Space Invaders Extreme
Score: 90% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Square Enix Developer: Taito Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Classic/Retro/ Arcade/ Shooter
Graphics & Sound: I am not a man to be toyed with when it comes to Space Invaders. This brand sparks some serious nostalgia for me, begging for quarters or just watching my cousin tear up Space Invaders, Asteroids or Pac-Man. Yes, I'm actually old enough to have been knocking around in the 70s, completely entranced by videogames. Space Invaders was the first of many space shooters that morphed later into side-scrolling space shooters and now live on with "classic" or "retro" attached to their names. The latest fashion is to take these old games and spice them up. It works in some ways, and it doesn't work in others. It definitely works on the DS screen. This little baby is perfectly positioned for showing games in the old vertical, arcade cabinet format. The marching enemies on the top screen and your little cannon on the bottom work great. There are lots of extras now moving around between the two screens, flashing backgrounds, buttons, baubles, and bells. I'll argue that this is where Space Invaders Extreme doesn't work nearly as well for fans of the old game. Before I make it sound like the target audience for the game won't be turned on, remember that now is the time for an introduction of these old, simple games to a new audience. Gamers excited about Geometry Wars will see something similar and cool in Space Invaders Extreme, without necessarily realizing that it's the 30-year anniversary of this classic. As long as the game finds its proper audience, we'll all be happy, but my guess is that the Gen-X folks that really played the heck out of Space Invaders in the arcade will find this version a bit too glam for their liking.
Gameplay: There isn't much that you can goof up with the gameplay of a classic like this, although better minds than Taito have tried and succeeded in blowing it with old games reborn for new audiences. Behind the glam presentation is the same humble gameplay that made this such fun to play back in the day. One fighter against seemingly insurmountable odds... how cool is that? The look of each playing field is unique and different, a welcome change from the days of static forts and formations of enemy ships. The vehicle you control, your "cannon," is also adaptable and changes as you knock out more and more of the bad guys. Why they're bad we don't know, but they seem intent on knocking you out and taking over all your bases. The formations of enemies in each stage change dramatically and there are new variations between types of enemies that show in style and color. The color coding of enemies is connected to a neat aspect of gameplay in Space Invaders Extreme. The ship you pilot isn't all that upgradeable on its own, but it now has the ability to absorb power from enemies. Once you successfully destroy a specific sequence of enemies with the same color, you'll see a drop that transforms your ship's weapon. The laser is a sweeping line of doom for all that oppose you, but can be deflected by certain shields. The broad shot is like having several cannons lined up together, good for taking out enemies with shields and fast-moving ships. The bomb is good for taking out enemies in tight formation, but not ideal for sharpshooting. Various other scoring and power-up mechanisms are embedded in Space Invaders Extreme, including the titular "Extreme" mode. This is a mode you trigger by a sequence of attacks, that is timed with specific objectives. If you can meet the requirements during the challenge round, you'll be pitched into "Fever Mode" and have a chance to earn big points and clear out waves of enemies effortlessly. The multiplayer is well implemented, especially in that it supports several players on a single card. The basic mechanic is that you both start a round and play for points against the timer. More skilled players will realize that you can target enemies in such a way that your DS opponent's screen starts to fill up with additional bad guys. This is similar to some of the block- and bubble-breaking games and their two-player battles. If multiplayer is your thing, you'll appreciate the ability to launch a session online against a friend, as long as he or she has a copy of the game.
Difficulty: The challenge level of Space Invaders Extreme is high, as compared to its incarnation of thirty years ago. The enemies drop a variety of weapons and periodically fall down in a fashion similar to Galaga. There are increasing moments where oblivion is the result of not shooting down a single enemy as it drops from above, making the stakes pretty high. In this way, Space Invaders Extreme feels a more like a product for the core gamer, which is probably appropriate. It certainly moves this out of the feel-good/retro-retread territory, and introduces a great franchise to a new, core gaming audience. The challenge in multiplayer against a person skilled in the mechanics of the game goes up even further, providing some good shelf-life. Even with heightened difficulty, the simplicity of the game's mechanics make it accessible for any player.
Game Mechanics: Mechanics don't get much simpler than this. Moving side-to-side and shooting doesn't require more than half the available control options on the DS, and the touch capabilities aren't utilized. It's a curious decision to have not included some type of touch controls for the game, but again there is the simplicity that comes through here where it would have been lost with more complex controls. Following the action on-screen is simplified with no menus to navigate or complex HUD. A series of "lamps" function similar to the old format on a pinball machine, lighting up as you accomplish certain tasks in the game. These include destroying enemies across a row or column, and knocking out a series of enemies of the same color. Other counters and gauges in the game track how well you are doing with stringing together combos of similar colors that change the way points are scored. Space Invaders Extreme may not meet with the approval of purists that can only appreciate a clean, black-and-white retro look. It plays like a dream from the standpoint of control and is visually attractive, with gameplay that draws from the franchise's tradition and innovates in a limited fashion. Multiplayer that involves more than just taking your friend's place in front of the arcade cabinet is refreshing, especially with online or wireless play as an option. I'm a fan of not switching genres with these new versions of classic arcade titles, more the "upgrade rather than transform" school of nouveau retro. In that vein, I'd say that Taito and Square Enix scored a direct hit with Space Invaders Extreme.
-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock
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