Arcade collections are a funny thing. When I approached Midway Arcade Treasures: Extended Play on the PSP there were a number of games that I had absolutely loved as a teenager in the early Eighties. With Capcom Classics Collection Remixed, I had no preconceived notions - the closest I've come to playing a game from this collection is 1942, which is the predecessor to 1941. Familiarity is a double-edged sword in these cases - knowing the games makes you excited and more forgiving of gameplay issues but less forgiving of implementation issues. For better or worse, a complete lack of first-hand knowledge of any of the twenty games in the Capcom Classics Collection Remixed allowed me to evaluate each for gameplay based on current standards - and in general the collection holds up very well, with only a few clunkers mixed in with the gems, all wrapped together in a solid package.

The user interface in Classics Remixed is very well done and allows you to play the game or access the settings easily. Each game also has a history page that notes the original release date, as well as interesting facts about the game. The access is quick and the information is interesting - it all works to bring together a compelling feeling of the collection as a sampling of gaming history. The load times are acceptable, given that an entire game is loading, generally no more than thirty seconds. The controls are shown as the game loads and work very well in most games, plus they're user definable in all cases anyway. One of the greatest things is the screen modes; the games start in a default aspect ratio, which the player can change. Each game has several modes, including standard, extended, which gives more information on the side, stretch, which fills the screen, and most also offer one or two vertical modes. However, using these involves control with the directional arrows and analog stick while also holding the PSP, which becomes painful quickly.

The games in the collection represent an array of Capcom fighters and shooters from the late Eighties to the early Nineties. The full list comprises 1941, Avengers, Bionic Commando, Black Tiger, Block Block, Captain Commando, Final Fight, Forgotten Worlds, Last Duel, Legendary Wings, Magic Sword, Mega Twins, Quiz & Dragons, Section Z, Side Arms, The Speed Rumbler, Street Fighter, Strider, Three Wonders and Varth. Some of these are wonderful, including Magic Sword, Strider, 1941, Captain Commando, and Black Tiger. Some classics have not aged very well, such as Final Fight and Street Fighter, while others are just not very good games at all - and it is not clear that they ever were, like Quiz & Dragons, The Speed Rumbler, and Avengers. Still, the amount of solid to excellent games in the collection makes it pretty easy to disregard the average and lousy ones.

Playing these games on your PSP is much like playing them in the arcade - the controls translate well, as do the visuals and sounds. It is the games themselves that determine whether or not they are still enjoyable though. For example, 1941 is playable with the visuals shrunk and centered and the PSP in normal orientation, or in expanded full-vertical mode using the arrow-keys and analog stick for controls. The vertical mode looks better, but the controls are difficult on the hands. However, once you find an orientation that works for you, the game is brilliant - the action is non-stop, the graphics are clear and smooth, and the original game audio comes through nicely. Similarly, two of the side-scrolling fighter games - Magic Sword and Captain Commando - are playable on full widescreen and the graphics look as good as many current PSP games. The controls map to the PSP as if they were meant for the system; these games are visceral and exciting, and you will find it hard to put them down once you start playing. However, the two games I disliked the most - The Speed Rumbler and Avengers - are a struggle to play. The graphics haven't aged well and neither has the gameplay. The audio works well enough, but it matters little; these games were likely forgettable in the arcade and are a terrible addition to this collection years later.

Aside from the few poor games included, there are a couple of minor issues. First, there is no in-game save. Obviously none of these games had saves, but on the handheld it would greatly enhance the pick up and play appeal to play a few rounds, suspend the game to play another and then return later to finish. Secondly, something I would call a missed opportunity is the lack of single card play. The DS has several games that allow limited sharing of a single game card and this seems like it would have been a perfect opportunity to share a game between two PSP systems.

Given that you spend much of your time with Capcom Classics Collection Remixed either shooting or hacking at something, it's not surprising that this isn't a game for little kids. In Captain Commando you slice enemies in half in somewhat graphic fashion and occasionally you die that way as well. These games are all intense shooters, brawlers and fighters, and cater to a somewhat older audience. Of course, these are all older arcade games and have been played by pre-teens for many years, but while my personal tendency with my kids would be to give them free access to this collection, the amount of violence and intensity - especially in many of the fighter games - makes me recommend this as a teen-oriented game.

Capcom Classics Collection Remixed represents one of the best examples of how to build a compelling collection of arcade games for a handheld, one that works for both the gamer and the publisher. Capcom have populated the game with loads of fun and playable games, added very few filler titles, and left themselves a few classics in reserve for another collection. If any of the games on the list have you reaching for your quarter collection, then getting this for your PSP is an easy decision. However, even if - like me - you've never played any of these games before, there is enough fun and variety of gameplay to keep you going for hours and to keep you coming back time and again for small snatches of the arcade glory days.

Reviewed by Michael Anderson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).