Where To Pre-Order The Taito EGRET II Mini

I've given up on these 'minis' tbh. Too many of them, but looks neat.

@readyletsgo It seems more a fad anyway.

@Slowdive A big Taito fan? Got some bad news about the size of this product.

It's stunning but it's £450 for the full package! I'll pray we get an international release.

You can get a paddle to play Arkanoid. Sorry, hang on. Let me say that again. You can get a paddle to play Arkanoid. Cameltry is pretty much a 2D Super Monkey Ball. So I reckon I'll have to buy this.

This is glorious. Hope I can grab one come the end of the month. Will look amazing next to my Astro mini.

Wow so pricey!

Why can’t these companies just give us the individual games on current systems? (You too Sega)

Most disappointing there is not an Uzi Add On for Operation Wolf/Thunderbolt

I'll be having one of these. Got rid of most of my mini's but the Astro City is great, this will go nicely with it.

@Gerald Hahahah! Best comment

A track pad? A dial? Where do I push money into my computer to get one of these NOW!?!

Fun Fact: This console is one character away from being called the REGRET.

Well hopefully buying this thing won't cause REGRET.

Sorry, someone had to do it.

Big fan of the Neo-Geo mini, so I've got my eyes on this. Especially, as @Peteykins identifies, New Zealand Story is an irresistible draw.

Mini product at a maximum price.

I just got my Astro City Mini delivered today from LR.
Hope this gets a international release.

Oh I am so impressed with this! Rainbow Islands, NZ Story, Bubble Bobble, Rastan, Arkanoid … whoo hoo!

(Looks at price and territory launch)

#sadface

Here’s hoping for a UK/Western release …!

Egrets, I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention...

Looks Pretty cool but I’d Rather see Taito do an arcade collection for Switch and other current gen consoles! The chance to play Arkanoid with a trackball controller however is VERY tempting indeed!

I love the fact that you can flip the screen for TATE mode!

I’m really hoping for an international release.

@JoakimZ Agreed! I love that screen feature!

@michaelf

Fingers crossed, LR will pick it up as they did with the Astro City. In fairness, I didn't pay much more imported than the official price anyway, so I'll probably go the Ebay route.

@ThomasBW84 preordered it early this morning, a bit of a tip for anyone interested, don't buy the packages of the unit and a controller as the shipping prices become crazy high. I ordered the main unit and trackball separately and the shipping and customs was over 20,000 yen or £150 cheaper than the pack together

@michaelf order the items individually and the price is much less and shipping not too bad

@ROBLOGNICK the package shipping costs are stupid, I've ordered the console and trackball individually and it's £240 delivered

@SpringDivorce I hope so! Or I'd like to see at least some of the 40-odd games released on an Evercade cart or two ...

@carlos82 that is a good idea. As it's not released until March next year, that gives me time to see if there's a Western release or chance to save up some coins to get it.

That's really impressive, the screen rotation, SD card slot, ability to switch the joystick gate and the optional trackball and slider controller really make this the complete package.

Sega really need to an Aero City mini with features like this. If they also do a trackball controller we could finally get a home version of SegaSonic the Hedgehog!

Pretty nifty hardware but I have to really ask about the games since I can only think of a handful of good Taito titles.

I want it. It will go nicely with Astro City Mini that I have here.

@JayJ
Personally hoping for
Knuckle Joe
Phoenix
Flying Shark
Hat Trick Hero
Chase HQ (although maybe plays awkwardly lol)
Ninja Warriors
Wardner
Slap Fight
Gladiator (naff, but I played it when I was young lol)

This is fantastic. Puts the Astro City Mini to shame!

So cool. I like it

I saw the games list and wow, much too rich for my blood, considering what you get!

Last time I jumped on an imported mini was the Astro City only to have a stateside release at a much better price. So waiting's hunky dory, but if you're a Taito fan, this looks awesome!

It's adorable, and hot pink is kind of my thing, but that's too much for me. I'm not made of money, and I'd kick myself if the new Switch was announced right after I spent that kind of money on a retro mini-console full of games I'll play for half an hour.

It looks really cool, however, on my Switch i already have a whole bunch of Taito classics:

• Darius Cozmic Collection (Darius 1, 2, Gaiden, Twin, Force, Alpha, Plus...)
• Darius Cozmic Revelation (G Darius and Dariusburst EX)
• Spacey Invaders Invincible Collection (Spacey Invaders I, II, IV, DX, Gigamax, Extreme...)
• Bubble Bobble 4 Friends (includes the original Bubble Bobble

Also various Taito classics have been released in Hamster's Arcade Archives series on the eShop (Puzzle Bobble/Bust-A-Move 2&3, Ninja Warriors...).

