Taito Legends

Last updated
Taito Legends
Taitolegends.jpg
Box art
Developer(s) Empire Interactive
Publisher(s) Empire Interactive (Europe)
Sega (North America)
Platform(s)
Release
  • EU: 14 October 2005
  • NA: 25 October 2005 [1]
Genre(s) Various
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Taito Legends is a compilation of 29 arcade games released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Microsoft Windows. The games were originally developed by Taito. The European release was published by Empire Interactive, who had licensed the games from Taito and developed the compilation. Although they did not get official credit for it in the American versions, Sega published the North American and South American releases.

Contents

Extra features include interviews with some of the game designers, original sales flyers, and arcade cabinet art.

Two follow-up compilations were issued; Taito Legends 2 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC and the PlayStation Portable exclusive Taito Legends Power-Up .

Games

While the Western Taito Legends consists of 29 arcade games, the Japanese Taito Memories includes only 25 arcade games per volume, omitting Jungle Hunt, Colony 7, The Electric Yo-Yo, Zoo Keeper and Tube It.[ citation needed ]

Titles included in the Western and Japanese releases of the collection
TitleArcade release Taito Memories Alternative title
Space Invaders 1978I Vol.2
Space Invaders Part II 1979I Vol.2Deluxe Space Invaders (USA)
Phoenix 1980II Vol.2
Colony 7 1981No
The Electric Yo-Yo 1982No
Jungle Hunt 1982NoJungle King (original) and Pirate Pete (official clone)
Zoo Keeper 1982No
Elevator Action 1983I Vol.2
Great Swordsman 1984II Vol.2
Return of the Invaders 1985II Vol.1
Bubble Bobble 1986I Vol.1
Gladiator 1986II Vol.1Ougon no Shiro (Japan)
Tokio 1986II Vol.1Scramble Formation (Japan)
Exzisus 1987II Vol.1
Operation Wolf 1987II Vol.2
Plump Pop 1987II Vol.2
Rastan 1987I Vol.1Rastan Saga (Japan, Europe)
Rainbow Islands 1987II Vol.1
Super Qix 1987II Vol.1
Operation Thunderbolt 1988II Vol.1
The NewZealand Story 1988I Vol.2
Battle Shark 1989II Vol.2
Continental Circus 1989II Vol.1
Plotting 1989I Vol.1Flipull (Japan)
Volfied 1989II Vol.2
The Ninja Kids 1990II Vol.1
Space Gun 1990II Vol.1
Thunder Fox 1990II Vol.2
Tube It 1993NoCachat (Japan)

Between 2005 and 2007, in total four similar compilations had been released by Taito for the PlayStation 2 in its home market of Japan: [2]

The games on this compilation are emulations of their respective arcade originals; however, the software lacks light gun support for Operation Wolf, Operation Thunderbolt, and Space Gun. These games place a gun cursor on the screen, which the player can move around with the analog stick (console versions), or mouse (PC version).

The games that had to be altered due to licensing issues are Jungle Hunt and Rainbow Islands. Elements of Jungle Hunt had to be altered such as the design of the Tarzanesque character and the signature Tarzan yell due to licensing issues with Edgar Rice Burroughs estate. Rainbow Islands had to alter its music for the re-release due to licensing.

Reception

Taito Legends received "mixed or average reviews" for PlayStation 2 and Xbox according to review aggregators GameRankings and Metacritic; [3] [5] [6] [8] the Windows version received "generally favorable reviews". [4] [7] IGN praised the collection for a superb presentation, as well as the large amount of bonus material, but criticized some titles in the collection as "worthless filler". [15] Other criticisms are the lack of online leaderboards, the omission of Arkanoid and Chase H.Q. , the lack of light gun support for Operation Wolf, Operation Thunderbolt, and Space Gun, [12] the lack of control configuration, and for the controls being "flipped", making it potentially uncomfortable and unnatural to many, less-adaptable players. Only the Windows version fixes the error regarding the collection's control scheme.

Notes

  1. Score based on 23 reviews.
  2. Score based on 6 reviews.
  3. Score based on 17 reviews.
  4. Score based on 18 reviews.
  5. Score based on 8 reviews.
  6. Score based on 16 reviews.

Related Research Articles

<i>Shadow of Memories</i> 2001 video game

Shadow of Memories is a mystery adventure game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and published by Konami. Originally released for the PlayStation 2 in 2001, it was later ported to Xbox and Microsoft Windows in 2002. A PlayStation Portable version was released on October 1, 2009 in Japan and on January 26, 2010 in North America.

