|
|
| |
|
|
The
original Darius
(1986) was a massive success for Taito. Its lavish visuals and epic boss battles made
it an instant classic. So who could blame Taito for
wanting a sequel that would be even bigger?
Darius II is a superb production: it presents
even more dramatic backdrops, larger characters, and
one of the most ridiculously overworked soundtracks
ever heard.
The spectacular end-of-level bosses are back en force,
while the entire cast of the original make quick cameo
appearances here and there. It's a straight up 'sequel'
of sorts, and a massive effort from Taito
who seemingly went all out with this one, granting
it a worldwide release.
The problem maybe was that the
first Darius arcade wasn't very widespread
outside of Japan, and hadn't made much of a name for
itself by 1989. While it was a great relief to see
Darius II cabinets pop up in Europe and the
US, the game didn't catch on anywhere near as much
as it should have. Taito seriously aggravated this
issue by re-naming the game 'Sagaia' for international
release. It's as if the original was deliberately ignored.
The other problem maybe is that like its predecessor,
the game is exceptionally hard: enemy formations are
faster, stage layouts are far more unforgiving and
to many, the player's large ship made things very
tough to deal with.
While the anonimity of the original might've hindered
the arcade reaching superstar status in the West,
it did relatively well at home, with top-class conversions
appearing on the Mega
Drive (1990) and
Master System.
A long-awaited PC Engine version appeared in late 1993, but the best home version appeared much later on in the
form of a 1996 Sega
Saturn release, featuring arcade-perfect gameplay
and an in-game 'zoom' feature.
Rating:   |
|
|
|
| |
|
Darius
II
ダライアスII
－G.S.M. TAITO 4－ / ZUNTATA |
DETAILS
| Format |
Audio
CD |
| Released |
21
Nov 1989 |
| Publisher |
Pony
Canyon |
| Product
ID |
PCCB-00010 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.20 |
|
|
Vintage
2-CD soundtrack album from
Zuntata that covers both:
- Darius
II (1989)
- Night
Striker (1989)
CD1 features 6 'Arrange' tracks
while CD2 covers the arcade
OSTs.
View [back]
for tracklisting.
Double-CD case, 2 x audio
CDs (6 & 25 tracks), booklet,
spine card. |
|
|
|
|
Darius
II
ダライアスII
MEGA DRIVE |
DETAILS
| Format |
Mega
Drive |
| Released |
20
Dec 1990 |
| Publisher |
Taito |
| Product
ID |
T-11083 |
| Size
(cm) |
17.8
x 12.8 x 2.5 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.18 |
|
|
Considering
Taito's usually ropey Mega
Drive standards this is a
superb version of Darius
II, easily one of the
best MD shooting games of its
era.
One-player only, but all 26
stages are here, and so is
the difficulty level!
Taito-stamped MD case, 8Mbit
cartridge, 12-page colour
booklet. |
|
|
|
|
DETAILS
| Format |
Game
Boy |
| Released |
13
Dec 1991 |
| Publisher |
Taito |
| Product
ID |
DMG-S8A |
| Size
(cm) |
10
x 9 x 2 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.06 |
|
|
Despite
its name and release date
the GB Sagaia is
much closer to the original
Darius
(1986) in terms of content.
Features 8 stages and no route
split.
Quite a rarity
these days!
Standard small-size GB packaging,
1Mbit cartridge, monochrome
booklet. |
|
|
|
|
Super
Darius II
スーパーダライアスII
PC ENGINE SUPER CD-ROM² |
DETAILS
| Format |
PC
Engine |
| Released |
24
Dec 1993 |
| Publisher |
NEC
Avenue |
| Product
ID |
NAPR-1031 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.10 |
|
|
The
PC Engine Darius II
was delayed for so long that
the MD version had been out
for 3 years by the time it
finally appeared.
It's still a great game though,
if a little underwhelming for a late '93 release.
Best has to be its completely
over-the-top CD soundtrack!
CD case, PC Engine Super CD-ROM²
disc, colour manual, spine
card. |
|
|
|
|
Darius
II
ダライアスII
SEGA SATURN |
DETAILS
| Format |
Sega
Saturn |
| Released |
7
Jun 1996 |
| Publisher |
Taito |
| Product
ID |
T-1104G |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.10 |
|
|
Super-deluxe
port of the arcade Darius
II, complete with two-player
gameplay and 'stretchable' widescreen
modes.
The definitive home version!
CD case, Sega Saturn CD-ROM
disc, 12-page colour manual,
spine card. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
'Darius'
and 'Taito' are registered trademarks of Taito Corporation
'Mega Drive', 'Master System' and 'Sega' are registered trademarks
of Sega Corporation
'Game Boy' and 'Nintendo' are registered trademarks of Nintendo
Co., Ltd.
'PC Engine' and 'NEC' are registered trademarks of NEC Corporation
Darius II TM & © 1989 Taito All Rights Reserved
Page content, design & layout © 2008 www.jap-sai.com |
|
