SNK 40th Anniversary Collection Review

The SNK 40th Anniversary Collection is finally upon Xbox One owners, compiling several arcade classics in one neat, rounded bundle. Furthermore, the Xbox One version exclusively houses the Japanese and North American version of Baseball Stars, for whatever that’s worth. Compilation games are hardly new this gen, which isn’t at all that surprising seeing how popular remakes, remasters and comebacks have been over the last few years. The question here, however, is whether or not this collection in particular is worth it?

That really boils down to your taste. Let’s go over what’s in the box. In addition to Baseball Stars, there’s Alpha Mission, Athena, Crystalis, Ikari Warriors, Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road, Ikari Warriors III: The Rescue, Guerilla War, P.O.W., Prehistoric Isle, Psycho Soldier, Street Smart, TNK III, Vanguard, Chopper I, Fantasy, Munch Mobile, SASUKE vs COMMANDER, Time Soldiers, Beast Busters, Bermuda Triangle, OZMA WARS, PADDLE MANIA, S.A.R., and World Wars. So, plenty of varying games to get stuck into if you’ve a craving for the arcade classics.

The collection’s menus are gorgeously designed, with heaps of extras to dive on via the Museum. The Museum is where you’ll want to be if you’re keen to check out the collection’s soundtracks, browse a comprehensive history-rich bundle of documents, or even soak up some manuals and artwork. There’s no shortage of classic content to sift through, with an overall presentation that truly feels authentic. When you’re done, the collection’s main attraction sits in wait, Arcade. This is where you’ll find all of those aforementioned games.

There’s several options that you can toy around with per-game. You’re free to alter the amount of lives you start with, edit the control mapping, and (should support be in place) flick between regional versions. When playing a game, a quick tap of the menu button will pull up some additional options. Here, you can save/load on the fly, adjust the screen size, toggle the border artwork, and even apply a small range of screen filters. Safe to say, the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection does pretty well at putting you in that old-school zone.

Each game performs as well as expected, with no notable technical issues present throughout my time playing it. I have to commend the presentation of each game too, being that they all look, sound, and play equally as well; regardless as to what ratio or filter you choose to lean on. Naturally, these are all very tough games. In fact, I haven’t been able to complete a single one of them due to how hardcore many of them are. Mercifully, there’s a neat feature present to aid those of lesser skill along the way, and believe me, it’s handy.

Before playing any of the games included in the bundle, you’re able to watch a pro’s playthrough. These playthroughs are all complete, meaning that you can quite literally sit back and watch a run through from start to finish. What’s especially impressive, however, is that during these playthroughs, you’re able to pause the video at any point, and then resume the game from that exact moment. You can indeed fast-forward and rewind any given video playthrough to a point of your choosing too, and then take off from there.

It’s quite a surreal feature. I’ve had a blast merely trying to survive the first level of most of these games, only to load up a video playthrough, skip it to the end, and then play on from that point. Nevertheless, and back to the meat of the matter, the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection is worthy of your time and attention if you’re after that old-school sensation. The only real drawback is that of the cost. The SNK 40th Anniversary Collection will set you back $39.99 (or region equivalent) which is a bit much when we step back and observe.

Whilst there’s no shortage of variety on offer, and whilst all the games perform as they should, there’s really only a handful that stand out. Ikari Warriors and its two sequels, arguably take front seat here, with the likes of Vanguard making me wonder why it even made the cut. Overall, it’s a mixed bag of pros and cons. Don’t get me wrong, there is something for just about everyone here, but when I consider that only (at best) half of these titles are noteworthy, I question whether the price is maybe set just a tad on the high side.

Still, that’s just my own tastes. Judging this as a compilation, and putting the cost and some stinkers to the side, the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection is a solid offering when all is said and done. Everything from its presentation and its depth, right up to its handling and its diversity, is something that should, and must, be appreciated. In summary, for better and for worse, you’re getting a boat-load of classics to enjoy without needing a pocket full of coins, and all the extras and trimmings that you could hope for. Make of that what you will.

Conclusion

The SNK 40th Anniversary Collection, despite a few stinkers, offers a solid blend of classics that will undoubtedly please those looking for a true old-school hit. There’s an experience for just about everyone here, and much more besides in the form of its vast history-rich museum, and its many added extras. The only real issue is that of its steep cost, which may be set a bit too high for even the most dedicated of retro fans.

This game was tested and reviewed on Xbox One. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version.