Tendo City

Quote: Prepare to Test the Limits of Speed and Catch Some Serious Air while Racing to the Finish Line in Eight of Midway's Greatest Racing Games Ever Midway Games Inc, a leading interactive entertainment industry publisher and developer, today announced the newest addition to the company's Midway Arcade Treasures franchise, Midway Arcade Treasures 3. The third installment in the successful Midway Arcade Treasures series, Midway Arcade Treasures 3 follows in the wake of million unit seller, Midway Arcade Treasures (2003) and the 2004 holiday hit, Midway Arcade Treasures 2. Scheduled to ship Fall 2005, Midway Arcade Treasures 3 is in currently in development for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox video game system from Microsoft, and the Nintendo GameCube with a suggested retail price of $19.99.

Midway Arcade Treasures 3 includes: Badlands, Hydro Thunder, Off Road Thunder: Mud, Sweat 'N Gears, Race Drivin', San Francisco Rush The Rock: Alcatraz Edition, San Francisco Rush 2049, S.T.U.N. Runner, Super Off Road & Bonus Tracks Pack.

-- Andrew Burnes

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/588/588263p1.html

The only catch, of course, is that these will be the arcade versions... meaning better graphics than most of the home ports, but missing the additional features the home ports added... which doesn't matter for some of those games, but it matters a LOT for the Rush games and to a fair extent for Hydro Thunder (four vehicles and two or three tracks are console-exclusive)... still a very nice package, but it doesn't replace the N64/DC version of Rush 2049 for sure (because the arcade game has no battle or stunt modes, and perhaps also no coins... and presumably no (or much less) stat-tracking... leaving just the base racing game.

But still, it's an awesome collection, even if I DO have two Rush games and Hydro Thunder, in their more feature-rich home versions, already -- I mean, Race Drivin'? Super Off-Road (Ironman Ivan Stewart's Super Off-Road? Great arcade game! I want it! :))? S.T.U.N. Runner? Rush 1 (home port didn't add nearly as much as Rush 3's port did, and Rush 2 was N64-exclusive with the exception of the Alcatraz track...)? Off-Road Thunder? Nice collection. :)

Of course, it's not complete. No Arctic Thunder (which I think was released on PS2 at least, perhaps explaining that) and no Cruis'n games, for instance... but the eight games in the collection are a pretty good overview of Midway's racing game history.

Oh yeah, and it'd be a really nice touch if they added splitscreen play for the games that had multi-system multiplay, like Hydro Thunder and the Rush titles... those games with no multiplayer would definitely not be as good.

Oh no, no Cruisin' games!!111111 Arctic Thunder was also shit, btw.

Still, nice selection.

Sure, of those eight included games, all are either better than the Cruis'n games (and probably Arctic Thunder) or I've never heard of them (Badlands)... it's just strange to leave out at least one title from a series as popular as the Cruis'n titles were (and popularity is perhaps most important factor, probably, in deciding what games to include in a collection...). Perhaps it's because they were copublished with Nintendo and they don't have complete rights to republish those games or something?

Disk space could also be an issue, of course... there are some newer games in this collection that are much larger than the old stuff. Perhaps that's why we just get two of the three arcade Rush games (not standard Rush 1)... and we get Hydro Thunder and Off-Road Thunder but not Arctic Thunder (I played it once and yeah, it's not their best racing game ever, and is probably the worst of the three Thunder games, but it's not SO awful that I'm happy when they leave it out of a racing game collection...). Oh well. It's still a very good collection.

Someone on the Gaming-Age forums said Nintendo owns the rights to the Cruis'n games so maybe Midway and Nintendo could strike an exclusivity deal.

Yeah, that would explain it... liscencing problems is also why we didn't get Moon Patrol in Midway Arcade Treasures 1.

That's a pretty good price for all those games.

Well, the first two Midway Arcade Treasures collections each had 20 games, compared to 8 here (9 if you count the Super Off-Road Bonus Tracks Pack as another game)... but this one includes modern games. The newest title in the previous collection was in the mid '90s at best (Rampage World Tour perhaps?), after all, while this goes to 2000... right near the end of Midway's arcade days.

That's what I was referring to, the fact that it has some newer games. I think I'll pick it up when it comes, just for the nostalgia.

And I will because I like the way Midway did arcade racing games. :)

No stunt mode = no sale for me.

That is a big loss, for sure, and will mean that I'll still have much better reason to play the N64 Rush 2049 than this version (I wish they'd just port the DC version...), but the totality of this package goes well over what I expect from any racing game or collection and makes it still a great value.

