Back where it all began
Taito Milestones (PEGI 12) Switch ★★★II
WHEN it comes to the history of the gaming industry, it’s impossible to overlook the role played by Taito.
Next year marks an incredible 50 years since the Japanese company, which for 20 years previously had traded in vodka and vending machines, started to dip its toes into the emerging world of video games.
One of its early titles was Speed Race, which debuted in arcades in 1974, capturing players’ attention with its innovative scrolling graphics.
Four years later it would unleash Space Invaders on the world, unwittingly kick-starting a golden age in arcade gaming.
While Taito’s legacy begins in the arcades of the early 1970s, it was in the 1980s that the company really hit its stride.
And while classics such as Chase HQ, Arkanoid and Operation Wolf are among the Taito titles most people cite as their favourites from this era, there are many other games which don’t really get the recognition they deserve.
Taito Milestones aims to change that.
The collection gathers together 10 games which each represent a specific breakthrough in development and gaming history.
Spanning a variety of genres, it’s the first time many of these games have been available on a modern console.
Titles included are Alpine Ski, Space Seeker, Front Line, Wild Western, The Fairyland Story, Elevator Action, QIX, Chack’n Pop, The Ninja Warriors and Halley’s Comet – a heady mix to keep even the fussiest of gamers happy.
It goes without saying that the action here is very tame compared to today’s standards, but the games are not without their appeal.
Platformer Chack’n Pop from 1984 has lost none of its adorable charm.
Considered the spiritual predecessor to 1986’s Bubble Bobble, it’s not hard to see the similarities between both the game’s protagonist and ghostly villains.
It’s surprisingly hard, Chack’n’s gravity-defying mechanics taking a while to click as you grasp the notion of walking on ceilings and floors but not walls, and failing to give yourself time to flee the damage range of the bombs you’ve just deployed.
Equally enjoyable is 1985’s The Fairyland Story, another platformer you can see reflected in Bubble Bobble and 1988’s The New Zealand Story.
Playing as Ptolemy – who is a witch – with the flick of your wand enemies are turned into food which you can then drop on other baddies to clear the level.
As its title suggests, the themes in this game are more magical, with orcs, wizards and dragons whizzing around the screen.
Easily the most famous title in this collection is Elevator Action, a platform-shooter that hit arcades in 1983.
Seeing players take on the role of Agent 17, you enter the roof of a 30-storey building and must work your way down to the basement, collecting secret documents and battling enemy spies as you go.
It proved hugely successful for Taito, and I can see why. I’d never tried this game before but I had great fun with it, even trying to cheat my way through by racing straight down to the basement, only to be transported back to the highest unfinished floor.
Of all the games though, I found Halley’s Comet the most addictive. This 1983 vertically scrolling shooter sees you defending various planets not just from the titular comet, but from swarms of aliens too.
For its age, the power ups for your little ship were amazing, and the boss levels were exceptionally challenging.
Crucially, this collection comes with online leaderboards – the perfect way to draw in gamers of a certain age. A few hours in and I was already feeling that familiar need to keep playing to move further up the boards.
While this collection may not be every gamer’s cup of tea, those who fancy a stroll down memory lane will not be disappointed.