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Brilliant riff on old classic.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 18 / 18
Date: June 19, 2008
Author: Amazon User

To understand how brilliant this game is, one should look back a the original phenom and other, less successful attempts to revive it.

The old: 1978's Space Invaders took the world by storm. In Japan, this popular game caused a shortage of the 100yen coins needed to play a game. In the USA, it munched similar amounts of quarters. The simple gameplay appealed to all types of people in the then-new arena of video games. Two years later, Atari licensed the arcade game for release at home, and the box proudly trumpeted "112 VIDEO GAMES"! These were all slight variations on the theme, with moving bases, invisible invaders, co-op play, fat players, and other small tweaks. Neat!

The others: Space Invaders was brilliant thirty years ago. The "thump thump thump" sounds of the invaders, and their iconic look are known by almost everyone, but the old game is slow and tedious. As much as I want to love it now, it's just too crusty and dusty -- and younger people will certainly turn up their nose at the limited options for fun. I feel that I could get a high score on the old game but I usually quit before losing, as it's a chore to play. The game has been trotted out in "old faithful" and "reimagined" formats for just about every system available, but they all have suffered the same problems as the original: the turgid, formal, repetitive gameplay just didn't age well, and most designers felt that giving the game more flair would dilute the original feel, making it more like Galaga than Space Invaders.

The now: SPACE INVADERS EXTREME reboots the whole concept. If you look at the screenshots, it looks like more of the same: You're still a little shooter at the bottom of the screen, and the invaders are still coming down at you, firing missiles at you and your protective bunkers.

thump
thump
thump
Yawn.

But wait! There's also an "interactive" synth soundtrack that moves everything along like a dance club. The invaders aren't shambling zombies anymore, they're FAST, and so are you. You can grab powerups like lasers that can clear out a whole column (or more!) of baddies with one shot. There are spread shots that can nuke entire rows. The enemy's formations change, sometimes you get big invaders, sometimes they have shields, sometimes they blow up all their neighbors when hit. The once-rare UFOs are now plentiful. The old vanilla 4-digit scoring has been replaced by a dynamic, pinball-style multiplier system with lots of pyrotechnics to match. Every 30 seconds or so, the game changes everything up so you aren't looking at the same phosphor-burn grid for minutes at a time.

Regular, bonus, and "boss" levels cleverly steal from other shooter games like Galaga, Attack of the Timelord (leave a comment for me if you know this cool game!), Gyruss Centipede, Gorf, Megamania, Phoenix, and others. Yes, "boss" levels are in here, where you have some biggies that take multiple shots to destroy. With the lights and music blaring away, these battles are not the tedious grind of old. The game remembers your last completed level, so you can always feel like you're making "progress," not just chasing the pure abstraction of a high score. There are worldwide online leaderboards for comparing your skills with others, too.

The game is also dead-easy to get into, just like the original. Just point and shoot. If you're really hardcore, you can import the Taito Arkanoid spinner to control this game, but left-right-shoot buttons are really more "pure."

To sum up:
Space Invaders classic concept;
Dazzling psychedelic special effects;
Dynamic, "always-on" gameplay that challenges without frustration;
High-score arcade purity with enough progression to make the game feel purposeful;
All for a bargain price.

If you have EVER liked Space Invaders (even if, like me, the thrill is gone), and you have a Nintendo DS or Playstation Portable, you will get many kicks from Space Invaders Extreme.

Import note: the Japanese version of this game is almost identical to the USA release except for a few lines of self-evident explanatory text, but the USA version is cheaper.

Brilliant, One of the best shooters on the DS!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: June 19, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Wow.

This is Space Invaders? It is, but then again it's not. It's new, hip, challenging, trippy, amazing, but yet it still is very much Space Invaders.

Square-Enix truly has made something old feel amazingly new again. It's respectful of the classic 1978 game, but this is NOT just a rehash or classic rereleased. This high level of quality for a "classic remixed" game is a true rarity, you might find it only a few other places (Pac Man Championship Edition, and New Super Mario Brothers would be 2 good examples).

This is the new definitive version of the game. Forget all the endless rereleases that have come out through the years, this is "the one".

It's still 2d, with movements limited to left-right-shoot. But, there are new stategies. There are new enemies. There are enemies that hide behind other enemies, sometimes many of them. There are no bases like in the traditional Old School Space Invaders.

There's an incredible variety in the types of invaders, and they have various attack patterns and formations. The invader attacks are much harder to avoid, especially without the bases to hide behind.

Some invaders shoot the traditional bombs, others shoot large lasers, others have shields that block against certain types of your attacks, others wear armor so you have to shoot them several times.

