Bubble Bobble
Game: Bubble Bobble
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1986
Bubble Bobble is one of Taito's more famous arcade titles from this collection, featuring a pair of brothers who have been turned into small dragons called Bub and Bob that the player guides through 100 levels in order to rescue their girlfriends, With only a bubble attack at their disposal until the very end of the game, players must make use of the level layouts to trap enemies inside bubbles and subsequently pop them with the spines on their dragon's back.
The game was also one of the first to feature multiple endings, telling players to come back and complete the game with a friend, if completed in single player mode, and only revealing its true ending if completed in 'Super Mode', Controlwise and conceptwise the game is good for its age, though I'd prefer 10 good scrolling levels to 100 mediocre short ones; even the most keen of players is bound to get a little tired when levels reach triple digits.
Graphically the game is bright and enjoyable, despite featuring fairly crude sprites and basic level design. Enemies are easily recognisible, and there's a good variety of monsters who are out to get the little dragons. This game is also the first in the collection to feature 'proper music' behind gameplay, in that far more effort was put into constructing a melody which fits the theme and feel of the title.
Overall Bubble Bobble is a fun little arcade classic which holds a fair amount of enjoyability though perhaps a few too many levels before the final boss. With good sound and graphical design, the game's popularity was well deserved and I'll be looking at its sequel a little later on.
Rating: 70/100
Grade: C
Gladiator
Game: Gladiator
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1986
Gladiator is a primitive hack n' slash arcade game in which players guide a gladiator through various stages as weapons and airborne enemies fly towards them, which can be blocked with the shield. After a while, some enemy gladiators appear who can be taken down with superior sword work (thought button mashing seems to work just as well, if not better). There's no real story as far as I can tell, as each level loads up without any text or cutscenes.
Dodging the airborne hazards in the first section of levels is difficult and imprecise. Often the gladiator will take damage even when he doesn't appear to have been hit, and collecting powerups/score bonuses usually only results in taking more damage. Fighting other gladiators is also difficult as they seem to block most of the player's attacks and have a longer reach.
Graphically the game is pretty detailed for 1986, and looks like it's heading towards the 16-bit era. While the animations are a little choppy, the visuals on the whole are quite impressive. The musical accompaniment to the game consists of a loop approximately 5 seconds long, which is only interrupted by the loss of a life. The sound effects too are lacklustre and don't add much to the game.
Overall Gladiator is based on a good idea; each part of the body has armour protecting it. If the armour is hit, it is removed leaving the bare flesh vulnerable to a second hit, which will end the player's turn. Unfortunately in practice, this doesn't work half as well as it could, and controlling the sword and shield together can prove confusing.
Rating: 55/100
Grade: D
Tokio
Game; Tokio
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1986
Despite being a shoot 'em up from 1986, Tokio does a lot to differentiate itself from other titles of the era. For a start the graphics are very nicely presented, with some almost pixel art-esque moments featured in the game's backgrounds. As players fly through the game and shoot enemies, planes of their own colour will appear which can be shot and added to the allied group. Not only do additional planes provide extra chances for the player, should they be hit by bullets, but attack power is also significantly increased.
While the game can be fairly difficult at times due to the large number of bullets onscreen and their tendency to blend in with the detailed background graphics, it's far easier when controlling a large group of allied planes, and in this way the bonus system works well. With practice it's possible to get pretty far into the game, which is more than can be said for many other shoot 'em ups.
As previously mentioned the game's graphics are impressive for the most part, and the same can be said for its musical accompaniment. Technologically it's far advanced from the simple tunes and bleeps that arcade machines of just a few years before would make, and provides an exciting and fitting musical backdrop to the game.
Overall Tokio is an enjoyable arcade shoot 'em up experience which seems to have withstood the test of time fairly well; very few elements are outdated, and the controls and concept remain excellent. There's very little I'd change about the game as a whole, even nowadays - perhaps only a slight tweaking of the difficulty and some additional powerups.
