Twinworld Game Reviews

Posts Tagged ‘Taito’

Stuttgart, November 8 2019 – 33 years after the debut of the classic video game Bubble Bobble by TAITO, the two dragons Bub and Bob are returning to the screens. On November 19, 2019, Bubble Bobble 4 Friends will be released digitally in Europe and Australasia, exclusively for Nintendo Switch. On the same day, the physical version will be available in stores throughout Europe. North and South American digital Nintendo eShop releases Q1 2020

As previously announced, there will also be a Special Edition that comes with two keychains, a poster and four trading cards – this very special edition of Bubble Bobble 4 Friends will be available on December 13th, while stocks last.

Publisher ININ today announced new details on the EXTEND feature. This is a new skill upgrade system that will allow players to boost their dragons with additional features. To unlock the upgrades, players will need to collect letter bubbles, each containing one of the letters of the word “EXTEND”. In every stage, one of those special letter bubbles appears briefly and has to be collected before it bursts. If the player manages to collect all letters of the word “EXTEND” within a world and also win the boss battle, the player will receive either a new skill or an upgrade to an existing skill to become even more powerful.

The following skills can be unlocked:

• Long Shot: increases the range of the bubbles
• Thunder Bubble: attacks enemies in a horizontal line when bubble bursts
• Bomb Bubble: The bubble explodes after some time and causes damage.
• Stop Wind: air flows are interrupted for a short time
• Dash Skill: lets characters pass through enemies unharmed

Before entering a new world, players can equip their dragons with the skills they’ve learned so far, using a variety of tactical variations to master even the most difficult stages and clear a stage particularly quickly.

Apart from skills, there are other features that increase the replay value of Bubble Bobble 4 Friends and spur players on to ever wilder manoeuvres. Chain reactions from multiple bursted bubbles with captured enemies generate more and higher quality food for players to collect – the higher the number of bubbles, the more points and food you get as a reward. Special bubbles, such as bomb or lightning bubbles, provide new aspects of the game and tactics.

ININ has also built a new website for the cult game with helpful information on where to buy, the history of Bubble Bobble since 1986 as well as plenty of background information.

As a special gift for the fans, there will be desktop pc and mobile wallpapers ready to download. The design team from Taito has put a lot of effort into these wallpapers, to make sure that they look great on various devices.

Collectors from all over the world will also be delighted by the commemorative releases from Strictly Limited. A few copies of the very extensive Collector’s Edition of Bubble Bobble 4 Friends can still be pre-ordered from the Strictly Limited Games online store at a price of 89.99 Euro. The Collectors Edition is limited to only 2500 Units. The Standard Edition is limited to 3500 units and offers a beautiful retro-style cover and an individual numbering on each copy, and is available for 39,99 Euro. Both editions will come with a very special Acrylic Print of Bub or Bob as an exclusive bonus item.

Source: PR Email

TAITO has been known for creating amazing video games such as Arkanoid, Bubble Bobble, and Space Invaders, since the early 1970’s. In 1987, TAITO brought us The Ninja Warriors, a side scrolling action game for the arcade venues, and later on, the home consoles. The arcade version included a 3 screen display for players to enjoy their ninja action in a unique wide-screen format.

In The Ninja Warriors arcade game, you controlled 1 of 2 robotic ninjas created by an anarchist group led by Mulk. The ninjas were built to assassinate Banglar, the Tyrant president of the United States, who has issued martial law and given total control to the military.

On October 15th, TAITO released The Ninja Saviors: Return of The Warriors in North America on the Nintendo Switch and Playstation 4 home consoles. This release was a reboot of their 1994 sequel, also titled The Ninja Warriors, which was released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Instead of going with a modern art style, TAITO chose to remain faithful to the original release and keep the 16-bit art style while improving on the actual game resolution and animations.

With many companies bringing older 2D titles to modern consoles with 3D character models, I’m quite happy that TAITO didn’t go the same route. Sure, the game might look good if a lot of effort was put into the 3D models, but that has not been the case with many of the reboots from other companies. The character animations in The Ninja Saviors are quite smooth and the background artwork is fantastic. I’ll take gorgeous 2D artwork over mediocre 3D character models any day of the week!

