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 Space
Invaders Extreme (PSP)
This is a nearly flawless title that updates the classic title with
contemporary elements without losing the essence of its appeal. Mixing the
trademark play mechanics with ingenious mini-games, smarter enemy
formations, boss battles, tons of power-ups and new layers of strategy
makes this version of Space Invaders Extreme feel reinvograted, fresh and
innovative. Addictive as a solo experience, the game is even better
playing against a friend in its brilliant online Wi-Fi mode. Add a techno
beat, psychedelic visuals and franchise's classic play mechanics, and you
have a title that's definitely worth playing for classic and contemporary
players.
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Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Taito's classic Space Invaders in fine
style, Space Invaders Extreme for Sony's PSP handheld does a superb job of
bringing the series up-to-date without losing the essential gameplay
mechanics that have made the series so iconic. The basics should be
familiar - players control a lone cannon at the bottom of the screen and
the objective is to clear all the invaders before they reach the bottom of
the screen. In addition, players have to look out for mother-ships that
scroll across the top of the screen sporadically. As in the original
they're much more valuable than the standard invaders but this time
around, they're more active. They can shoot massive beams at the player,
or do sneaky things like release additional invaders. However, shooting
them can also release new power-ups. The basics of SEI's gameplay will
sound familiar to veteran players, but the developers have added enough
twists and updates, that this updated edition of Space Invaders feels like
an almost entirely new experience. To make things more challenging, there
are no shields at the bottom of the screen to hide behind, which
immediately ups the ante. Instead of monotonous waves of predictable
invaders moving in the same patterns, there are multiple waves that appear
in different forms and styles which makes for a more sophisticated
design.
Players will also discover that the AI
has been improved in many areas, which makes avoiding the enemy shots all
the more challenging. There are different types of invaders, each of which
requires a different strategy to defeat. Some are fairly easy to defeat
while others have shields which you need to shoot multiple times to break
through them. The invaders themselves are now color-coded as well, and
shooting a chain of same-colored foes unleashes power-ups and special
attacks. These include multiple range shots, cannons, bombs and lasers
that players can use to wipe out entire rows and columns of invaders.
These create even longer chains, where scores can be multiplied out even
further. There are even special weapons which allow you to destroy almost
the entire screen of aliens in a single shot. As you play through the
game, your chains are tracked, and continually shooting your foes adds a
multiplier to your score and can eventually lead to increased powers for
your ship. It's not as easy as it sounds, but between the color-coded
enemies and chains, Space Invaders Extreme adds several layers to the
classic shooting experience that makes thing much more strategic.
 Each
level is divided into several waves of foes that you must defeat in order
to unlock the mini-games, special stages and boss battles. These manic
mini-games give you a specific objective, such as shooting a certain
number of aliens before the timer runs out, destroying all the enemies of
a certain type with seemingly endless variations on patterns, approaches
and tasks adding up to an even more varied and challenging game. In
addition, there are 'fever' stages to break up the action with
hyper-kinetic action, multiple chains and incredibly fast action. These
stages are excellent additions to the gameplay and lend Extreme an even
more manic pace that makes for an even more addictive experience. At the
end of each level, players face off against a boss character, or
characters that they must destroy in order to progress to the next level.
It's not as simple as it sounds, especially when you consider the fact
that losing these boss stages means you have to begin the entire stage
anew. This adds a layer of strategy to the experience, where you have to
avoid becoming distracted by each stage and instead conserve your ships
for the end battles. The game's pacing is much faster than the original
game, and on many levels more closely resembles the style and approach of
recent retro style games like Lumines and Geometry Wars. While this
approach isn't strictly old-school, by borrowing from these games, Space
Invaders Extreme feels contemporary and modern. This bite-sized gameplay
is also perfectly-suited to handheld play, allowing for short bursts of
intense action with plenty of save points. The game allows you to save
after each stage, so you can pick up right where you left off.
While the gameplay mechanics borrow from
recent retro titles, the game's aesthetics and visuals also present a
modern feel. Gone are the strictly black-and-white visuals of the 1978
original, which have been replaced by a modern, techno sheen. Hyper kinetic
backdrops and a thumping techno score make for a modern look, though the
invaders themselves retain their original pixilated form. This approach
works nicely, giving players a sense of the familiar while moving the
series forward visually. The game's HUD is quite sleek, with a
post-modern, internet infused approach to the menus and score that looks
sharp and stunning, with excellent visual design throughout. It can be a
bit overwhelming at first, but players should be able to adjust to the
more active screen, and for those that can't, you can turn off the
background animations and replace them with a static screen. This allows
you to concentrate on the sterling gameplay without distraction. SIE's
techno-approach extends to the animation and movements of the aliens,
which are quite smooth. The multi-sized enemies and boss creatures allow
for plenty of visual variety, and each stage's unique look and music helps
to keep things from becoming monotonous. Players will find an array of
special effects that makes the action explode off the screen in waves of
color and light. For example, instead of merely disappearing when zapped,
the aliens explode in waves of shrapnel, that goes off the edges of the
screen. This adds a layer of visual excitement and fidelity to the action
that gives Space Invaders Extreme a vivid and consistent look. All of
these elements combine to make a single-player experience that's quite
intense and exciting,
 Despite
the glaring omission of not including the original game in emulated form,
which is a glaring oversight for an anniversary edition, Space Invaders
Extreme is still one of the better remakes to come along recently. It's
classic play mechanics have been tweaked with a variety of mini-games,
boss battles and new strategic, puzzle-like elements that brings the
series forward without losing its essential appeal. It's hyper visual
visual style and techno soundtrack adds to the contemporary, 21st century
feel, effectively bridging the gap between nostalgia and modernity. Taito
(and publishers Square-Enix) deserve credit for releasing this smartly
designed update. Those who grew up with the original will probably
appreciate the changes and updates the most, while younger players without
those memories will probably find much to enjoy in the game's frenetic,
quick burst action. Space Invaders Extreme delivers a surprisingly intense
and exciting experience that builds on and should enhance the reputation
of one of electronic gaming's most iconic and enduring franchises.
- Michael Palisano
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