Taito Legends 2

Taito Legends 2 is the sequel to Taito Legends and is a follow-up collection of 39 (or 43, see below) Taito arcade games for Xbox, PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Windows. As the former collection, it has been derived from the Japan exclusive Taito Memories series.

Taito Legends 2
Box art
Developer(s)Empire Interactive (Xbox, PC)
Mine Loader Software (PS2)
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)Xbox, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows
Release
  • AU: 30 March 2006 (PS2)
  • EU: 31 March 2006
  • NA: 16 May 2007 (PS2)
  • NA: 10 July 2007 (PC)
Genre(s)Compilation
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

All three versions of the game were simultaneously released in March 2006 in Europe and Australia and published by Empire Interactive. The United States received the PlayStation 2 version on 16 May 2007 and the PC version on 10 July 2007 with publishing by Destineer. For unknown reasons, the Xbox version was never released in North America. However, the European PAL-region Xbox version is entirely compatible with the North American NTSC-based Xbox systems without any modifications.

The PlayStation 2 version uses the same layout and engine as the Taito Memories series, while the Xbox & PC versions uses the layout and engine of Taito Legends, with additional content on some games.

Eight of the 43 games - Balloon Bomber, Bubble Symphony, Cadash, RayForce, RayStorm, G-Darius, Pop'n Pop, and Syvalion - were split across the platforms due to porting issues,[1] requiring players to buy more than one version to get every game available.

Games

Taito Legends 2 consists of the following 43 arcade games when combined whilst each version contains 39 games. Balloon Bomber, G-Darius, RayStorm and Syvalion are exclusive to the PlayStation 2 version whilst Bubble Symphony, Cadash, Pop’n Pop and RayForce are exclusive to the PC and Xbox versions.

Titles included in the various versions of Taito Legends 2
Title First release PS2 Xbox Windows Taito Memories Regional title
Lunar Rescue1979YesYesYesI Vol.1
Balloon Bomber1980YesNoNoI Vol.2
Crazy Balloon1980YesYesYesI Vol.2
Qix1981YesYesYesI Vol.2
Alpine Ski1982YesYesYesI Vol.1
Front Line1982YesYesYesI Vol.2
Wild Western1982YesYesYesI Vol.2
Chack'n Pop1983YesYesYesI Vol.2
The Legend of Kage1984YesYesYesI Vol.2
The Fairyland Story1985YesYesYesI Vol.1
KiKi KaiKai1986YesYesYesI Vol.1
Bonze Adventure1988YesYesYesI Vol.1Jigoku Meguri (Japan)
Kuri Kinton1988YesYesYesI Vol.1
Nastar Warrior1988YesYesYesI Vol.2Rastan Saga 2 (Japan); Nastar (EU)
Raimais1988YesYesYesI Vol.2
Syvalion1988YesNoNoI Vol.1
Cadash1989NoYesYesI Vol.2
Cameltry1989YesYesYesI Vol.1
Don Doko Don1989YesYesYesI Vol.1
Insector X1989YesYesYesI Vol.2
Violence Fight1989YesYesYesI Vol.2
Football Champ1990YesYesYesI Vol.2Hat Trick Hero (Japan)
Growl1990YesYesYesI Vol.1Runark (Japan)
Gun Frontier1990YesYesYesI Vol.2
Liquid Kids1990YesYesYesI Vol.2Mizubaku Adventure (Japan)
Super Space Invaders '911990YesYesYesI Vol.1Majestic Twelve: The Space Invaders Part IV (Japan/US PS2 release)
Metal Black1991YesYesYesI Vol.1Gun Frontier 2
Arabian Magic1992YesYesYesI Vol.2
Grid Seeker: Project Storm Hammer1992YesYesYesI Vol.1
RayForce1993NoYesYesII Vol.1Gunlock (Arcade), Layer Section (Japan), Galactic Attack (EU, USA)
Bubble Symphony1994NoYesYesII Vol.2Bubble Bobble II
Darius Gaiden1994YesYesYesI Vol.1
Dungeon Magic1994YesYesYesI Vol.1Light Bringer (Japan)
Space Invaders DX1994YesYesYesI Vol.1
Elevator Action Returns1995YesYesYesI Vol.1Elevator Action II (USA)
Gekirindan1995YesYesYesI Vol.2
Puzzle Bobble 21995YesYesYesI Vol.2Bust-a-Move Again (Western arcades): in PS2 release
Space Invaders '951995YesYesYesI Vol.2Akkan-vaders (Japan)
Cleopatra Fortune1996YesYesYesI Vol.1
RayStorm1996YesNoNoI Vol.2
G-Darius1997YesNoNoI Vol.2
Pop'n Pop1997NoYesYesN/A
Puchi Carat1997YesYesYesI Vol.1