The Ninja Saviors include 5 ninjas for you to pick from, with 3 being available from the beginning. Each ninja has their own move set which consists of basic attacks, aerial attacks, specials, etc. One example would be the red ninja, who is able to unleash a round of shurikens in front of her by spending some of her stored up battery power. The ninjas are also able to block many attacks, as well as pick up various objects in a stage to use against their adversaries.

The game consists of 8 stages, each more challenging than the last. As you progress into the later stages, previously defeated bosses are thrown into the mix to push your skills to their limits. With how challenging the game can get, you need to make sure your reflexes are as fast as ever. During my play-through, I didn’t notice any major frame-rate issues and the character movement seemed to be on point. The load time between stages was minimal as well, which is always a good thing.

Another addition to the title are online leaderboards and a Time Attack mode. In the SNES title, you had a timer that counted down in each stage that you were in, pushing you to complete the stage before it hit 0. With the reboot, the counter is now going up. If you can beat the game without dying (as you only get 1 life before having to re-pick your ninja), your time will be uploaded to see where you rank against fellow ninjas. Since you only have the 1 life to get onto the leaderboards per run, you’ll want to utilize the items placed throughout the stages to help replenish your health and battery power. As you complete each stage in normal mode, a time attack mode will unlock for that stage. This allows you to challenge each stage individually for the best time instead of going through all 8 stages each run.

The game does have 2 difficulty modes, normal and hard. Hard mode is locked when you first start the game, but will unlock after you’ve beaten normal mode at least once. The game also allows you to customize your controller buttons, which is something folks are always happy to see included. The developers included an option to enable / disable blood effects, which is something the SNES was known for having removed from many titles that were published to the console. While the SNES version was only a single player game, this reboot provides you with a local co-op mode so that you and a friend can unload some ninja mayhem on the enemies together.

The developers have included multiple high quality audio soundtracks in this reboot, but only 1 is available by default. Luckily the game tells you what you’ll need to do to unlock the other soundtracks for your listening enjoyment. Multiple language options are available as well for those who want to play the game in a language other than English.

The Ninja Saviors include a built-in manual which is a nice touch. The pages list each ninja’s move sets, so you don’t have to randomly press buttons to figure out which button does what. I am surprised that the manual shows off the character moves for the 2 hidden ninjas though right from the start, which essentially spoils what the 2 ninjas look like. I would have preferred that the manual hide those pages until the appropriate ninja was unlocked.

TAITO has done a wonderful job in bringing The Ninja Warriors to modern consoles with their reboot of the SNES classic. Even though the game can be completed within an hour or 2 once you’re familiar with everything, the unlockable difficulty modes & bonus characters help justify playing through the game multiple times.

Between the graphical improvements, audio soundtracks, new game play modes, online leaderboards, extra playable characters, and revised character move sets, this is one reboot you don’t want to miss out on. If you enjoyed The Ninja Warriors back in the day, or if you’re just looking for a challenging side-scrolling action game, make sure to check out The Ninja Saviors – Return of the Warriors!

Stuttgart, October 21, 2019  – Stuttgart, publisher Strictly Limited Games, specializing in the release of strictly limited physical Collector’s Editions of digital games for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Nintendo Switch, today announced the limited Standard and collector’s edition of Bubble Bobble 4 Friends, the sequel to the 1986 video game classic Bubble Bobble.

From Sunday 27 October, both editions for Nintendo Switch can be pre-ordered exclusively from the Strictly Limited Games online store. The limited Standard Edition will be offered with an exclusive cover and individual numbering at a price of 39.99 Euro. The Collector´s Edition will celebrate the origins of this milestone in video game history in a very special way. Accordingly, it contains numerous items about Bubble Bobble and its history, which have been translated from Japanese with great attention to detail in order to make them accessible to fans and collectors. The Collector’s Edition will be offered at a price of 89.99 Euro.

Bubble Bobble 4 Friends, the latest game in the popular Bubble Bobble series, includes the original Bubble Bobble Coin-Op version from 1986 in addition to the 100 stages in Bubble Bobble 4 Friends – this means that there will be 100 more stages in the original Bubble Bobble with original music, sound and visuals in addition to the 100 stages in Bubble Bobble 4 Friends.

