Taito Corporation is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based out of Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the Taito Trading Company, importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It would begin production of video games in 1973. In 2005, Taito was purchased by Square Enix, becoming a wholly owned subsidiary by 2006.
Space Invaders is a 1978 arcade game created by Tomohiro Nishikado. It was manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and licensed in the United States by the Midway division of Bally. Within the shooter genre, Space Invaders was the first fixed shooter and set the template for the shoot 'em up genre. The goal is to defeat wave after wave of descending aliens with a horizontally moving laser to earn as many points as possible.
Arkanoid is a 1986 block breaker arcade game developed and published by Taito. In North America, it was published by Romstar. Controlling a paddle-like craft known as the Vaus, the player is tasked with clearing a formation of colorful blocks, accomplished by deflecting a ball towards it without letting the ball leave the playfield. Some blocks contain power-ups that have various effects on the player, such as increasing the length of the Vaus, creating several additional balls, or turning the Vaus into a laser cannon.
Darius Gaiden is a shoot 'em up arcade game, developed and released by Taito in 1994. It is the third arcade installment of the Darius series.
Darius is a shoot 'em up arcade game released by Taito in February 1987, although its title screen indicates a 1986 copyright. It is the first game in the Darius series, known for using a unique three-screen arcade cabinet setup, non-linear level design and multiple endings.
Bubble Symphony, also known as Bubble Bobble II, is an arcade video game in the Bubble Bobble series developed by Taito in 1994. While being a new Bubble Bobble for a new generation, in actuality it takes place after Parasol Stars.
Don Doko Don is a platform arcade game developed and released by Taito in 1989. In the game, the player(s) control two dwarves, 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.
Bujingai (武刃街), known in North America as Bujingai: The Forsaken City and in Europe as Bujingai: Swordmaster, is an action video game developed by Taito Corporation in collaboration with Red Entertainment, for the PlayStation 2 console. The game was published by Taito in Japan on December 25, 2003. It was released North America by BAM! Entertainment and in Europe by 505 Games on July 22, 2004 and February 18, 2005 respectively.
Continental Circus is a racing simulation arcade game, created and manufactured by Taito in 1987. In 1989, ports for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MSX and ZX Spectrum were published by Virgin Games.
RayForce is a vertical space shooter style game by Taito released for the Taito F3 arcade hardware in 1994, and later ported to the Sega Saturn in 1995, Microsoft Windows in 1997, iOS in 2012 and Android in 2017.
The Taito Type X is an arcade system board released by Taito Corporation in 2004.
RayStorm is a scrolling shooter developed by the Taito Corporation. Originally released in Japan as an arcade game in 1996, it was ported to Sony's PlayStation game console in 1997, to the Sega Saturn in that same year, and to Windows-based personal computers in 2001. It was published for the PlayStation in North America by Working Designs. The PlayStation version was also released in Europe by SCE Europe. It was re-released in 2010 with improved graphics, as RayStorm HD, for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. In 2012, RayStorm was also released for iOS and in 2017 for Android.
The Ninja Warriors (ニンジャウォーリアーズ) is a side-scrolling action game developed and released by Taito in 1987. The original arcade game version used an unusual screen setup that situated one display in between projected images of two other displays, creating the appearance of a triple-wide screen. Versions of the game were subsequently released for a variety of home platforms, including various personal computers, and were mostly well received. A remake known as The Ninja Warriors Again was developed by Natsume and released in 1994, followed by The Ninja Warriors Once Again released in 2019.
Hisayoshi Ogura is a former member of Taito Corporation's "house band" Zuntata. He is best known for his musical compositions in the Darius arcade series. His musical style is often experimental electronica. However, in Zoids Infinity Ex he focused on more on an orchestrated soundtrack. He also created the soundtrack to Ninja Warriors and voiced the character Marco in Kaiser Knuckle.
Gun Frontier is a 1990 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and originally published by Taito in Japan and Europe. Set on the fictional planet of Gloria in the 22nd century, where an alien race of space pirates known as the Wild Lizards have invaded the location and enslaved its inhabitants for gold extraction, players assume the role of settlers who were part of the planet's colonization team taking control of revolver-shaped fighter aircraft in an attempt to overthrow the invaders and free their surviving civilization from slavery.
Space Gun is a first-person, shoot 'em up arcade game released by Taito in 1990. Space Gun 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.
Qix++ is a video game developed and released by Taito for Xbox Live Arcade on December 9, 2009 and the PlayStation Portable on February 25, 2010 exclusively in Japan. It is the fifth game in the Qix series, and adds several new features, such as different Qix types, powerups, and new enemies.
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).
The Groove Coaster series is an iOS / Android and arcade rhythm game franchise developed by Matrix Software and published by Taito Corporation.
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. The game was only released in Japan.
