Space Invaders Extreme

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Space Invaders Extreme
File:Space Invaders Extreme.jpg
North American DS version box art
Developer(s)Taito, GULTI co.,ltd. (PSP)[3]Backbone Entertainment (Xbox Live Arcade)
Publisher(s)
SeriesSpace Invaders
Platform(s)Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, Xbox Live Arcade[1]
ReleaseXBLA: 2009[2]
Genre(s)Shooter, Action[4]
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Space Invaders Extreme is a re-vamped incarnation of the classic arcade game Space Invaders. It was released to mark the 30th anniversary of Space Invaders which saw its original arcade release in Template:Vgy. The game is played at a fast pace with an electronic soundtrack and sound effects.

Gameplay

A boss fight from the DS version.

Single player

The player controls a laser base at the bottom of the display - this can move left or right and fire. To the top of the display formations of invaders appear - these must be shot for points and to avoid them destroying the players' laser base. Sometimes a flying saucer will traverse the top of the screen. This is the same basic design as Space Invaders, but the formation of the aliens differs greatly, changing from level to level. Sometimes there are only a handful of invaders in a tight formation, sometimes individual invaders advance rapidly down the screen separately from the main formation, and sometimes a boss level will be encountered, often consisting of a very large invader and various guards. Bonuses for higher scores can be obtained by doing as instructed by words that flash up on the background, such as hitting invaders of a particular colour or particular type. Extra bonus levels can also be accessed by shooting aliens in the requested order, as can power- and level-ups which increase the firepower of the player's laser base.

Multiplayer

On the DS, two players can compete against each other locally via the DS's built-in WiFi connection or against each other via the Internet. The top screen is used to display the remote player's progress; there is also an online ranking system and the addition of download play allows a multiplayer game to be played from a single game cartridge. The PSP version only allows local competitive play.

Music and sound effects

The game uses an electronic soundtrack with the sound effects keyed to it, integrating with the music and enhancing it. The soundtrack is also available to purchase on CD.[3]

Differences between versions

A screenshot from the PSP version.

Multiple player options for the DS version have already been mentioned above, but in gameplay terms both versions are the same, sharing the same levels, attack formations, similar graphics, music and power-ups. However the PSP version has crisper graphics due to the higher resolution implemented on the PSP. The obvious main difference between the two is the use of the second screen on the DS version. This is used to make certain levels vertically larger. When not used for this it contains assorted information on the game currently in play. The Nintendo DS version can also use the Nintendo DS Paddle Controller which was originally designed for Arkanoid on the DS, or the DS Rumble Pack, adding force feedback to the game's music.

In addition to the peripheral support, the DS version features many modes of online play not available to its PSP counterpart; the game can be played against random players and friends over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and top scores can also be shared over the internet. Also, single-card download play is available for local multiplayer. The PSP version only supports multiplayer locally in Ad-Hoc mode, and each player must have their own game disc. No Infrastructure modes are supported for online play or high score tables.[5] The forthcoming Xbox Live Arcade version (announced on 9th October 2008[4] ) has many of the networking features of the DS version with the addition of a co-op mode where up to four players can play the arcade mode. It also uses background visualizers as created by Llamasoft's Jeff Minter

Reception

The game has enjoyed critical praise since its release. The game is noted for its fast-paced gameplay with IGN claiming the game "[is] energetic and addictive, and does an absolutely fantastic job retaining the old-school charm of the original 1978 classic"; however, IGN scored the PSP version of the game slightly lower due to its lack of online play and score sharing.[9] Gamespot stated that "the gameplay has been improved" over the original.[8]

1UP called the single-player mode "engrossing" and Gamespot later concludes that "Space Invaders Extreme is a very good example of how to update a classic game".[6][8]

References

  1. ^ GoNintendo » Blog Archive » Space Invaders Extreme & Arkanoid DS available across Europe this July- What are you waiting for?
  2. ^ Anthony Capone (2008-07-04). "Updated Australian Release List - 4/7/08". PALGN. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  3. ^ "Random Space Invaders Extreme information I probably should have known..."
  4. ^ "Space Invaders Extreme Page". GamePro. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
  5. ^ IGN: Space Invaders Extreme Review
  6. ^ a b Bettenhausen, Shane (2008-06-13). "Space Invaders Extreme Nintendo DS Review Index, Space Invaders Extreme Reviews". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
  7. ^ Bettenhausen, Shane (2008-06-13). "Space Invaders Extreme Playstation Portable Review Index, Space Invaders Extreme PSP Reviews". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
  8. ^ a b c Thomas, Aaron (2008-06-16). "Space Invaders Extreme for DS Review - DS Space Invaders Extreme Review". Gamespot. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
  9. ^ a b Harris, Craig (2008-06-13). "IGN: Space Invaders Extreme Review". IGN.com. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
  10. ^ Harris, Craig (2008-06-13). "IGN: Space Invaders Extreme Review". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference SnappyGamer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ a b "Space Invaders Extreme Reviews". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
  13. ^ a b "Space Invaders Extreme Reviews". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
  14. ^ "Gametrailers.com - Space Invaders Extreme - Review". GameTrailers. Retrieved 2008-06-19.

External links

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