Plus, it's only $20.

Yeah, for that price I can only complain so much... I mean, I will, because Rush 2049 is one of those titles with a clearly vastly superior home version with equivilant graphics (on DC), but at that price, and with all those other games, I only can so much.

Then we are all in mostly agreement, which is good enough.

Further more, nice collection for those who like these games, but they just aren't my thing... I've said it before, I really only like arcady wacky racers with gimics :D. You know, speed beyond comprehension or wacky amazing banana throwing and stuff. Of course you guys can actually enjoy realistic racing with taking into account breaking just the right amount to make that turn and stay in the lead, where it's the little things that make all the difference. I can see the allure if I had different tastes, but oh well...

Anyway, lack of stunt mode is bad, but yeah it's a decent collection without it. It's just that I'm not interested :D.

... realistic? Midway arcade racing games? I can't think of a statement that is further from the truth... no, they are very definitely arcade racers. "Realistic" is Gran Turismo or NASCAR from Papyrus. Rush is 100% arcade. Turning? Yeah, all racing games, almost, have turning as a big aspect of the game. In Rush it's about when to turn (or mash that handbrake and spin in circles), in Wipeout it's about good use of the airbrakes, in Mario Kart it's about using the R button on turns just right... really, Mario Kart doesn't do turns much different from Wipeout or, say, Hydro Thunder... Rush is a bit more complex because the turning is a bit harder (though not 'realistic' because of the absurd handbrake, the lack of gravity, how easy it is to turn if you set the turning on easy, etc, etc), but that doesn't make it a "sim" racer. It just makes it a bit more complex arcade racer... though I'd say the big difference is definitely not the turning, which is pretty standard arcadish racing game stuff (think Daytona, perhaps... that was a fantastic arcade racer!), but the non-gravity the game exhibits... :D

Well alright, that shows just how out of that genre I am then. What I really mean is I enjoy gimicky VERY out there games to ones with realistic cars and roads, despite what sort of physics and controls they might have. Just my tastes really.

So while many truly enjoy a good racing experience with Cruisin' due to it simply being fun or whatnot, I myself prefer a good racing experience with Mario Kart.

F-Zero and Wipeout aren't realistic cars or roads. :)

As for this collection, they're only vaguely realistic in track designs or vehicles, really...

Cruis'n? Now THAT is a racing game where turning doesn't matter much... all you do is avoid the oncoming traffic, really. Very simplistic game. Fun for a short time, but it quickly gets boring (compared to, say, Rush 2049, which is one of the most addictive games ever...). That's not a great example of the great arcade racing games.

I've always hated the handling of Midway's racers. They got progressively better with each new Rush, but there was something wrong with them. They didn't have the realistic challenge of something like GT or the cartoony unrealistic freedom of something like Mario Kart and F-Zero. It just didn't make sense, in any context.

IMO.

In Cruis'n you used the wall to help you get around tight cornors. And of course you used the boost to get OVER other cars. I remembering playing it with some of my friends a number of years ago and, although it's not really a great example of arcade racing, we managed to have quite a bit of fun just messing around.

Quote:Well alright, that shows just how out of that genre I am then.

You really ARE out of it. Those games are just a step above games like Mario Kart in terms of realism.

Quote:I've always hated the handling of Midway's racers. They got progressively better with each new Rush, but there was something wrong with them. They didn't have the realistic challenge of something like GT or the cartoony unrealistic freedom of something like Mario Kart and F-Zero. It just didn't make sense, in any context.

Hmm... Rush kind of is in between a F-Zero and a GT, you're right... but I think the handling is good. I like Rush 2049 on Extreme handling... I've gotten very used to it and think that it works very well. It requires some skill in handling while still being a very arcadish system... and yes, sometimes trying to be in the middle can mean that you're good at nothing, but I don't think Midway racing physics goes down that road. They do it right.

Quote:You really ARE out of it. Those games are just a step above games like Mario Kart in terms of realism.

Not all of them. Wipeout, for instance, I'd say is no steps more realistic than Mario Kart... F-Zero or Extreme-G are only tiny, tiny steps more realistic as well. Different? Sure. But more realistic? No way.

Sure, not all arcade racing games fall in that category. The next level down is a bit more "realistic" -- Rush, Need for Speed, Burnout, etc. But there... well, play a racing sim and then NFS and if you even pretend to say that NFS is realistic you're pretty foolish.

[QUOTE]In Cruis'n you used the wall to help you get around tight cornors. And of course you used the boost to get OVER other cars. I remembering playing it with some of my friends a number of years ago and, although it's not really a great example of arcade racing, we managed to have quite a bit of fun just messing around.