@BloodNinja I don’t think they have released the full list of games yet, there are supposed to be 40 games included with this.

Heard about that from a streamer who is like the biggest Raimais fun it seems (which the music in this trailer is from, so it's a huge tease to them if that game is not one of the final game).
... or at least they are a huge fan of the JAPANESE version of Raimais. Apparently, the difference is that the Japanese version is a non-linear game, and the international version forces players to play every level in order (I'm guessing that results in a game which wears out its welcome by then, for them?). That so?

Syvalion, a neat idea maybe not so great in execution, but I recall its soundtrack was SOME FORM of a jam?

@JoakimZ Yep! I saw a partial list of around 20 of the games, so far. At least for me, there was nothing appealing. Plus $80 for the joystick? Yikes.

@ThomasBW84 When did you come back to NL? Welcome back! It's good to see you

Bold of them not to include a games list. Not that it's gonna matter, because...well, come on...they advertised an SD Card slot. People are going to hack the heck out of this thing!

The features of this are really cool. Of course, that's reflected in the price, which may be too much for many. That depends even more on the selection of games. From the trailer, it looks like the games will be between 1978 to 1990, though I could be wrong. That would leave out some great games that were a bit more advanced from the 1990s, like Gekirindan which I like a lot. Galactic Attack would be another good '90s one to include. I suspect this is meant to be a niche, somewhat premium product. Perhaps they have good reason to think they can sell a reasonable number of these in Japan. It would be a harder sell in other places, I think.

They almost had me at the rotating screen, but I'd really need to see the rest of that game list. Metal Black is a trippy shmup with a great soundtrack, Rastan Saga and Cadash will make some folks happy I'm sure. I'm hoping Empire City 1931, Dead Connection, Space Gun, and Growl make it in. They can even try to 1-up the Astro City Mini by putting in Chase H.Q. 1 and 2, and S.C.I. in there, and not to mention Operation Wolf and Tunderbolt.

Bought 2 and a Spinner/Trackball, loving that the screen can rotate and it hass my fav Game RASTAN. Soundtrack is 10/10. I have the full sized cabs too and building a mini arcade, 2 Astros, 2 NeoGeos, 2 Egrets and Capcom Mini. need a fake arcade carpet mini...

Knowing how current Taito is more than satisfied with milking their old material with ultra premium prices,, you know this is going to be blast.

Really interested. We have many months to decide, though. And to see whether Taito has plans to release it in the West, which would be great for avoiding shipping costs.

But not by Limited Run, please. Astro City Mini I got from Amazon Japan and paid less (even including shipping) than what it cost in LRG, at least for us Europeans...

I consider these minis to be classic collections in a beautiful and expensive shape. I buy them with playing the games in mind. Always. So I wouldn't have minded if it had been released as a neat Taito Arcade Classics in a physical edition for consoles.

@ThomasBW84 Whatever anyone says (me included, as I can be cheeky), it's good to have you back.

Ehm...nooo not particularly. But I hope whoever buys it has fun.

That switchable Screen is a pretty cool Feature

Hope it gets a western release.

Outside of Cadash and Rastan, I wasn't much of a Taito fan, but this thing's design is beautiful.

Hailey's Comet is the only game I would want.

Still cheaper than a copy of Elevator Action Returns for the Saturn.

Some have pointed out that it's odd Kaiser Knuckle is included, but not the revised version Dan-Ku-Ga (which apparently was never officially released, despite being since added to MAME). The revised revision was reportedly better balanced, but that final boss The General is apparently quite a legend among arcade fighter fans for difficult final bosses (in the original version, specifically).

I forget what it's called but there is a platformer recently added to MAME that seemed very good, but was deemed not worth releasing, not even on a console port. Recalhorn? Would seem like a good opportunity to release it, but probably won't.

So . . . . Where’s chase hq 1 and 2. ? But this is too expensive anyway xx

It's the shipping charge where they really murder you.

Pretty excited, but it's gonna be a looong wait. And then some more for the inevitable price drop. I'm gonna pass on the trackball, though. Even with some additional games, 90 is really expensive.

