It’s not every month you get classic game revival worth talking about. Then again, it’s not every month that you get something like Taito’s Space Invaders Extreme. The Square Enix owned company has been churning out Space Invaders games for a long time now, but not one managed capture my attention. I know what Space Invaders entails, but it never piqued my interest. With the release of Space Invaders Extreme, they managed to not only grab my attention, but also impress me. The question is: ‘How did they do it?’
First, you start off with clean and colorful visuals. Then add subtle touches of special effects and animation transitions to spice up things up. Optional FMV backgrounds for the PSP can be added for that extra psychedelic flair, but use at your own discretion since it can be chaotic. Finally, don’t forget to add lots of vibrant and eye catching power ups.
To accompany the trippy visuals, throw in catchy techno beats. Then to really give the game that sense of ‘newness’, tie every shot made to a sound effect. Now you’re not just participating in a war against invaders from space, you’re participating in the music as well. (Think Rez and Lumines.) The updated visuals were a nice , but it was the tantalizing aural mixtures which sold me. Especially after watching this intriguing trailer.
All the cans of paint and frills you can throw on a classic game means nothing if the gameplay isn’t altered. And here’s where Space Invaders Extreme earns its “Extreme” moniker. The Space Invaders formula was remixed, tinkered and just twisted beyond expectations. You have aliens the one third the size of the screen, you have aliens shooting bombs, aliens dividing into multiple aliens after being shot and you even have aliens deflecting your own shots. The game continuously messes with expectations and keeps me on my toes. I never realized how fun and varied Space Invaders could be.
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