By Enrico Spinelli
22 years ago, a dream came true, a long-awaited reunion: Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith were back in Iron Maiden. And in that year, the first Eddie-inspired video game came out, sold in a box set that also includes the soundtrack, 20 fan-rated classics of the band. No unreleased songs in this round, at least in the European edition (the Americans got a new version of Wrathchild sung by Bruce). And it doesn't matter if a much more exhaustive collection (Best Of The Beast) with an unreleased (Virus) had been released a few years earlier.
Honestly, the whole game felt pretty questionable—an old-school shooter with a setting inspired by the band's songs. It had two major flaws: the challenge of recovering lost lives and, most frustratingly, the complete inability to save your progress. You either needed 24 hours straight to play or had to restart from scratch every time.
What about the 20 fan-rated songs? Even worse! Now, I understand everyone's tastes, but how do you, I repeat, how do you choose Futureal? Tailgunner? Iron Maiden (don't bother me with the story that you want to hear it live, I agree with you, but we are talking about a song that was successful only because it bears the name of the band)?
I am writing this because this is the first collection from the group that I listened to and truly absorbed, even though it was loaned to me. This collection sparked my desire to collect all the Iron Maiden albums and ignited my admiration for this legendary band.
01. Iron Maiden [live]
02. The Trooper
03. The Number Of The Beast
04. Wrathchild
05. Futureal
06. Fear Of The Dark
07. Be Quick Or Be Dead
08. 2 Minutes To Midnight
09. Man On The Edge
10. Aces High
11. The Evil That Men Do
12. Wasted Years
13. Powerslave
14. Hallowed Be Thy Name
Disc II [Music + Game Setup]
01. Run To The Hills
02. The Clansman
03. Phantom Of The Opera
04. Killers
05. Stranger In A Strange Land
06. Tail Gunner
Disc III [The Game]