Collection essentials #585: Midway Arcade Treasures 2

I’ve already talked about how companies during this console generation were getting in the habit of releasing compilation discs of their old arcade games. So it made sense for the prolific Chicago-based company Midway to do the same. Midway released a great many arcade games back in the day, many of which became very popular. I’d probably say that they’re my favorite non-Japanese arcade game developer. Even before arcade compilations were cool, they had already dabbled in the “arcade port compilation” business in the mid-90s on previous consoles, with a handful of titles per release. The compilations in this console generation would be bigger and better.

The first Midway Arcade Treasures game focuses mostly on games from the ‘80s, with a couple 1990 releases thrown in. It’s quite a good collection, including many recognizable names such as Defender, Rampage, Smash TV, Paperboy, Marble Madness, Gauntlet, Joust, and more. I didn’t put it on this list, in part because there are other compilations now with those games and I’m not particularly attached to that specific release. The second Midway Arcade Treasures, and subject of this current post, also has a lot of ‘80s titles, but has more from the ‘90s, with the youngest game on the list being one from 1997. There was also a third Midway Arcade Treasures which has fewer games and focuses more on racers such as Hydro Thunder and Rush 2049. Again, a quality release, but one that I’m not especially attached to.

There were a particular group of gamers that were excited for Midway Arcade Treasures 2: Mortal Kombat fans. This game was to feature ports of Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat 3 that were practically arcade-perfect. All home versions of MKII up to that point were serviceable but very noticeable downgrades from the arcade version in various ways. The PS1 had a very good port of Mortal Kombat 3, but it came with long loading times that would be reduced to snappy arcade speed in this version. Why no Mortal Kombat 1? Well, that game was to be included in the special edition of Mortal Kombat: Deception which was releasing around the same time. Why regular Mortal Kombat 3 instead of the superior rerelease Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3? Well…that’s a somewhat puzzling decision that wasn’t made clear.

Well, these versions were not quite 100% arcade perfect. There are some inaccuracies and imperfections, probably most notably with little sound glitches. It’s also impossible to fight the secret boss Smoke in MKII or use the random fighter select, due to the requirement of pressing the “Start” button which brings up the pause menu instead of doing what it would in the arcade. Gameplay is also a bit faster, for better or worse. But as a Mortal Kombat fan back in 2004, I was still more than pleased to get my hands on these ports.

This disc has a lot more to offer than just Mortal Kombat, though. There are 18 other games included. They are games that are generally not as famous as the ones on the first compilation, though some are sequels or “spiritual successors”. Sequels include stuff like Gauntlet II, Spy Hunter II and Rampage World Tour. The successor to Smash TV, named Total Carnage, is included. There’s also Arch Rivals, which is somewhat of a lesser-known predecessor to Midway’s big hit NBA Jam.

My favorite non-Mortal Kombat game on the list turned out to be one I had never heard of called “Timber” from 1984. In this game, you play as a lumberjack (and optionally with a friend for two-player action) and move around a square-shaped area chopping down a series of trees which spontaneously shoot up from the ground. You need to be quick because you’re racing against the clock, and you must also avoid bees which can sting the extra lives out of you.

There are some “DVD-like” extras as well, including old advertisements from the different games and the occasional video. There’s not a ton of video content, but most notable is a rather extended look at the making of Mortal Kombat 3 which I thought was pretty cool.

As I’ve mentioned before, 2004 was a year that was especially into Mortal Kombat, having gotten very involved with a Mortal Kombat forum early in the year. And so, when we heard that Midway Arcade Treasures 2 was coming with ports of MKII and MK3, we were hyped! And since it launched at a budget price, it was a no-brainer purchase. I wasn’t disappointed! The copy shown in the photo is my original from when the game first came out.

MAT2 could have been better and it’s not the greatest arcade compilation disc ever. There are better ways to play klassic Mortal Kombat now, but some of the games on this disc have scarcely ever been ported since, so there is merit to checking it out. I do still like it a lot despite its flaws, and nostalgia puts it over the hump as an essential for my collection.