Gaming Target - Game Boy: Space Invaders

Written by Matt Swider on August 14, 2002

Review: What? You mean that alien icon at the end of every EGM article is from this game and not originally created by the magazine? That's the first unoriginal thing I've ever seen from them! [/end petty sarcasm]

Videogame systems have advanced a great deal over the past several years and while all eyes are on the progression of newer and better games, we still can't forget about all of the classics out there. They can retain the same great value as the day we first played them with enough fun to make you forget about the next-generation for a little while. With this theory, it's not surprising that, just like movies, we often receive remakes of videogames on various systems every couple of years. Along with Pac-Man, Breakout, Frogger and Asteroids, Space Invaders always seems to be one of the classic titles that keeps reappearing. For its capabilities and the simple fact that the system in portable, Game Boy Advance is often the home for recreations such as Space Invaders. While Nintendo 64 and PlayStation received a version of this update a couple years back, it's much more rewarding taking a game like this on trips to pass the time.

Although the return of many classics fail in the developer's attempt to refine the scheme of things instead of preserving the original's qualities, Torus games doesn't mess with Taito's arcade success. Instead, the Australian developer has built on the gameplay elements, offering a little more depth and the use of strategy. Also, as you can expect, the appearance of Space Invaders on Game Boy Advance is greatly improved in its graphic state. Again, gamers will return as a tank pilot with the mission to travel around 100 levels of the solar system and an alien planet in order to defeat the fleet that has invaded. Hovering from left to right and using the same old shoot-and-dodge technique from the 70's, players will have the simple objective of destroying the hoards of enemies that lie in their path. Though the goal may sound effortless, difficulty rises every step of the way. Each of the ten worlds host hundreds of aliens and a giant bosses at the end.

Every world features distinctive aliens that are introduced at the start of its first level, giving the final count a sum of 13 unique alien types. Just like the tank that gamers control, all of the aliens sport nice prerendered sprites with great color and effect. Not only do these aliens move back and forth slowly advancing towards the tank, but also spin, rotate and perform a couple other special maneuvers. Though there are only a select few that vary in shooting with things like ricocheting attacks, there is an array of final blows they attempt upon being destroyed. With ideas like the kamikaze species, aliens that split into two, and ones that burst into tiny balls of impending blasts, the mix variety and further challenge cause this version of Space Invaders to have it all.

Along with each world comes a new backdrop displaying a faint view of the planet atmosphere. Since the backgrounds deal with space, a vast amount of black is used to represent it. The downside to this is the fact that it recalls the contrast dilemma, a problem that inflicts various titles on Game Boy Advance. Many times things are lost in the darkness making it tough to see at several points. Still, an apt amount of lighting should fix this setback and expose the excellent visual update that Space Invaders has received.

Power-ups are a fresh element for Space Invaders and can be put to great use if the game is played just right. To attain a power-up, players will need to shoot four of the same alien type in a row. After taking out a series of four, the name of a special weapon will appear at the bottom of the screen and is instantly ready for use. Which of the 13 power-ups is earned depends on what alien type was destroyed, since every species brings a new type of weapon. Taking out the red alien type will produce a simple vertical blast that destroys an entire column of aliens, while others will veer to the right or left after hitting the first target and whip out a whole row. In addition, there are a slew of additional power-ups, ranging from diagonal, swarm, and laser, all the way to silo attacks.

The strategy end comes into play upon shooting four enemies to collect the first power-up and using it to take out another series of aliens to acquire a second one. It's possible to consistently keep up this scheme until the entire hoard has been whipped clean, however it will take a lot of focus to figure out the pattern and, of course, avoid being shot. Not only does this impose a strategy element to the game, but it also involves a sort of puzzle aspect as well. Don't worry though, it still engages in tons of shoot-and-dodge action just like before.

Not only is the updated segment of Space Invaders teeming with classic gaming nostalgia, but it also provides the original Taito version from the arcades. This gives players who weren't able to play the game back in the 70's a chance to catch up with the rest of usЧand the rest of us the chance to relive those early gaming memories. As great as the music and effects are in the updated part of the game, the most remarkable facet of the audio section is the reuse of the original sound effects in the classic mode. Surprisingly though, while both the updated and original modes allow gamers to save their progress from level to level, this simple and appreciated convenience doesn't apply to the top scores. The omission of high rankings depletes an immense portion of the replay value since most of us like to return and beat the leading score. This is the same unfortunate mistake that lead to the main upset in Tetris Worlds earlier this year. However, Space Invaders has enough muscle to avoid falling due to such a simple shortcoming. The save feature present is respectable in giving its owners the chance to play with as much or as little time they want.

Taking a page from its console counterparts, this version of Space Invaders brings the original to new grounds in the extremely satisfying multiplayer aspects delivered on two fronts: cooperative and competitive. In utilizing the link cable, gamers can play alongside or against a friend who also owns Space Invaders. This adds vast amount of lasting appeal when pairing up or going head to head keeping each experience fresh and thus remarkably entertaining for hours.