Dig this portable shmup machine
German publisher United Games Entertainment, (parent company of ININ Games and Strictly Limited Games), has announced that it will be bringing the super cute coin-op Taito EGRET II Mini to western shores in 2022. The portable hardware, which launches in Japan in March, compiles a huge range of Taito titles from the golden arcade era.
The Taito EGRET II Mini features 40 arcade favorites from Space Invaders, Darius Gaiden, and Bubble Bobble, to Rainbow Islands, New Zealand Story, Growl, and many, many more. Elevator Action Returns is in the mix, so I’m sold. The cabinet includes a five-inch screen, which can be rotated to vertical orientation for the shmup releases — which is a very neat touch. Controls feature a six-button setup, and a joystick that can be switched out between four-way and eight-way.
A HDMI output will allow the console to play on the big screen, and all included games sport quality-of-life features such as save states, auto-fire, and stereo sound. In addition, fans will be able to purchase a cute mini paddle and trackball set, which brings with it a further 10 games including Arkanoid, Strike Bowling, and Plump Pop. While the “Mini” craze has definitely died off a little, I have to admit that the Taito EGRET II Mini’s quality game list and rotatable screen option make this unit pretty appealing. Certainly more appealing than the recent Taito Milestones collection.
The Taito EGRET II Mini launches in Japan March 2, 2022. We’ll let you know when a western date is announced.
