It’s been nice to see a variety of obscure arcade titles being dredged up and ported, and the most effective at that is Arcade Archives. They’re not the perfect when it comes to options, however fairly when it comes to sheer amount and the depths they’ll dive to drag up even probably the most unmarketable of video games.

Ten bucks isn’t too unhealthy for an outdated arcade title while you consider it on a person stage, however then you definately see it add up. Launched final 12 months, Taito Milestones was a good solution to decide up 10 of the titles with a bulk low cost. Particularly, ones that have been revealed by Taito. This 12 months, they’re again with Taito Milestones 2. Each collections have been fairly eclectic compilations of some fairly obscure titles, however this 12 months is full insanity.

Whereas I might simply simply sum up my ideas on the general curation of the video games, I believe it might be extra enjoyable to provide a mini-review of every of the included video games. So, right here we go.

Taito Milestones 2 (Swap)
Developer: Hamster
Writer: Inin Video games
Launched: August 31, 2023
MSRP: $39.99

Ben Bero Beh (1984)

Throughout my latest purchasing spree of Arcade Archives video games, I almost purchased Ben Bero Beh primarily based on its wacky look, however as a substitute went with Pistol Daimyo. I made the appropriate alternative, because it wound up in Taito Milestones 2. To not disrespect Pistol Daimyo, however I like Ben Bero Beh higher.

I used to be sort of afraid there’d be nothing beneath the quirky artwork model, however whereas Ben Bero Beh is a fairly easy single-screen arcade title, it’s really a variety of enjoyable. The concept is solely to get the protagonist, Dami-chan, right down to the underside of the display screen to succeed in Nao-chan, who I presume is his girlfriend. In the meantime, Dami-chan is just outfitted with a fireplace extinguisher, and the constructing is falling aside across the pair. You merely must navigate downward whereas avoiding gasoline explosions, damaged fluorescent lights, and Chack’n from Chak’n Pop.

I like it. It sort of has the Donkey Kong formulation, however the sprite work right here is superb. All the pieces is so expressively animated, which is an actual delight. That is going to make me sound actually boring, however the hearth extinguisher controls are additionally superb. You’ll be able to press right down to spray it at your toes or maintain as much as arc it additional. Simply strive it; the hearth extinguisher feels nice.

The Legend of Kage (1985)

Legend of Kage is without doubt one of the extra recognizable titles within the assortment. Nonetheless, I additionally don’t actually prefer it. The controls are simply so floaty, the fight so sparse, that it feels nearly pointless to have interaction with the enemies until you actually need to. It was launched in 1985 earlier than the mechanics of platformers have been firmly planted, however that simply means it’s sort of tough.

You play as a ninja making an attempt to avoid wasting a captured princess. You begin off operating by the forest earlier than scaling a citadel and rescuing her on the prime. Then, as is typical with arcade video games of the period, you begin again initially, however all the things is harder. Higher fight may need made Legend of Kage extra worthwhile, however what are you able to count on from a sport made in 1985?

Additionally, it’s “Legend of Kah-Gey,” not “Legend of Cage.”

Kiki Kaikai (1986)

As a fan of the Pocky & Rocky video games, I’m very acquainted with Kiki Kaikai. I even acquired the possibility to play it on a sweet cupboard after I was in Japan. It’s among the many titles in Taito Milestone 2 that I already owned. Nonetheless, I don’t like it.

In the event you’re acquainted with the Pocky & Rocky video games, you’ll know that they’re colourful, fast-paced run-and-gun shooters, and Kiki Kaikai shouldn’t be that. It actually units the muse and the gameplay is extremely comparable, nevertheless it’s loads slower, much less thrilling, and the backgrounds are largely dust. It’s not a foul sport and was fairly in style in Japanese arcades, however you’ll must set your expectations accordingly.

The NewZealand Story (1988)

I’ve an affinity for The NewZealand Story. The world in a city close to the place I grew up had a number of arcade cupboards after I was a child. It’s the place I first performed Ultimate Combat after I was so small that my mom needed to carry me up by the legs so I might attain the controls. I additionally performed New Zealand Story again then, and I keep in mind being so enamored by it, I broke out the watercolor pucks again dwelling and began portray scenes from it.

In any case, it’s nonetheless a reasonably enjoyable sport that has loads in frequent with run-and-gun shooters. You play as a wierd kiwi that’s yellow and has a brief beak for some motive. One of many huge ingenious mechanics in it’s the potential to kill off enemies and steal the balloons that they journey on. There are a bunch of secret warps, some difficult platforming, and it’s all-around a reasonably enjoyable sport.

Darius 2 (Three-Display screen model, 1989)

This can be a little bit of an odd one. We already acquired Darius 2 as a part of M2’s Darius Cozmic Assortment – Arcade. Nonetheless, that assortment solely had the extra frequent dual-screen setup. The model in Taito Milestones 2 is the one for three-screens, which spreads the sport out in a wider panorama.

That is the place the distinction in port high quality is most evident. M2’s model has a complete bunch of additional options, like numerous customizable HUD parts and quicksave. As compared, this model is extra of a straight port. It nonetheless has the same old Arcade Archives options like filters and droop states, nevertheless it’s simply not fairly the identical gusto as what M2 places into their ports.

