Taito Legends 2


Taito Legends 2 is a 2006 video game compilation developed and published by Empire Interactive. The follow-up to Taito Legends, it is a compilation of Taito arcade video games. It was published for Xbox, PlayStation 2, and Microsoft Windows. As with the former collection, it is derived from the Japan exclusive Taito Memories series.
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 Windows 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 and Windows versions use 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, 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.
TitleFirst releasePS2XboxWindowsTaito MemoriesRegional title
Lunar Rescue1979I Vol.1
Balloon Bomber1980I Vol.2
Crazy Balloon1980I Vol.2
Qix1981I Vol.2
Alpine Ski1982I Vol.1
Front Line1982I Vol.2
Wild Western1982I Vol.2
Chack'n Pop1983I Vol.2
The Legend of Kage1984I Vol.2
The Fairyland Story1985I Vol.1
KiKi KaiKai1986I Vol.1
Bonze Adventure1988I Vol.1Jigoku Meguri
Kuri Kinton1988I Vol.1
Nastar Warrior1988I Vol.2Rastan Saga 2 ; Nastar
Raimais1988I Vol.2
Syvalion1988I Vol.1
Cadash1989I Vol.2
Cameltry1989I Vol.1
Don Doko Don1989I Vol.1
Insector X1989I Vol.2
Violence Fight1989I Vol.2
Football Champ1990I Vol.2Hat Trick Hero
Growl1990I Vol.1Runark
Gun Frontier1990I Vol.2
Liquid Kids1990I Vol.2Mizubaku Adventure
Super [Space Invaders '91]1990I Vol.1Majestic Twelve: The Space Invaders Part IV
Metal Black1991I Vol.1Gun Frontier 2
Arabian Magic1992I Vol.2
Grid Seeker: Project Storm Hammer1992I Vol.1
RayForce1993II Vol.1Gunlock, Layer Section, Galactic Attack
Bubble Symphony1994II Vol.2Bubble Bobble II
Darius Gaiden1994I Vol.1
Dungeon Magic1994I Vol.1Light Bringer
Space Invaders DX1994I Vol.1
Elevator Action Returns1995I Vol.1Elevator Action II
Gekirindan1995I Vol.2
Puzzle Bobble 21995I Vol.2Bust-a-Move Again : in PS2 release
Space Invaders '951995I Vol.2Akkan-vaders
Cleopatra Fortune1996I Vol.1
RayStorm1996I Vol.2
G-Darius1997I Vol.2
Pop'n Pop1997
Puchi Carat1997I Vol.1

The titles included in the Western release were taken directly from various volumes of the Japanese Taito Memories-series:
  • Taito Memories#Taito Memories Volume 1
  • Taito Memories#Taito Memories Volume 2
  • Taito Memories#Taito Memories II Volume 1
  • Taito Memories#Taito Memories II Volume 2
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 with Bust-a-Move Again, the game's North American equivalent. It also has loading screens in RayStorm and G-Darius. That version of G-Darius has full motion video for the intro, ending, and some cutscenes.

Reception

The Windows 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. 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., as well as unresponsive, "flipped", and clunky controls. Kristan Reed of Eurogamer wrote a more positive response: "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, and various useful options that make the experience far better than most retro collections". Some reviewers also compared Taito Legends 2 unfavorably with the Sega Genesis Collection, writing the aforementioned Genesis Collection as superior, and was also criticized for its lack of bonus content.