If there's anyone here who owns the Astro mini or the Neo Geo mini, can you comment about the ergonomics? It can't be too comfy to play on one of these mini cabs for long, can it?

I ain’t paying 450 dollars just so I can officially play metal black and Elevator Action Returns.

Pirate Pete hit the Switch last week and it hit me that it’s a direct rip off of Jungle Hunt which Taito also owns. So I found it odd that this PP game was released instead of Jungle Hunt itself? Strange indeed.

Looks great, but buying an Atgames ultimate next week so will probably give this a miss.

@ThomasBW84 Unfortunately, the trackball/spinner add-on is a must-have if you want to "legitimately" play the games that natively use that type of controller. Pricey? Indeed, but arguably worth it if you're a fan of those titles.

These games were actually announced some time ago. The last ones are, according to Taito itself:

Dan-Ku-Ga (1995)
Darius Gaiden (1994)
Lupin III (1980)
The Ninja Kids (1990)
Outer Zone (1984)
Tatsujin (1988)
Volfied (1989)

And exclusive to the the Paddle & Trackball set:

Arkanoid: Revenge of DOH (1987)
Marine Date (1981)

@farrgazer I own an Astro City Mini and I have to say I bought the regular control pad too, but it surprised me how relatively comfortable was to play directly with the stick and buttons on the system itself. I expected it to be much worse. For me the main problem is the size of the screen, in order to play in long sessions, rather than the buttons.

where r the cave games?

@Moroboshi876

The pad is a thing of beauty though. D-pad is far better than the 8bitdo / Retro-bit pads I'm using on Switch, will probably end up picking up an adaptor if any of them allow its use.

@SpringDivorce I'm definitely going to use it, and I'll buy the one for Egret II Mini too, but I have to admit that for a quick session the mini cabinet itself is enough. At least for regular hands like mine.

Okay does anyone know why chase hq one of the most popular taito games ever is nowhere to be found , , anywhere xxx

I am surprised they left off Bubble Memories! They included Bubble Symphony and Elevator Action Returns, and they all use the same hardware (F3 cartridges).

@Dragonslacker1 I don't know why, but I've been wondering the same for a long time. It looks like a missed chance here in the Egret II Mini.

@bubicus Actually they didn't. I forgot to put it in the list. It's one of the most recent announcements, weird because Nintendo Life article was already outdated when it was updated.

I would've really liked to see Time Gal and/or Ninja Hayate on this, as pretty much every port suffers from bad video-quality. I did get the Android version released about 4 years ago, but I just can't use touch controls! I'm really tempted to get this nevertheless!

This looks awesome, but not for hundreds of dollars! I'd love to have the analog paddle controller for Switch though! Arkanoid and arkanoid style games are so fun with a paddle controller! EGRET for Switch, please! And I really mean it, would be badass to have Metal Black and all those awesome shooters on Switch. All fifty games on Switch, with a paddle controller, for $100. Taito, let's make a deal!

@joey302 I assume Pirate Pete is a regional variant. I don't know where it fits in the release of the game otherwise.
I know the original game was hit with a copyright lawsuit and had to be reissued.
I want to say Jungle King was the original title, and Jungle Hunt was the copyright-settlement version?

Pretty neat little device, but I've already got most, if not all of these games across Taito Legends 1 & 2 on the ps2.

@KingMike well I still own a copy of Jungle Hunt for the Atari 5200 so I’d have to assume that is the official name and version of the game. So If they never release it as Jungle Hunt I may have to grab Pirate Pete down the road lol. But perhaps it was released as Pirate Pete due to some licensing issues? 🤷‍♂️

My god that's a line up. I can't afford it, I really can't. If I can still pick one up after Xmas, I'll bite.

Puchi carat?!!!, Its great!!!, Only miss Cleopatra Fortune, but, well, its great! ^^

What an absolutely amazing list. What's even better is, they mentioned in the original announcement that they are looking at releasing SD cards with extra games!

I pre-ordered mine (with the paddle.)

So I've got this ordered from Amazon.co.jp. I have the base unit, the roller and the arcade stick. All ordered as separate packages, just shy of £300 including shipping and import fee (at the time of writing). The list of games is amazing! Elevator Action, all the Puzzle Bobble games, Rainbow Islandsm, New Zealand Stories. All those beat 'em ups, shooters!

Does it come with a free bag of crisps?

Sorry, I already egret making that joke!

Who’s with me in the Don Doko Don fanclub?

