Space Invaders Extreme (DS) Review
Posted by Jordan Williams on 07.07.2008
Can a game that's 30 years old still provide us with enough fun to make us forget its age?
30 years. It's really hard to believe that gaming has been around that long. What's even harder to believe is that somehow, someway, a 30 year old game can stay relevant and fresh after three decades of time in the fridge.
Space Invaders Extreme is a sort of upgrade to the simple space shooter we all know and love. Seeing as the game is celebrating its 30th year keeping pesky aliens from hitting the bottom of our screens it really is a bit of a feat. Although if you were just expecting some sort of compilation or some lame rehash you are in for a bit of a shocker.
Graphics
Given the game is still Space Invaders at its heart; you aren't really going to get a graphics tour de force here. They game keeps its retro feel by keeping its pixilated 2 frames of animation glory in tact. However they did add a few bells and whistles to the usual affair.
The game features things that are meant to liven up the admittedly boring background. They game has a set 'theme' for every level which includes a constantly looping video behind all of the action. The videos are nothing but stock footage from low-rent techno videos but they do help the game look lively at least although sometimes they can be a bit distracting. Good thing you're able to disable them if they do get TOO distracting.
If there's a giant negative to be had here it's that the top screen is virtually useless during the levels. All it displays is the score and a lot of useless gauges and combos that you really won't pay any attention to. It has an old school Pinball Machine like feel to it, but it really serves no purpose and could've been used a lot better.
They also expanded the colors a bit, no more white and green only. They made sure to use the bulk of the rainbow here...which actually has a purpose...
Gameplay
Something like Space Invaders is pretty damn simple when it comes to the gameplay. If you have played the game in the last 30 years you'd notice that it's always been the same thing. That gets drastically changed in Extreme.
Sure, you're still battling waves after waves of aliens, but this time they decided to make sure to keep it fun. Levels are comprised of multiple waves of foes as well as different types and flavors. On top of the standard shooting, aliens can now come equipped with shields that will bounce your shots back at you. Or they might be a super-fast kamikaze who will simply break formation and rush to the bottom to take you out, and my personal favorite 'pinball' aliens who literally bounce around the screen after they are shot in an effort to take you out. There are literally TONS of new types of aliens here that will just blow your mind and sometimes make the game a downright PAIN to beat. Couple that with the fact that now 'levels' are comprised of multiple waves of varying sizes and types. On top of all of that each level is capped off with a two-screen wide boss battle.
These boss battles are a real bright spot of this game. At first the boss fights seem a bit simplistic. Dodge a lot of fire and shoot the weak point, but as the game goes on they go from simple, to downright devious. A particular favorite of mine is a boss fight where the boss is on the BOTTOM screen and your cannon is on the top screen. Of course you can't shoot down at him, which is why the top of the screen is lined with those shielded reflecting aliens I mentioned earlier. You actually have to shoot at them, have the laser bounce back at you, and then try to time it so it hits the big alien at the bottom. It's risky, but it's so deviously creative that you can't help but fall in love with it.
But just because the enemies have upgraded doesn’t mean that you don't get to either. This time the aliens are color coded (as I mentioned above) and that spells good news for you. The color of the alien you kill determines what type of weapon you get. You can kill four greens and get the broad shot, a laser that's about two times as wide as your ship. Kill four reds and get a bomb. A slow moving shot that kills about four aliens in a single blast, or you could rack up the blues and get the mighty laser. A literally screen spanning stream of blue death.
On top of that if you are skillful you can rack up points with nifty little chains (combos) and other perks. Killing a group of aliens that are the same color, taking out a single row in one shot, never missing a single shot on a single wave. These things all add up to your score and could yield to some pretty good perks for yourself in the form of the games "Round" feature.
Rounds are mini-games put into the game. You do a certain thing and the game will freeze and transport you to a short min-game level where you will have to do some pretty creative things such as shoot down 32 randomly flying aliens in 10 seconds or destroy 5 similarly colored flying saucers. If you do this right you are awarded with "Fever Mode" which is simply a super beefed up version of the special weapons that lasts for a fixed amount of time and really tears through the enemies.
If there's ANY gripe to be had with the gameplay it's the fact that the game's Arcade Mode is too short. It's painfully hard if you go to the 'harder' levels, but even then there are only six levels in a single run you'll probably burn through those in about an hour. Your thumbs will never forgive you.
Gripe aside, features like this really show that this isn't just a re-issue of the same game we know and love, the steps taken here to provide us with a new experience of an old favorite or amazing. It's pretty nice to see that a game so old can feel so new.
Sound
Sadly, the old skool music of the original is nowhere to be found here. However we are treated to some pretty decent techno. The game has a Rez-like feel as the shots you make actually go in tune with the music so it seems like you are shaping the music around the pixilated mayhem above you. There's a smooth female voice track that congratulates you on special bonuses and greets you to the game. Outside of that there's nothing really out of the ordinary here.
Well, the game is one of the few DS games that use the Nintendo DS Rumble Pak, but it's not used the way you think it is. Instead of vibrating every single time to fire shot it actually vibrates in beat with the game's music. It's odd to feel at first but when you hit those pulse pounding tracks late in the game it really does put you into it a little bit more.
However it doesn’t shake the fact that the sound is just a smattering or generic techno, which is a bit of a shame.
Lasting Appeal
Arcade games are known for their replay ability, but then again it was a simpler time when arcade games were in their heyday. The game does try to offer replay ability with the use of Nintendo Wi-Fi, but as with most NWiFi game it's just so much of a chore to find someone to play with. There's a local multiplayer mode but it's a bit thin. It's mostly comprised of just playing head to head with a friend and sending more enemies to your buddy's screen in an effort to kill him.
There are, however, online leader boards that will no doubt entice those gamers that love bragging rights.
Outside of the multiplayer aspect there are some extra modes such as sudden death and endless, but they really don't do much to extend the life of the game. However with a game so simple I see no reason why you wouldn't pick it up to play it again on a rainy day or just for a quick fix.
Fun Factor
This is simplistic arcade fun at its finest. You just start the game up and begin to play. For those who like a little bit of bite with their fun the game does crank up the difficulty in the later levels and of course you can always challenge yourself to beat your own high score. I would've liked to see a few more multiplayer functions and a longer Arcade mode, but these are things you can't really fault it for. For the short time you'll take to beat this game it is an absolute blast.
The 411
30 Years later and still kicking ass. The bells and whistles added to this game to keep it new actually run deeper than just face value. The game lives up to its new Extreme title and shows that with the right kind of touch you can take the oldest of old and breathe new life into it. Space Invaders Extreme is a great example of introducing a new generation to a game that helps define the whole industry.
Graphics
8.0
The old school pixelated graphics sometimes look a bit out of place against the animated backgrounds.
Gameplay
9.5
Fun. Simple. Fast. Your thumbs will HATE you.
Sound
7.0
The music is okay, nothing more than generic techo.
Lasting Appeal
8.0
Multiplayer could've been expanded a bit more, but with online leaderboards there's always a reason to play.
Fun Factor
10.0
This is a game that you will beat, put down, then play again on a rainy day. A real trasure.
