| Konami 80's Arcade Gallery | |
| Developer: | Konami |
| Publisher: | Konami |
| Released: | Arcade 1998 PlayStation |
| Genre: | Arcade |
| Modes: | One or two players alternating |
| Platforms: | Arcade, PlayStation |
| Arcade System: | Konami System 573 |
Konami 80's AC Special (known in Japan as is a compilation of arcade video games, originally released in arcades in 1998. It was later ported to the PlayStation in 1999, where it was renamed to Konami Arcade Classics for its North American release. It was supposed to be released in September 1999, before the game was delayed to its release date of December 9, 1999. Unlike most of Konami's PlayStation games, the PlayStation version was not released in PAL regions.
While many compilations on home consoles predate Konami Arcade Classics, it is one of the earliest examples of an arcade reissue of classic games, being preceded only by the Namco Classics Collection series. It is also, to date, one of only two arcade compilations with both a coin-op and consumer release (the other being Space Invaders Anniversary).
The collection was developed for the System 573 arcade system - hardware based on the Sony PlayStation architecture. This made the collection easy to convert to the PlayStation home console. A look into the software's readme files reveals notes that the original ROM data was used to obtain assets for the reprogrammed games.[1]
While the arcade version had an intro movie and also had an attract mode for certain games, the PlayStation version got its own unique intro movie. In addition, the North American PlayStation version got a small history feature, which gave brief blurbs of facts about each of the included games.
The PlayStation version received average reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. Many magazines gave the game mixed to positive reviews while it was still in development. Chris Charla of NextGen said of the game in its early review: "They were fun then, they're fun now, and with 10 games included, this package is an excellent deal." GamePro said of the game in its early review: "They may be dusty and obscure, but the collection of games in Konami Arcade Classics offers unique and surprisingly fresh gameplay. Retro still rocks!"[2]