Taito Memories Gekan: Confirmed game list.

[system11]

and stuff like Gun Frontier will very likely be at least as good as the Saturn revs.

I agree with everything you posted (I too like Rastan) except for this. Gun Frontier will be killed by a lack of tate; which is unfortunate, because not many are willing to pay the $60 or so that the saturn version commands.

You can't "kill" a game simply by zooming it out. You guys really do make too much of an issue of this. It's cosmetic. To kill it would be to put in one of those hideous scrolling window variants, or a chopped logical game area that changes the whole timing of the game. If I was asked which I would prefer, tate + yoko, or yoko, obviously the first is the best as everyone is catered for. If someone said 'would you like yoko or not at all', I would think them crazy for even asking the question.

[Lyle]

Now to hold out until next month when the set with G-Darius comes out.

- arcade version = full speed (therefore insanely hard game).

I'm guessing you haven't played the arcade one recently - the slowdown is almost as bad as on the PSX, even on the revised board which removed some. It's not surprising, as the hardware in question is modified PSX hardware.

You're right, I never played on the actual arcade version, only via MAME32. And believe me, the rom runs with no slow down at all.

If what you're saying is correct, that means MAME has the ability to improve frame rates, which is something I wasn't aware of.

[CMoon]

You can't "kill" a game simply by zooming it out. You guys really do make too much of an issue of this. It's cosmetic. To kill it would be to put in one of those hideous scrolling window variants, or a chopped logical game area that changes the whole timing of the game. If I was asked which I would prefer, tate + yoko, or yoko, obviously the first is the best as everyone is catered for. If someone said 'would you like yoko or not at all', I would think them crazy for even asking the question.

Well I think the size you can play it at is a bit more than cosmetic (I find I play better when I can see what is happening better--and I don't have a gigantic screen to compensate for yoko), but as pointed out before, a LOT of games are cropped in yoko. People make it sound as though good yoko modes are common, but this isn't really true. If you regularly play in tate and yoko you will find that a good number of ports crop the games--of which taito is notorious. This did not just affect timing but there were targets in layer section you couldn't lock on to because they were off screen.

And I _do_ remember the huge tate elitism arguments from a couple years back when I first joined and I don't mean to start that again; but there are still many games that do not have a good yoko mode--and ironically, many of them are taito games.

Layer Section and Gekkirindan both have yoko modes that hinder gameplay. I have never bothered playing Gun Frontier in yoko, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was problematic since it certainly makes use of the extreme corners of the playing field..

[yojo!]

I wanted to buy this collection to play grid seeker in tate. guess I'll have to buy the PCB afterall

[SAM]

Well I think the size you can play it at is a bit more than cosmetic (I find I play better when I can see what is happening better--and I don't have a gigantic screen to compensate for yoko), but as pointed out before, a LOT of games are cropped in yoko.

The only thing you can do is sitting closer to the screen...

[dave4shmups]

If you got a large enough TV, playing those vertical oration game should not be a problem.

As far as "KiKiKaiKai", "Space Invader" & "Lunar Rescue" in concern, the resolution output by the PS2 is high enough handle them without any distorting in the picture. Use of high quality vedio input format, like S-Vedio, Component does help.

For the horizontal shumps, like "Darius Gaiden", "Black Metal" and others got no problem.

Not to mension, the disc also includes some good non-shumup like "Bouble Bouble", "Elevator Actions", etc.

For the price of $39 (at local game store), I would say it would be a great deal. Unless you are those <Fill in the Blank yourself> who use to play games on MAME.

Whether or not you can even Tate your TV has absolutely nothing to do with it's size. There are variety of factors; like the brand-some brands just WILL NOT Tate, and even with those that do, there's no guarantee that it won't screw up the TV's PCB.

And even things like altitude, which I'm obviously dealing with here in Denver, can make a big difference.

I agree with Bloodflowers, unless there's "forced" vertical scrolling, like in Mobile Light Force 1, or Saturn Darius II, or the screen is cropped to the point of absurdity, like PS1 DDP, it really isn't THAT big of a deal not to have Tate. I've played Trizeal lately without Tate, on Arcade Mode 1 screen setting, and it plays perfectly fine that way. Diddo with Galactic Attack on my Saturn.

My biggest issue with this collection is the fact that, IMO, it's hardly even worth getting if you have a Saturn that can play imports. Sure, there are a few shmups that weren't on any other format, but other then Rastan and it's sequel Barbarian, and being able to get Bubble Bobble, and Rainbow Islands cheap, there really isn't much that I care about on these collections. If, in addition to the aforementioned games, they actually added some Arkanoid games, then I might be game, but otherwise, forget it.