<i>Midway Arcade Treasures</i> 2003 video game

Midway Arcade Treasures is a video-game compilation of 24 arcade games, emulated from the original PCBs. The overall release was developed by Digital Eclipse and issued by Midway for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and Microsoft Windows.

<i>Don Doko Don</i> 1989 video game

Don Doko Don is a platform arcade game developed and released by Taito in 1989. In the game, the player(s) control two lumberjacks, Bob and Jim, with the objective being to clear the screen of all the enemies. Bob and Jim use their mallets to stun the enemies, pick up the enemies, then throw them at a wall, or other enemies to kill them off, resulting in bonus points. Bonus items also appear during stages that will have varying effects on the players.

<i>The Fairyland Story</i> 1985 video game

The Fairyland Story is a platform arcade video game developed and published by Taito in 1985. In the game, the player controls the witch Ptolemy, with the objective being to clear the screen of all enemies. Ptolemy can use her wand to turn the enemies into large cakes, which she can then push off of platforms onto other enemies, which will squash them and award bonus points. Various items that increase Ptolemy's projectile radius, as well as kill multiple enemies at the same time, will also appear throughout the stages.

<i>Chackn Pop</i> 1984 video game

Chack'n Pop is a platform arcade game developed and released by Taito in 1984. In the game, the player controls a small yellow creature, Chack'n, with the objective being to retrieve hearts from a cave, all while avoiding the enemies contained within them. Chack'n also has the ability to deploy bombs, which can kill said enemies, which can bring bonuses depending on if all or none of the enemies have been killed.

<i>Space Invaders Part II</i> 1979 arcade game

Space Invaders Part II is a 1979 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Taito. In North America, it was distributed by Midway Games as Space Invaders Deluxe. It is the sequel to Space Invaders (1978). The player controls a laser base that must destroy formations of descending aliens, while avoiding their projectiles. New features have been added, such as aliens that split into two when shot, an increased high score limit with the player able to save their name as initials, and short cutscenes in-between stages. It runs on the Taito 8080 arcade system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empire Interactive</span> Video game company

Empire Interactive was a British video game developer and publisher based in London. Founded in 1987 by Ian Higgins and Simon Jeffrey, it was acquired by Silverstar Holdings in 2006 and went out of business in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atomic Planet Entertainment</span> British video game developer

Atomic Planet Entertainment Ltd was a British video game developer based in Middlesbrough. It was founded in 2000 by Darren and Jason Falcus, the brothers who previously managed Acclaim Studios Teesside.

<i>Taito Legends 2</i> 2006 video game compilation

Taito Legends 2 a compilation of Taito arcade video games and the follow-up to Taito Legends. It was published for Xbox, PlayStation 2, and Microsoft Windows. As with the former collection, it is derived from the Japan exclusive Taito Memories series.

<i>G-Darius</i> 1997 video game

G-Darius is a horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game released by Taito in 1997. It is the fourth arcade installment of the Darius series and the first with three-dimensional polygonal graphics. A port to the PlayStation was published as G Darius.

<i>Halleys Comet</i> (video game) 1986 arcade video game

Halley's Comet is an arcade video game created by Pacific Manufacturing Ltd and manufactured by its parent company Taito. Receiving a worldwide release in 1986, Halley's Comet is a vertically scrolling shooter where the player defends various planets around the Solar System from a direct collision with Halley's Comet and the various alien swarms which accompany it.

<i>Raiden IV</i> 2007 video game

Raiden IV is a 2007 vertical scrolling shooting video game developed by MOSS. It was first released in the arcades in Japan. A home conversion was produced for Xbox 360 in 2008. An updated arcade version was later released for Taito's NESiCAxLive digital distribution platform. Two more versions featuring new content were released: Raiden IV: OverKill for PlayStation 3 and Windows, and Raiden IV x MIKADO remix for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Ford Racing is a racing video game series consisting of seven titles released for various platforms, including the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows (PC) and Xbox. The games in the Ford Racing series center around racing modern and vintage Ford cars and trucks through specifically designed tracks, while competing against computer-driven opponents. The series began with the release of Ford Racing in 2000. The latest game, titled Ford Racing Off Road, was released in 2008; the game featured the addition of vehicles from Land Rover, which was owned by Ford at the time.

