taito
Latest
Arkanoid and Space Invaders Extreme are likely to be localized
If you've already imported Arkanoid and Space Invaders Extreme, there's a good chance you might be kicking yourself in the near future. While it hardly counts as official confirmation, Gamestop recently listed the two games on the company's website. As you've probably guessed, this means you can preorder the items online, which cost a (relatively) cheap $20 each.According to Gamestop, Space Invaders will be available on June 10th, while Arkanoid's release date is July 1st. Unfortunately, the game seller has yet to list the paddle peripheral, but we bet it's only a matter of time.See also: 2008's Biggest Blips -- Space Invaders Extreme[Via GoNintendo]Read: Space Invaders Extreme at GamestopRead: Arkanoid at Gamestop
Do you know where your Space Invaders towel is?
Somehow a second set of Space Invaders-themed towels has been designed, for direct sale this time rather than Space Invaders Extreme preorders. This set is part of the rush of merchandise celebrating the original games' 30-year anniversary -- maybe our favorite Space Invaders anniversary merchandise yet. We'd love to have any or all of these on our wall. It's amazing how what was once a technical necessity now looks like an artistic statement.We don't know if it would be too weird to hang a towel on our wall, though. It would be equally weird to pay $20 to import a Space Invaders towel to dry off with, at least.
Invade your friends' space
In an interesting turn of events, the DS version of Space Invaders Extreme will play host to several online features, while the PSP experience will only have local play. Maybe our unchecked pessimism is at fault here, but whenever we see a multiplatform title announced, we automatically assume that the dual-screen edition will be an afterthought, a slipshod product adjoined with ill-conceived touchscreen controls and minigames in the same way a madman engineer might weld iron limbs to human flesh. We're thrilled to see that isn't the case this time!Space Invaders Extreme's multiplayer versus mode (local and online) will have you racing against another player to destroy advancing aliens. You can follow your opponent's progress on the top display while fighting your own battle on the bottom screen. You'll also be able to compare your record with other players on the game's world ranking system. If only Taito implemented some sort of voice chat -- that way, you could annoy your online adversary by singing Genesis's "Invisible Touch" along with Extreme's synth soundtrack.See also: 2008's Biggest Blips -- Space Invaders Extreme
Mario Kart cheat adds paddle controller support
As fun as Taito's paddle controller might be, the peripheral's limited compatibility restricts experimentation with any games outside of Arkanoid DS or Space Invaders Extreme. What about the other Breakout DS clones or all the titles packed in Retro Atari Classics? Will they ever know the wheeled affection they desperately pine for? Or will their love go unrequited, the spinner playing the part of the "little red-haired girl?"Yasu's Action Replay "cheat string" doesn't unlock universal support for the paddle, providing us with a Valentine's Day miracle, but it does allow the controller to be used with an unexpected title -- Mario Kart DS. It's an important first step towards the greater goal! As you can see in the demonstration video above, it's not the most effective control scheme. We're sure that won't stop the jerks "snakers" out there from finding a way to exploit the setup.
King of Fighters XII at AOU 2008
Some of you might remember our post about King of Fighters XII coming to the PS3 in 2009. That seems like a long time from now, but don't worry old school fighting fans -- 2008 won't be going down without a little SNK love. The SNK-Capcom website tells fans that the AOU 2008 expo in Tokyo's Makuhari Messe convention center will feature King of Fighters XII in video format. Not much else is know about what will be shown at AOU, but we do know that KoF XII will use a whole new game engine and rehashed old character sprites will be a thing of the past. The game is expected to come out first in the arcades by June/July 2008, running on the Taito Type X². A PS3 port (and possibly an Xbox 360 port) will follow in 2009.
Friday Video: COOL and EXTREME!!
February is the month when we celebrate love -- of Space Invaders. At least that's how it goes this year, since the amazing-looking Space Invaders Extreme comes out on the 21st in Japan. Taito has released a new trailer showing off the coolness and extremeness of the new music-infused shmup. The actual gameplay is relegated to a tiny window within the trailer, but you can see some of the powerup weapons that players get as rewards for large chains, as well as some of the cool, flashy invader formations. And no matter how many times we hear it, that theme music just keeps getting cooler (and more EXTREME!!, we suppose).
