Game: Grid Seeker
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1992
Grid Seeker is a shoot 'em up which employs a clever gameplay twist to differentiate itself from other games in the genre. Players have a set of GRID weapons which can be positioned anywhere around their ship. These collect enemy bullets and once charged earn bombs for the player to use when they desire. There are also three types of ship to choose from, each with different top speeds and shot types.
As players work through levels, there are powerups and upgrades which can be collected. The helper upgrade summons allied helicopters or jets to fight alongside the player, and GRID powerups change colour periodically, changing the power they'll give to players. Once picked up, the GRID powerups change the player's bomb attack into an even more powerful special attack with lasers, fire or mist depending on the colour.
Graphically the game is eyecatching and impressive, with many different types of enemy ships, tanks and ground units. The colours are bright and its pretty easy to see what you're doing, even when the screen is crowded with enemies. The musical accompaniment to the game is fitting and particularly enjoyable with an optimistic and fast paced feel.
Overall while Grid Seeker's difficulty does end up getting a little high a few levels in, the GRID system helps to keep levels manageable. Unfortunately the levels reset at each continue, meaning that they must be completed in 5 lives or less, but most shoot 'em ups are even harder than this. Other than these small complaints though, Grid Seeker is a fairly enjoyable game.
Rating: 64/100
Grade: C
Game: Arabian Magic
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1992
Arabian Magic is a beat 'em up which was more than likely inspired by the Disney film Aladdin which came out in the same year. Players must fight through 7 stages, each with their own boss to reclaim the 7 jewels and return the king from monkey to human. There are four playable characters, each with their own stats and method of attacking, and players can earn Genie special attacks by collecting magic lamp, or beating certain bosses.
Two of the four playable characters use swords as their main attack, giving them good short range combat skills, and the other two characters use longer range attacks; a flail and a ranged magic attack. I found that on some stages, the longer range of the magic attacks was helpful to defeat enemies without taking damage, but on the whole the characters are fairly well balanced.
A few of the stages change up the Beat 'em up formula a little; pictured above is a flying carpet stage which reminded me of surfing in Turtles in Time. There's also platforming on some stages where players must avoid various traps and obstacles to continue. These small changes of pace give a nice variety to gameplay, and keep players from getting bored.
The Genie special attacks mentioned earlier are also an interesting part of gameplay. Once collected, the genies can be summoned at any point during gameplay to help players defeat enemies. Although the player is not in direct control of the genie, their attack is synchronised to the player. These special attacks can be helpful to beat some of the harder bosses, and especially the final boss.
Graphically the game looks nice and retains a 16-bit style with smooth animations and movement for all characters. Although there's not a huge range of enemy sprites, the bosses are all well designed and varied. The game also excels musically with a great soundtrack to accompany play, and give players the feeling of being in a different land.
Overall while the story is pretty simple and seems a little strange in places, the gameplay of Arabian Magic is spot on. It's not particularly difficult to beat, but some of the bosses can give players a run for their money. The genie attack mechanic works well and can't be overused, but there could have been a wider range of normal attacks for each player to use.
Rating; 81/100
Grade: B
Game: Dungeon Magic
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1993
The second beat 'em up in a row, Dungeon Magic doesn't seem to be related to Arabian Magic in any way despite the similarity of their titles. In contrast to many other beat 'em ups, this game features many different 'rooms' filled with between 2 and 10 enemies on the way to bosses. Players can choose which paths and exits to take from rooms, and must use their navigation skills to reach the boss room, as marked on the map.
There are four playable characters to choose from; Ash, Gren, Cisty and Vold. Each have different strengths and weaknesses, but overall none of them feel particularly powerful against the enemies featured in the game. Even using special attacks is sometimes fruitless and there aren't a lot of ranged attack options, which means the game is mostly centred around close range combat.
Graphically the game has detailed sprites and environments but is let down by their size relative to the screen (they're pretty big, when compared to the traversable area of the screen) and the isometric viewpoint, which makes hitting enemies particularly difficult at times. Enemy designs are generic fantasy fare such as lizardmen and werewolves, and bosses include demons, giant snakes, a spider-woman and more.
Ultimately Dungeon Magic's experimentation with the beat 'em up formula leaves the game feeling a little disjointed and unappealing. When combined with the mediocre fighting, character choice and forgettable soundtrack, the game ends up feeling outdated and hardly worth playing.
Rating: 46/100
Grade: D
Game: Darius Gaiden
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1994
Most of the shoot 'em ups on this arcade collection have suffered from the same problem; being too unforgiving in terms of difficulty and continues. Darius Gaiden brings an answer to both of these problems in that players are allowed to set their own difficulty levels for each stage before play begins (although they wouldn't be able to in arcades), and the game restarts players exactly where they left off when they lose a life, or a continue which means that with enough credits, anyone could beat the game.
