example, Primal Rage had previously earned a T rating on earlier console versions. Furthermore, Rampage World Tour is included as a bonus in the E10+ rated title Rampage Total Destruction.
Certain originally intended games like S.T.U.N. Runner, Steel Talons, and the original Mortal Kombat were ultimately omitted due to developmental challenges or being allocated to other releases; notably, the original Mortal Kombat was featured in limited edition packages and later compilations. To fill these gaps, less mainstream games such as Kozmik Krooz'r and Wacko were incorporated.
Later compilations addressed some of these omissions: the original Mortal Kombat appeared on the PSP's Midway Arcade Treasures Extended Play and the PC's Deluxe Edition, while S.T.U.N. Runner was added to Midway Arcade Treasures 3.
Reception
Critical response to Midway Arcade Treasures 2 ranged from mixed to positive. It holds a score of 73% on GameRankings and 74 out of 100 on Metacritic. Reviewers noted that the game selection was weaker compared to its predecessor, alongside occasional emulation issues, absence of the original Mortal Kombat, and some interviews and documentaries suffering from grainy visuals without restoration. GameSpot also highlighted as a negative point the inclusion of the original Mortal Kombat 3 instead of the enhanced Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.
Additionally, there were problems with button configuration during gameplay in Mortal Kombat II, which disabled features such as random character selection (Up+Start) and accessing the character Smoke (Down+Start at the Portal stage accompanied by the "Toasty!" message).