While most Xbox owners are waiting for their new Xbox 360, there are some great games to play on the Xbox now. Tecmo Classic Arcade was released a while ago, but it is worth looking at since Tecmo has been a long-time force in the arcade business. Games like Tecmo Bowl, Ninja Gaiden and StarForce, just to name a few, were all responsible for getting gamers to feed quarters into the machines. The games were simpler looking back then but they were not easier and not too kind to the player.

Most of the games penalized you in some way either by losing all the power-ups or taking you back to re-do a level. I hate the word retro and refuse to refer to Tecmo Classic Arcade as that. It’s a classic or compilation collection and is very well emulated. These are original versions, not the NES versions for the ones that appeared on that system. It’s a chance to re-live the arcade feel in your own home without having to track down the real machines. Priced a bit more than a usual collection like this, is Tecmo Classic Arcade worth buying? Read on and see.

Gameplay

This collection has eleven games and the highlight for many will be the arcade version of Tecmo Bowl. The game has a 4-player mode and supports 480P HD, which seems strange for an arcade compilation like this. It has a wide range of games and a few gems, but it is missing a gem by not having Ninja Gaiden included. Despite this game missing, Tecmo Classic is one of the best emulated collections I have seen. They include a few games that were favorites of mine in the arcade. Tecmo added instructions for each game on screen and some neat flyers and some history of the games. Here is the list of games included:

  • Tecmo Bowl
  • Rygar
  • StarForce
  • Solomon’s Key
  • Pleiads
  • Pinball Action
  • Senjyo
  • Strato Fighter
  • Swimmer
  • BombJack
  • Tecmo Cup

The overall gameplay is smooth with the Xbox controller. In fact Tecmo Cup used a track ball and controlling the action is very easy and works well. BombJack is the arcade version and is very addictive. All the games on the disc play well, but I have to question the choice to include Pinball Action and Swimmer. Pinball games are popular, but this was not a very accurate recreation of a real pinball game at all. Swimmer is fun but shows its age quickly and is a bit dull.

The remaining games are great and well done and will keep fans happy and playing with the dead-on arcade versions recreated. A few of the games have not been included on any compilation disc before so I can see the appeal. I would have loved to see a few more extras but the smooth emulation and gameplay is great. The load times are very fast, in fact, this may be the smoothest emulated collection out there.

Control / Playability

Most of the games are one button or two and are easy to reach and to use and the response is very good. Learning to play each game will take about ten minutes, if that, since you can always look at the on screen books as they call it on the box. I would have liked to change a few buttons on certain games but for the most part they are all laid-out well and simple to get used to. There is no delay at all when hitting a button or moving the analog stick or D-pad to control the action. Overall, no complaints in this area.

Graphics / Presentation

Almost all of the games look good and successfully recreated the arcade look. The only exceptions are Pinball Action and Swimmer. While they fit the look, the games are just not that great and I only remember Swimmer in the arcade and it was always empty. I like the way they managed to recreate the start up ROM being turned on in intro and this helps grab your attention. Each game looks exactly like its arcade counterpart. You can adjust the screen size and a few other options that add to the overall appeal of the collection.

Audio

Here again a near perfect recreation of the arcade sounds and explosions. Even the sound of the quarter triggering a credit and all the music is dead on. The few games that have voices sound as good as they did in the arcades and will bring back memories. They took time making it sound realistic but again a few added extras would have been nice, perhaps even interviews or something extra to unlock.

Replay Value

For fans of arcade collections, this one has some great games to offer fans. Tecmo Bowl and the more popular games will get played more but give the others a chance and you may be surprised at the challenges they give you. Certainly the die-hard collectors will get the most out of Tecmo Classic Arcade, but even those who may have not have had the chance or weren’t even old enough to play them the first time will get hooked on a few of the games featured in the collection.

Overall Score

Overall Score: 6.0/10 [not an average]

Additional Comments

At $29.99 it is a bit more expensive than the normal budget title. Then again with Tecmo Bowl being the showcase game, this one has plenty to offer especially for the collector. I still wonder why Ninja Gaiden is missing and a few other games from the classic Tecmo days come to mind that should have been on this one. It’s fun and easy to play and that is really what’s important. It really is one of the best emulated compilations I have seen with no jagged edges or strange graphics floating by. Had it been priced at $19.99 it would have been a must have.

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