Taito Legends

[Il Postino]

Originally posted by: Kubrick
plus it's on a blue CD-ROM that spins constantly

Why do they need to do this? Okay, I know it's a cost-cutting measure, but how much money can they (the likes of Konami, for example) be saving? Gradius V? More like Gradius V: The Drive Killer.

Coonts...

[E. Randy Dupre]

This keeps on coming up, and the same answer keeps on being given - apparently, if it'll fit on a CD, Sony Europe say it has to go on a CD. Don't know if it's true, but it's been repeated enough times around here.

The complaints about the PAL version of this are coming across as really anal. No stick support? Most of the world won't give a ****. Can't configure the controls? Ditto. Other than those two, it's increasingly looking like a case of, "well, I know somebody who knows somebody who's played it and they said it was rubbish."

Best of the lot? That poster on the linked WoS thread complaining that the Rainbow Islands music has been changed - when everybody and his dog was already fully aware that this would be the case - but saying, in the same post, that he didn't like the original music anyway. Talk about moaning for no good reason.

[Kaladron]

Time for some positive impressions guys. I got this home today after having to buy it from the enemy and I am very impressed.

At 14.99 it is a complete bargain, is full of classics and more importantly is packed with unknown gems. I love compilations like this so that I can discover a few old goodies that I previously knew nothing of.

So far I've put a few hours into Zoo Keeper, Ninja Kids and Thunderfox. Ninja Kids is especially good fun. It doesn't play spectacularly but the presentation is very humourous and references to The Satan always bring a grin to my face.

I can't wait to get stuck into this properly.

BTW, does anyone know if the Japanese ones have lightgun support?

[Strider]

Time for some positive impressions guys. I got this home today after having to buy it from the enemy and I am very impressed.

At 14.99 it is a complete bargain, is full of classics and more importantly is packed with unknown gems. I love compilations like this so that I can discover a few old goodies that I previously knew nothing of.

So far I've put a few hours into Zoo Keeper, Ninja Kids and Thunderfox. Ninja Kids is especially good fun. It doesn't play spectacularly but the presentation is very humourous and references to The Satan always bring a grin to my face.

I can't wait to get stuck into this properly.

BTW, does anyone know if the Japanese ones have lightgun support?

No light gun support on any of them mate.

I'm glad you're enjoying this, I think it's a superb addition to your library.

And how ****ing great is Zookeeper

[Kubrick]

The Japanese packs don't have the lightgun games in them, so no they don't support them either.

Apart from those, these games all had joystick controls in the arcades, and it's how I'm used to playing them, so not being able to replicate that is more than a minor issue for me, and reason enough for me to sell the game. I never use a pad for these type of games (because I'm rubbish) and I'm not about to start now.

The Japanese versions support joysticks, or even a different pad. It seems stupid to remove that option. Who the hell could have benefitted from that decision?

[Il Postino]

Can't configure the controls? Ditto.

I can do this on MAME though (yes, I'll go off and play MAME, I know), and it doesn't cost me ****, etc. I don't want to be the bad guy all the time, but come on, control configuration is a bit like my cock in many respects, such a little thing. Surely they can take the time to include such options? Yes Strider, I'll stop the pissing/moaning

it's increasingly looking like a case of, "well, I know somebody who knows somebody who's played it and they said it was rubbish."

Granted, I haven't got the UK release yet and I don't do the whole download thing (at least with modern games, that is), so I'm hardly in a position to start throwing insults around. Anyway, I was once the Retro Editor of gamesTM, and I've got a *special gun and all, so speak easy buddy.





Truth be known, I haven't got a special gun, but if I did! Scares me just thinking about it.

[Kaladron]

And how ****ing great is Zookeeper

It's amazing! The main concept embodies everything I love about arcade games. It's a simple premise that starts off easy and gradually adds layers of complexity. By the time you get a few levels in it becomes completely frantic. It's bloody ace.

The bonus levels are great too, I love the one that appears to spoof Donkey Kong.

Incidently, a colleague of mine booted Zoo Keeper up at work and said "Oh what?! It's not the same as the DS one. What a load of ****." He then switched the XBox off and never bothered to play it. Fool.

[E. Randy Dupre]

The Japanese versions support joysticks, or even a different pad. It seems stupid to remove that option. Who the hell could have benefitted from that decision?