Another difference between this and standard shoot 'em ups is the branching paths presented to the player after each stage in a similar style to Outrun. Both choices are shown after a stage boss is beaten, and players have a short while to choose which stage they'd like to attempt. While the music and some bosses are the same across different stages, it's a nice touch which adds a lot of replayability to the game.
Graphically Darius Gaiden is both visually pleasing and technically impressive. The above screenshot doesn't give a full representation of the true amount of colour and effects showcased in the game. It'd certainly be interesting to play this game while under the influence of various substances. Musically the game is enjoyable, but not consistently excellent; there's a few tracks which I liked quite a bit, as well as some which were mediocre.
Overall the game is an enjoyable shoot 'em up thanks to many of its features. While the levels themselves are quite short, and bosses tend to take quite a lot of hits before being defeated, the sense of progression and variety of the levels give a lot of interest to the game as a whole. If you're a fan of shoot 'em ups, this is well worth checking out.
Rating: 75/100
Grade: C
Game: Elevator Action Returns
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1994
While its title may sound a little mundane, Elevator Action Returns isn't short of action. Players are tasked with attempting to collect information and disarm bombs by entering red doors within a building that is filled with elevators. To reach all of the red doors, players must plan their route and avoid/kill enemy agents who get in their way. The stage ends once all red doors have been entered, and players have made their way to the exit point.
Gameplay is reminiscent of Shinobi or Rolling Thunder, in that enemy agents will shoot from behind objects, or across the floor and players must duck/jump to avoid their shots. There are different types of enemy including armoured agents, dogs, and robots. The action can get a little repetitive after a few buildings worth of play, but overall the concept is good. Controlwise I only had two complaints; the first is that it's not possible to shoot and crouch while standing in an elevator, as it just goes downwards again. With the controls as they are there's no easy way to fix this, but it can be frustrating at times. My second complaint is that where elevator tracks are short, it's very easy to get crushed by opponents riding them from above, even if players set off before the enemy.
Graphically the game is pretty simple, and so doesn't quite match up to other games of the era. Nonetheless it's pretty easy to keep track of what you're doing, and explosions look pretty cool. The music that plays behind the game doesn't seem particularly fitting at first, but the funk style provides character and ambience to an otherwise fairly chaotic game.
Overall Elevator Action Returns has a good concept which is well executed for the most part, and which provides players with a fresh set of platforming challenges in combination with run and gun style shooting. For this alone it's definitely worth a try, but there's not quite enough variety to make it a true classic.
Rating; 68/100
Grade: C
Game: Space Invaders DX
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1994
Space Invaders DX features 3 different modes of gameplay; Space Invaders mode, which allows players to play any of the original arcade cabinets including black and white, cellophane, colour and upright versions, VS game mode which features powerups and a more competitive style, and finally Parody game mode which replaces the regular sprites with joke characters.
The two player mode is pretty interesting and works well as a competitive game, but it still has many of the limitations of the original. The other modes all suffer from being pretty much the same game as ever, providing only 5 different versions of Space Invaders with very little difference between them. Considering that Super Space Invaders '91 is on the Taito Legends 2 collection also, this makes for a pretty poor showing overall.
Graphically the game attempts to throw back to the original era of Space Invaders in all but parody mode. There's no real improvement on the old graphics, but they're classic so it's hard to complain. Musically there's only the few notes from the original game included, which is a shame as this could have been updated in the two new modes.
Overall this mini collection of Space Invaders games suffers the fate of most Space Invaders collections; it's too samey and repetitive, and there's little reward in playing all of the different styles unless you're a super fan of the game series.
Rating: 45/100
Grade: D
Game: Cleopatra Fortune
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1995
Cleopatra Fortune is a puzzle game in which players must align falling blocks in such a way that they fully surround gems and statues. Once they do, the entire 'tomb' disappears and causes the blocks above it to fall into its place. Blocks can be rotated as they fall, and come in many different shapes. The only rule is that they always contain some block segments, to surround gems and statues with.
As the game progresses, the speed of the levels gets faster. Until around level 30, the game is incredibly easy as players hardly even need to play to entomb their gems and statues. Once the speed increases however, it's a lot easier to make mistakes and gameplay usually ends pretty quickly once a fast enough speed is reached.
Graphically the game resembles other puzzle games of the time such as Columns. The visuals are passable, but could have been a little sharper and more colourful. The music which accompanies gameplay is suitable for a puzzle game, and is enjoyable to listen to whilst playing.