There are bonus rounds which vary as well. You might have to shoot UFO's before a timer runs out, or shoot a certain amount of invaders before the timer runs out.If you can beat the bonus round you earn Fever Time, where you can power up for a short time.

Shooting a group of the same colored Invaders can yield bonus points and various power ups, like lasers, bullet spreads, and bombs.

There are Boss Fights. Yes, Boss Fights. In Space Invaders.

There is multiplayer. Local (from one cart), or flawless online. There is a Worldwide Rankings board. (The PSP one only has local multiplayer, the DS one is MUCH better).

The music is based electronic, and based on your gameplay. As you shoot, you make the music. And you will love the music you make. It affect the background as well. Trippy, groovy, and perfect for the game.

There is only one downside to Space Invaders Extreme. No paddle controller for America. In Japan, Taito made a weighted knob peripheral for the DS that plugs into the GBA slot at the bottom. It lets you play with a quick twist of the knob, and gives you a big advantage. SE/Tatio did not make this Paddle Controller available in the states but the game will support the paddle if you able to get one from Amazon Japan or PlayAsia. It also works for new new Arkanoid DS game. A definite purchase if you can.

For 20 bucks you won't find a better shooter than this. Buy this game. Now. If you like Space Invaders 1978, you should see what happens when a classic grows up.

A new classic derived from an old favorite.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 22, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Intense action. Great psychedelic graphics. Fun gameplay. Each run through feels different via all of the different random options, powerups and levels. There is a good bit of strategy required to max out the scores as you blast the aliens. Great fun. A new classic and a must buy for anyone who is familiar with the original.

An excellent update to a classic game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Space Invaders is one of the most recognized games ever created. If offered simple yet addictive gameplay. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Space Invaders returns in an all new game.

The game offers several modes of play, each with 5 main stages where each stage has different branches to choose from. The first is "arcade mode" which allows you to go through the game at your pace and allows you to save and restart from the beginning of levels should you fail. So if you find yourself not able to always complete a full round of games or are new to the game this mode is a good way to practice.

The 2nd mode is "Ranking Mode" which is the same as Arcade mode except that you get no continues and you can't save progress. Whatever score you get is then flagged for upload when you look at the online leaderboard.

Both arcade and ranking mode are then split into two categories Normal and Extreme. Normal starts you off on an easier stage 1 and as you progress it lets you decide which route to take, either an easier or harder one, based on how well you do. Do well and you can pick the harder stage but if you do poor then you are forced to take the easy stage.
Extreme consists of 5 hard stages. You follow a set path and cannot pick different stages. As you would guess, the stages get harder and harder allowing for a much more difficult space invaders experience.

For offline ranking, both arcade and ranking are tracked for both normal and extreme modes. Online ranking consists only of Ranking mode. More on that in the multiplayer section.

Gameplay in Space Invaders Extreme is simple. You can move left to right at the bottom of the screen and you shoot with either A or B.

The thing that is different in terms of gameplay from the original space invaders is that there are several colors of ships, several ship shapes, several special ships, etc. If you kill 4 of the same color of ship in a row then you get a power up. Powerups range from a huge laser that blasts things, a spread shot, a bomb shot, a shield, etc. The more ships you kill also increases your "level" which makes your shot both stronger and bigger. A higher level also makes the powerup you have stronger, e.g. a level 1 blue-powerup is a lot thinner than a level 10 blue-powerup.

Another new addition is the Round feature. If you kill 4 colors in a row then kill 4 different colors in a row then a flashing colored UFO flies overhead. Destroy it and you get a brief bonus stage. This stage varies from killing a lot of enemies, certain enemies, formations, getting items, etc. in a time limit. If you succeed you enter "fever" mode in which your ship is temporarily boosted to Level 10 and given a power up to destroy the invaders. It's quite a fun addition to the game.

The graphics in Space Invaders Extreme is that of a very vibrant game. It uses simple colors and shapes that hold true to the original game. The invaders and your cannon use the same graphic that was used in the 1978 Arcade classic and it works well. The background is a trippy kind of graphic that changes a lot and can be distracting at times but can also be turned off in the options.

The audio of this game is pretty unique. Instead of having the classic shooting sounds they have replaced it with sounds that work with the game's music track. When you shoot you get a tune that goes with the song. When you kill invaders you get more tunes. It really adds to the gameplay in my opinion.

The multiplayer aspect of this game is great, it's basically who can live the longest. It can be played both offline and online via wi-fi. You are on the bottom screen while you watch your opponent on the top screen. You both have the same waves of enemies to get through and as you clear one wave another appears. While killing invaders you have a gauge on the top screen which fills. If you kill a UFO as it passes (they pass very often) then any of the invaders in that gauge will be sent to your opponent. They can do the same to you.

