SNK 40th Anniversary Collection (PS4)

I think a lot of us gamers take the current strides in gaming tech for granted. We don't stop to realize that modern gaming as we know it wouldn't be what it was if the early pioneers of the industry didn't stick with game development through trial and error. SNK, or Shin Nihon Kikaku (as it was once known), is one such pioneer. In their quest to make a name for themselves they not only created competitive alternative options to the hottest genres for the time, but also innovated, and paved the way for other developers to follow in their footsteps as well. In this particular 40th anniversary tribute those feats, and near defeats are made all the more evident. Through the game collection's museum, and it's compendium of ads, manuals, arcade labels, guides, and in-game assets we get to see what exactly makes SNK so special. From the span of 1978 to 1990, and through 70+ game releases SNK's many development decisions earned them a proper place in gaming history among the greats. While there was some struggle with reception, and perception they still managed to survive, and create some of gaming's most memorable moments. Whether it be shmups, early fighting games, RPG platformers, or unique genres all their own SNK's efforts have paid off as they still continue to do what they do to this very day.

The "SNK 40th Anniversary Collection" is, in my opinion, a collection done right. It not only affords the gamer a look into SNK's past via museum archives with inclusive fun facts, illustrations, and in-game assets on full display as the story unfolds via click or automated text, but it also lets the gamer experience some of said games as they prefer. The actual playable game collection is unfortunately more limited than the museum offerings though, but you do get to play through most of SNK's early best. Games like "Athena", the "Ikari Warrior" series, and several shmups of varying design populate an accessible menu listing with so many options for the tweaking. You can change the region of the games, the platform, the difficulty, and various in-game features such as when you earn an extra life. It's well orchestrated offering that not only lets you play the games as intended, but as you remember them as well. In total there are around 25 games available for your gaming pleasure, and each are adjusted to take in account the PS4's DualShock4 controller.

Whether you want to play for nostalgic value, browse for historic recollection/insight, or simply enjoy things such as the game's soundtracks you can do so as you see fit. For those of you highscore hounds out there the scoring system also remains intact, and for progression sake you can utilize the collections' embedded save options so that your bragging rights aren't forfeit. It should be mentioned that couch co-op is also an additional option for the games that allow it.

Presentation-wise "SNK 40th Anniversary Collection" contains scaled down arcade cabinet sized screens with original arcade cabinet art as the border for games that had such a feature upon release. For those of the NES, and PC platforms the screen size is somewhat larger with more simplistic backgrounds. In the way of soundtracks most maintained their original tracks, and aged sound effects. Something fans of those old titles will no doubt be grateful for. Overall the package deal is a feature heavy, and mostly functional porting of old 70's and 80's software. To note you will find that some of the games' hit detection are off, and problematic. Also that movement sometimes seems a little more stiff than you might remember from back in the old days. Of course I think it's fair to say that these minor quirks are to be expected when the controller hardware of today replaces older controller hardware that was much less capable.

The Verdict ...

Despite some functionality flaws I absolutely loved this trip down memory lane. It was fun being able to play games that myself, and my brothers enjoyed when we were younger. Seeing "Ikari Warriros II: Victory Road", the NES version, as I remembered it is an experience that makes this collection worth it for me. At the $39.99 price tag, though a bit steep in my opinion, I think it's an easy sale for those who want to see how we got to where we're at through studios like SNK. I will say I learned some things I did not know about SNK, and it makes me respect them more for their continued contribution to gaming. I hope to see many more games from SNK in the future, and that Samurai Showdown game is definitely on my list of games to buy! If you are a fan of gaming nostalgia, and want to see the birth, and rise of SNK through a competent collection then definitely do not pass this one up!