Taito Milestones 2 Reviews
Otherwise, I’m pretty happy with Taito Milestones 2. It has a few games I’m already well acquainted with, alongside a few other obscure titles that I might not have tried on their own. It gives me the comfort of familiarity and the thrill of exploration. Sure, some of the games aren’t very good, but they’re at least bad in an almost impressive way. It’s a lot like Taito and Hamster put together a mix tape specifically for me and left it in my locker.
A mixed bag but worth buying just for Metal Black, New Zealand Story and Liquids Kids. It's a shame the rest of the compilation has been padded out with obscure titles such as Dinorex and Ben Bero Beh when TAITO have so many classic titles such as Operation Wold, Chase HQ and Mr Do! Perhaps we'll see them in Taito Milestones 3.
Overall, Taito Milestones 2 follows nicely on from the first release. It includes even more excellent games and does a nice job of encapsulating Taito’s long and influential gaming history into one neat little package.
This collection doesn’t really have a game that misses. While not all household names, I guarantee if you enjoy classic titles there is plenty here to enjoy. I love revisiting stuff like Kiki Kaikai and Liquid Kids and checking out two obscure fighting games. The shooters are always fun and who doesn’t love Legend of Kage? Definitely recommended for us old folks who grew up with the greatness that is Taito.
Dino Rex and Solitary Fighter aren't exactly high points, and considering they're two of three exclusives, much of the appeal of this collection depends on how many titles you may already own, and how much you want Darius II. That said, for those who are yet to dabble in Hamster's series, it's a superb slice of Taito arcade gaming that outdoes its predecessor in terms of quality and appeal, and comes through with solid emulation. There are hundreds of hours of fun to be had here with some of Taito's most deservedly celebrated works.
Relive some arcade classics in your own lounge room with Taito Milestones 2!
The arcade games that comprise Taito Milestones 2 may not be well-known, but that doesn't mean there's no fun to be found here. The collection focuses heavily on shoot 'em ups and platformers, and the best titles come from those genres. The brawlers, unfortunately, are best left forgotten.
A fun collection with 10 TAITO classic titles
So with all of that, this score is not reflective of the quality of the games (overall). I’ll never get sick of NewZealand Story. Most of the other titles are interesting as a curio, too. The quality of the ports for all of these titles great thanks to Hamster’s technology. However, as a package, this is a woeful excuse for a compilation, and that’s particularly surprising given that it came from the same publisher that gave us the Space Invaders Invincible Collection. That was one of the very best retro collections on the Switch. One I play almost weekly to date. “Disappointing” that Taito Milestones 2 lacks the same effort doesn’t begin to describe what I feel it.
Should you possess a particular affinity for Taito's arcade past and the shooters, platformers, and fighters from their heyday, then a second Milestones collection is probably right up your alley. The online leaderboards offered by the Arcade Archives versions here add to the replay value, but it's again a little disappointing to see a noticeable lack of bonus features, extra content, or presentation elements. The two Taito Milestones compilations are fairly barebones compared to some of the offerings from Capcom and Konami, but I can still appreciate having the opportunity to revisit–or experience for the first time–a back catalog of offerings from a historic developer.
Taito Milestones 2 presents a good offering of 10 retro arcade games with some truly fun hidden gems and excellent shoot 'em ups along with a couple of the dumbest fighting games that I've ever played.
Taito Milestones 2 doesn’t do a lot to justify its existence. I usually don’t overly factor price into my thoughts on a game, but when you can purchase almost every game in the collection separately with the exact same features, it’s hard not to. This collection gives you ten Arcade Archives games for the price of five. That’s a good deal if you want all of these titles, but it’s hard to see most players wanting all ten of these games. There are five I would particularly recommend, and one of those has another version in a different collection, which is a better fit for the Switch. When two of the three exclusives to this collection aren’t very good, it gets even harder to recommend. Ultimately, those who do pick up Taito Milestones 2 will find some fun games included, but the best of these titles deserve more than such a barebones release.
As it is, though, you’re likely not to find a better or more efficient way of playing these outside of emulation, and the fact that it’s on Switch only makes it more worth your while. If you don’t mind the straight-to-the-point approach that Taito decided to take with this by not including anything other than the games, by all means pick up Taito Milestones 2. There’s bound to be something you’ll find yourself liking among the list of games included in it.
The biggest drawback is the price tag of fourteen euros. Ten games seems quite a lot at first, but they are still arcade games. These are games that are therefore often very difficult or very short. For this price you do not get the best experience, mainly due to the different resolutions and the fact that they are less suitable for handhelds. You will encounter a lot of black bars and they are games that have not been improved for the platform. It is a collection that is interesting if you are sure that there are several games that you would like to spend some more time on. Taito Milestones 2 is a collection that is technically well put together, bundles various genres and provides access to several classics for the enthusiast who knows them.
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Taito Milestones 2 is a second helping of arcade goodness that comes highly recommended for any fan of retro gaming. Much like the first collection, what stands out most about this is the games are more unusual and different than you may be used to, which is something I’ve always admired about Taito. Of course, that means some of the games will be better than others but even those that didn’t click, I’m grateful to have the opportunity to try them on a modern system. It would have been nice to have more love for the history of Taito, but this still stands as the best way to enjoy these classic games on modern systems. Insert a fictitious coin and have fun.
Still, I found that New Zealand Story, Liquid Kids, Darius II and Legend of Kage are easily the best of this batch, and Taito Milestones 2 is well worth picking up for newcomer scorechasers and veterans alike.
While this isn’t going to become a regular rotation for me, I sincerely admire and appreciate what Taito Milestones 2 is doing. Taito has such a wonderful history of creations and I don’t have access to most of them, nor do a majority of the world. The ability to look at these games and see them on modern hardware with a genuinely focused attempt at porting them brings a smile to my face.
Calling this collection of arcade titles a bit odd and eclectic would be an understatement
If you love arcade shoot-'em-ups and platformers, or if you're a Darius super fan, think about investing in Taito Milestones 2. Otherwise, you might consider picking up a few individual titles à la carte from the eShop.
Taito Milestones 2 is an interesting collection that doesn’t have the best of presentations. On the one hand, there’s some true gems in here like The New Zealand Story, Darius 2, and Kiki Kai-Kai, as well as some unknowns like Liquid Kids and Ben Bero Beh, but the collection is ultimately a really mixed bag of quality. Some of these games are super frustrating and utterly bizarre, others are a bit dull, so it’s a real deep dive into the Taito vault. That said, if you’re a die-hard enthusiast, don’t own any of the Arcade Archives, and want to complete a collection, this is probably your best bet.