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Taito and Mastiff have teamed up to bring Space Raiders, a quasi-sequel to the classic Space Invaders, to the Nintendo Gamecube. The gameplay consists of straightforward shooting action in the classic tradition, offering waves of mindless blasting fun. Excellent character design and graphics make for an eye pleasing experience with numerous power-ups and boss battles to break up the action. Space Raiders' also offers a cooperative Survival mode for multiplayer fun. Unfortunately, a limited field of movement and repetitive nature limits replay value. Despite these problems, the simple action packed gameplay of Space Raiders is a refreshing throwback to simpler times.
Space Raiders' single player game is quite intense and challenging, with the main challenge after you've completed the main game to go back with the other characters and see what's changed. You can also try and beat your high score by finishing the levels faster. This is somewhat fun, but the game's replay value is further extended by its multiplayer, cooperative survival mode. Here, two players control two characters who appear onscreen at the same time, battling the enemy alien forces together. This definitely makes for a more enjoyable game, but this extra mode is all that's offered, meaning the gameplay is definitely limited in its long-term appeal. Space Raiders offers a few exciting boss levels, and the later enemies and bosses definitely put up quite a challenge, but once you've completed the main levels, you've pretty much seen the entire game. It's fun while it lasts, but the lack of levels means most decent players should be able to blow right through it in a single session, or two at the very most. The lack of movement freedom is surprising by modern standards. Older gamers that grew up on classics like Space Invaders or Galaxian in the 70's and 80's probably won't mind this throwback approach, younger players are likely to feel extremely limited by the confined character movement.
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As
the world faces an alien onslaught, it's up to you as one of three main
characters to battle the demonic forces to avenge the deaths of millions at
their hands. As the game begins, you see your quiet city ravaged by a relentless
alien force who bombs the city into submission. Even though evacuation orders
were issued to the cities, only a small band of humans survived to fight the
aliens. Three of included Justin, a young gang leader who's seeking revenge
against the forces after they killed his friends. Ashley is a young camerawoman
looking to find her missing boyfriend and finally there's Naji, a police officer
who lost his partner in the invasion. Each character has their own different
style of attack with different strengths and weaknesses. The gameplay is simple
and straightforward making Space Raiders easy to get into. Most players should
be able to understand the goals and techniques without reading the manual. Space
Raider's effective presentation is surprisingly simple and takes place on an
angled, fixed camera perspective. This approach allows you to see all the
enemies on screen easily without having to mess around with a camera button.
Your character sits at the bottom of the screen throughout the game. You can
only move left or right, and you shoot the waves of aliens who appear at the top
of the screen. The aliens won't stay there for long, and will move towards your
character and attack you, leaving you little room to escape. This is especially
true when the invaders come at you in groups which can cause devastating damage.
Each
wave of invaders attacks the player in small groups, as you kill them, more
teleport in to replace their fallen brethren. While the attackers battle you,
you should be on the lookout for small alien probes that release health a
weapons power-ups to aid your character. This is a lot like Taito's classic
Space Invaders. Further giving the game a neo-classic feel, you can use shields
for protection, but here they take the form of oil tanks and cars. These shield
objects tend to degrade quickly and can be damaged by either the aliens' fire or
your own, so be careful. There are many types of enemies you'll encounter during
the game, and they become progressively harder to kill. The first waves don't
put up much resistance with easily avoided shots. These early aliens also move
slowly, making them easy to target. During each wave, you can also collect a
variety of power-ups such as bombs and grenades which you can use to clear out a
level quickly. As you progress up through the later stages, you'll find harder
enemies that require multiple hits to destroy and attack you much more
aggressively. Space Raiders' normal stages unfold at a relatively fast pace, and
players are rewarded with higher point bonuses for completing them in the
fastest time possible. The normal missions are fairly easy to complete, but
later on, you'll encounter large, intimidating boss enemies which can be
incredibly difficult to beat. The bosses are relentless and make your mission
harder by showering you with bullets mercilessly.
This
lack of depth is somewhat disappointing when you consider the production values
that went into the game. The opening cinemas are quite dramatic, if slightly
derivative, and make this seem like a science fiction film. A cinematic score
and decent voice-overs further add to the polish. Space Raiders' in-game visuals
are solid and technically solid, with a straightforward approach that makes it
easy to see where your character is on screen in relation to enemies. Veteran
players will also appreciate the classic laser sound effects and constant fire,
which definitely gives the game a classic feel. The alien designs are
surprisingly cool, with a nice variety of foes to blast ranging from small blobs
of pulsating flesh, to swarming insect type creatures with massive and
intimidating boss creatures that make excellent end-of-level opponents. The
shooting action is non-stop, which makes for an enjoyably mindless experience
requiring little thought. The downside is that the back to basics approach
offers little depth or strategy. Unfortunately, the gameplay becomes repetitive
and monotonous quickly, with little challenge to change the pace. Once the
novelty of the gameplay wears off, there's not a lot left to do. It's easy to
pick up and play, making it a perfect stress release when you don't want to get
too involved in a more complex title. Your reaction to this game is probably
going to hinge on when you grew up and when you expect from a video game.
Contemporary gamers used to the depth of Tony Hawk and the freedom offered in
GTA are likely to get bored of the title quickly. However, fans who remember the
golden age of classic games will likely appreciate Space Raiders' streamlined
approach the most. The lack of depth is obvious, but the game should still
please gamers looking for something easy to play. Space Raiders' low $20 price
tag makes this an irresistible purchase for fans of classic games, and it's a
decent update to a classic series.