It has been 30
years since a little game lit up arcades with its lone, small ship that took on
entire fleets of alien invaders. It was a simple game yet hard not to keep
plucking quarters into the cabinet and play all over again. Taito’s Space
Invaders is celebrating its 30th anniversary in style with a
re-release that is retooled for a new generation of gamers on Sony’s PSP.
Space Invaders Extreme plays like it did back in the day only with an
updated twist that makes this retro classic all the more addictive.
As a gamers who
wasn’t even born when many of the classics were released, the hardcore gamer in
me is glad that they are being released on practically every platform. Space
Invaders Extreme is the perfect opportunity to introduce the game to a new
crowd of gamers seeing as the core game is intact. The game still revolves
around a tiny ship that goes up against a number of alien space invaders
attempting to reach the planet surface you are tasked with protecting. Laser
fire will rain down on you as you attempt to clear the section of ships that
slowly descend before your eyes. Yes, even the UFOs from the old games fly by
overhead.
The Extreme
version of Space Invaders does add a few new features such as better
power-ups you earn by pulling off feats such as shooting down enemies in the
right column or destroying a series of ships of the same color. The power-ups
come in different varieties that come in the form of a thick laser beam that can
take out ships instantaneously, explosive shots or even shots that double and
triple shots. The game also sports a snazzy new look with enemies that are color
coded to match the Power Up conditions you must meet.
Your ship, of
course, can only move left or right but that’s all you’ll need seeing as the
enemies above crowd the upper half of the screen. The formation changes
throughout the game and later in the game some of the enemy ships come with
shields you must obliterate and some other ships are large enough that they take
more than five shots to destroy. Some of the invader ships, as I mentioned, are
color-coded and this time so are the UFOs. Destroy a yellow UFO, for instance,
and you will be thrown into a mini-game called Roulette. Roulette takes you to a
screen where the enemies spin like in roulette fashion and you’re tasked with
shooting the ships in a sequence to earn a reward. Another mini-game is Fever
where you earn a bonus for shooting down the Jackpot UFO before the Fever Timer
runs out.
Clearing rounds
will also take you to a Boss Battle in order for you to move to a new round.
Boss Battles have you going up against a much bigger invader that is usually
accompanied by a few smaller ships. The bosses usually have a yellow shaped
block that represents its engine core so shooting at the colored block after
peeling away at its hull will make the boss ship explode. The levels in the game
do get challenging but the bad news is that the single-player mode is rather
short. It didn’t take long before the game recycles past levels.
There’s also a
lack of online play so you won’t be able to jump into a game online. There isn’t
even a leader board to post your high score for the ultimate bragging rights.
Still, there’s two-player multiplayer via Ad Hoc connectivity. Your friend has
to have a copy of the game in order to play the game’s Match Play mode. It
simply has you attempting to outscore the second player by going through a few
levels. The great part is that you can also check out your friend’s progress via
a small picture-in-picture frame in the right of the screen.
On the graphics
front, Space Invaders Extreme doesn’t radically change the game’s
appearance as a few reboots have done and that’s Ok. The game does sport some
new backgrounds that are appealing and there are more colorful effects and enemy
ships. There are also some flashy effects that give the game a truly updated
feel. There are also some great tunes in the game that definitely are cool
enough that you won’t mind it playing throughout the game. Fire a few rounds and
the sound effect compliments the techno vibe of the background music. It’s also
great to hear the enemy ships blow up the same way as the original.
Space
Invaders Extreme
for the PSP is a retooled and brilliant update of a timeless
classic that is now a game you will seriously not want to put down. The core
gameplay is intact yet the updated visuals and gameplay elements simply enhance
an already worthwhile experience. Even if you never have played the original,
this 30th anniversary edition is a great introduction to a shooter
classic at an affordable price tag. If you did play it before, well, this
updated version is worth every dollar.
|
|
Gameplay: 8.0
The game plays
like the classic only with a few minor upgrades that certainly kicks things up a
notch or two in the gameplay department. The power-ups are much cooler this time
around and the boss battles are simply enjoyable and challenging.
Graphics: 8.0
It looks like
the original in some ways but the backgrounds have a wonderfully updated
appearance that adds new personality to the game. Even the visual effects come
together nicely in the game as you enter new stages such as Fever.
Sound: 8.5
The music is
delightfully catchy and some of it feels like great techno with your shots
adding to the rhythm. Some of the sound effects come straight from the original
so those who played the original will feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Difficulty:
Medium/Hard
Like the
original, the game gets harder and harder so expect challenges aplenty. Some
boss battles will even have you sweating so this isn’t going to be a piece of
cake. That’s exactly how we like our classics, though.
Concept: 8.0
It’s Space
Invaders with a slick facelift and some ultra cool tunes to match its fresh
new style. You look good for 30, Space Invaders, and you still know how
to show a gamer a good time. Add some exciting boss battles and some neat
power-ups and you have a fun game. I just wish the single-player portion was
longer and included online multiplayer with leader board.
Multiplayer:
7.0
While the game
has no game-sharing feature or any online play via Infrastructure Mode, the
games does Ad Hoc well enough. Match Play basically has you playing against a
friend to see who can score the most points.
Overall: 8.0
Space
Invaders Extreme
for the PSP is quite possibly the best reboot of a classic game
you will get to play this year. Somehow, Taito and Square Enix managed to take a
30-year old formula and inject new life into the classic shooter to make this
one seriously addictive game for gamers both young and old school. You cannot go
wrong with this one.