You can also drive through most trackside obstacles (trees, etc), when you use the speedboost (double-tap the accelerator) in Exotica you flip over the other cars (and knock them out for a second), the turns are very shallow and forgiving except for the traffic and the walls definitely help you along the way... it's pure and simple arcade racing at its most basic. Cruis'n is clearly a decendant of the Pole Position school of racing games... not the greatest racing game ever by a longshot but a lot of fun in short bursts.

Quote:Not all of them. Wipeout, for instance, I'd say is no steps more realistic than Mario Kart... F-Zero or Extreme-G are only tiny, tiny steps more realistic as well. Different? Sure. But more realistic? No way.

I meant the games in the collection. They're slightly more realistic, but not very much.

Quote:Hmm... Rush kind of is in between a F-Zero and a GT, you're right... but I think the handling is good. I like Rush 2049 on Extreme handling... I've gotten very used to it and think that it works very well. It requires some skill in handling while still being a very arcadish system... and yes, sometimes trying to be in the middle can mean that you're good at nothing, but I don't think Midway racing physics goes down that road. They do it right.

You can be good at the game, and I managed to beat most of the cups in the higher difficulty settings, but there was just something nonsensical and arbitrary about the handling and physics of the cars. Their were rules, certainly, but weird ones that didn't seem to fit into any category. When I think of arcade-ish racers with perfect arcade handling and physics, I think of Sega Rally and Mario Kart.

Quote:I meant the games in the collection. They're slightly more realistic, but not very much.

Ah. Mostly, yes. Super Off-Road isn't more realistic than Mario Kart, though. :)

Quote:You can be good at the game, and I managed to beat most of the cups in the higher difficulty settings, but there was just something nonsensical and arbitrary about the handling and physics of the cars. Their were rules, certainly, but weird ones that didn't seem to fit into any category. When I think of arcade-ish racers with perfect arcade handling and physics, I think of Sega Rally and Mario Kart.

Cups? Rush 2049? It doesn't have difficulty settings for the single player, not really... pretty much just 'deaths mode on or off'... and the circuits aren't too hard because it auto-saves after every race and you get infinite replays on each race. And you only have to win the circuit overall. Compared to a Mario Kart, where you've got one chance to do four or more tracks, that's quite forgiving... the main difficulty with Rush 2049 is just the time factor it takes. There are 50 races until you win the game, after all, and you won't be doing a lot of those well enough on the first try.

Mario Kart... I've never loved the physics there. :) Double Dash is alright, but give me Rush or Wipeout physics any day, I definitely prefer them. Double Dash is just so simple in comparison... oh, a fun game to be sure, but not my favorite kind of racer.

(DJ: you can't say you prefer kart racers when you have so little experience with other kinds of arcade racing games that you don't know much of anything about what they are like... perhaps you would still like kart racers more, but saying so without trying other things? Uhh...)

Sega Rally... haven't played that one much. Railed-to-the-course rally racer, I know... but not exactly how the handling is.

Sega Rally 2 handles like a wet dream. It's perfect.

And cups, or whatever. It's been a while.

Well actually I have tried a lot of other racers. I don't remember the details, just that I didn't really find them all that fun. Don't worry, I am not the sort to judge a genre I haven't played before. I like kart racers but I also like ludicrous speed racers like F-Zero. Generally, I just need a gimic to hold my interest in racing games, that's all. Don't take my lack of paying attention to the details as anything other than me just not finding them interesting enough to warrent comminting much to memory. It's just me though, many people do enjoy those games and with good reason. My tastes just differ.

Quote:Sega Rally 2 handles like a wet dream. It's perfect.

And cups, or whatever. It's been a while.

*plays PC demo of Sega Rally & Sega Rally 2*

Hmm... so you turn and it kind of 'locks' the turn so you can glide around it... and there's lots of sliding. Kind of like Ridge Racer, Screamer 2, and RalliSport Challenge.

