Space Invaders Extreme

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 30^th 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 30^th 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.