Well, if the games are using a different emulator than the Japanese release, as is being claimed, stick support's not really something that's been removed. It'll be more a case of Empire either not thinking to include it, or considering it, but deciding that the relatively tiny number of people who'd use it wouldn't justify the extra work it'd take to include it.

[Il Postino]

Well, if the games are using a different emulator than the Japanese release, as is being claimed, stick support's not really something that's been removed. It'll be more a case of Empire either not thinking to include it, or considering it, but deciding that the relatively tiny number of people who'd use it wouldn't justify the extra work it'd take to include it.

I don't want to drag this one out too much, but why didn't Empire just use the original Jap code? Surely, dicking around with it (the original code that is) in any way, was simply making more work for itself.

[Kaladron]

Maybe Empire didn't have the rights to the original japanese code.

ANYWAY- Can we all cheer up a bit and stop the whining?

Which Taito games are you all enjoying? (If you are enjoying them, that is)

[Strider]

I don't want to drag this one out too much, but why didn't Empire just use the original Jap code? Surely, dicking around with it (the original code that is) in any way, was simply making more work for itself.

well, there's no confirmation yet that they didn't...

[E. Randy Dupre]

Bah. Double - this one took its time deciding it was going to appear. Please delete.

[E. Randy Dupre]

Incidentally, I'm not saying that some of these aren't valid complaints, because a few of them are. Yes, being able to configure controls to your own liking is something that should always be included in a game, but it seems odd to single this pack out for attack when 98% of *new* games fail to provide the option - games which are far more complex and, arguably, are in far more need of having user-defined controls.

And yeah, Empire going with a different piece of emulation software when the Japanese releases were already perfectly acceptable - if, indeed, that turns out to be what's happened - does seem bizarre and pointless. Thing is, if you're the sort of person who notices that a couple of bubbles are moving a couple of pixels too far to the left when they get to the top of the screen in Bubble Bobble - which isn't a complaint that's been made in this thread, but I've no intention of joining WoS, so I'll make the point here - then surely you're the sort of person for whom the only acceptable way of playing these games is on the original arcade PCB?

I'm just finding it difficult to accept that these are major concerns when the pack is less than half the price of the Japanese versions. Previous console conversions of New Zealand Story on its own go for more than this on eBay, and this is likely to be the closest to perfect so far. That's enough for me.

[Abhisara]

I got my copy from Play today. As above, the lack of arcade stick support and button config option is a poor showing. Even then, on a pad I would prefer to use [] = shoot, X = jump than the X = shoot, O = jump offered here on the platform games, but I can live with that.

I've never been much of a Bubble Bobble player so I can't say if anything's wrong there. Rainbow Islands seemed OK apart from the expected music difference.

New Zealand Story is a game I've played more often, and I found a few minor niggles compared to the Memories version. Most noticeably, there was some slowdown/jerkiness in a couple of places (e.g. near the end of 1-4). That said however, these don't really detract from the game and it is still as enjoyable as ever.

After trying those games out, I opened the case again to check the manual, and found some small blue shards of plastic that had been rattling about. Initially I thought the case was chipped, but upon closer inspection, discovered they were actually shards of a blue CD. I then had a horrible vision of that noisy spinning blue disc suddenly shattering into a thousand pieces inside my PS2. I ejected it ASAP, and while those shards were not from my disc, its inside rim was chipped and cracked, so that won't be going back in my PS2. I'll have to get a new copy to try out the rest of the games.

It's very easy to be too critical of this having been spoiled by the Memories discs (which are highly recommended if you don't have them), but there's still a nice selection of games here - many of which aren't on Memories. If you aren't too familiar with the arcade versions, then you probably won't find too much to complain about.

[Il Postino]

Incidentally, I'm not saying that some of these aren't valid complaints, because a few of them are. Yes, being able to configure controls to your own liking is something that should always be included in a game, but it seems odd to single this pack out for attack when 98% of *new* games fail to provide the option - games which are far more complex and, arguably, are in far more need of having user-defined controls.

Yeah, that sounds like fair comment. I've been in a bad mood recently and have been behaving like a knob. Sorry. Christ, we're talking about dodgy emulation issues at 23:30 on a Friday night. What have we become?