Taito Legends for PlayStation 2 Reviews by Gamers

There are really two reasons to pick up a classics compilation. The first is to take a trip down memory lane with some older software, and the second is to fill in the gaps of a game library with a collector's item. While Taito Legends contains some great examples of early arcade magic, it mainly caters to collectors with a clean presentation and an assortment of extras.

Taito is still a familiar name in gaming, but many years ago they almost completely dominated the arcade. Unlike the recently released Midway Arcade Treasures 3, this collection reaches back far before the three-dimensional era and into the pixelated world of coin-op cabinets and simpler designs. Games like Space Invaders, Super Qix, and Elevator Action are at the center of this experience providing us with very basic, but very fun puzzles. It reminds me of a simpler time when almost every game could be as addictive as Lumines.

If you've already spent a good amount of time with the classics on this disc, then many of them games will lack replay value --but Taito tries to make up for this obvious possibility with variety. There are 29 games in all with an even mix of excellent throwbacks and equally forgettable arcade releases. For a complete list see our preview from a few weeks back. There are a few omissions (Puzzle Bobble comes to mind) but it's rare that any compilation includes all of the heavy hitters from a single company.

In most cases the gameplay solidly translated to a game controller. While nothing can compare to the joystick and button combination of a cabinet (and gamers won't be able to substitute a gun for a control pad in the shooters), the games still play as well as can be expected on modern equipment. Being able to remap buttons would have been appreciated, but adapting to the set controls doesn't take away from the experience.

Considering the age of these titles Taito has done a respectable job presenting the games. The colors are crisp and the games look very near to arcade perfect. So while New Zealand Story still bears no resemblance to the two islands on the other side of the earth, it retains the look and feel of the original release. The sound holds up equally as well and there is even a cool retro track bumping in the menus that perfectly suits the visual style.

Where Taito Legends will win admirers is in the presentation. From the moment a dancing Space Invader pops on the screen it's apparent that a more work went into this release than similar offerings from other publishers. Each arcade cabinet has been rendered for the menu screen with some of the more minute details included. Included in the menu is a description, adjustable controls, high scores, a set of options, and even hints and tips. These helpful additions include options to adjust the screen size and an auto-save feature that makes sure you high scores get counted.

On top of this Taito has included video interviews with the designers of some of the games. They discuss their inspirations in fully subtitled shorts that will be very interesting to extreme enthusiasts. All of these elements add up to an enjoyable compilation that missed the pitfalls of most other collections. Taito could have simply provided us with a numbered list of ports but instead it took the extra time to add to the presentation and it shows.

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