Overall Cleopatra Fortune is a very simple game which is easy to get the hang of, and play at low levels. Once the speed increases it becomes much harder to maintain gameplay, and most players will struggle past a certain point. Personally I prefer Columns and Tetris as puzzle games, as their challenge escalates more evenly and allows for better all round planning of moves.
Rating: 60/100
Grade: D
Game: Gekirindan
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1995
The sixth shoot 'em up on this collection, Gekirindan follows its 3 main characters through various time periods as they attempt to save human history from being destroyed by 'Huge-Boss'. Each main character's fighter ship has a different shot pattern, meaning that different strategies can be employed when using each ship. There are also power-ups that fire alongside the player's main weapons, which are homing lasers, napalm and missiles.
There are 6 levels in total, each set in a different time period. Overall the game is a lot easier than many other shoot 'em ups, although it still holds a fair amount of challenge. One of the main issues is that enemy bullets are coloured very similarly to explosions, so if there's a lot of action onscreen at any one time, players may have difficulty detecting dangerous incoming fire.
Graphically the game is very impressive, especially on the title screen where 'Huge-Boss' makes an appearance. The levels are well designed and each era has a different feel which keeps gameplay interesting. The soundtrack to the game is comprised of various remixes of the first level's theme, to fit with whichever time period is currently being played. While this is an interesting idea, it means that there's little variety to the music, especially as the game is also without boss themes.
Overall Gekirindan makes for an interesting shoot 'em up experience, both in concept and gameplay. Compared to Darius Gaiden, there's not a lot of replayability, as it's the same layout each time. If you can get past the slight problems with being able to see enemy bullets at times, then it's an enjoyable experience that is perhaps a little short.
Rating: 62/100
Grade: C
Game: Puzzle Bobble 2
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1995
Known as Bust-A-Move 2 in US, Puzzle Bobble 2 features 3 styles of puzzle based play. Firstly there's puzzle mode, which is the main mode; this features alphabetically listed sets of puzzles which progress in a branching path, like Outrun. Secondly there's vs. Computer mode where the game is played competitively until one player runs out of space in their play area, and lastly there's vs. Human mode which mirrors vs. Computer mode, with 2 human players.
The aim of Puzzle Bobble games is to shoot coloured bubbles into the play area so that they make a touching group of 3 or more, at which point they'll disappear. The game is won in puzzle mode when the board is completely clear of bubbles, though many of the puzzles feature extremely easy ways of clearing the board with a single bubble, such as a line of one colour at the top of a board.
Graphically the game features nice background graphics and cartoonish game visuals. The characters are nicely defined and varied even if there's no real difference in who you're facing in terms of gameplay. The soundtrack is light hearted and has an almost childish simplicity. Unless you're playing for a long time it shouldn't get too repetitive.
Overall Puzzle Bobble 2 offers more of the gameplay you'd expect from the series, with new sets of puzzles and a decent vs. mode offering. Fans of the series, or puzzle games in general are likely to enjoy this, but it'll seem like a very simple title for those who haven't played before.
Rating: 62/100
Grade: C
Game: Space Invaders '95
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1995
Fitting squarely under the heading of 'Cute 'em Up', Space Invaders '95 is surprisingly varied, innovative and fun. While players are still tethered to the bottom of the screen, and there are several sections based on classic Space Invaders play, boss stages make a return from Super Space Invaders '91, and there are also several bonus stages inbetween main stages.
Gameplay consists of 32 main stages which feature adjustable difficulties (at least on this collection), but none of which are ever too difficult to complete. There are five different characters/ships to choose from, all of which have slightly different charged attacks. The entire game takes about 20-30 minutes to complete and has some really exhilarating parts, especially for a Space Invaders title.
Graphically the game looks far better than any previous instalment, featuring a large number of cute and varied sprites in a detailed but cartoon style. Thanks to this style it's easy to see what's happening on screen all of the time, and dodge enemy bullets in the classic shoot 'em up style sections. Soundwise the game features nods to previous titles in its music and sound effects, as well as updated and new content.
Overall Space Invaders 95 is the best title in the series for its willingness to change the gameplay style of the original game in many sections; often Space Invaders titles get too caught up in being nostalgic and this holds them back. With interesting bosses (including a nod to the Darius series) enemies and levels, this game is well worth a try even if you find the original Space Invaders boring.
Rating: 77/100
Grade: B
Game: Ray Storm
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1996
As the fifth generation of home consoles was finding its footing, 3D effects in shoot 'em ups were becoming more and more common; Ray Storm is the first example of this from this collection. The game features a lock-on laser system in addition to more conventional shoot 'em up gameplay, and follows action through 7 futuristic stages from Earth to Outer Space. While most levels are short, there's a boss at the end of each level which usually takes a fair amount of shooting to beat.
