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May not work with older or refurbed PS2s

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 04, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I purchased this title at a Best Buy (mistake number one due to their return policy) and found that it would not play on my original design Gen 1 PS2. This has happened only once before with a game called Ford Racing. The only common factor is that both disks had blue optical side surfaces. Not the usual clear or black like normal.

Don't know if this means anything other than my experience had been unsatisfactory.

Buyer beware.

Horrible collection...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 23
Date: November 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is a collection of 1980s arcade games, 29 total. Most games are horrible and unpopular in its arcade days. This collection is much worse than Capcom Classics Collection. This collection is horrible like Sega Classics Collection. However this game is made by Taito AND Sega.

The few decent games:
Space Invaders, Spade Invaders Part 2: A true original shooter. Not nearly as good as Galaga and Galaxian. Average game.

Phoenix: Another shooter similar to Space Invaders. You shoot and prick away at a UFO's bottom orange belly. Average game.

The Ninja Kids: A horizontal brawler similar to Streets of Rage and Final Fight. 4 selectable players. The animation is pretty violent and bloody. Good game.

Rastan: A horizontal brawler with sword, similar to Castlevania and Ghost 'n' Goblins. Good game.

Bubble Bobble: You shoot trapping bubbles at enemies and pop them. Good game.

Gladiator: A horizontal brawler. Only one enemy at a time. You can move your shield up and down fast to create a wide energy barrier. Similar to Karateka. Cheesy game.

2 games in this collection are based on moving a dot around a covered picture, you draw and reveal the picture. Too bad its not the one with naked girls.... Few other games are FPS on rail with paper thin enemies popping out in front and projectiles flying toward you. One is pretty decent.

Overall don't buy this game. Only 5 to 7 decent games total out of 29. I recommend Capcom Classics Collection, Midway Arcade Treasures 1, then Namco 50th Anniversary Collection.

Arcades at Home

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: January 21, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Taito Legends introduces a wide selection of twenty-nine arcades packaged inside one CD ROM. Whether or not the phrase "legends" applies here is for you to decide. The vast archive seems very impressive and should attract retro gamers of the eighties and those curious to try something old. Many, myself included, remember spilling quarters in some of these vintage Taito machines when younger. At a very affordable price, one will find it hard to pass up on Taito memory lane.

However, do not expect every game to impress you. It's apparent Taito focused on quantity over quality. Roughly five arcades I consider halfway decent. Regardless, Taito taught me history by piling in their low-grade games since the majority of them I never knew exist. While I found playing Electric Yo-Yo a nuisance trying to clear each stage, one cannot deny the comical, yet bizarre Pac-Man imitation. Most will probably play these unpopular games once or twice before sticking to what you really like from the collection.

I bought Taito Legends for The Ninja Kids and Operation Wolf. The Ninja Kids allows up to four players to interact on screen to battle out the evil bad guys. The benefit along with some others is that Taito implemented the unlimited continue feature which prolongs game play so you may advance further, sooner rather than starting from scratch whenever the game come to an end.

Playing Operation Wolf left me feeling bittersweet. I was happy to play one of my all-time favorite shooters, but six missions didn't provide enough gaming entertainment. I never realized how short Operation Wolf was until I played through its entirety for the first time on the Playstation 2. I have no complaint about using the analog controller. Aiming and shooting targets come easier than the arcade machine gun, though to some it may feel unnatural to the arcade experience.

Even today Bubble Bobble is still fun to play on the NES. Between the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) and Taito Legends, I prefer playing the NES edition. Those who play as the lovable characters on Taito Legends will be saddened to discover unlike its NES cousin there's no lucky break to continue where you left off after you die. That stopped me from attempting to play the game. Who would want a migraine headache?

The graphics and sound are nothing spectacular but they are perfect translation to keep that nostalgia intact.

The collection offers hack and slash, puzzle, RPG, racing, and shooters.

Remember only a small handful are worthwhile, as the leftovers will leave an empty feeling to your stomach but not to your wallet. The $19.99 price tag is a bargain. What I do enjoy outweighs the vast volume of sub par games. Though I was intrigued to try pretentious games unheard of, brief amusement caused me to dismiss them rather quickly.