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Saturn games huh..

Gun Frontier runs a good $50-60
Night Striker S(Though it is an "enhanced" port) costs $30-40
Pulirula is about $40-50
Bubble Symphony is an easy $50-60
Chase HQ/SCI collection is $30-40
Elevator Action Returns is fucking $60-70
Metal Black is $40-50
Darius Gaiden is $10-20
Layer Section is also $10-20(okay bad examples)

Also for the Playstation you had...
G. Darius(Which isn't even arcade perfect) runs $30+
-------
Let's not forget you get LIGHTBRINGER.....
LIGHTBRINGER...

Taito Classics Collection 1 & 2 runs for about $40-50 each.

Now I can understand if you owned ALL of those Saturn games before the Taito collection came out..but really now. This is ignoring all of the previously arcade-only games like LIGHTBRINGER. I think it's a good deal.

As for resolution/TATE issues? Well you get what you pay for..and everything is balanced in the end.

[CMoon]

I agree with Bloodflowers, unless there's "forced" vertical scrolling, like in Mobile Light Force 1, or Saturn Darius II, or the screen is cropped to the point of absurdity, like PS1 DDP, it really isn't THAT big of a deal not to have Tate. I've played Trizeal lately without Tate, on Arcade Mode 1 screen setting, and it plays perfectly fine that way. Diddo with Galactic Attack on my Saturn.

OK, so you're take is you know that many of the games are cropped, but you are down with that. I guess that's cool. To me, it is like widescreen vs. pan & scan. We all dealt with pan&scan for years, but when widescreen versions of films became available, chosing the former seemed a really silly choice.

I know plenty of people who will never tate, but there are brands which I assure you tate well, that sell for the price of two import shmups (maybe less). For those who tate, I think you'll hear the same story--more enjoyment from the games and better scores on the games. So it isn't really about if some people don't care about taking the extra step because I never used to tate either; rather it has become about whether tate is a 'big deal', and my response is, yes it is. I want to play the whole game, not a cropped version of it. I'd also need a bloody big tv in yoko to get as big an image as I do on my tate 20" TV.

[professor ganson]

I want to play the whole game, not a cropped version of it. I'd also need a bloody big tv in yoko to get as big an image as I do on my tate 20" TV.

I'd have to agree with CMoon here. My scores on some games have gone up considerably now that I've tate'd a 20" tv. Unnecessary frustration is never fun.

[system11]

I want to play the whole game, not a cropped version of it. I'd also need a bloody big tv in yoko to get as big an image as I do on my tate 20" TV.

I'd have to agree with CMoon here. My scores on some games have gone up considerably now that I've tate'd a 20" tv. Unnecessary frustration is never fun.

This is why I got a 36" widescreen CRT - needed a new TV and it was cheaper than a plasma, and big enough to give a 20" tate size.

[CMoon]

This is why I got a 36" widescreen CRT - needed a new TV and it was cheaper than a plasma, and big enough to give a 20" tate size.

NICE!!! Yeah, if I had a 36" maybe I'd have no complaints...

...still, can you imagine THAT baby in tate!!!

[CecilMcW00t]

Has anyone unlocked Metal Black yet? I've unlocked all the games except that one.

[SAM]

Has anyone unlocked Metal Black yet? I've unlocked all the games except that one.

Well, yes, I unlocked it. It is the first game I unlock. I was playing Space Invader then.

[llabnip]

This is why I got a 36" widescreen CRT - needed a new TV and it was cheaper than a plasma, and big enough to give a 20" tate size.

I'm not a huge advocate of Tate myself, but it's far more than just size of the TV. It's resolution - on a TV there is always greater horizontal resolution than there are veritical scan-lines. The Saturn's two most popular output resolutions are 320x224 and 640x224. If you take a vertically oritented game and play it in Yoko mode, you are limited to only 224 pixel lines of resolution. If you play it in Tate you improve that to either 320 or 640 - a big difference! Most of the original arcade games have a standard resolution of 336 x 240 and when the monitor is mounted in a Tate orientation (as it would generally for vertical shooters), you really need 336 pixels of resolution top to bottom to have it display with all the detail it was designed with. If you play this game in Yoko mode, you can stretch it as big as you want, but you're still getting only 70% of the resolution that was originally intended.