2008's Biggest Blips: Space Invaders Extreme
Developer: TaitoPublisher: TaitoRelease: February 21 (Japan)You know, Space Invaders Extreme looks like an amazing title. Seriously, in both providing a kind of Pac-Man Championship Edition kind of overhaul to the original game and implementing music in brilliant fashion, it has totally blown our minds. We're absolutely certain that this will be the go-to title for instant fun, ideal for train rides and training you for the impending alien invasion to come.But, why is it such an important game if it's just the same old Space Invaders with a facelift? Because it's not. Bridging the old-school arcade shooter with visually stunning new titles like Geometry Wars: Galaxies and Rez, Space Invaders Extreme is a new experience that is anything but the same-old, same-old. And, from what we've seen, the gameplay looks so engaging, we're sure we'll do all kinds of things like neglect to feed our pets and put pants on before we go to the bank (it doesn't matter how great a deposit you are making, they're just not cool with it). Seriously, this doesn't just look like any old port of a very old game, it looks like the meth-addicted grandchild of what we once knew to be Space Invaders.This is not what you should expect.As one might assume from everything we've bombarded you with, this is all just too good to be true. It should be noted that only those in Japan should expect the title to be readily available, as this one isn't due for release outside of the region yet. So this is purely an importer's choice. But, the accessible gameplay and focus on giving us things to enjoy other than line after line of Japanese text to read make it universally adoptable to all. And, if you're feeling like you need a bit more in the way of old-school revivals, the included paddle controller with Arkanoid DS works with this game.Don't discount this title in the face of so many other high-profile games, as Space Invaders Extreme will probably be one of the best casual titles this year, if not the best rhythm-based-space-combat-simulation for the DS.%Gallery-14613% placeholder text Super Dodgeball Brawlers Back placeholder text
Furu Furu Park's minigames vs. regular-size games
Taito's collection of mostly classic-Taito-themed minigames, Furu Furu Park, is out this month courtesy of Majesco. For $19.99, if the versions of arcade classics like Bubble Bobble, Cameltry, and Arkanoid are actually good remakes, the game would be an irresistible value. That was exactly what MTV Multiplayer's Jason Cipriano had in mind when he took the game for a test drive. Maybe this unassuming value minigame collection has improved on the arcade classics!Basically, it hasn't. As you may expect, the minigame versions of the Taito classics are not better than the arcade games, mostly owing to the fact that you can only play them for a few minutes at a time. No matter how awesome the one level of remade Arkanoid is, it's just one level. On top of that, Bubble Bobble has been simplified severely.Surprisingly, there were a few cases in which the potential was there for the remake to be an improvement, or at least a worthwhile addition. Both Arkanoid and Cameltry benefit from motion controls, which makes the lack of content hurt that much more. As it stands, just pick up one of the Taito Legends sets for the PS2.
Sleepless in Arkanoid DS
There's no question that we're fans of the arcade-style paddle controller that's available for Arkanoid DS. You had us at "Arkanoid," Taito, but to throw in the spinner, too? This must be what love feels like.For anyone interested in importing this wonderful game, though, there is one tiny caveat. If the paddle controller is inside the GBA slot while the DS is closed shut, the handheld won't go into sleep mode. To clarify that statement, the game itself will sleep, but the peripheral will continue to suck the juice out of your DS (the greedy little thing).It's okay, sweet paddle, we won't hold it against you. We love you just the way you are -- don't ever change. Let's hug it out and move on.
Get into Exit DS with this Flash demo
Taito has finally uploaded the Flash demo for Exit DS, and we aren't sure if it was actually the best thing to do. We can only hope that the real stylus controls work better than the mouse controls in this simulated version. To move Mr. ESC around in this demo, you click on him and then drag in the direction you'd like him to move, or tap him and tap a destination. To interact with an item or the environment, you click on Mr. ESC and then the item. That part took us a while to figure out, causing our hapless Mr. ESC to make multiple attempts to extinguish a fire bodily. Rather than making the game's operation either fresh or simple, as the best new control schemes do, this wacky scheme obfuscates what would be some simple movement, and makes tedious chores out of just about every motion. Of course, the DS version also has the option to play with a normal control scheme, so you should look not only at the controls, but also at the demo as a whole when deciding whether to grab Exit DS or to run away. We think the puzzle-adventure gameplay manages to shine through the mess. [Via GoNintendo]
Space Invaders Extreme preorder gift shows impeccable logic
If there's one adjective we would apply to Space Invaders Extreme, that adjective would be ... intense. Just watching footage of Taito's stylishly remade shmup is enough to make us draw breath at the game's frenetic pace. When we do get to try it out for ourselves, there's a good chance that the sheer intensity of the experience will cause us to perspire wildly, as we carve our way through wave after wave of psychedelically colored extra-terrestrial intruders.In which case, this Space Invaders Extreme towel would be just the ticket for wiping our fevered, moist brows. Not only is it extremely stylish (it's the kind of desirable item that would encourage us to visit the beach again, forchrissakes), but it's available for free. If you preorder Space Invaders Extreme. In Japan. Damn.[Via Go Nintendo]
Backpack Invaders
A new Space Invaders game and a big milestone mean that Taito gets to start milking their original cash cow anew. The latest item to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the dusty old shooter is a set of nice-looking pinbadges. Numbering thirty badges and costing thirty(-five) dollars, this set includes each individual Invader, the player-controlled cannon thing, the monster from the arcade game's sideart, and several neat logo pins. We especially enjoy the "I (heart with '30th' inside it) (one of the Invaders)" group.If you're going to put a bunch of holes in your stuff, you might as well celebrate an awesome game series while you're at it. These pins will ship in "late May" from NCSX.
