Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits

UPC: 031719269600

Platform: PlayStation

Publisher: Williams Entertainment

Developer: Digital Eclipse Software, Inc.

Category: Compilation

Style(s): Multi-Genre Compilation

Synopsis: Collecting six early- to mid-'80s arcade games on one CD, Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits includes: Robotron 2084, in which you control a robot who shoots in all directions, killing thousands of enemies and saving innocents; Joust, which is a flying jousting match set in the dinosaur age; Sinistar, a shooter similar to Asteroids but with a talking demon you must destroy; Defender and Defender II (originally called Stargate in the arcades), outer space shooters which scroll both left and right, just as your ships can shoot both left and right; and Bubbles, a game in which you are a bubble, and you must eliminate spiders and other nasties from a sink while trying to avoid razor blades and other hazards. Of the six games in this collection, Bubbles is by far the most obscure and was the least successful commercially in the arcades. Composed of historical facts, anecdotal information, and creator quotes, Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits includes several paragraphs of onscreen text about each title. You can feast your eyes on the Media Gallery, which features pictures of artifacts and memorabilia from the games such as advertisements, game boxes, sell sheets, and production sketches. Also, there is video footage available, featuring interviews with original Williams programmers. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

Package Contents: Instruction Manual

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

These games have been written about extensively over the years. The instruction booklet doesn't offer much, but the on-screen information and video interviews will tell you more than you want to know. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

The graphics in all of these titles are sharp and clear: nothing fancy, mind you, just faithfully reproduced, which is all you need. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

Programmed using the original arcade codes, each of the titles in this compilation has been translated (almost) perfectly from the arcades to the Sony PlayStation. With this in mind, let's look at each game individually and how they have stood the test of time (circa 1996). Robotron 2084, which appeared in the arcades in 1982 was, is, and always will be a blood, sweat, and tears kind of game. When you do manage to survive a wave, it is almost always by the skin of your teeth. Hoards of enemies constantly surround you, and you are all alone. This game has had several upgrades for this and other systems (incorporating 3-D graphics, etc.), but the original remains the best. The control scheme of two joysticks is regrettably missing from this home version, but the control pad works pretty well. Defender and Defender II are the next best titles in this package. These games are almost as challenging and exciting as Robotron 2084, and the shooting action combined with having to rescue innocents works very well together. Also great are the control system and weapons, which were considered very complicated back in 1980 and 1981 when these games originally came out. Joust, premiering in the arcades in 1982, was highly original for its time and holds up very well. This is a highly popular game with both men and women. The gradual rate of difficulty and the smooth controls make Joust a winner. Sinistar, which made its debut in 1982, kicks some serious tail. One of the first arcade games to use voice (who can forget "Run Coward!"), Sinistar is a very difficult but very fun game. It's even kinda scary, especially when you know Sinistar is about to make an appearance. Speaking of Sinistar, the fact that you must gather Sini-Bombs from asteroids for use in killing this big and ugly demon from hell is. Bubbles is the weakest of the lot, but it is enjoyably addictive in a strange way. It's certainly unique in the world of gaming; where else can you control a bubble who gets killed by razor blades? The Bubble is kind of slippery and hard to control, but that's sort of the point. Incidentally, the Super Nintendo version of Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits doesn't include this title. Bubbles premiered at the arcades in 1983. Hardly anyone noticed. For those of us who grew up playing these and other pieces of video game history down at the mall, Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits is more than a heavy dose of nostalgia. It's a whole lot of fun. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

With six interesting and enjoyable titles to choose from, you'll want to hang on to this game. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

The sound effects are very pleasing and accurately reproduced. The voice in Sinistar will scare (or at least amuse) you. Also, Joust features some interesting sound effects. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

Some say that you should leave these kinds of games in the past. To heck with them. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.