Home

 › 

Articles

 › 

Space Invaders Extreme Review for the Nintendo DS (NDS)

Space Invaders Extreme Review for the Nintendo DS (NDS)

Taito Celebrates 30 Years of Earth’s Last Stand with Style and Class

Space Invaders is one of the most iconic names in video gaming. Three decades have passed since it helped to launch the Japanese video arcade industry, and still it is nearly synonymous with arcade gaming, rivaled only by Pac-Man and Mario in its sheer universality.

Space Invaders Extreme screenshot

Taito has tried to cash in on their most famous franchise many times over the years, but it never managed to get the traction they needed to make the series relevant again. They’ve tried giving the series modern graphical polish with Super Space Invaders ’91, they’ve gone the eclectic route with Space Invaders DX, and even attempted to go 3D with the highly questionable Space Raiders. Each time they’ve been met with little more than nostalgic half-interest, but not this time; Space Invaders Extreme is different.

This time, Taito has made the old new again without pumping out polygons or reimagining its intergalactic baddies as slimy, tentacled monstrosities, but by accepting what Space Invaders is to all of us: a symbol of old school arcade gaming. Those monochromatic sprites aren’t clumsy depictions of complex creatures to us; they’re icons in and of themselves. Gaming has changed much over the years, and the mighty monolith that is Space Invaders has become something more abstract than a simulation of interplanetary strife.

Space Invaders Extreme screenshot

So, taking a page from Tetsuya Mizuguchi, who reinvented abstract for the modern age with games like Rez and Lumines, Space Invaders Extreme is no longer about depicting an alien invasion, it’s a re-contextualization of the classic arcade experience in a rave of swirling colors, melodic techno music, and those unmistakable sprites. Gameplay and sound are inextricably linked, as shots pluck out melodies that weave into the game’s music. The result is an interactive collage of sights and sounds built around the most recognizable game of the ’70s.

Of course, the gameplay has been rethought for a new generation of gamers, most of whom, like me, weren’t even alive when the original descended on arcades. That doesn’t mean it has incorporated modern conventions, but the flow of the game has been rethought considerably, and a few layers of complexity have been added at the expense of some of the challenge and raw intensity that might make the original unwelcoming to today’s players.

Space Invaders Extreme screenshot

Instead of a large, hostile block of enemies that need to be picked at for a couple minutes, enemies now come in Galaga-like waves of enemy formations, and each of these can be cleared in just a few seconds. Enemies are closer together and a lot easier to hit. Killing enemies of the same color will yield different power-ups, which can clear out enemies even faster for the few seconds they last. Shields are long gone, as is the methodical pace of its ancestor.

Space Invaders Extreme screenshot

Pinpoint accuracy and timing may not be a requirement any more, but Taito has made sure sharpshooters will still be rewarded. The complex scoring system awards bonuses for clearing waves without missing, chaining like-colored enemies, and clearing vertical rows without hitting anything else. This adds an incentive for not only careful execution but planning, as clearing levels in different ways can net larger jackpots.

Bonus rounds are triggered by shooting those pesky flying saucers that sail across the top of the screen. These short, random challenges can net you a pachinko-like “fever” mode where scores go crazy for a short time. Giant, pixelated bosses help to cap off each level with another unique challenge and help to add some punctuation to the flow of the game.

In theme, premise, and execution, the classic Space Invaders is an archetypal cliché. Space Invaders Extreme recognizes this, and it succeeds where other revivals have failed because it isn’t concerned with what Space Invaders was, nor does it try to imagine what Space Invaders would be had it been imagined today. Instead, Extreme looks at what Space Invaders is; what it means to all of us. It’s a clever, original game that embraces the iconography and spirit of the original, while avoiding the baggage that comes with being one of the most imitated and influential games of all time. Here’s to 30 more years, old friend!

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.5 Graphics
Incorporating the classic monochrome sprites into an abstract collage of color is not only a ballsy choice, but it’s the right one. While it’s nothing impressive or beautiful, it captures the sprit and complements the action. 5.0 Control
It’s pretty hard to mess up moving left, right, and firing. 4.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The dynamic melodies that make up the sound effects are executed perfectly and are the best example of the concept outside of Rez. 4.0

Play Value
A healthy smattering of modes, including score ranking, add all the value you could expect for a simple arcade-style shooter. It’s addictive and replayable and has every option you could want.

4.0 Overall Rating – Great
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Classic gameplay unites with new sound and video effects, creating an entirely new and addictive experience.
  • New power-ups to equip, new bosses to battle.
  • Multiple gameplay modes.
  • Challenge a friend via wireless play!

  • To top