Taito Legends Preview

There is a song that states ‘everything new is old again,’ and nothing could be closer to the truth when one looks at a trend sweeping through the video game industry. More and more companies are releasing compilations of old arcade titles that are certain to tickle the fancy of those who actually remember the games and give a sense of gaming lore to those who were not around when those games were popular.

SEGA and Empire Interactive have tossed their hats into that ring with the pending release of Taito Legends for the Xbox. With a ship date of October 25, Taito Legends is certainly one of the most complete compilations to come along, and spans three decades worth of arcade-gaming memories.

There are 29 games included in this set, playing off the arcade theme (hit the white button to deposit a quarter) and begins with the 1978 legend Space Invaders. For those who remember that game, this is a quick and thorough trip to the past. You can almost smell the greasy burgers and fries, taste the milkshakes of the local shop that had the arcade machines (in the case of this writer, it was a burger joint where all the cool kids hung out after school), see the lines waiting for a crack at the game, hear the ooh’s and aah’s as someone raked up a high score.

For those who were not around way back then, this is a simplistic affair of rows of pixilated spites marching side-to-side on the screen and then dropping down on level (think of it as the return on a typewriter … oh wait, typewriters, thing of the past, no one uses those anymore either, and if they do, it is certainly not the old machines with the manual return arm), while you have a “tank” cruising along side-to-side on the bottom, using the bunkers for cover as you avoid the missile attacks (direct vertical drops) and try to eliminate the invaders before they can overrun your base.

Simple, mind-numbing and nostalgically entertaining, these games seem to be lovingly recreated to emulate the exact look of the arcade machines. The only thing missing is the arcade controllers (those who remember the days will likely remember the hand clasped tightly on the movement handle – now replaced by thumbsticks and D-pads).

The other games featured here include: Phoenix(1980), Space Invaders Part 2 (1980), Colony 7 (1981), Electric Yoyo (1982), Jungle Hunt (1982), Zoo Keeper (1982), Elevator Action (1983), Great Swordsman (1984), Return of the Invaders (1985), Bubble Bobble (1986), Gladiator (1986), Tokio (1986), Exzisus (1987), Plump Pop (1987), Operation Wolf (1987), Rainbow Islands (1987), Rastan (1987), Super Qix (1987), The New Zealand Story (1988), Operation Thunderbolt (1988), Battle Shark (1989), Continental Circus (1989), Plotting (1989), Volfied (1989), Ninja Kids (1990), Space Gun (1990), Thunderfox (1990) Tube It (1993).

Want to know more about the history of these games, no worries – there is a brief history of the Taito Corporation included on the disk.

(It should be noted that the disk received for this preview had some problems, and occasionally gave error messages, so not all the games were playable.)

Many of the games are of the same type, shoot things, but even here there is diversity. For example, Space Invaders has you in a tank; Battle Shark has you in a submarine. But whereas Space Invaders is a very vertical and simplistic graphical game, Battle Sharks is positively next-gen. Still a 2D scroller, this 1989 title has a targeting reticule, rich color schemes and a variety of targets as you move your sub across the level, shooting down subs, planes (with torpedoes no less), and surface ships, as well as taking out incoming missiles.

Of course, through in a title like Bubble Bobble (1986), which plays off the Pac-Man theme with a platformer, a bubble-tossing controllable character that captures enemies with the bubbles, then pops them for the scores.

The controls are all kept very simple. The graphics vary game to game and fluctuate from serviceable to great, considering that these are all arcade titles. As for the sound ... well, let's just say there is sound and it often attempts to support the graphics. But this is what it was like in the arcade days, and in that respect, it is precisely what was anticipated.

There are racing games, like Continental Circus (Grand Prix racing, no less), and combat titles like Gladiator (you hack your way through a castle, using the hot keys to aim high, middle and low to deflect incoming attacks and each hit you take deteriorates your armor – and you don’t want to be naked before completing a level). The Ninja Kids mixes things up with a jumping, shuriken-throwing ninja that defeats enemies in levels to advance the ‘story.’

The games are mostly set up for one-two players, but all that means is you take turns and go for the high score.

The way the games have been so wonderfully translated to this platform makes this a title that is very much worth checking out. Diverse arcade games, a rich tableau of gaming history at your fingertips, Taito Legends is a true compilation that embraces some of the best from the first decades of arcade gaming.