In the land of Gem Stones, you are an adventurer looking for the magical gems that will make your dreams come true. Battle each of the gem holders for possession of all twelve.
This is a ball and paddle game like Breakout. You reflect your ball at rows of gems at the top of the screen that drop down over time or if you miss the ball with your paddle. You lose if the rows get to the bottom of the screen. There are various modes like: single player, story (where you fight against the other computer players) and two player versus. Apparently there’s a whole world and story associated with the characters you choose. Unfortunately this Taito Legends 2 version I played is a port of the NA arcade game which did away with all the dialog boxes and voice work of the Japanese game. If you’re interested, a full breakdown of the story and characters are described at this excellent web shrine, Puchi Carat Palace.
The art is really gorgeous. Behind the field of play is a scene with your character whose pose changes depending on how well you play. It’s all incredibly colorful and intricately drawn.
The music is super catchy and fun to listen to by the always great Taito house band Zuntata. The official soundtrack is available to download at all sorts of sites. Puchi Carat Palace links to a few of them.
You can play this game in NA on Taito Legends 2 for PS2 or PC (the Xbox version, according to Puchi Carat Palace, is Europe only), or on Playstation, or Game Boy Color. The Taito Legends 2 version, as I mentioned already, is the arcade accurate port of the NA version of the game which is without most of the story features. According to Puchi Carat Palace, you get the best graphics on this Taito Legends 2 version, but the Playstation port adds some of the dialog back in and even adds some new story elements. The Game Boy Color version has the original stories up to a point but then different endings. I always like story, even in ball and paddle games, and so I’ll be trying to hunt down these other versions of the game.
For the PS version of the game, there was a paddle controller you could get and that also came with the LE version.
This was a very fun game with lots to look at. I just wish the gameplay was more than what it is. It has the characters, story, and graphics I’d like to see in a RPG.
I forgot PSX also had weird peripherals like that paddle controller. I tend to associate weird peripherals with Big N.
Yea, I never heard of this one for PS before.
aw that controller is so cute.
It's a chibi controller.
Looks like you need quick reflexes for this game.
I read a strategy where you can let your screen build up a lot so that when you hit a big combo it dumps a ton of gems on your opponent. It's kinda risky though, so it may be better to be fast.
Didn't you already write about Puchi Carat before? I wish I could remember the characters' names, then I could tell you my favorites.
I had a paddle controller like that for Arkanoid on the NES. They also made a paddle controller add-on to the DS Arkanoid game. I imported one because it wasn't available in the US. Unfortunately it didn't work with the US Arkanoid DS game, but strangely enough it would work for Space Invaders Extreme.
I mentioned it briefly in another blog, but I wanted to do a full one. The characters are all listed with copious detail on that Puchi Carat Palace web site I linked to above, but here's the list:
Garnet
Thyst
Aqua
C Mond
Rald
Pearl
By
Peridot
Sapphire
Opa
Paz
Rquo
Patrako
Notice they are all taken from the names for different gems.
I forgot to look up if that controller was available for the NA version of the game, but I think so because it came with the LE edition that I'm pretty sure was released in NA. If I see one out in the wild, I'll snatch it up in a heartbeat.
I liked Aqua, Patrako, and the hamster.
I didn't think there was a limited edition of the game in the US.
The hampster I would guess is By. He was apparently the father of Sapphire and Thyst. Sapphire turned both her parents into beasts with her magic. Her mother became Peridot and her father became By. Weird huh?
Looks like the Limited Edition was Europe only. Darn.
Classic Taito arcade games were surprisingly popular in Europe.
I wish they were more common here. I mean, I played Front Line and Space Invaders back in the day, but that's about it. Oh wait, Sky Shark was Taito too. Well, it was published by Taito but developed by Toaplan. Um, and then there's Phoenix. I played that. Jungle Hunt too. I guess I played a few, but not a lot of them. It was mostly Namco, Atari, and Williams stuff I think.
There were lots of Taito games in the US, too, but it seems Europre embraced a wider variety of them.
I discovered this game at an Ultracade machine at the Disney Quest indoor theme park (basically a huge arade). The game is simple and tough but lots of fun, especially with a track ball. The PSOne version, I think, is PAL (Europe) only. I think the Taito Col. 2 is the only proper way of playing it on our shores.
I have a soft spot for Aqua, personally.
I'm going to Disney Quest again in Sept. Last time I went was when it first opened in 2000 or so.
I think there is a GBA Puchi Carat that made it to the US. I think.
Aqua is my favorite, too.
Cool. I'm not sure how much has changed since then, but you'll probably dig the Wreck-It Ralph area--there are several "vintage" Wreck-It Ralph machines that you can play for as long as you want. The Pirates of the Caribbean "ride" is probably my favorite of the attractions. Be sure to check it out.
Darn it, after some more research, I think your right about that. I think the Game Boy Color version might be Japan only too.
I would love to go to Disney Quest one day. Gotta plan that in somehow.
I think they are Japan-only, as I had never heard of the game until I happened upon the Ultracade release. The good news is that the GBC version is region free, so getting a copy shouldn't be too hard. But let's face it, the GBC isn't really known for its sterling graphics.
As for Disney Quest, it'll render you giddy the first time you visit. I once had an annual pass and would go at least once a month--it loses its luster when you go that often, but it's still a fun diversion no matter how many times you visit. The evenings are usually more crowded than the afternoons, though, so you may want to get there early.
Looks like I'll have to get the PS2 version of Legends 2. Doesn't really fit what I had in mind for my PS2 when it comes to complications, except for SNK complications that is.
Still I wouldn't mind trying to get a EU version of this game on the Xbox of Legends 2.
Apparently the EU version works just fine on NA Xboxes. I want to get one too.
Looks like fun, maybe I'll get the chance eventually to try it out.
It be fun indeed. Should've come to handheld devices in NA.