As for the title itself, I’ve by no means actually been in a position to get right into a Darius sport. I really feel like the primary two titles (which embody this one) are extra of an arcade expertise than fulfilling shoot-’em-ups. The massive cupboards with their a number of displays and funky sound system drew folks in, fairly than the gameplay. They’re okay, however I really feel the sequence solely actually began getting good when it minimize itself down to at least one display screen and targeted on its strengths.

Liquid Youngsters (1990)

Mizubaku Journey is one among Taito Milestones 2’s most sensible gems. You play as a, uh… That’s imagined to be a hippo? My first guess was Capybara, however I couldn’t clarify the strips.

The hippo can conjure big bubbles stuffed with water, precisely like these particular bubbles you would pop in Bubble Bobble. Those that turned the degrees into waterslides. Yeah, these. You’ll be able to pump up your bubble for even bigger bursts of water to try to flush out enemies.

Liquid Youngsters is shiny and colourful. It seems like a real Taito platformer in the identical vein as New Zealand Story and Rainbow Islands. It doesn’t actually matter in case you win or lose; slotting 1 / 4 will calm your mind worms.

Gun Frontier (1990)

Right here’s a vertical shooter the place you actually simply fly a gun. There’s this kind of Wild West, industrial-era aesthetic happening, nevertheless it’s all actually simply fairly customary. It’s not unhealthy, nevertheless it’s not nice both. A few of the enemies get blown aside in neat methods, and you may gather power-ups to construct up your bomb, however that’s about all it actually has going for it.

Then again, Shinobu Yagawa, the programmer behind Recca, has stated it’s one among their favourite video games, so maybe I’m only a philistine.

Solitary Fighter (1991)

This can be a sequel to a fairly obscure preventing sport referred to as Violence Combat. Like many pre-Road Fighter 2 preventing video games, it’s actually not superb. Nonetheless, what makes it value taking part in is the awkward, horrible translation. This contains an unintentionally hilarious textual content crawl that states the “Violence Fights” are in vogue with “Mafia, reckless drivers, and basic businessmen.”

The combatants are all rippling mountains of raw steak with names “Lick Joe.” The sport generally exhibits horrible onomatopoeias in comedian fonts, like “dogoon,” which is okay in Japanese, however an Anglophonic mind sees it as “doggone” at finest and “doo-goon” at worst. For some motive, a girl in fishnets walks into the world mid-fight and tries to stab whoever’s within the lead.

Solitary Fighter is a worthwhile addition to Taito Milestones 2 largely as a result of whereas Violence Combat was in 2006’s Taito Legends 2, I don’t assume the sequel has ever been ported. It’s largely only a hilarious mess, however that’s loads higher than it simply being a traditional mess.

Steel Black (1991)

Steel Black is launched as “Undertaking Gun Frontier 2,” however past being a shoot-’em-up, it doesn’t have a lot in frequent with Gun Frontier. The motion is flipped to the horizontal, and there’s much more inventiveness right here. It really feels nearer to a Darius title however loads much less space-fishy.

The main twist is that you simply gather little molecules to energy up your weapon, however can expend all of your power-ups in a single huge blast. Nonetheless, I really feel it’s extra memorable for its trippy visuals. You permit Earth to journey to the moon, then the painkillers kick in, and the godless vacuum of area is instantly much more flavorful. It’s not the best shoot-’em-up, nevertheless it’s one value seeing.

DinoRex (1992)

Fucking Dino Rex. It’s the proper instance of a sport that’s each terrible and essential to play. It’s not enjoyable. The controls are clunky and unresponsive, the fight is shallow, and all of it feels fairly routine. However simply take a look at it. It’s majestic.

It’s like a prototype of Primal Rage. You choose a dinosaur after which pit it towards one other. The dinosaurs, nonetheless, appear to be dopey youngsters’s toys. The entire thing performs out like a deleted combat scene from 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla. These huge chubby dinos throw down in destructible environments, it’s simply too unhealthy that the entire thing controls like one among their chubby dino butts. After which there are bonus scenes the place you simply rampage by trendy cities, and the interpretation is simply hilariously bogus. The entire thing is a spectacle for anybody with an appreciation of kusoge. Phenomenal, actually. Like watching a pair of toothless pugs preventing over an raw steak.

The Assortment

What you want to remember about Taito Milestones 2 is that it’s actually a bunch of Arcade Archives video games compiled with a launcher. A couple of of those video games have but to be launched on their very own, however all of them come packaged as they have been first launched. Which means the menus don’t all the time line up, and a few of them default to an unsightly smooth filter that it’s essential to flip off within the choices. I sort of marvel why Hamster hasn’t unified the backends of all of their video games by way of updates, however that inconsistency exhibits itself as a nuisance after they’re all stacked collectively.

In any other case, I’m fairly proud of Taito Milestones 2. It has a number of video games I’m already nicely acquainted with, alongside a number of different obscure titles that I won’t have tried on their very own. It provides me the consolation of familiarity and the fun of exploration. Certain, a few of the video games aren’t superb, however they’re no less than unhealthy in an nearly spectacular approach. It’s loads like Taito and Hamster put collectively a combination tape particularly for me and left it in my locker.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}