Taito Chase H.Q. (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Taito
Publisher: Sega Enterprises, Ltd.

Released: 1990

Taito Chase H.Q. is an action-driving game that was originally released in the Arcade in 1988.

+ Action is blisteringly fast with an excellent frame-rate throughout, and the post-mission arrest screens are a great reward.

+ It's a rush when you get a criminal in your sights, and systematically destroying their car against the strict timer is thrilling.

+ Ability to upgrade your vehicle aides strategy, especially as the expensive Super Charger requires thrifty spending to afford.

- Ultimately, the gameplay is a one-trick pony and once you've seen a couple of stages it essentially has nothing else to offer.

- Car handling changes dramatically when approaching a tunnel and your vehicle suddenly feels like it's on an ice rink.

- Provides minimal detail about each criminal, so it's hard to get too invested in their story and bringing them to justice.

- Gameplay loops after just five brief stages, and the dreadful music consists of rudimentary bloops and bleeps.

Toki (NES review)

Developer: Taito
Publisher: Taito
Released: 1991

Toki is an action-platformer that was first released in the Arcade in 1989.

+ Great level design with a nice assortment of enemies, environmental hazards and stage verticality to mix things up.

+ Ample chances to power-up and while the 1992 Atari Lynx / Sega Genesis ports had one-hit kills this game adds a health bar.

+ Solid controls and your ability to fire diagonally opens up your attack arsenal and protects you from airborne enemies.

+ Cool stage intros resemble Ghosts 'n Goblins (1986, NES) and the gigantic bosses are enjoyable to fight.

- As a lead character, Toki is lacking in personality and charm, especially when compared to Bonk (Turbografx-16).

- Often has severe sprite flicker that distracts, and although there's a wide range of enemies they're rather unimaginative.

- Minecart section in the finale is laden with funky jumping physics and the collision detection takes a nosedive.

Qix (NES review)

Developer: Novotrade International
Publisher: Taito
Released: 1991

Qix is an action game that was first released in the Arcade in 1981.

+ Maddeningly addictive gameplay and there's plenty of catchy jingles that act as a reward for beating levels.

+ Considerable amount of techniques you can employ to fill the screen, so you always have new strategies to try out.

+ Sparx are brilliantly devious, as they stop you from moving safely by chasing your lines around the playfield.

+ A and B buttons allow you to move fast or slow, with the latter adding risk-reward due to it gaining you more points.

- Light on gameplay options, and the sharp increase in difficulty could deter some players from sticking around.

- Missed opportunity to house a showcase co-op mode, as the included two-player option is turn-based only.

- While there's a huge number of levels, the core gameplay remains the same throughout, with no major shake-ups.

The Jetsons: Cogswell's Caper! (NES review)

Developer: Natsume
Publisher: Taito
Released: 1992

The Jetsons: Cogswell's Caper! is an action-platformer based on the animated TV show The Jetsons.

+ Level design is decent and there's some interesting ideas such as reversed gravity and switching between dimensions.

+ Opening level features some in-game tutorials to get you used to the controls and gameplay mechanics.

+ Slowly introduces new power-up mechanics to progress the gameplay, and there's some excellent boss battles.

+ Music is delightfully catchy and there's some gorgeous background sprite detail that adds depth to the surroundings.

- Core gameplay is derivative of Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (1990, NES) and there's little here to differentiate it.

- Controls are stiff and attempting to reverse course in mid-air or make pixel-perfect adjustments is dicey.

- Has some abrupt difficulty spikes that can quickly drain your lives, and the checkpoint spacing can be annoying.

Rainbow Islands (NES review)

Developer: Taito
Publisher: Taito
Released: 1991

Rainbow Islands is a 1987 Arcade game that additionally saw a European exclusive NES port by Ocean (1991).

+ Bite-sized levels encourage you to keep trying and there's a real satisfaction to conquering a tough stage.

+ Bonus items scattered around the playfield are a tantalising risk-reward tease for high score chasers.

+ The scoring system is deceptively deep and mastering advanced rainbow attacks can net you huge scores.

+ Controls feel tighter and more precise than the Ocean release, particularly when attempting to adjust in mid-air.

- However, this port is less faithful to the Arcade original in terms of level design and intermission screens. 

- Screen doesn't continually scroll as you advance upwards as it pauses a few times per level which breaks immersion.

- SFX are ear-piercingly shrill and the graphics feature less-detailed sprites than the European NES version.

Power Blade (NES review)

Developer: Natsume
Publisher: Taito
Released: 1991

Power Blade is an action-platformer that was released in Japan as Power Blazer (1990).

+ Levels are intricately designed, and their non-linear layouts encourage you to explore in the hunt for the required key cards.

+ Can choose the order in which you tackle the first six stages and there's even a password system to continue your progress.

+ Being able to throw your boomerang in eight directions while jumping is handy for dispatching enemies in tough spots.

+ Managing to locate the Power Suit in each stage is rewarding, as it gives you the tactical benefit of shooting through objects.

+ Includes a wide range of enemies that force you to rethink tactics due to their interesting attack patterns.

- Enemies respawn at an infuriating rate and there is an element of backtracking in order to locate items.

- Character walking animation is rather goofy and the boss battles offer little in the way of resistance.

The Ninja Warriors (Mega CD review)

Developer: Aisystem Tokyo
Publisher: Taito
Released: 1993

The Ninja Warriors is a beat-em-up that was originally released in the Arcade in 1987.

+ Like Kung Fu (1985, NES), much of the fun comes from learning patterns and quickly executing attacks to defeat enemies.

+ Enemy types are slowly introduced to keep things fresh and some of their powerful projectiles require nimble strategies.

+ Several stages give you the option of choosing multiple routes, which is great for repeated play-throughs.

+ Mega CD arranged music is outstanding and does an amazing job of driving the action while upping the tension.

- Sewer stage design is lacklustre with many copy/paste areas that force you to slowly trudge along while ducking.

- Can be repetitive once you reach the later stages, especially as there's no power-ups or new weapons to boost your attacks.

- Bland bosses are duplicated far too often throughout the game and the final opponent is a complete let-down.