The problem is, I've never been a fan of rally racers... sure, it's an arcade rally racer. But that's never been one of the types of racing games I've loved. I remember playing that Sega Rally (1) PC demo years back... my opinion then holds: a decent racer, but nothing special to be sure. The second one might be a bit better, but still, not one of the greats of the genre I'd probably say. Though it would be nice to see how it plays on more challenging tracks. :)

Arcadish racing games... I love them... yeah, I got Ridge Racer 64 two days ago. Solid game, but my opinion on it hasn't changed overall. The store had it, I don't, and I couldn't resist... I have 12 N64 racing games and I can think of at least ten more I wouldn't mind owning (hmm... Penny Racers, Re-Volt, Micro Machines 64, Rush 1, Stunt Racer 64, Mario Kart 64, 1080 Snowboarding (Wave Race 64 is just too similar to the GC game to be worth getting)... and there are so many more decent ones, from Destruction Derby 64 to Snowboard Kids 1 or 2 to Lego Racers and S.C.A.R.S.... um, yeah... er, Aero Gauge? Extreme-G 2, despite the fact that I have it already for PC? Heck, if they were cheap enough and I had some extra money I'd even consider Cruis'n USA and World and California Speed (though those three are right near the bottom of the list)...

... but that isn't the sad part. The sad part is how thin the GC lineup is. I have half as many GC racing games as I do N64 ones (6 vs. 12), and yet I can only think of five or six more that I wish I had... (Tube Sliders, Mario Kart Double Dash!!, Burnout 2, 1080 Avalanche, perhaps SSX Tricky... yes, there are also some in the 'maybe worth getting' category, though. Smashing Drive (only for really cheap), Speed Kings (yeah, probably, it's like Burnout...), Kirby's Air Ride (maybe... maybe not. I played it a bit, it's okay but nothing spectacular.) Crazy Taxi (rented, it's okay but I was getting bored by the middle of the rental -- not a good sign for a purchase.)... that's about all. I don't know if stuff like Wreckless or Smuggler's Run really count... and despite how great it is, SpyHunter definitely doesn't. The fact that I beat SpyHunter within the space of the rental, and still have that savefile on my memory card, doesn't help with that one either. :)

This collection will help with that, at least somewhat.

http://cube.ign.com/articles/613/613376p1.html

It's looking awesome... I still wish it was complete (that means that despite their mediocricy I wish it had California Speed and Arctic Thunder... as for the Crusin' games, I imagine that the Nintendo-published thing there means that doing them would need Nintendo's support, and I guess no one came up with the good idea of adding them as GC-exclusive extras. :(), but oh well, what's there is fantastic...

Oh, this makes me very happy.

I've never played the Super Off-Road Tracks Pack... I want to, Super Off-Road is a true classic and a great racing game.


Rush 1, great game.


Alcatraz is probably the best track in this game. And Rush 2 for N64 (which, as an N64 exclusive, isn't here.).

Hydro Thunder was cool. I'm not buying this for that game, though, because I have it for N64... just better graphics doesn't convince me. :)



the arcade machine was cool, but I don't know if it's aged well...


Offroad Thunder doesn't look too good.



And of course, the centerpiece of the collection. :) ... sure, I have it for N64. So? I don't have a Dreamcast, and this is the next best thing... though given that it's mainly an arcade port and presumably won't have all the features of the home ports, the DC version is probably still worth getting... for someone as big a fan of this game as me, anyway...



Yes, it WILL have multiplayer! I was really wondering about this, and am VERY happy to see it in. So... what about the other games? How many of them will have multi, and for how many players? I'm sure Super Off-Road will be 3-player, but the others... I'm wondering. Hoping for something to have 4-player support, too, but I'm not overly hopeful about that one. I don't know if any of these original arcade machines supported it... Rush 2049, Hydro Thunder, and others did support 2-player in the arcade, but 4? And in the home ports of these games four player support has been only occasionally iincluded (like Hydro Thunder for N64... but in 3 or 4 player mode you're stuck with the internal camera... or Rush 2049, with only 2 player for the actual racing...). But hey, I can hope, right? :)


Oh yeah, there's also S.T.U.N. Runner and Badlands in the collection. And videos linked on the IGN preview.

http://www.yakyak.org/viewtopic.php?t=36928

Rush 2049 is the Dreamcast version (or based on it). Hydro Thunder is supposedly also ported from home consoles -- that'd probably be the Dreamcast version too (arcade-perfect with the one flaw of just being two-player... the N64 version wasn't nearly as good graphically, but did have that 4-player mode (though it was crippled with an in-boat-only camera). But anyway, DC Rush 2049... Arcade-perfect with all the additions the home console versions brought. Awesome. Worth buying again for the improvements despite the fact I already have it for N64... the other seven games? Cool to have, some more than others... but Rush 2049 is definitely the centerpiece, for me. :)

I'd buy an online Rush 2049 game, if it were cheap enough.

neednowbuyneed...

http://media.cube.ign.com/media/730/730190/vids_2.html

... Rush 2049, you know... :)

Oh, and Offroad Thunder looks decent in motion, better than it does in screenshots... but nothing like Rush (either one) or Hydro Thunder, for sure.