So very tempted by this! If only I had a yen tree growing in the backyard. Arkanoid games with that paddle controller will probably be awesome. I'll do some more research on these, to be sure.

An updated that arrives very late, these games were confirmed days ago as anyone can check in one of my previous comments, but anyway, great line-up.

I am pretty happy about the final list, except... Pop'n'Pop is missing! It was basically Taito's Smash Bros. in the way it combined all of their stars into a puzzle game with Space Invaders-style gameplay. Since it features all of their major characters, and since it runs on the same hardware as other games on the list (as does Cleopatra Fortune), I don't understand why it is not included.

@bubicus
Thanks, i didn't remember the name of that puzzle game from Taito, but, I remember that game at lot, and, yes, also miss cleopatra fortune.

@NinChocolate Well, I do own the Famicom cart with the box. One small oddity with that port is that I don't know if there's a way to NOT continue after a game over.
That game gets hard, fast.

I do also own a copy of the sequel.
I heard there was some mini console that included a fan translation of DDD2, with the fan credit removed. Have to wonder if Taito did that? (I mean, they legally can, and it's better than suing them.)

@joey302 @KingMike

Jungle King indeed was the original with Jungle Hunt the revised version after legal action was taken. Pirate Pete is an obscure spiritual sequel.

Sadly, Taito screwed up their filing for a trademark renewal for the Jungle Hunt name and Coleco Holdings claim jumped it several years ago (As they also did with some other classic arcade trademarks like Zaxxon and Bump 'n' Jump that the owners were delinquent on filing for renewals).

Coleco Holdings though has failed themselves to file their Section 8 declaration in a timely manner for Jungle Hunt, so if Taito is watching, they could re-secure this trademark.

Presumably these troubles are behind why Jungle Hunt is sitting on the sidelines while the little known follow-up is seeing the limelight. At least Pirate Pete is a cool reskinning with more advanced graphics and audio, harder difficulty, etc. So it's nice to see it seeing the light of day officially (Never made the cut for the three Taito Legends volumes or the four Taito Memories releases during the PS2 era).

@Atariboy wow!! Very interesting legal view of this! I never heard of Pirate Pete till now. And again owning the 5200 Jungle Hunt cart I just assumed that was the original name it was given and also remember playing in the Arcade same name. But i also remember seeing Jungle King in the arcades back then also and assumed THAT was the rip off to Hunt.
But very interesting nonetheless. I assume Coleco Holdings is the same Colecovision people? I thought they went under way way back.
The other thing here is wow so Sega lost the Zaxxon trademark?? That’s just irresponsible of them with their IP. Nintendo would never allow that to happen for sure. Thanks for the info. I’ve seen you around on this site plenty of times before I can only assume you know a thing or two about Atari based on your user name lol 😂

@GrailUK IKR!? One of those little holes in my gaming life... no proper way to play Arknoid. Loved playing it on my PC many years ago with a mouse, and always dreamed about having access to a real arcade version... which I think played or at least saw in like a Pizza Hut or something in maybe 1st/2nd grade.

@BlubberWhale It's brill and that's certainly a plus for me too! No Knuckle Joe is a tad disappointing and being Japanese, I was kinda hoping Pheonix would make it on. But honestly, I can't complain!

@KingMike ah.. interesting!

@joey302 Coleco Holdings is a modern company that popped up about 15 years ago. They're also known as River West. The Coleco Chameleon disaster is what they're best known for now.

I'm not sure they legitimately bought any rights to the Colecovision. I suspect they "acquired" the Coleco rights the same way they did the Zaxxon trademark, with the Colecovision trademark inactive since the implosion of Coleco Industries at the end of the 1980's.

Hasbro never did anything with the Colecovision brand, so I bet they just let the trademark lapse after buying the remnants of Coleco Industries (Mainly to get Cabbage Patch Dolls), with it likely entering the public domain in the 1990's until River West came long in the mid 2000's to re-establish a trademark that had been inactive.

There might be more to it since they act as if they own the software that Coleco developed and published back in the day. Unlike trademarked game titles that expire and have to be renewed, copyrighted software code won't lapse for decades to come. If they don't truly own that stuff and the real owner (Hasbro?) were to come after them, they'd be in serious trouble.

So maybe they actually purchased some of the rights to the Colecovision from Hasbro, unlike the shady things they did with stuff like Zaxxon.

Will there by a North America release? I looked at the full bundle on Amazon Japan. They want $250 usd just to ship it. I can't do that...