The titles included in the Western release were taken directly from various volumes of the Japanese Taito Memories-series:

The only title included in Taito Legends 2 that was not previously included in the Japanese Taito Memories series is Pop 'n Pop, though an earlier standalone PlayStation port of the game was released in Japan.

In addition, the North American PS2 version replaces Puzzle Bobble 2 (the original Japanese version) with Bust-a-Move Again, the game's North American equivalent. It also has a loading times during RayStorm and G-Darius. G-Darius uses full motion video on intro, ending and some of the cutscenes of the game.

Reception

The PC and Xbox versions of Taito Legends 2 received "favourable" reviews, while the PlayStation 2 version received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[2][3][4] Major criticisms include the large amount of obscure and "filler" titles, all of which are from the Japanese Taito Memories collections in which they are little known in the U.S. (with GameSpot quoting, "There's really nothing legendary about most of the old arcade games found in Taito Legends 2"),[7] as well as unresponsive, "flipped", and clunky controls. Kristan Reed of Eurogamer wrote a more positive response saying, "It's all but impossible to make an objective assessment that takes into account everyone's hugely varying tastes. What's definitely unarguable, though, that this particular package has much better presentation than the last one, with all games sorted into chronological order (a small but valuable point), and various useful options that make the experience far better than most retro collections."[5] Some reviewers also compared Taito Legends 2 unfavorably with the Sega Genesis Collection, writing the aforementioned Genesis Collection as superior,[16] and was also criticized for its lack of bonus content (asides from instructions panels that can be viewed in the main menu and during gameplay).[9]

References
  2. "Taito Legends 2 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  3. "Taito Legends 2 for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  4. "Taito Legends (xbx: 2006): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET. Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  5. Reed, Kristan (31 March 2006). "Taito Legends 2 (PlayStation 2)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  6. "Review: Taito Legends 2 (PS2)". GamesMaster. Future plc. May 2006. p. 80.
  7. Gerstmann, Jeff (30 May 2007). "Taito Legends 2 Review (PS2)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  8. Miller, Greg (29 January 2008). "Taito Legends 2 Review (PC)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  9. Miller, Greg (4 June 2007). "Taito Legends 2 Review (PS2)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  10. Romendil (16 May 2006). "Test: Taito Legends 2 (PC, PS2)". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  11. "Taito Legends 2". Official Xbox Magazine UK. Future plc. April 2006. p. 96.
  12. Low, David (1 May 2006). "Taito Legends 2 Review - PlayStation 2 Review". PALGN. PAL Gaming Network. Archived from the original on 9 June 2007. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  13. "Taito Legends 2". PC Format. No. 188. Future plc. June 2006. p. 97.
  14. "Review: Taiko Legends 2". Play UK. No. 139. Imagine Publishing. May 2006. p. 93.
  15. "Review: Taito Legends 2". PSM2. Future plc. April 2006. p. 52.
  16. Dutka, Ben (12 September 2007). "Taito Legends 2". PSX Extreme. Poise Media Inc. Archived from the original on 8 October 2007. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
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