<i>Liquid Kids</i> 1990 video game

Liquid Kids is a 1990 platform arcade video game developed and published by Taito. Starring the hippopotamus Hipopo, players travel through the land of Woody-Lake throwing water bombs, jumping on and off platforms to navigate level obstacles while dodging and defeating monsters in order to rescue Tamasun from her captor, the Fire Demon. The game was ported to the PC Engine and Sega Saturn. Home computer versions were in development but none were officially released to the public.

<i>Space Gun</i> (video game) 1990 first-person shooter arcade game

Space Gun is a 1990 first-person shooter arcade game released by Taito. The game is set aboard a crippled space station that has been overrun by hostile alien creatures. The objective is to rescue human crew members while destroying the alien creatures. The game lets the player shoot limbs off the creatures, resulting in blood splatters.

<i>The Ninja Warriors</i> (1994 video game) 1994 SNES game

The Ninja Warriors is a beat 'em up video game developed by Natsume for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and published by Taito in Japan and North America in 1994 and by Titus in Europe in 1995. It is a follow-up to Taito's 1987 arcade game of the same title, and shares similar gameplay. The player can choose between playing as one of three ninja androids, each with different attributes and a unique set of moves including jumps, dashes, throws, and other attacks. The game was developed by the same team at Natsume that later developed Wild Guns (1994).

<i>Taito Memories</i> Video game series

Taito Memories is a series of video game compilations published by Taito in Japan. A total of five collections were released from 2005 to 2007 — four on the PlayStation 2, and one on the PlayStation Portable. The PlayStation 2 entries each have twenty-five titles, while the PlayStation Portable game has sixteen. The collections contain arcade games developed by Taito throughout the 1980s and 1990s. A similar series of collections, Taito Legends, was released outside Japan in North America and Europe, which retained many of the games included in the Taito Memories collections. The first two compilations sold a total of 145,616 copies.

Arcade Archives is a series of emulated arcade games from the late 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and Nintendo Switch, published by Hamster Corporation. A sub-series called ACA Neo Geo is focused on rereleasing Neo Geo titles in their original arcade format, unlike many services with attempts to emulate the console versions.

<i>Night Striker</i> 1989 video game

Night Striker is a 1989 shoot 'em up video game developed and published by Taito for the Taito Z System. In the game, the player flies an armoured car shooting enemy invaders to destroy a terrorist organisation. Night Striker combines gameplay elements of Sega's Space Harrier and Out Run. Versions were released for the Sega Mega-CD in 1993, Sony PlayStation in 1995, and Sega Saturn in 1996. A version was released on the Taito Memories II Gekan compilation for the PlayStation 2 in 2007. Night Striker received mixed reviews, and the Mega-CD version in particular was heavily criticised, primarily due to poor graphics. The music was composed by Taito's Zuntata sound team, and has been released separately.

References

  1. "SEGA AND EMPIRE INTERACTIVE LAUNCH TAITO LEGENDS FOR PLAYSTATION 2, XBOX, PC". Sega . 25 October 2005. Archived from the original on 29 October 2007. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  2. "Taito". Japsai. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Taito Legends for PlayStation 2". GameRankings . Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Taito Legends for PC". GameRankings . Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Taito Legends for Xbox". GameRankings . Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Taito Legends for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Taito Legends for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Taito Legends for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  9. Parish, Jeremy (11 November 2005). "Taito Legends". 1Up.com . Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  10. Coxall, Martin (18 October 2005). "Taito Legends". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  11. Fischer, Russ (20 March 2006). "Taito Legends Review". G4 . Archived from the original on 23 April 2006. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  12. 1 2 Gerstmann, Jeff (31 October 2005). "Taito Legends Review". GameSpot . Archived from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  13. Turner, Benjamin (24 October 2005). "Taito Legends". GameSpy . Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  14. jkdmedia (4 May 2012). "Taito Legends – PS2 – Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  15. 1 2 Clayman, David (8 November 2005). "Taito Legends". IGN . Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  16. Price, Tom (January 2006). "Taito Legends". Official Xbox Magazine . No. 53. p. 71. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  17. Low, David (24 December 2005). "Taito Legends Review". PALGN. Archived from the original on 25 March 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  18. "Taito Legends". PC Games (in German). Computec Media GmbH. March 2006. p. 92. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  19. Hogarty, Steve (January 2006). "Taito Legends". PC Zone . No. 163. p. 85. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  20. "Taito Legends". Play . No. 135. December 2005. p. 98. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  21. Soboleski, Brent (25 October 2005). "Taito Legends Review (Xbox)". TeamXbox . Archived from the original on 26 January 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2023.