Much better than I thought

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: November 28, 2005
Author: Amazon User

When I saw that Taito had put out a retro collection of arcade games, I was excited, but weary of all the games on it that I hadn't heard of. Ironically, the games that I had never played offered exactly what these collections are often lacking: Originality, creativity, and variety. Very few of these games have been constantly remade over and over like those on the first "Midway Arcade Treasures" collection and the "Namco Museum", with the one exception being "Space Invaders", and rightly so. My only gripe is getting used to using the analog sticks to play Operation Wolf, Operation Thunderbolt, Battle Shark, and Space Gun, which should be played with a light gun or mouse. This is why I'm actually glad they chose not to include the popular Arkanoid, because I think it should be done with a proper controller or not at all. Overall, this is a fun collection that can easily hold it's own against other similar compilations, even with the few inevitable flaws.

Some Must-Haves and Unknowns

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Taito has given us a solid collection of titles, albeit with a toned-down interface and a lackluster quantity of background material. Some interesting omissions in the collection, for example "Qix" is missing but its also-ran sequel Super Qix is included. There are a few errors in judgement which are to be corrected in the rumored second volume of classics. These games play and sound like you remember, and if you're yearning for a little escapism this is a good trip. The playability might be best in small doses here and there, but this is a disc you'll use over and over again long after a "quest" type game lies beaten gathering dust. Great for a party atmosphere, especially if you have friends over 30. Recommended!

Man, this takes me back...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Taito has really done a great job compiling some of their best games, from the early classics (Space Invaders, Jungle Hunt) to later hits (Operation Wolf, Bubble Bobble), as well as some obscure entries (The Electric Yo-Yo, Plump Pop).

While some may question the inclusion of shooting games like Operation Wolf/Thunderbolt, etc. w/out offering light-gun support, the standard PS2 controller handles it fairly well and better than I expected, so it doesn't really detract from the playability.

My only gripe is that there are some titles not included that I would've liked to see on this collection, such as Renegade and Chase HQ (would say Arkanoid as well, but that won't happen until Taito settles some legal issues w/Atari over their game, Breakout, which the former could be called a semi-clone of). Other than that, it's a great compilation, and a real trip back in time...if you spent a good part of the 1980s in your local arcade like I did, here's the perfect way to relive those days!

Taito Legends for PlayStation 2

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The Taito Legends for PlayStation 2 is an enjoy retro arcade games of 80's and 90's - all in one PS2 game!

A solid collection of arcade games with some few duds, and great value!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Many classic compilations have come on the PS2, which are a dime a dozen on that platform. Taito has been in business since 1978, and has quite an established history. The name doesn't carry the same weight as it did back then, but when they first appeared, they helped established the golden age of arcades. They also have quite a library of arcade games. Do they stand the test of time?

Presentation wise (menu wise), this one is the better of the two Taito collections. Aside from the menus themselves, we get 3D representations of the arcade cabinets, dancing invaders, and interviews with some of the designers. We also get a diagram of a PS2 controller that shows what buttons are used for what. You can also adjust the difficulty of the games before you start, resize the screen dimensions, and some other things. The real question now is... how are the games?

Space Invaders:
This is the original arcade game. If you don't know what it's about, you blast away aliens in an attempt to prevent them from getting to the bottom of the screen where they invade your territory. It's basic, simple, and pretty fun to this day.

Space Invaders Part 2:
It's the same as the first one, just with color. I don't need to say any more.

Return of the Invaders:
Essentially the same as the other two Space Invaders games, except that the aliens look much better and you get different types. Same thing here.

Jungle Hunt:
In this game, you have to swing on vines, swim, and jump over rocks and stuff in order to save your girlfriend. The controls are simple to learn and it's pretty interesting. I do have a hard time saving the girl at the last level, though. It's pretty hard.

Bubble Bobble:
This game is very fun. You are a little cute lizard that uses bubbles to trap your enemies, and then you pop the bubbles to kill them. There are 100 levels in the game, but I'm only able to barely get beyond 10 (yes, I suck). Still, the game is very fun.

Rainbow Islands:
This so called "sequel" to Bubble Bobble is quite disappointing. It's still pretty fun, but what you do is trap enemies with rainbows or hit them with it. You also sometimes use the rainbows to move up the level. Compared to the original, this one is a disappointment.

Operation Wolf and Operation Thunderbolt:
In these two games, you're a soldier blasting other soldiers, helicopters, and other things. With no light gun support, some of the appeal here is lost, but they are still pretty fun.

