Arcade Greatest Hits: Midway Collection 1 is a compilation of classic video games that made their debuts in the arcades of yore. In this case, Midway's classics are: Spy Hunter, Robotron 2084, Joust, Defender, Sinistar, and Rootbeer Tapper. All six games are packaged on the one cartridge, along with arcade trivia, and an unfortunately clunky 3-D interface that nevertheless fails to diminish the shine of these classic games. If you've never played these coin-eaters (or you simply can't remember them), here's a rundown:

Defender is a simple game. You are a lone spaceship deployed to protect the earth from a relentless army of alien beings intent on kidnapping humans. The play mechanics are equally simple: scroll right or left, up and down, shooting moving spaceships as they try to scoop up humans. The game translates very well to the N64. The graphics are sharp and the gameplay actions translate well to the controller's buttons.

Joust calls for you to fly your giant bird and forcibly dismount your opponents from their birds, allowing you to collect the eggs that you dislodge in the process. While there have been many imitators, there's nothing like the original.

Spy Hunter is a top-down, weapon-based racing game. You're a spy racing against time and a bunch of evil opponents. The bad guys try to knock you off the road or into various obstacles. You must use your weapons and driving skills to keep going.

Robotron 2084 puts you in position as the last human who can save the world from a legion of endlessly zealous robot attackers. Played from an overhead perspective, the game's controls allow you to aim and fire independently from the direction you're moving.

Sinistar is a classic shooter, and one of the first with digitized voice samples. You and your ship are mankind's last hope against the evil Sini

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This Nintendo 64 game brings back the fun! I sat down with my boyfriend and 12 year old and played for HOURS, becoming quickly addicted to my old favorites, Joust and Defender. My boyfriend is a huge Spy Hunter fan, which my son also loved. We quickly got the hang of Tapper and Robotron. Even the trivia quiz that's included is fun.

The games are all set up like the original arcade versions, with the exact same graphics, and as close to the same controls as you can get. Use a smoke screen to kill of your spy's enemies, avoid the pterodactyl in Joust, catch those little falling humans in defender. The games are the same, the sounds are the same, and the addiction level is the same.

However, now you can play for hours on end for "FREE" in the comfort of your own living room, and share it with your friends and family! Best of all, you can WIPE the entire high scoring board with your name and then challenge them to beat you! Bwah hah hah hah hah ...

A must-have for anyone who loves these games, or wants to see what all the fun was about!

42 of 58 found the following review helpful:

Do YOU Remember?Nov 17, 2000
By David Stalker
Save your quarters and BUY THIS GAME! I have been waiting for this game since they ripped the Root Beer Tapper machine out of my local bowling alley in 1985. Funny thing is, I was still attached to the machine as they rolled it away. My cries of "NO!,ONE MORE GAME!" echoed up and down the bowling lanes. I was the kid who went to the bowling alley and the roller rink to play video games. I could not possibly care less about the people around me, the horrible 80's music blaring in the background, or my friend's birthday party. Yes, I am disturbed. A product of a time long forgotten, almost. Please buy this game if you want 6 extremely addictive, easy to learn but never boring games. This game will not require a "strategy guide" that will cause you to shell out [more money] either! I applaud the creators of this game for their hard work in restoring some true classics. You will not be disappointed, especially if you liked Namco Museum 64. I personally am going to keep my Nintendo 64 just because of this game. Of course, there will be [people] claiming that it can never TRULY be the same again but do not listen. If you were there and you do TRULY remember these games you will be very pleased. Last week my younger brother's friend said I listened to "Dinosaur Rock" and still played "Joust". He could not be more right.

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:

Old school rules!Sep 04, 2001
By Guy L. Gonzalez "Malcontent"
Forget updated 3D graphics and dishonestly expanded storylines! Look elsewhere for video cheesecake and Saturday morning spinoffs! Instead, pull on your favorite Le Tigre shirt, crease a pair of matching colored Lees, slide into a pair of shell-toe Adidas and prepare yourself for an old school time warp complete with cramped and blistered thumbs 'cause this collection rocks! I poured more quarters than I care to remember into the original versions of Robotron 2084, Defender and Joust - three of my all-time favorites - and their faithful reproductions here make it well worth the cost of entry. Add the cartoonish Root Beer Tapper and Spy Hunter, as well as Sinistar (never even heard of this one!) and the Arcade Trivia game (another extra that will test your memory of those glorious quarter-munching days of yore) and you've got a family heirloom! Now, if only I could find an original version of Berzerk...

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:

Very AwsomeApr 03, 2002

This game is the best ever!! My personal favorite game is Spy hunter but I still like root beer taper and sinistar. Anyone that tells you this game is boring is VERY WRONG. I like the quiz that they threw in with all the questions they have. Every chanch I get I play this game it's so fun.

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:

GREAT SLICE OF NOSTALGIA!!!!Jan 18, 2002
By Gene Kato
These games are a wonderful reminder of a time when games were games and not insipid role playing mush. These games take actual skill and hand/eye co-ordination to win. You won't find solution manuals for these. The rules are simple and the games are tough. I highly recommend this. Grab them while they're still around.

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