Released exclusively in Japan in late 1994, Nichibutsu Collection 2 serves as a digital museum for fans of the developer’s arcade golden age. This compilation focuses on two heavy hitters from the Nihon Bussan library: the iconic vertical shooter Terra Cresta and the action-platformer Cosmo Police Galivan. Unlike many rushed ports of the era, these versions are remarkably faithful to their coin-op origins, though they do benefit from the Super Famicom’s superior color palette and sound chip, which manages to replicate the FM synthesis of the arcade hardware with surprising accuracy.
Terra Cresta remains the centerpiece here, showcasing the innovative "formation" system that allowed players to split their ship into multiple parts for increased firepower. It is a punishing, old-school challenge that requires precise memorization, providing a sharp contrast to the more forgiving console-original shmups often found on the system. Cosmo Police Galivan offers a different pace, blending side-scrolling combat with light exploration elements. While Galivan lacks the sheer polish of its shooting counterpart, its inclusion provides a well-rounded look at the developer’s versatility during the 80s arcade boom.
The package is admittedly lean by modern standards, lacking the bells and whistles of later "Museum" collections seen on 32-bit hardware. However, the porting quality is top-tier for 16-bit silicon, with minimal slowdown even when the screen is flooded with enemy fire. For Western players who were busy with the 1995 UK and European release of the puzzle game Zoop—a title notably absent from the Japanese SNES library—this collection represents a very different side of the 1995 gaming landscape. It captures a specific moment in gaming history when arcade purity was the ultimate goal for home conversions.
