Just to copy and paste above my original post, what I said on the 3rd page:
***
So I finally got hold of the Xbox version. Wow. Vastly superior to the PS2 version, in so many ways.
I actually went and did some research, and I think I may have said this previously, but the PS2 version was by Taito, and the Xbox version was by Explosiv/Empire. And a hell of a lot more effort went into the Xbox version that the PS2 one.
While the PS2 game allows full button customisation for the controls, the Xbox version has a history section on Taito, a section on their landmark developments, plus a video interview with the gentleman behind Space Invaders. This is all very impressive.
But above all else, the Xbox version has perfect emulation/coding of the games. All the controls work well, everything functions correctly.
I also looked into why some versions have different games to others. This has nothing to do with selling more copies. Apparently Taito Japan, who developed the PS2 version, wouldn?t give out the source code for games like Raystorm and G Darius, meaning only they were able to make a properly functioning version of it. On the other hand, apparently, due to the lack of raw power in the PS2, or RAM or something, I honestly wasn?t paying attention when hearing the explanation, this meant that only the Xbox could run games like Rayforce. Taito Japan were apparently unable to get it running for their PS2 compilation, while Explosiv/Empire were able. Not sure about games like Bubble Symphony of Pop?n?Pop. But several titles were due to either not having source code, or the hardware abilities of the system it was running on (and maybe also balancing out the numbers of 4 vs 4).
But I think the key point here is, those behind the Xbox version deserve much praise for going that extra mile when developing it. You can tell much care went into things, from the perfect emulation and functionality of all games, even down to the custom menu screen music. It?s good to know they took the project seriously, and created something for retro fans to be happy with. They were also extremely helpful at customer support.
I find it bitterly ironic, that the version created by Taito themselves, turned out to be poor compared to the work of a 3rd party.
To summarise, now that I have both and have played them extensively, this is without doubt the best retro compilation out there, and HIGHLY recommended.
But if you DO decide to buy it, get the Xbox version, if possible.
OLD POST:
****
My copy of Taito Legends 2 finally arrived today, and I'm sad to say whoever did it, botched the job quite badly. In fact, incredibly badly!
There is a fundamental problem, which makes a lot of games nearly impossible.
For some reason, when you hold a button down, it doesn't register in a lot of games. It only reads it once.
So far I've tested and noticed this with EVA, Metal Black, and Cameltry.
In EVA the machinegun doesn't work when you hold the button down, you have to tap it, making it like the handgun. In MB the second beam weapon doesn't work properly, since one of its modes requires the button to be held. In Cameltry, it appears as if you can't speed the ball up anymore by holding the button.
Maybe other games are also affected, but these were the first 3 I tested, and I am very dissapointed with the whole package.
The games border on unplayable now. It totally ruins the experience, and is nowhere near like playing older ports, MAME, or the originals. In fact, it makes the compilatioon utterly worthless.
Did anyone else notice this? Was there a topic and I missed it? Did the Japanese versions have this problem? I was waiting for the PAL version to save money, but it looks like I should have just gone with Play-Asia and imported them.
Damn, this sucks.
***
So I finally got hold of the Xbox version. Wow. Vastly superior to the PS2 version, in so many ways.
I actually went and did some research, and I think I may have said this previously, but the PS2 version was by Taito, and the Xbox version was by Explosiv/Empire. And a hell of a lot more effort went into the Xbox version that the PS2 one.
While the PS2 game allows full button customisation for the controls, the Xbox version has a history section on Taito, a section on their landmark developments, plus a video interview with the gentleman behind Space Invaders. This is all very impressive.
But above all else, the Xbox version has perfect emulation/coding of the games. All the controls work well, everything functions correctly.
I also looked into why some versions have different games to others. This has nothing to do with selling more copies. Apparently Taito Japan, who developed the PS2 version, wouldn?t give out the source code for games like Raystorm and G Darius, meaning only they were able to make a properly functioning version of it. On the other hand, apparently, due to the lack of raw power in the PS2, or RAM or something, I honestly wasn?t paying attention when hearing the explanation, this meant that only the Xbox could run games like Rayforce. Taito Japan were apparently unable to get it running for their PS2 compilation, while Explosiv/Empire were able. Not sure about games like Bubble Symphony of Pop?n?Pop. But several titles were due to either not having source code, or the hardware abilities of the system it was running on (and maybe also balancing out the numbers of 4 vs 4).
But I think the key point here is, those behind the Xbox version deserve much praise for going that extra mile when developing it. You can tell much care went into things, from the perfect emulation and functionality of all games, even down to the custom menu screen music. It?s good to know they took the project seriously, and created something for retro fans to be happy with. They were also extremely helpful at customer support.
I find it bitterly ironic, that the version created by Taito themselves, turned out to be poor compared to the work of a 3rd party.
To summarise, now that I have both and have played them extensively, this is without doubt the best retro compilation out there, and HIGHLY recommended.
But if you DO decide to buy it, get the Xbox version, if possible.
OLD POST:
****
My copy of Taito Legends 2 finally arrived today, and I'm sad to say whoever did it, botched the job quite badly. In fact, incredibly badly!
There is a fundamental problem, which makes a lot of games nearly impossible.
For some reason, when you hold a button down, it doesn't register in a lot of games. It only reads it once.
So far I've tested and noticed this with EVA, Metal Black, and Cameltry.
In EVA the machinegun doesn't work when you hold the button down, you have to tap it, making it like the handgun. In MB the second beam weapon doesn't work properly, since one of its modes requires the button to be held. In Cameltry, it appears as if you can't speed the ball up anymore by holding the button.
Maybe other games are also affected, but these were the first 3 I tested, and I am very dissapointed with the whole package.
The games border on unplayable now. It totally ruins the experience, and is nowhere near like playing older ports, MAME, or the originals. In fact, it makes the compilatioon utterly worthless.
Did anyone else notice this? Was there a topic and I missed it? Did the Japanese versions have this problem? I was waiting for the PAL version to save money, but it looks like I should have just gone with Play-Asia and imported them.
Damn, this sucks.
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