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達人
©Taito Corp. 1992
Licensed from Toaplan Co.Ltd
Release : 1992-07-24 (¥7200)
HuCard (4 Mbits) TP04022
Shooter / Vertical
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Tatsujin is a vertical shooter by Taito and conversion of
Toaplan arcade game originally released in 1988. The evil Gidans
are about to invade the Borogo system, their armada of giant asteroids are
approaching and they have to be stopped. The player must infiltrate and destroy no
less than five large enemy facilities and take down swarms of alien ships and all kind of
ground units. The space fighter comes equipped with a default Vulcan gun
(Power shots) and two more weapons are available for the taking - the
blue lock-on lasers (Thunder Laser) and
green blasts of energy (Tatsujin Beam). The only way to increase the
active weapon's firepower is to collect Power Boosters special flying pods
leave behind. Although five boosters are necessary to trigger a power-up upgrade
and boost up the strength of the current weapon, special red flashing power icons bring
it up to maximum power in no time. Each weapon can be powered up to three times for
maximum collateral damage and smart bombs in the shape of monstrous skull-faced energy
blasts can be unleashed to kill most enemies on screen. Finally, speed boosters are
strategically placed throughout the game to help the player dodge enemy
fire more efficiently.
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Tatsujin (Aka 'Truxton' in the west) came out in the arcades in 1988
(picture on the left). The name "Tatsujin" means "expert" in Japanese and warns
players of the ordeals waiting for them. Although published by Taito, the game
was originally developed by the prolific Japanese company Toaplan. The company,
which is now sadly defunct, was responsible for making some of the most popular shooters
in the 80s/90s. Their catalog included hit titles such as Kyūkyoku Tiger
(aka Twin Cobra), Zero Wing, HellFire or Hishou Zame
(aka Flying Shark). Tatsujin was later ported for home systems such as
the Megadrive (1989) and PC Engine (1992). A sequel called
Tatsujin Ō (aka Truxton II) was released in 1992 and the only home port
is the sought-after Fujitsu FM-Town version developed by Ving in 1993.
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Game Staff (Copied from the end credits) :
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STAFF
Produced By
Shoji Takahashi
Programmed By
Toyofumi Kunihiro
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Graphics By
Tsutomu Takase
Jiroharu Ushiku
Sound By
Shotaro
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Supervisor
Koji Yamazaki
Bug Checker
Suit
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Special Thanks To
Ikasama Naokin
Mr. Oota
Mickey Shunkoh
PRESENTED BY
TAITO
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Click on picture to enlarge |
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The option screen is available by holding select and by pressing run
on the title screen.
Two hidden options are available in the game. You
have to score 7100 to access them. This is rather easy, start the game and destroy
every enemies and pick up all powerups - you should score a
perfect 7100 within a few seconds, right after the first wave of small ships. When done, reset the game by
pressing run and select together and do the following on the title screen:
Extended Option Screen - hold select and press run
Lives, bombs, credits and 'slim screen' mode.
See the ending - hold left and press run
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LK
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Add your Pov here !
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P
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I have always had a sort of fascination for Tatsujin and its amazingly detailed
graphics and gorgeous mechanical designs. This version is surprisingly close to
the original arcade game and graphics are what really make it shine amongst others. But,
and there is a big but here... its name translates as 'expert' in Japanese
and this is a clue as to why some things are not always fair in life. Tatsujin is
unfairly hard on you and downright frustrating. Some enemies simply won't die no matter
what you throw at them and their only purpose in life seems to make yours more miserable
and to suck dry your stock of ships and mental health. I am usually very patient with games
but this one is just ridiculous... when sweat starts dripping down your controller and
when unfair frustration hits you like a wet fish, then you know that it is time to stop
damning the shooter gods for they inhumanity and to pull the plug. Tatsujin frankly
deserves more than three stars but its brutal difficulty level (tougher than the arcade game I
think) makes it lose its appeal. As a side note, it is possible to unlock a screen 'slim'
mode that makes the game, I feel, easier to play (see the Secrets section).
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