Light gun game coming to the VC minus light gun
An update to the ESRB's search page has revealed two new upcoming games. Sega's Columns III is hardly a surprise, since it came out in Japan recently on the Virtual Console, and a U.S. version of the game exists. The other choice is somewhat of an oddball: Taito's Operation Wolf. Operation Wolf is a military-themed arcade light gun game that came out on both the NES and the Japanese PC Engine. We're likely to get the NES version, as Hudson's VC releases page does not mention the game. In either case, it won't have actual light gun functionality. This is hardly new for Operation Wolf. The NES version originally included the option for either Zapper or D-pad control, but the PC Engine version did not. The arcade game was also ported to the Taito Legends collection with no gun support. We won't go so far as to say it doesn't matter, but the game is still intense and fun when played by sweeping a crosshair around the screen. It's an unusual choice, but we like unusual choices![Via Siliconera]
Mr. ESC is a lifesaver, knows his way around a building
We've made our interest in a certain game involving rescuing certain individualities from certain doom in certain dangerous situations well-known (certainly!). With each new piece of media that comes, whether it be screens or video, like in this latest trailer, our desire grows. It was given great marks on the PSP and folks seemed to dig it on XBLA, so we're excited to see how the game will fare on the DS and how the different control schemes will handle. %Gallery-6861%
The VC Advantage: Bobble heads
Now it is the beginning of a fantastic story! This week, one of the iconic classic game experiences made it to the Virtual Console in its NES incarnation. Bub and Bob are synonymous with video games and gamer culture, for two unsurprising reasons: 1) they're really damn cute, and 2) Bubble Bobble is awesome. With that in mind, we thought we'd focus a bit on the cheating options available in the NES version of Bubble Bobble.Now, Bubble Bobble is best experienced with two players, in which case progress isn't really as important as kickin' back and having a good time bubblin' up some baddies with your dino-pal. There's a whole host of level passwords for your single-player excursions, available where fine passwords are sold at GameFAQs. More interesting than the plain level passwords, however, are the "special" passwords, that give you options beyond starting at a certain level. DDFFI allows you to access a level select mode for the "normal" Bubble Bobble levels, and HEAGD does the same for the advanced Super Bubble Bobble levels. BACCF starts you off with 99 lives. If you complete Super Bubble Bobble mode, you'll get access to a sound test. Of course, by that time you'll be so freaking tired of the music, you won't want to go into a menu and listen to it again. The music's totally great when you haven't been playing the game for five hours, though.Should you decide not to employ the 99 lives code, then you and a friend can play cooperatively, or be huge jerks to each other, depending on your temperament. In two-player mode, when you die, you can pause the game and hit the Select button to steal a life from your friend.[Jamie's awesome shoes found here]
VC Monday Madness video wrap-up 12/31/07
So, it's the final week of 2007 and what do we have to show for it? Frickin' Bubble Bobble is what we have got! It's enough for us, hopefully it'll be enough for you. But, on the other hand, the two titles available that don't have a bubble or a bobble in their name aren't that bad, either.
Chic scarf features Space Invaders, hidden messages
WOW. We've posted about Space Invaders scarves before, but this one definitely takes the cake as the classiest , most fashionable implementation of Taito's classic shooter we've ever seen. Designed by Lendorff.Kaywa, the Space Invaders scarf features a "QR-code", which when read by special mobile phone software can be decoded to reveal a hidden message.Of course, so much spiffyness doesn't come cheap. The scarf costs £32.50 GBP (approximately $65 USD). If you're going to get one for that special someone in your life, better act fast, too: the scarf is a limited run of 500, although more Space Invaders designs are promised in the future.[Via DS Fanboy]
Space Invaders rings abduct our jewelry-loving hearts
We've already shown you some nice Pac-Man bling, but how about something to celebrate the upcoming Space Invaders Extreme? These adorably geeky rings were made by Toy Me Milano (handcrafted, of course, out of sterling silver).Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a convenient place online for you to purchase them. However, since A + R carries the Toy Me line, it might be worth checking back there now and again if you're interested and can afford to blow hundreds of dollars on a ring.[Via Technabob]
Don't escape from these Exit screens
The upcoming Exit DS is something that we, honestly, can't wait to get our hands on. Frankly, we were jealous the PSP got to enjoy the game for quite some time. Finally, our jealousy can be neatly stowed into an overhead compartment on some plane off to nowhere. These fresh screens come courtesy of Game Watch and number in the lots. Seriously, Game Watch has tons of screens up and they're pretty good. Frankly, we need this game. What about you all? %Gallery-6861%
Train Training -- for real this time
The last train-related training software we saw was marred by a bunch of weird dating-sim nonsense. It was only a matter of time until another, more purely train-oriented educational game came along. A matter of two days, to be more precise. The latest train-training game from Taito couldn't be less dating-oriented.Tetsudou Zeminaru JR-hen (JR Railroad Seminar) is a program designed to teach you about Japan Rail's trains and railroads. It contains over 1500 quiz questions, along with a huge database of information about the trains, as well as an encyclopedic glossary of railway-related terms. You know, just in case you accidentally bought this game but weren't insane about trains.