[SAM]

This is why I got a 36" widescreen CRT - needed a new TV and it was cheaper than a plasma, and big enough to give a 20" tate size.

I'm not a huge advocate of Tate myself, but it's far more than just size of the TV. It's resolution - on a TV there is always greater horizontal resolution than there are veritical scan-lines. The Saturn's two most popular output resolutions are 320x224 and 640x224. If you take a vertically oritented game and play it in Yoko mode, you are limited to only 224 pixel lines of resolution. If you play it in Tate you improve that to either 320 or 640 - a big difference! Most of the original arcade games have a standard resolution of 336 x 240 and when the monitor is mounted in a Tate orientation (as it would generally for vertical shooters), you really need 336 pixels of resolution top to bottom to have it display with all the detail it was designed with. If you play this game in Yoko mode, you can stretch it as big as you want, but you're still getting only 70% of the resolution that was originally intended.

Right, that's just why I hate Yoko letter box display so much.

In Saturn / PSOne era, this really is a big problem. 1943 and DDP look terriable in Yoko, but still they are much more playable than the moving grip.

But the resolution of PS2 is high enough for displaying Space Invader in Yoko betifully. In fact, this true for games publish up to 1986.

[system11]

This is why I got a 36" widescreen CRT - needed a new TV and it was cheaper than a plasma, and big enough to give a 20" tate size.

I'm not a huge advocate of Tate myself, but it's far more than just size of the TV. It's resolution - on a TV there is always greater horizontal resolution than there are veritical scan-lines. The Saturn's two most popular output resolutions are 320x224 and 640x224. If you take a vertically oritented game and play it in Yoko mode, you are limited to only 224 pixel lines of resolution. If you play it in Tate you improve that to either 320 or 640 - a big difference! Most of the original arcade games have a standard resolution of 336 x 240 and when the monitor is mounted in a Tate orientation (as it would generally for vertical shooters), you really need 336 pixels of resolution top to bottom to have it display with all the detail it was designed with. If you play this game in Yoko mode, you can stretch it as big as you want, but you're still getting only 70% of the resolution that was originally intended.

Yes, I realise this - but it's all a compromise. You can't have a big TV for the lounge (which means watching films too) which is also good for being put on its side for a small number of games. Let's say you need a TV for the lounge, do you pick a smaller one you can put on its side to play some shooters on, and suffer TINY bordered films, or forsake the tating and get something with a big screen that looks 'ok' for those few verticals?

[dessgeega]

Has anyone unlocked Metal Black yet? I've unlocked all the games except that one.

Well, yes, I unlocked it. It is the first game I unlock. I was playing Space Invader then.

that's interesting. it was the second-to-last game i unlocked (cameltry is the only one left). does playing certain games cause you to unlock certain games?

[CMoon]

Yes, I realise this - but it's all a compromise. You can't have a big TV for the lounge (which means watching films too) which is also good for being put on its side for a small number of games. Let's say you need a TV for the lounge, do you pick a smaller one you can put on its side to play some shooters on, and suffer TINY bordered films, or forsake the tating and get something with a big screen that looks 'ok' for those few verticals?

I think what most people do (or at least what I do) is keep two tvs in the same room, one yoko, one tate. It does make for an intereting conversation piece, that's certain...

[Ghegs]

Has anyone unlocked Metal Black yet? I've unlocked all the games except that one.

Well, yes, I unlocked it. It is the first game I unlock. I was playing Space Invader then.

that's interesting. it was the second-to-last game i unlocked (cameltry is the only one left). does playing certain games cause you to unlock certain games?

I think the games are unlocked randomly based on the overall time spent, but I could be wrong. Metal Black was my third unlockee.

[professor ganson]

Yes, I realise this - but it's all a compromise. You can't have a big TV for the lounge (which means watching films too) which is also good for being put on its side for a small number of games. Let's say you need a TV for the lounge, do you pick a smaller one you can put on its side to play some shooters on, and suffer TINY bordered films, or forsake the tating and get something with a big screen that looks 'ok' for those few verticals?

I think what most people do (or at least what I do) is keep two tvs in the same room, one yoko, one tate. It does make for an intereting conversation piece, that's certain...

Yeah, I look forward to my friends' reactions when they see two tvs next to each other, one on its side. They'll probably look like this:
And I'll look like this:

On second thought, maybe I'll look like this:

[gameoverDude]

I think the games are unlocked randomly based on the overall time spent, but I could be wrong. Metal Black was my third unlockee.

