The Essential Taito

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EGM Extras: The Essential Taito
The legendary developer's 25 greatest hits. By Jeremy Parish


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With Space Invaders celebrating its 30th anniversary this year in fine style, it seems the bloom's back on the rose for its once-beleaguered creator, Taito. You can read more about Taito's impressive comeback in the December issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly (and listen to our thoughts in Retronauts episode 44). Of course, the proof (as they say) is in the pudding, the pudding in this case being the company's extensive game catalog. We've pared down Taito's works -- which number in the hundreds -- to the company's 25 greatest or most influential works. If you're serious about gaming (and we know you are), you need to play these games.



Space Invaders
System: Arcade | 1978


Space Invaders needs no explanation; like Pac-Man and Tetris, it's one of the handful of games that's instantly emblematic of the gaming medium. Tales of Japan's Invadermania (the one that resulted in an alleged shortage of 100-yen coins) are legend, and the seafood-like faces of the titular invaders show up everywhere...including the pages of EGM. While the original game's awfully archaic these days, people still love the idea of it. Sometimes, that's all it takes to be a pop-culture icon.




Qix
System: Arcade | 1981


The point of Qixis simplicity in itself: Players attempt to divide a blank playing area into the largest portions possible by drawing a line to define controlled areas. The challenge comes from the Qix itself, an aimlessly bouncing line that can destroy an unfinished line (and, by proxy, the player's cursor) with the slightest contact. Naturally, the Qix has an annoying tendency to home in on players, creating an obvious (but addictive) risk-reward paradigm: Play it safe and box off tiny areas, or go for big points at great peril?




<div class="item"> Jungle Hunt
System: Arcade | 1982







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