Players can choose from two ships, one with a constant laser beam as its main weapon and the other with regular shots. The secondary weapon for both ships is a lock-on laser. There's also the option to choose between manual and automatic control for the laser. With automatic control, the laser will fire whenever it locks onto an enemy. The final attack option for players is a special attack which locks onto and damages all on screen enemies, but its use is limited and recharges with successful primary weapon hits.
Graphically Ray Storm is pretty impressive for its time; the 3D effect looks far more advanced than most PS1, N64 or Sega Saturn games, and enemy ships are nicely detailed. The music for the game ranges from relaxed space flight style tunes to frantic boss battle themes, but never feels particularly fitting or memorable.
Overall while the game is technically impressive, its gameplay lacks some of the more unique and enjoyable features of truly classic shoot 'em ups. The lock-on laser system has some worth, especially if left on auto in later levels, and the overall difficulty is generally good. To play this in an arcade in 1996 would have been almost mind blowing, but today it feels decidedly average.
Rating: 61/100
Grade: D
Game: Puchi Carat
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1997
Puchi Carat is an action puzzle game heavily based on Breakout. Players must destroy gems by bouncing a ball from the bottom of the screen upwards. Instead of losing a life when the ball goes out of play, more rows of gems come down from the top of the screen, increasing the chance of losing. There are three game modes, much like in Puzzle Bobble 2; Single Player, Player vs Computer and Player vs Player.
In Single Player mode a set number of lines of gems must be cleared to beat each difficulty level, and in the competitive modes players can send gems over to the opponent's screen by playing well, thus increasing their chance of losing the game when the gems reach the bottom of the screen. Depending on the difficulty level, there are different numbers of opponents to beat.
Graphically the game is colourful and well detailed. The characters which feature as backgrounds are well animated and drawn in a Japanese anime style. Sometimes it can be a little hard to keep track of where the ball is due to the colourful nature of the gems and animations behind the action. Musically the game features a funky almost easy listening style accompaniment.
Overall the game is a little too similar to Breakout for my liking, and only seems to be enjoyable in short bursts. There's no real story or progression to the vs. Computer mode, and the Single player mode seems to drag on too long without any real action. As a puzzle game, Puchi Carat fails to capture players imaginations.
Rating: 48/100
Grade: D
Game: G Darius
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1997
The final game on the Taito Legends 2 collection is G Darius, a shoot 'em up from the Darius series. It contains many elements from previous series such as branching paths, almost trippy backgrounds and fish based bosses, but also adds a new enemy capture mechanic and power-ups which level up the player's weapons. There are 5 stages to the game in total, and a total of 15 stages when all paths are considered.
One notable difference between this and other Darius games is a step-up in difficulty. While bosses were always pretty tough to kill, they've been given even more health, and even the regular stages are full of enemies and bullets which makes progress pretty tough, even with infinite continues. The new enemy ship capture mechanic works quite well, as players are able to send out a Capture Ball which converts any small enemy ship into an ally who will fight alongside the main ship.
Graphically the game has some 3D cutscene sections as well as the 2D gameplay. In certain parts players must shoot right to left, which makes for an interesting change. Overall though the game doesn't look as polished as older titles such as Darius Gaiden. Musically G Darius is pretty poor, featuring a few completely unlistenable tracks amongst its soundtrack.
Overall this is a disappointing way to end the collection as the game is decidedly mediocre in pretty much every aspect. The few good ideas that the game does have are heavily outweighed by the bad, and on the whole gameplay gets less and less enjoyable as the game continues.
Rating: 45/100
Grade: D
So after 39 arcade games, Taito Legends 2 has been fully explored. It's definitely got a wealth of titles to play, even if the standard of said games is largely varied. The earliest titles featured on the collection are interesting if a little simple, but it's the 1990s which really shine with 4 entries into my arcade top 10 ranking.
With such a large selection of games it's a little difficult to rate the collection as a whole, but I'll be taking into account it's interest level, features and any extra content that's included. What stuck out most for me was the fact that every game's options were customisable; many difficulty levels and key reassignments were available for all games which meant that the controls were known from the outset, and players were able to change the options to suit them.
Thanks to this impressive feature, and at least 12 arcade games that I can fully reccomend, this is one of the best collections I've taken a look at. It's true that there are 8 games on the collection which I'd warn against playing, but they're still interesting pieces of arcade history, especially for players who haven't had a chance to experience them.
Overall Collection Rating: 70/100
Grade: C
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