Taito Legends, Or Just Taito?

By The Jackal

Hi, I'm the Jackal and I'm back with my latest review. I don't always enjoy doing the older style games as much as I enjoy the new releases. But still, I must gain at least some respect for the games people used to play, because back in the '80s I had no time for such pursuits, as I was working as a mole with the Soviets, and with an alarming disregard for my own wellbeing.

The format of this PSP UMD is that you load it up and it will show you a list of original 1980s games which you can play, as well as a few modern titles. 

There are games such as Space Invaders, Cameltry, New Zealand Story and many others. All in all, there are about 21 original games and 4 modern ones, though 'modern' seems to mean 'updated graphics' and little else.

Still, this compilation pack is a lot of fun to my way of thinking these sorts of simple and short games are much more suited to handheld gaming than Grand Theft Auto. Squinting at a tiny screen for hours can be arduous work, much like the removing of one's former Soviet Bloc headmaster. 

I'm going to set it out like this; I will state the name of one game and write a mini review on it. The groups will be in 'Original' and 'Modern'. Hopefully this should give you some insight into what this compilation of old games will be like. I will only review 10 original games and all of the modern games because sometimes it takes more courage to 'trim the fat' than to simply let it all hang out.

Original Games

Raimais: Raimais is almost a combination of Space Chaser and Pac Man, in the way that you must zoom around a maze collecting little balls of energy (or whatever they are) to win the round. Like usual, there are many enemies which try to stop you and destroy your little red space ship. But unlike Space Chaser, there are many different variations of levels as well as being in full colour. 

Verdict: Moderately engaging.

Cameltry: This is a great game, the aim is to roll a ball through a maze of blocks without bumping into certain objects. You can turn the ball using the arrows or the joy-pad and must work with gravity to ensure that you end up at the finish before your 50 seconds is up. 

There are different levels of difficulty etc. and you have to try and collect as many bonus points as possible by either running into them or by smashing bricks. The game is made in full colour and is great fun to play. The only downside I found was that I became quite dizzy after a while (almost sick, not that that would stop my from playing). A very good game. 

Verdict: Highly engaging.

Space Invaders: This game must have been reviewed over 1 million times, and if you don't know what Space Invaders is you might as well stop reading and give up on games forever. Space Invaders is made in almost full black and white except for some blue dots here and there that really improve its artistic ambiance. The aim is to wipe out the invading army of aliens attacking your little spaceship. You have 4 defensive blocks which you can hide behind in order to dodge the attacking army's reign of fire and as they get closer and their numbers lessen, they will become faster and will shoot more wayward bullets. Obviously, the more levels you complete, the harder the army will become to kill. 

Verdict: Moderately engaging.

Space Invaders Pt.2: Space Invaders with colour. Very inventive. 

Disengaging - the original has more street credibility.

Space Chaser: This is an impossible game to play, not only because it's so hard but because it really tests one's nerves. You are a little spaceship running away from a heat-seeking missile while trying to collect little balls of energy (which give you points). As you collect more balls, the faster the rocket becomes. You have a limited amount of “fuel” which gives you a speed boost (you'd probably want to use this as the rocket becomes faster). I have to admit that I struggled to pass even the first level on this game, and if this was real life I'd be dead, or maybe very burnt. If you have a short fuse then maybe don't play this game, or at least warn the people around you. 

Verdict: Sometimes engaging.

Crazy Balloon: I really don't like this game. You are a balloon that must make your way around a tiny little map full of spear-like objects that can kill you. Your balloon swings in a left and right direction and you must control it through the level and make sure that no part of the balloon touches anything. If that isn't bad/annoying enough you have to dodge little obstacles which move around and try to touch you. I don't like this game but if you're a die hard retro gamer, you may like this one. 

Verdict: Not very engaging.

Balloon Bomber: I love this game. You are a tank on the ground and you move from left to right trying to destroy balloons in the air. The balloons have bombs attached to them, so if you only hit the balloon, then the bomb will fall blowing up the apartment block in Bulgaria to cover your tracks so the KGB doesn't scent a trail. I mean the game. Game stuff. But the catch is that the balloons can get stronger and closer, meaning that you'll need to shoot them more than once to destroy them (unless you hit the bomb, which will wipe out the whole balloon). As well as having good game play, it has really catchy music which will have you hooked. 

Verdict: Highly engaging.