Rating: 74/100
Grade: B
Continental Circus
Game: Continental Circus
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1987
Released as Continental Circuit in the US (which makes a lot more sense for a racing game), Continental Circus is an interesting Formula 1 style racing game where players must gain positions whilst racing around different circuits all over the world. Many circuits feature multiple pit lanes as there's a high chance of collisions thanks to the stiff overall car handling and stubborn AI who won't move out of the way. The racing featured is similar to that of Outrun, with a "stationary car, moving track" visual style.
Once players have completed an entire lap of a circuit, and are within the target qualifying position when crossing the finish line, they'll move on to the next race. Otherwise crashing out, running out of time and not making the cut for qualifying will result in a game over, though players can continue where they left off if they wish, making for a fairly easy game in terms of progression. Unfortunately this can also be exploited and used to gain far more positions that would be possible from racing normally.
Graphically the game has some impressive points with detailed backgrounds and track features, comparing well to Outrun and similar games. The locations and tracks featured are fairly varied, and serve to keep players interested as they continue through the game.Unfortunately there's no music which plays behind racing; the only in-game musical accompaniment can be found on menu screens and in the pits. There's still some engine/racing noises, but these would be far more interesting with a fast tempo track behind them.
Overall Continental Circus is a fun racing game, despite not handling quite as well as its closest competitors. The ranking system and grand prix themeing add an element of challenge and competition to the game, though on the whole the game isn't particularly hard to complete.
Rating: 65/100
Grade: C
Exzisus
Game: Exzisus
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1987
One of my favourites on the collection so far, Exzisus is a shoot 'em up set in space which shares similar elements with Fantasy Zone, and other space themed shoot 'em ups in general. Unlike Fantasy Zone the screen constantly scrolls, though the player is free to move around inside of the frame. Enemies of all shapes and sizes come from every direction and must be seen off with the ship's various weapons.
Without any powerups, players have bullets and bombs at their disposal which are fired simultaneously. Once powerups have been collected players can make use of homing missiles, lasers, allied ships, air-to-ground missiles and more. There's also a powerup which transforms the player into a ship until they are hit, effectively allowing one more hit before death, though the ship is larger than the original player sprite making it harder to dodge incoming fire.
So far you may think that the Fantasy Zone comparison is unwarranted, however the first boss of the game has the exact same concept as the first boss of Fantasy Zone; players must shoot it in a specific spot whilst avoiding scattered bullet fire travelling towards them. Despite this similarity, I wouldn't say that Exzisus copied Fantasy Zone, despite being released a year later as the idea is pretty standard for shoot 'em up.
Graphically the game is good, though perhaps a little less detailed than other Taito games of the time. The music is fitting if somewhat of a short loop, becoming repetitive after a little while. Overall Exzisus provides a fun and engaging shoot 'em up experience which has a good level of challenge, a useful powerup system and the option to continue where you left off, instead of starting all over again.
Rating: 84/100
Grade: B
Operation Wolf
Game: Operation Wolf
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1987
Originally a light gun shooter in arcades and its many home conversions, it's unfortunate that Xplosiv didn't add light gun support when porting this to the Taito Legends collection. As such players have to make do with controlling an on screen reticule used to target shots and grenades. There are six levels in all, in which players rescue hostages and eventually guide them safely onto a plane to escape a concentration camp.
With different types of targets such as helicopters, armoured vehicles and soldiers scattered across the screen, projectiles which can be shot out of the air and other exciting features, Operation Wolf was a step forward in light gun gaming. Even without the light gun element it's fun to play through and fairly easy to complete once you realise that your weapon is to be fired machine-gun style rather than like a sniper.
There's also a great deal of humour in the game; shooting animals will yield extra bullets and grenades, and accidentally shooting innocents will result in their spirit departing their body. Graphically the game is excellent with great detail and vibrant colours, though soundwise there's a rather annoying effect which plays when enemy soldiers are injured and becomes pretty irritating through repetition.
Overall Operation Wolf is a great light gun style shooter which would be even better with light gun support on this collection. It's short but sweet story line packs a punch and can be repeated endlessly, there's plenty of destruction and havoc to wreak and the hit detection is spot on. With the past few games considered it seems 1987 was a golden year for Taito.
