The Video Game Critic

The other day I picked up Konami Classics 1 & 2 (360) at Best Buy.  They were $19.99 each.  The first one contains Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Frogger, and Super Contra.  Symphony is a PS1 classic, and you get a high-rez "enhanced" graphic option.  Frogger is the original arcade hit with high-rez graphics, and Super Contra is an old arcade title (enhanced graphics also available).  These games are a lot of fun, and formerly only available from Xbox Live.  It's nice to have a "hard" copy, but if you're not on-line, high scores are not saved, and that stinks.

The other disk, which I have not played yet, contains Contra, Rush N Attack, and Track and Field.  These look like the original arcade versions (which enhanced graphics as an option I presume).

Have you guys heard of these yet?

Sounds like good deals. I have a question not owning a XBox. I looked up the games on amazon and they showed screenshots why were they boxed 4:3 with some pattern on the sides of the game area? You'd think if you got an "enhanced graphics" version that would include widescreen wouldn't you? Or are they just not showing me the right setting? I agree 100% on the hard copy. I've yet to purchase any game for my Wii on it's services just don't like the concept of digitally owning a game. I like box art, manuals and a physical item for my money.

I was happy to see that you could finally get a 'hard copy' of Symphony of the Night for the 360.


I need to ask this - you run your own website, from what I understand you are a software developer, and you seem generally to be someone who keeps up with the latest technology. How is it that your 360 is not connected to the internet? There's no effort involved, once your network is connected and configured the console signs you in automatically when you boot it up. I never really play competitive multiplayer or online focused games, but I do keep mine online just to have access to the wealth of great material that's on the Xbox Marketplace and to download demos, etc. It's worth it, I think.

Pixelcade: The Symphony screen is cropped, with decorative graphics around the edges to fill in the widescreen.  They had to do this, because even the enhanced version is exactly the same game - just less pixelated.

Jason: As for being online, I would need to pick up the wireless attachment, which is a rip-off.  I don't like being on-line in general - I like being in my own little world when I play.  When my PS3 was online I got annoyed with the constant system and game updates, so I disabled the network.  Finally, I always have a pile of un-reviewed games to work on, so the idea of downloading demos is not appealing to me.

Their high score tables aren't saved on XBLA either, same as most of the classic coinops on the service.

The only score that gets saved are those that go on to a leaderboard, the high score tables in the attract modes for some reason erase when you leave the game.

I can't believe you've still not taken your consoles online. I can't imagine getting half the enjoyment I've gotten out of all three current consoles if I stayed offline, and I barely do online multiplayer. So many great games on things like XBLA, or the fun competition brings when your trying to beat friends for score on online leaderboards in classic games, and many other benefits it brings to the table have all greatly increased my enjoyment on all three platforms.

Your reviews of current generation games lose a lot of relevance to me (And I imagine most 360/PS3 owners and many Wii owners) by staying offline. I don't see how a reviewer can provide an accurate picture of something like Mario Kart Wii when a significant mode of the game is ignored.

Also, by not providing reviews for the many great digital releases they provide, it severely detracts from your review sections. I'm not fond of the digital feature we're facing in videogaming, but I don't see it as grounds for ignoring great games like Outrun Online Arace. I think I've probably spent as much time in XBLA, Virtual Console/WiiWare, and PSN games as I have disc releases for all three consoles. Even just reviewing the consoles themselves (Which you do for each platform), I wouldn't pay any attention to a console review if a significant feature wasn't utilized and they were trying to critique the console.

Paying attention to such a review would make about as sense as seeking out reviews for a Blu-Ray player and finding one where the reviewer had only played back DVD's in their player as I was trying to find a good Blu-Ray player.

[QUOTE=The Video Game Critic]Finally, I always have a pile of un-reviewed games to work on, so the idea of downloading demos is not appealing to me. [/QUOTE]But there's so many good ones though! Take Soldner-X, for example. If you don't have a game-ready PC, the only way to play this awesome side-scrolling shooter is by downloading it from PSN.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVlS-46HgTI

Yeah, I've heard of these things, but they're already on the XBLA and unless you're militant against downloadable games, there's no benefit for having them on a disc and even if there was, these would still be lazy packages.

You see, despite the fact that these have all been on the Xbox Live Arcade, it's not like the download sizes for them are very big (probably less than 100 MB for all the games on each disc), so getting them on a disc isn't as helpful for that as, say The Watchmen: The End is Nigh (with both episodes at or close to 1 gigabyte).

And then there are the prices.  Symphony of the Night costs $10 on XBLA and Frogger and Super Contra are both $5.  There's no savings there at all over buying the downloadable versions.  In fact, for the collection with Contra, Rush 'n Attack, and Track and Field, it's more expensive to get the disc version than it would be to download them, since each one costs $5 on XBLA. 

Compare the price thing with Namco Museum Virtual Arcade; along with the extra games, it too cataloged some Xbox Live Arcade games of theirs.  The difference is that it included 9 games which, in their downloadable forms, would cost $60 in total, yet the disc costs $30 and you get a whole bunch of other games and content, too. 

Look, I know a lot of people here hate downloadable games, but please don't let that blind you into thinking that this case of putting them on a disc is worthwhile, especially when there are so many better examples of the same thing.

[QUOTE]Leo -- "I don't see how a reviewer can provide an accurate picture of something like Mario Kart Wii when a significant mode of the game is ignored."  [/QUOTE]

-- Online play is not what I consider a significant mode of this game. It's only significant IF you enjoy playing with other people. I bought it on launch and love the game, played till there was nothing more for me to achieve. I decided ok lets see what all this online hype is about. It was no different to me than playing the real game only a bit harder with people that had some skill. To it's defense I did enjoy getting friends from across the country together to play but after we did it a few times it just wasn't as fun any more.

[QUOTE]Michael D -- "Look, I know a lot of people here hate downloadable games, but please don't let that blind you into thinking that this case of putting them on a disc is worthwhile, especially when there are so many better examples of the same thing."[/QUOTE]

To me I want a disc or whatever it is. I want a case and a manual. I love to see what types of designs are being used on these products. I think back to a time when I'd get a game say a NES game, I loved the box art, opening the packaging, looking through the manual this is the other experience of the game. Companies used to put great work into this and the marketing team and the designers that came up with the stuff hoped it would enhance your purchase and for this gamer/dvd viewer it does.

I'm happy to get these old games again on a collection. Like the Critic I love collections. I also like to have hard coppies. I don't like the idea of possibly losing down-loadable content to it being erased. I too do not have my 360 on-line. I may be the only person that agrees w/ the critic for not wanting their systems on-line.

My only complaint is 3 games only. Come on that's pretty cheap of Konami. Sure I'll still get them, but 3?  Especially since the Genesis collection had 30 games.

I own both. These xbox-live retail discs are a God-send to people like me whom don't have and cannot afford high-end net access to download xboxlive service.

The first disc is a MUCH better deal than volume 2. Castlevania SOTN is a lengthy game and worth the 20 bucks alone, but besides that, volume 2 is only good for Contra. Track&Field SUCKS and Rush N' Attack is just OKAY.

Overall, I recommend  volume 1, but can't recommend volume 2.

But I must also state the obvious........look at the various Sega Genesis collection discs, the Namco Museum discs, the Midway Treasures discs, etc...........3 games per disc IS a rip-off, there's no reason why all 6 games(along with many more) shouldn't have been on ONE disc.