Lunar Rescue: This one's an oldie - from 1979. And it shows. You are a space ship that must land on the surface of a planet and save people. Some people are worth more points than others (which is a bit mean, but anyone who has had to kill for money understands that this is the way of things). You are dropped off by a big ship and float down to the surface, but as you're floating down meteors can destroy you and as you go up, aliens shoot at you. The game progresses to be harder, but all-in-all it's really not that exciting.

Verdict: Moderately engaging.

Phoenix: It's all in the name: birds. Like a well trained hawk it's... Actually no. Not at all. This game is basically like Space Invaders except that the enemy swoops down on you (oh, and you have a shield). This game is really annoying and is quite frustrating to play, because it's always the last bird that ends up killing you. The only good thing I have to say is that it's in colour.

Verdict: Crapola.

Qix: This is a game where you are a little dot on the outside of a square. The aim of the game is to run across the square without being touched by a series of straight lines within the square. When you have successfully joined two bits of the square it becomes yours and you have a percentage of the square. If you own 75% of the square or more, then you win the round. I didn't explain that very well did I? I don't care. If you do, send the editor a letter, I'm sure he be pleased to tell you why he pays me half what the guys at Next Media get. Cheapskates... Okay, so there are also two 'evil' dots chasing you around the outside of the square, which you must also run away from. It's not that fun, but is good to play for a short period of time.

Verdict: Moderately engaging.

Modern Games

Legend of Kage 2005: This is a remake (or just an upgrade) to the original Legend of Kage, which is on the list of original games on the UMD. What they've accomplished is to just completely redo all of the graphics without harming the game play too much. Kane is a ninja who is running after a woman that was kidnapped in a forest. Yep, we've all been there. The game isn't all that exciting but does feature many different levels on which you can hack and dice people with your sword and shuriken throwing stars. This is fun for kids and adults, I think it's quite a good mix.

Verdict: Moderately engaging.

Balloon Bomb 2005: This is a remake of Balloon Bomber which I reviewed above. It features good graphics and even more catchy music, which you can enjoy while playing. This game is strangely hypnotising and I found myself playing it all night.

Verdict: Highly engaging.

Crazy Balloon 2005: This is another game which has been remade (my review of the original is above), although I don't really know if it was worth remaking this since it wasoriginally so bad. It's slightly better in the way that it doesn't look so bad but it still has the same balloon swinging from side to side as you dodge things. This is a better version and I recommend playing this one if you're sick of the original.

Verdict: Moderately engaging.

Cameltry 2005: This is probably the best remake I've seen on this entertaining UMD. I did a review on the original which is listed above, and I'm pleased to say that this version is still a great game. It has advanced the gameplay by adding different elements such as being able to boost your ball as well as changing the visuals a little by making it seem not so dizzy while you're turning the ball. This is great fun for people of all ages, and I recommend it to anyone who likes puzzlers and non-violent games.

Verdict: Highly engaging.

Taito Legends Power Up (PSP) Game List:

Alpine Ski
Balloon Bomber
Cameltry
Chack 'n Pop
Crazy Balloon
Elevator Action
The Fairyland Story
KiKi KaiKai
Kuri Kinton
Legend Of Kage
Lunar Rescue
New Zealand Story
Phoenix
Qix
Raimais
Rastan Saga
Return Of The Invaders
Space Chaser
Space Dungeon
Space Invaders
Space Invaders Part 2

Enhanced Titles

Balloon Bomber
Cameltry
Crazy Balloon
Legend Of Kage

A nice touch to this compilation game disc for the Sony PSP is that for all of the arcade games you are able to choose what sort of aspect ratio you want. You can choose from three sizes, original (quite a small screen but best for playing on), large (almost full screen, stretched) and full size (full screen, fully stretched).

The layout of the UMD is quite good and the people who put it all together have done a good job. They have added things like a start up movie (which plays every time you start the game) which features all of the games and their names in a short movie. Also they're added backgrounds to all of the arcade games which looks quite good but without denting the 1980s videogame aesthetic that this title has in abundance.

In the end, this is what I say: there are some really good games here that a lot of people would enjoy playing, myself included. The only aspect of selling UMD's like this is that you're targeting a certain audience (people who like old/retro games) because most of these games are dated and most avid gamers wouldn't find enough depth to hold their attention. There are quite a few of them - 25 titles all together - and they work well on a handheld system for a quick bash every now and then. If you bought a PSP and never play it anymore, this compilation could be asaving grace, and would be good for people who get nostalgic about the games that started this industry.

Game: Taito Legends: Power-Up
System: PSP
Players: 1-4 Player
Online: No
Developer: Taito
Distributor: Red Ant

Rating: 65%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)