Rating: 88/100
Grade; A
Game: Plump Pop
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1987
Having just said that 1987 was a golden year for Taito it was inevitable that the next game would be fairly awful. Plump Pop is just that as it's essentially a Breakout clone featuring small animals. There's not much more to the game than that really; there's a choice of dogs, cats and pigs to play as none of which affect gameplay in any way, and the levels appear to go on and on with no end or story in sight.The controls are pretty poor no matter how the sensitivity is set, and losing by not catching your animal on the trampoline is guaranteed after a short while.
Graphically the game looks far more like a Famicom title than it has any right to, considering what we've seen from previous titles, and the music isn't particularly great either. Overall when you combine a boring concept with other unexciting elements, you're left with a kids game which won't even appeal to the youngest consumers.
Rating: 22/100
Grade: F
Rainbow Islands
Game: Rainbow Islands
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1987
Rainbow Islands seems to me like the sort of game which divides opinion due to a novel, but frustratingly hard to get used to control system. The first action button creates a rainbow which can kill or trap enemies, and the second action button is used to jump. Jumping on enemies won't kill them and results in the loss of a life, but jumping on enemies trapped under a rainbow is an effective method of getting rid of them.
Some parts of the game don't require the creation of rainbows at all; many of the platforms featured are close enough together to jump from one to the other without any need for rainbow help. There are however collectibles available for defeating enemies which have various uses such as creating a double rainbow instead of a single one (though I find that this confuses the gameplay even more). At the end of each area there's a boss fight, most of which are easier than the journey to the end of the area, which is a shame.
Graphically the game has a cartoon style kiddie graphics, much like those of Bubble Bobble. They're not unexciting to look at, and fit the game well, but I wouldn't call them impressive in any way. Musically the game has a light hearted and upbeat accompaniment which suits the presentation and atmosphere.
Overall I wasn't too much of a fan of the overall concept and execution of Rainbow Islands. I found that it complicated platforming with two ways to move upwards, yet only one style of attacking enemies. I can however see how others could get used to and even enjoy this style of play; it's not at all badly made and there's enough areas in game for a proper experience.
Rating: 62/100
Grade: C
Rastan
Game: Rastan
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1987
Rastan is a hack and slash/adventure style game which sees players taking control of the titular hero through hordes of enemies, with a choice of a few hidden weapon power ups. The best strategy overall for the game seems to be keeping enemies at an arm's length from Rastan, as he'll take damage otherwise. This can be frustrating as many enemies get close fairly quickly, and there's platforming challenges as well as fighting.
The levels themselves seem to be ripped from the pages of generic fantasy books, with no real original features. The enemies faces are fairly interesting, but it's difficult to make out exactly what they're supposed to be. With no overarching story or explanation of Rastan's quest, players will have to rely on their gaming instincts to progress through the game.
Graphically the game isn't quite as easy on the eye as it could be, but it's also not unbearable; the style's somewhere between 3rd and 4th generation graphics. The real visual (and gameplay) issue is that Rastan only has one main attack animation, unless he's crouching. This renders gameplay and fighting in general pretty boring.
Overall Rastan is as generic as it gets; you guide a hero through some fantasy landscapes against enemies, collect powerups and different weapons in an effort to save somewhere. Or something. Probably. It's definitely not the worst thing ever made, but it's too unexciting to really care about for my liking.
Rating: 52/100
Grade: D
Super Qix
Game: Super Qix
Console: Arcade
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1987
If you've ever played the PS2 game Bully, you might remember the minigame from art class where you'd have to draw lines across the screen whilst avoiding different types of enemies to reveal a picture. Super Qix is essentially the same thing and most likely served as inspiration for that particular minigame.
As a full arcade game however, it feels a lot more devoid of content; sure there's different pictures to reveal, and different types of enemies and bonuses, but every level is pretty much the same thing. It seems to be a concept which works much better as a minigame than a game in its own right. After a few levels, I lacked the motivation to continue as I felt that I'd experienced all the game has to offer.
Graphically and musically the game's just as boring as its concept, save for the amount of colour that's used. There's always bound to be a few filler games in this type of arcade collection, and this is quite obviously one of them; it doesn't play awfully at all, but whoever thought that Qix needed a sequel was wrong.
Rating: 49/100
Grade: D
No comments:
Post a Comment