Space Gun:
Same deal as the "Operation" games, but this time, you're in a space station rescuing hostages. It's also pretty fun, but once again, no light gun hurts it.

Elevator Action:
This one is where you are moving down the floors of a building and shooting guys that are trying to shoot you. This one is pretty fun, but it can get repetitive.

Colony 7:
This one is a horizontal shooter where you have to blast enemies with rockets and stuff. It's pretty fun, to be honest.

Continental Circus:
The only racing game that is on either collection, this one plays quite similarly to Pole Position where you race several tracks and make sure not to crash into anything. If you do, you waste precious seconds and possibly can't qualify for the next track.

Electric Yo-yo: This one is where you have to move a yo-yo to remove blocks while trying to avoid enemies. It's not that fun.

Volfied:
This one is where you have to reclaim land from invaders by drawing lines across the screen. This one is so hard; I can't complete a single stage.

Phoenix:
This one is where you shoot bird like aliens. It's very similar to Galaga, and pretty fun.

Zoo Keeper:
This is where you have to get animals back into the zoo by caging them (circle around while avoid things) and rescue his girlfriend. It's interesting, to be honest.

Battle Shark:
Another light gun game where you are in a submarine trying to shoot the enemy. This one also suffers from no light gun, but it is the most fun of them.

Gladiator:
This one is a forced moving game where you have to move forward while attacking many things, including other gladiators. This one is pretty fun, and is definitely different from all the rest.

The New Zealand Story:
This is a side scroller where you have to move from one side to the other to rescue your friends, and sometimes battle bosses. It's quite fun.

The Ninja Kids:
This one is a beat em up that plays similarly to the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games. Not quite as good, but still quite fun.

Tokio:
This is a vertical shooter where you have to have to defend Tokyo from the enemy. It is pretty fun, to be honest.

Plump Pop:
This one is where you have to use a trampoline to bounce off an animal so that it can take out enemies and things like that. Its okay, but not that great.

Tube It:
This is a puzzle game where you have to connect tubes in order to break the blocks. It's no Tetris, but it's okay.

Great Swordsman: This is a "fencing game" where you have to get a one up your opponent. This one sucks. I didn't like it.

Super Qix:
This one is the same as Volfied, where you have to draw lines to reveal a picture. I don't really like this type of game.

Exzisus:
This one is a horizontal shooter where you blast enemies on another planet. This one is quite fun.

Plotting:
This is a puzzle game where you have to match blocks with similar looking blocks. This one is a fun time, really.

Thunderfox:
This one is a side scrolling action game where you have to take out terrorists and other things. This one is okay.

Rastan:
Similar to Thunderfox, except it's a hack n' slash that is similar to other games I played, like Valis III. I kind of had as much fun with it, as well.
The collection of games is solid, with some bad ones, but mostly good ones. This one is quite well made.
8.0/10

I remember like yesterday

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: February 13, 2006
Author: Amazon User

As a teenager I used to ride my bike (sometimes through rain and snow) to get to the local bowling alley, where I'd spend my paper route money playing games like Jungle Hunt (then called Jungle King and featuring a Tarzan-like character) Elevator Action, Phoenix, Bubble Bobble, Zoo Keeper and of course Space Invaders. This collection accurately recreates those games of years gone by, this time no bike ride or quarters required.

Once again I can spend my Saturday nights with nothing better to do with Space Invaders, a 2 Liter of Faygo and my mix tape of nothing but Rush.

An incredible value!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is a great collection of 29 games from Taito released by Sega in the US for only $19.99. I love most of these games on this collection, this is the best collection money can buy.

You get many great arcade perfect ports of some of the greatest games. Games like Ninja Kids, Thunder Fox, Bubble Bobble, Rainbow Island, New Zealand Story, Elevator Action, Operation - Wolf & many more.

I would've paid over $20 just to get an arcade perfect port of New Zealand Story, but it only cost me .70+ cents in this collection. Try this collection & find out how great games were in the 2D era.

Very high replay value with most of these great games. You get many different kinda games on this collection, it includes some great action, platformer, puzzle, fighting, run & gun, shooters & many more different genres on this collection. This compilation deserves a perfect score.

You will not be disappointed with this collection, if you have to buy one collection then I highly recommend this collection. This is the way a collection should be done. I just hope we see some more great collections like this released soon.

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