The online version of this consists of a ranking system that starts you off at 5,000 rating and increases or decreases as you win or lose. Only wins are tracked and shown in your rating window. Rating will determine who you face. You can battle players from all over the world as well. The game also supports friend codes.

As mentioned earlier, your high score from the Ranking Mode will be uploaded to the leaderboards and compared to those of other people. The game only shows the top 10 players worldwide but will also display your score underneath that along with your rank, for example I am ranked about 150ish in Extreme mode for ranking.

I was worried at first that they would only show top 10 and not give you an idea of where you were but I was pleasantly surprised to see that I can see my rank. The game makers also seem dedicated to making sure no cheaters stay on top for long. When I first started playing I looked at the scores and saw a score of "14,065,500,000" as first place with the 2nd place person being only "9,744,000". Within a few hours this bogus score was removed and now all scores appear to be legit. I hope this trend keeps up as I would like to have a chance to appear on the top 10 someday.

Final Verdict:
If you like shmups, classic gaming, or are just a fan of quick and fun to play games then this game is for you. I bought this game on a whim and am glad I did. It is one of the most addicting games I have ever played. The hours seem to just fly by. At only a $20 price tag, you should pick this game up, no questions asked.

Addicting

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 04, 2008
Author: Amazon User

As what all the other reviews have said, this game has brought a classic back to the new generation of gamers. I bought the game mostly because it said Space Invaders, and the fact that it was a new version. And that it was $[...] added to it because I am very short on money (lol). Ever since I bought it have played it so many times. The need to finish a level and move on the boss and start a new one just makes me want to play and play. The fact that they brought back an amazing game and brought it back to life makes me so happy. :) Definitely pick this one up if you're looking for a new game to add to your collection!

Blast from the past

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 12, 2008
Author: Amazon User

For those of us who grew up with Atari systems, the new Space Invaders is a must-buy. It's totally updated, with alot of color, great sound effects, and all that, but it's the same game we loved way back when. I'm having a blast getting addicted all over again!

Space Invaders+remix=AWESOMENESS!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 18, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Ok, to start this review all I have to say is that this game is a must have for any ds owner that liked or loves the original space invaders and space invaders revolution (also for ds).

Story: Okey, the story consists of 5 main stages, but after stage 2 you can choose an easy or hard stage ex. 3-A or 3-B. In total there are 11 stages. 4 stage 5's, 3 stage 4's, 2 stage 3's, and stages 1 and 2. The later stages are extremely hard!

Gameplay: The gameplay is just like the original space invaders from 1978, but there are no barriers, and there are POWER UPS!!!! You see, each invader has a color and a shape. When you shoot 4 of the same color you get a power up. 4 blues gets you a laser that busts through everything except reflect shields. 4 greens gets you a broad shot, kinda like the spread gun off of contra, it fires 5 bullets at once. 4 reds gets you bombs. These are extremely handy when killing reflector aliens, these are also rapid fire. 4 blacks gets you a sheild that blocks all attacks! Its extremely handy when beating big aliens that shoot beams. Also when you shoot 4 of one color and then immediatly after shoot 4 of a different color, a rainbow UFO comes out and if you shoot it you go into a round (a mini game that gives you a great power up) and if you beat the rounds certain requirements, you get a super power up, there are: the super broad shot, big bombs, super laser, and a gun that when you shoot an alien it turns and kills everything to the left or right of it. Also, when you shoot enough aliens, your cannon levels up, and your shots get more powerful and faster, but when you die you lose 2 levels :( There are also boss fights. When you get to the end of a stage you get to fight a boss, the bosses are really challenging, the fight also uses both screens.

Graphics: The graphics are alot like classic space invaders except there is a background that moves and is very impressing. The cannon is completely redone. It looks alot better than the classic one. You can clearly see when aliens explode. I would expect that the PSP version has alot better graphics but the ds version is waaaay better ;)

Multiplayer: I have played all the multiplayer variants and all I can say is that its really fun! DS download play works very well. When you go on WiFi, you can post you ranking battle scores on the leaderboard (im 650th best in the world lol) or you can battle with other players. The battle is not directly attacking your opponents, but you actually just try to outlast your opponent. You can send attacks when you shoot enough aliens then shoot a UFO. The attacks are very devastating if you trigger them at the right time.

Overall: I think that this is a great game. It has very tight controls, and the levels just wanna make you keep playing it till you get to the famed "next level". Also it only costs $20 so you get an extremely good game for a bargain bin price.

BUY THIS GAME!!! You will love it, and even if you dont like it, you'll only be out of $20!!!