The Strictly Limited Collector’s Edition of Bubble Bobble 4 Friends includes the following exclusive fan items from the Bubble Bobble universe:

• High-quality collectors box with magnetic closure
• Original soundtrack from TAITO’s legendary “House Band” Zuntata (includes the soundtrack from Bubble Bobble 4 Friends and the original music from Bubble Bobble)
• Hardcover book, providing fascinating insights into Bubble Bobble
• 2 sheets with a stylish marquee and artwork stickers
• Bubble Bobble Instruction Card
• Bubble Bobble Arcade Flyer

As an additional bonus, the Collector’s Edition is shipped in a special retro-style cardboard box – a tribute to the classic packaging of vending machine circuit boards in the 1980s and 1990s.

Starting October 27th, collectors and fans of the games series will be able to pre-order the 3,500-piece limited Standard Edition or the 2,500-piece limited Collector’s Edition of Bubble Bobble 4 Friends for Nintendo Switch.

Source: PR Email

Stuttgart, Germany – October 15th 2019 – ININ Games, publishing label of United Games GmbH, is pleased to announce The Ninja Saviors – Return of the Warriors, Taito’s iconic and classic sequel to the arcade hit, which has already been highly acclaimed in Europe, is OUT TODAY in North and South America. This much-revered brand will excite fans of the genre and pull in a whole new generation of gamers. The Ninja Saviors – Return of the Warriors releases on Sony PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch 19.99 USD digitally and the physical edition, with additional items, will be 29.99 USD.

The Ninja Saviors – Return of the Warriors,  a side-scrolling arcade brawler, features a strong cast of five playable characters and a plethora of individual moves, with two completely new faces joining the team.  For even more gripping immersion fans can experience the eagerly awaited, and superb, two-player co-op mode and an online ranking system so that you can measure yourself against fighters from all over the world. In a total of 8 levels, players will brawl their way through waves of enemy hordes, either alone or in pairs.

Players assume the role of one of the five android ninjas to take on the tyrant Banglar and his henchmen with a variety of individual moves in a dystopian future.

A completely uncut and mesmerizing experience is presented and options to change the colour of hit effects are just a few of the surprises in store supplemented by new enemies previously not seen on the original Western Super Nintendo version. Importantly the original developers, TENGO PROJECT, have improved the audio-visuals in every respect, making an already outstanding game even better!

The above six-minute trailer gives an insight into some of the new features and characters that are presented in The Ninja Saviors – Return of the Warriors.

Source: PR Email

Stuttgart, Germany; 2nd October 2019 – ININ Games, a publishing label of United Games Entertainment GmbH, is pleased to announce The Ninja Saviors – Return of the Warriors, Taito’s iconic and classic beat ‘em up arcade hit is only two weeks away from North and South America release. Already highly acclaimed in Europe from its earlier release, the long wait for American gamers is nearly over. The Ninja Saviors – Return of the Warriors will be released digitally on PSN and eShop for 19.99 USD.

There will also be a special day 1 physical edition available in stores for both, Sony PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch for 29.99 USD. The first print physical release will come with a printed manual, stickers, as well as a poster. In addition, there will be a special compensation gift for the delayed launch in the form of two-character cards depicting the new characters Raiden and Yaksha. The cards will be exclusive to North America.

TENGO PROJECT, the original development team, has elevated THE NINJA SAVIORS – Return of the Warriors to new heights with a re-mastered reboot, plus even better audio and visuals with the 16-bit pixel art of the classic SNES version being retained, but significantly revised, along with cool new animations.

In THE NINJA SAVIORS – Return of the Warriors, players assume the role of one of five android ninjas to take on the tyrant Banglar, and his henchmen, with a variety of individual moves in a dystopian future. Along with two completely new characters, the fully revised side-scrolling arcade brawler also finally offers fans the eagerly awaited two-player co-op mode and an online ranking system so that you can measure yourself against fighters from all over the world. In a total of eight levels, players will brawl their way through waves of enemy hordes, either alone or in pairs.

