By Kevin "Berserker" Hall
A few months ago, SNK Arcade Classics Volume 1 was released on PS2 and PSP.
SNK has now released this classic game collection for the Wii console and it
comes to us with the usual Wii controls and a slight price increase ($10) that
is expected on the Wii console. Much like how the PS2 had some of these classic
games already released in other collections, the Wii has some of the games
available in its online Virtual Console via the Wii Shop Channel store, so not
all of these games are new for Wii owners either. All of them together for the
price of $30 is still a better deal than having to dish out 900 points each for
the Wii Virtual Console versions if you plan to buy all the ones available on
the Wii Shop Channel however.
SNK Arcade Classics still has all the games that were released for the PS2
version: Art of Fighting, Baseball Star 2, Burning Fight, Fatal Fury, King of
the Monsters, Last Resort, Magician Lord, Metal Slug, Neo Turf Masters, Samurai
Showdown, Sengoku, Shock Troopers, The Next Glory, The King of Fighters '94, Top
Hunters and World Heroes. If you are interested in my opinions of the full game
lineup then be sure to check out my
SNK Arcade Classics PS2 review since my thoughts still remain the same with
this version.
The collection still takes advantage of the Goals system in which certain
tasks performed in each game will unlock extra content under the main menu. Most
extra content comes in the form of move lists (for the fighters), artwork and
music tracks. World Heroes is the only game that must be unlocked through
earning a certain number of medals. Much like Xbox 360 achievements, the Goals
system gives the player something extra to strive for in each game besides a
simple playthrough.
Each game in the Wii version may be played with the Wii remote and nunchuk
setup. You can choose to play games with the remote and nunchuk together or they
can be played with the remote by itself. Games may also be played with a
Gamecube controller or the Wii classic controller. Control options may be
changed through the main menu in each game and they can be set up to where each
game shares the same control setup. Normally a game that is released on Wii has
some type of motion controls that may be used, but this game does not carry any.
The motion controls that were used in Metal Slug Anthology for the original
Metal Slug are no longer an option. Playing some of the games with the remote
and nunchuk setup works fairly well, but most SNK fighting fans will likely
prefer to use the classic controller or Gamecube controller to play the fighting
games included therein. Even without the motion controls, this version has the
best control options out of the three versions that are available thanks to
numerous control setups.
One might think that SNK Playmore simply ported the PS2 version over to the
Wii version with a simple implementation of Wii controls, but that is not the
case here and the Wii benefits strongly from that fact. The Wii version's games
are much better emulated and play noticeably better in the process. Samurai
Showdown no longer slows down in between hits, Sengoku controls much better,
Metal Slug has much smoother animation and gameplay and King of Fighters '94
plays much faster without the addition of extra slowdown. These are only a few
examples of the better emulation of the Wii version. Every game in this
collection benefits a bit from running smoother. Some games appear to have
additional sound effects that were not implemented from the original in the PS2
version. Even the main menu can be scrolled through faster on the Wii version.
As one might expect, the load times are basically cut in half from the Wii
version when compared the PS2 version as well. If you are trying to decide
between the PS2 version and the Wii version then I would recommend paying the
extra $10 for the Wii version since the games are more enjoyable thanks to the
better emulation. The Wii version is definitely the ultimate version for any SNK
fan. Even though SNK Playmore did not add any extra motion controls to take
advantage of the Wii controller, the control setup is still better than the
other two versions and this version runs much smoother as well.
The Good:
+ Goals system places some drive into beating each game and performing certain
tasks to score unlockables
+ Cleaner, less loading, less slowdown, few missing sound effects from PS2
version were added. It's an overall better emulated collection.
+ Overall good selection of control options
The Bad:
- No motion controls
In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated:
72%. SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 moves onto the Wii
with some better emulation and control options over the latter two making it a
slightly more enjoyable experience.
