Taito Legends serves a sizeable helping of some of their beloved classics despite some disappointing omissions.
As with most other arcade compilation packages, the games have all been emulated in their entirety--right down to where you insert the virtual quarter to begin playing. Rastan, Bubble Bobble, Operation Wolf, Space Invaders, Elevator Action--those are just a few of Taito's most well-known arcade games. Rounding out the rest of the package are games that aren't so popular--Plump Pop, Continental Circus, Colony 7, Plotting, Tokio--to name a few. I am not suggesting those games are bad--they're good games, but they aren't exactly what most gamers had in mind, per se. On the package, you might be scratching your head as to how titles like Continental Circus and Plotting "defined a generation". I suppose they did....in Japan or Europe. In America, there were great classics like Renegade, Arkanoid, Darius, Legend of Kage, and Sky Shark. I've got bad news for you....you won't find any of those games in this collection. Why they were not included is anybody's guess. (Darius is an understandable omission since that game was played on an enormously wide arcade screen scaling larger than most of today's high-definition televisions!)
The game also includes some interesting bonuses like arcade flyers, a bit of background on each of the games, and gameplay tips. The menu is nicely laid out and easy on the eyes, making navigation a breeze. There is no light gun support for games like Space Gun and Operation Wolf, so you're forced to use the standard game controller, and that's very disappointing.
For the most part, Taito Legends is a good compilation of arcade games--perhaps a sampling of the massive hundreds they've made throughout the years. Although it is somewhat disheartening to see that some of their other well-known games didn't make the cut, the selection as it stands is a pretty good lot. If you're at all interested in what Taito Legends has to offer, by all means--their arcade is open.