It's Space Invaders. It's Extreme. It's great.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 04, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Taito's classic that started it all gets a facelift, and the final product is a nicely priced must-play.

Merits :-) Great soundtrack, Addictive, Great Value, Great replayability, Outstanding update on a classic
Demerits :-( Bad online community

If you have ever played any variation of Space Invaders but not this one, there are people laughing at you as we speak. It's not me. I swear. Don't look now, but the old classic from yesteryear is back and better than ever. Why, it may be better than the orignal. Don't let the old timers hear that though.

Think of it this way: The original Space Invaders is a Cadillac. Space Invaders Extreme is a Porsche. One of the first things you will notice is the techno music, which is outstanding. The graphics are colorful. There's actual strategy playing into the mix. Hitting 4 of the same color invader drops a power-up. There are bonus stages and bosses. The game is a steal for $20. You will be replaying the modes forev3r and ev3r. Well, maybe not, but the game has some serious replay value, maybe even more than the original. Have you said "Wow" yet?

The only bad thing about this game is the weak online community. The Vs. mode pits 1 on 1 to see who can last the longest. It's surprisingly addictive despite being so narrow. The only problem is it takes 2 people to play, which means you'll be sitting in the lobby for a couple of minutes before someone finally gets on. Single-card play helps if you have a DS wielding buddy. Sw33t.

Space Invaders Extreme is an achivement in handheld gaming. The updated classic holds its own in more ways than one and then some, and the portability means the most superior version of Space Invaders ever is in your front pocket. Or bookbag. You buy now, yes?

Final Line: 9.1/10, D4NG3R's Gold Medal, DS Top Pick

Proving that you can teach an old dog some new tricks

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 30, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Space Invaders was a little before my time, which may be why I've never had a great time playing the original game. Space Invaders Extreme however proves that you can teach an old dog new tricks though, giving the classic shooter a new coat of paint that works surprisingly well. Celebrating it's 30th anniversary, the core gameplay of Space Invaders remains basically the same, but now the enemies you shoot have new powers and abilities, and each level ends with a great boss battle to boot. The game has a pseudo-psychedelic look to it that suits it well, and there's even a bit of strategy involved in taking out the baddies. What makes Space Invaders Extreme a real keeper however is the game's local and online multiplayer modes, which are a sheer blast, and sharing your scores via the online leaderboards is an added bonus. The only real flaw about Space Invaders Extreme is that the game is short, very short. Once you master the game, you'll get through it pretty quickly, but trying to top your high score is reason enough to revisit the game as well. All in all, Space Invaders Extreme is a worthy update of a classic that is definitely worth your time, and the bargain price tag only sweetens the overall package.

A remake truly worthy of the original.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 07, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Aside from my general disdain for anything labeled "extreme" I decided to give this game a shot. I remember growing up playing the original and I recognize how important the original game is to gaming history and I was honestly concerned that the game was going to be an attempt at making a quick buck by milking old gamers with sweet whispers of nostalgia.

I was wrong. This game is very good. The graphic style holds true to the original but is a massive upgrade at the same time. In terms of gameplay, it feels like Space Invaders mixed with Galaga/Galaxian and a huge case of attention deficit disorder. The background effects, which feel inspired by cyberpunk culture and artwork, are energetic and entertaining without interfering with the gameplay.

Pros:
==> Classic Space Invaders gameplay that actually feels like the original game but brings something fresh and new to the table.
==> Exceptionally well designed retro artwork. If more classic arcade remakes were like this game, arcade remakes wouldn't have a reputation of being mediocre shovel ware.
==> Energetic techno soundtrack that synchronizes with the actions you take in the game.
==> Challenging level progression

Cons:
==> None to speak of

The game is divided into 11 levels, each of which is broken up into a dozen or so mini-stages which last less than a minute. It's pick up and play gaming at its finest. The game is liberal with powerful power-ups which are dropped by aliens when you blast them apart in various combinations, but the abundance of powerups doesn't make the game a walk in the park by any stretch of the imagination. The first several levels are fairly easy, but the difficulty is brutal at the higher levels. Not impossible, but just hard enough to make you try over and over again and feel accomplished when you beat the gigantic pixelated space invader boss at the end. As far as bosses go, this game has some of the best inspired boss battles I've seen out of almost any shooting game, and some of these boss battles can only truly be pulled off on the DS.

The PSP version is gorgeous looking, but in my opinion the DS is better in almost every department except graphics. I haven't played much of the PSP version, but I suspect some of the coolest levels on the DS are left off on the PSP version because I just don't see how those levels would be possible on a single screen. Either way, I recommend the game for either system.

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