Source: PR Email

Stuttgart, Germany; August 22, 2019 – ININ Games, publishing label of United Games GmbH, today released a new extra-large trailer for THE NINJA SAVIORS – Return of the Warriors and confirmed the launch dates for Europe and North America.

The highly anticipated sequel to the arcade hit will be released in Europe on August 30, and in North America on October 15 on Nintendo Switch and Sony PlayStation 4. The game was originally planned to be released simultaneously in both markets. The reason for the short-term postponement in North America are unforeseen logistical challenges, which could not be solved in time despite intensive efforts. ININ would like to apologize formally to the many fans who are already eagerly waiting to play this masterpiece. As small compensation for a longer wait time, the physical release will contain some extra items that will be revealed later.

There is more good news: The game will be released as a completely uncut experience in Europe and the US, including the option to change the color of the hit effects to red. It will also include enemies which were not included in the Western Super Nintendo version at that time. An extensive insight into the features and characters is provided by the six-minute XXL trailer which was released today.

The fully revised side-scrolling arcade brawler THE NINJA SAVIORS – Return of the Warriors features a strong cast of five playable characters and a plethora of individual moves, with two completely new faces joining the team: The small woman-shaped android Yaksha, with telescopic arms performing unpredictable moves and Raiden, a colossal android weighing a whopping 32000 kilograms / 70548 lbs.

Armed with diamond sharp steel, the Ninjas turn their bodies into raging cyclones – leaping, kicking, and slashing through wave after wave of enemies. Over a total of eight levels, you’ll take on the tyrant Banglar and his henchmen either alone or with a friend. So settle in for a night on the couch with your friends, and reminisce about the golden era of 90s co-op game evenings you know and love.

The original developers, TENGO PROJECT, have improved the audio-visuals in every respect, making an already outstanding game even better! Along with 2-player co-op play, TAITO’s latest arcade action masterpiece also offers fans new 16-bit pixel art graphics and animations, the revamped sound of TAITO’s legendary house band ZUNTATA, as well as an online ranking system so that you can compare your skills to fighters from all over the world.

PRE-ORDER ITEMS:

Pre-orders of the physical edition of THE NINJA SAVIORS – Return of the Warriors will receive a limited NINJA SAVIORS keychain with a throwing knife look.

In addition to the poster and sticker set, a manual will also be included, just like back in the 1990s. More information on pre-orders can be found here.

Source: PR Email

Stuttgart, Germany – August 14, 2019 – After more than 10 years, Nintendo Switch players can look forward to a sequel of the cult 80’s game series Bubble Bobble by TAITO. The new Bubble Bobble 4 Friends was developed by the original studio TAITO Corporation and will include a brand new local 4-player mode. The sequel will be released both digitally and physically exclusively for Nintendo Switch in Europe on November 19, 2019, with the release in the USA to follow in the first quarter of 2020.

As in the previous highly popular series, the thrilling and epic bubble fight starts again!

One night, a child’s room became enfolded by a miraculous light and every object under its rays suddenly came to life – including the child’s most favourite toy, the little dragon called Bub. Full of jealousy, the wicked magician Baron von Blubba challenges the friendly dragon to battle.

In the ’80s and ’90s, the players jumped through the levels either solo or in the two-player mode. In the new part of the popular Bubble Bobble series, a 4-player cooperative mode is integrated, providing even more fun with friends.

“Bubble Bobble is an extremely popular title in Europe, so we decided to implement a pre-sale in Europe in conjunction with ININ Games and Strictly Limited Games. It is also the first internally developed title since Taito has re-entered the consumer market, and the development team is thrilled to be working on this famous IP. I deeply hope that many people will enjoy it” says Hiroshi Uemura, Executive Officer, Division Manager of Development, TAITO CORPORATION.

Collectors can look forward to the Collector’s Edition of Bubble Bobble 4 Friends, distributed exclusively by Strictly Limited Games. The ININ publishing label markets the retail versions and digital releases on the Nintendo eShop.

Source: PR Email

Maybe:)

— Forever Entert (@ForeverEntert) February 23, 2018