Interesting. Metal Black is my last remaining game to be unlocked (I've got Bubble Bobble, Cameltry, Alpine Ski, and Kikikaikai open).

SAM- what is your best score on Space Invaders? I'm wondering if a certain SI score is needed to get Metal Black unlocked.

[HayakawaKen]

Metal Black: Play Space Invaders Color, Space Invaders DX, Darius Gaiden, Gridseeker, and Majestic Twelve for a total of one hour.


Syvaliion: Play Elevator Action Returns, Kuri Kinton Jigoku Meguri Dondokodon ,Rastan Saga, Fairyland Story, Pu-Ri-Lu-La, Lightbringer, and Runark for a total of one hour.


Camel Try: Play Luna Rescue, O Glorious Koushien, Alpine Ski, Cleopatra Fortune, Petite Carat, and Flipple for a total of one hour.


Kiki Kaikai: Play any title(s) for a total of five hours.


Bubble Bobble: Play all twenty of the initially available games.



There ya go... I unlocked Bubble Bobble as my first game, then Metal Black, then Syvalion, Cameltry and finally Kikikaikai... no particular order you have to do these really

[system11]

I'm surprised how much slowdown some of the games suffer - Darius Gaiden jerks all over the place. I used to have the PCB version, it wasn't this bad.

[sethsez]

Darius Gaiden isn't a perfect port?

Aw crap. I was hoping for a reason to finally unhook the Saturn for a while.

[Dylan1CC]

Saturn games huh..

Gun Frontier runs a good $50-60
Night Striker S(Though it is an "enhanced" port) costs $30-40
Pulirula is about $40-50
Bubble Symphony is an easy $50-60
Chase HQ/SCI collection is $30-40
Elevator Action Returns is fucking $60-70
Metal Black is $40-50
Darius Gaiden is $10-20
Layer Section is also $10-20(okay bad examples)

Also for the Playstation you had...
G. Darius(Which isn't even arcade perfect) runs $30+
-------
Let's not forget you get LIGHTBRINGER.....
LIGHTBRINGER...

Taito Classics Collection 1 & 2 runs for about $40-50 each.

Now I can understand if you owned ALL of those Saturn games before the Taito collection came out..but really now. This is ignoring all of the previously arcade-only games like LIGHTBRINGER. I think it's a good deal.

As for resolution/TATE issues? Well you get what you pay for..and everything is balanced in the end.

Agreed. Lack of TATE and resolution issues aside...I mean all those classic TAITO games (plenty of which I have not played since we have crap arcades and I don't emu much)...games from the 80s and even newer games like GDarius (will be my first time when i get the comp, sad i now), talk about a bargain. And only $50 or so average per comp. As I have said before, Capcom and other companies releasing comps should take note.

[yojo!]

So far I've been playing Grid Seeker exclusively. After 2 hours or so I got metal black unlocked. Grid Seeker is truly a great game. Worth the purchase of the collection alone IMO. A shame that it is lacking tate; really makes me want to purchase the PCB.

[Tar-Palantir]

Okay, can I expect some fierce competition in the Metal Black hi-score table ?

[Dylan1CC]

Does anyone know if the first Elevator Action will be on the second comp? Why would they put the sequel on it and not the first game?

I'm reading Steve's review on gameoverdude.com and I think I am gonna get this with my next paycheck. I can't wait to play Metal Black, Gristormer (bullet absorbing before radiant and GW, neat), Bubble Bobble not to mention the bubble bobble parody mode in Space Invaders DX.

[roushimsx]

Does anyone know if the first Elevator Action will be on the second comp? Why would they put the sequel on it and not the first game? .

Yea, which is one of the reasons why i'm going to order it
I love the classic Elevator Action

edit

ahh yes, the reason i bought this set....mmm.....

http://roushimsx.shackspace.com/tam/ear ... 543600.jpg
http://roushimsx.shackspace.com/tam/ear ... 543800.jpg
http://roushimsx.shackspace.com/tam/ear ... 544000.jpg
http://roushimsx.shackspace.com/tam/ear ... 544300.jpg
http://roushimsx.shackspace.com/tam/ear ... 545600.jpg
http://roushimsx.shackspace.com/tam/ear ... 551700.jpg

[CecilMcW00t]

I'm loving Elevator Action Returns... Great atmosphere and gameplay. It's style kind of reminds me of Rolling Thunder II, but not really gameplay wise... just the setting and music.

As a matter of fact, I like all the games on this collection (which is rare for me and retro packs) except for Kuri Kinton. I hate games like that where you take cheap hits over and over...