Compared to the first volume, Namco Museum Archives Volume 2 feels like a better package of games all around. While there are still a large number of arcade-to-NES ports here, the genre variety is much broader, and fewer games have made appearances on previous compilations. There are still a few clunkers here, but most of the titles are solid, and while nothing is as sought-after as Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti was, there's still a good collection here. For the retro fans, this is worth checking out for $19.99.

Namco Museum Archives Volume 1 and 2 offers players a variety of games to play, and yet, most of them are space shooters. However, the games that the collections do contain provide both a sense of nostalgia and new memories as you are now able to play a few titles that weren’t available before. It does the minimum of what a collection should do, without including special concept art or an interactive museum setting. Still, it’s fun to be able to have easy access to these titles to play again or share with friends and family.

Overall, Namco Museum Archives Volume 2 is more of a missed opportunity at telling players why these games are worth experiencing as opposed to something that must be experienced. With even the tiniest bit of TLC to include some explanation about what these games are and why we should care, this would be a surefire recommendation.

The Museum Archives are by no means the perfect collection - they're the wrong ports in that the NES ports rather than the arcade originals are in there, and there are many compilations that have more games in them. With that being said, there's not single dud game in this collection, and whether they're as well known as Pac-Man or as obscure as Dragon Spirit, they're all genuine all-time classics. You buy either of these collections and you'll be coming back to them for years to come.

Like with NAMCO MUSEUM ARCHIVES Vol 1, the second volume is a mixed bag in terms of games - in this case there are fewer gems, but fewer pieces of junk as well. The main issue remains the fact that this shouldn't be a two-part collection. In other words, if interested (and you should be), keep an eye on that price, and hit that 'Purchase' button when it gets reasonably low.

It is in fact an interesting collection with a focus on NES and technically sound. Due to age the software quality is not everybody’s cup of tea, though.

Offering a far less consistent library than Volume 1, I can't in good conscious recommend Namco Museum Archives Volume 2 to most players. For those who need an individual title here, you may want to watch out for a sale as there is some fun to be had, but the titles offered are mostly mediocre ones that weren't crying out to be collected. Without any other material worth your time, you're better off finding another option to get your retro fix.