AgtFox
05-18-2009, 07:24 AM
Space Invaders Extreme Review
Title: Space Invaders Extremehttp://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=8565
Platform: Xbox Live Arcade
Developer: Backbone Entertainment (http://www.backboneentertainment.com)
Publisher: Taito (http://www.taito.com)
ESRB: Everyone
MSRP: 800 Microsoft Points
Editor: Loren 'AgtFox' Halek
What's Hot: A reimagining of an old classic; the cool weapons; the HD look; the boss fights
What's Not: Movement of ship seems a bit slow; not many players out there playing for multiplayer/co-op gamingSpace Invaders Extreme comes out a little over 30 years since the arcade original came out. It is hard to believe I was only 2 years old when Space Invaders came out in 1978. I didn't play it back, then, but once the 80s and the Atari 2600 release rolled around I played it here and there. I don't remember ever being good at the original game and I certainly didn't play it as much as many of the other popular games out at the time. I was excited to see if Backbone and Taito could update an old game to a new generation much like Pac-Man Championship Edition did a couple years ago. I ended up being pleasantly surprised.
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/features/sie/shot1.jpg
The graphics in the game have been given a huge boost from the original arcade game into HD, the music thumps with industrial-like strength and a smooth female voice announces the game and many of the special things you do. The game isn't built around the music like Lumines is, but it does a good job at keeping the music enough in the background that you notice it, but it doesn't really affect your playing of the game. The basic gameplay from the original arcade game is still present: you move your ship to the left and right and shoot the aliens and ships at the top of the screen that are moving toward you.
This game mixes stuff up a bit with a few things. First off is the combo meter that is present on both single and multiplayer games. You build the combo meter by continuing to kill aliens without the meter running out. This allows you to increase your multiplier. Along with this, if you hit four (4) of the same color aliens in a row a special weapons will be dropped. There are also bigger versions of the aliens showing up every now and again, the addition of boss fights with really big aliens and the fact that hitting ships on the top will put you into a mini-game where you can score a "Fever" where you start massively eliminating aliens.
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/features/sie/shot2.jpg
Along with the single-player mode that puts you through five (5) stages, which you can continue at the beginning of the last stage after you lose your lives, there are multiple options to play in multiplayer, including a pretty cool co-op mode. The co-op mode has you and three (3) friends on the same screen taking out the aliens. You have to converse with each other in order to get special weapon drops since each of you have a combo meter and the game keeps track of each color you shoot. You shoot four (4) in a row and a special weapon will drop. The co-op mode is a bit crazy, but it is also a lot of fun.
If there were a couple things I could knock this game on it is that your ship moves awfully slow from left to right and that there aren't a whole lot of people online to play co-op or multiplayer with, although you do have the option of local play as well. This game has plenty of things to offer in multiplayer, there just aren't many people out there with this game it seems.
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/features/sie/shot3.jpg
Space Invaders Extreme is an excellent update of a classic game. Like I said, I wasn't too into the game back when it first came out, but I do recognize that it is an important game in the annals of video game history. I think the game is well worth the download, just for the fact that I'd then have more people to play with after being done with the single-player arcade mode.
Score: 4 out of 5 CoGs
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG4.png
Loren says, "A week done update to a classic game, it's well worth the pickup for the new graphics and juggling of the original gameplay done by Backbone"
Title: Space Invaders Extremehttp://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=8565
Platform: Xbox Live Arcade
Developer: Backbone Entertainment (http://www.backboneentertainment.com)
Publisher: Taito (http://www.taito.com)
ESRB: Everyone
MSRP: 800 Microsoft Points
Editor: Loren 'AgtFox' Halek
What's Hot: A reimagining of an old classic; the cool weapons; the HD look; the boss fights
What's Not: Movement of ship seems a bit slow; not many players out there playing for multiplayer/co-op gamingSpace Invaders Extreme comes out a little over 30 years since the arcade original came out. It is hard to believe I was only 2 years old when Space Invaders came out in 1978. I didn't play it back, then, but once the 80s and the Atari 2600 release rolled around I played it here and there. I don't remember ever being good at the original game and I certainly didn't play it as much as many of the other popular games out at the time. I was excited to see if Backbone and Taito could update an old game to a new generation much like Pac-Man Championship Edition did a couple years ago. I ended up being pleasantly surprised.
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/features/sie/shot1.jpg
The graphics in the game have been given a huge boost from the original arcade game into HD, the music thumps with industrial-like strength and a smooth female voice announces the game and many of the special things you do. The game isn't built around the music like Lumines is, but it does a good job at keeping the music enough in the background that you notice it, but it doesn't really affect your playing of the game. The basic gameplay from the original arcade game is still present: you move your ship to the left and right and shoot the aliens and ships at the top of the screen that are moving toward you.
This game mixes stuff up a bit with a few things. First off is the combo meter that is present on both single and multiplayer games. You build the combo meter by continuing to kill aliens without the meter running out. This allows you to increase your multiplier. Along with this, if you hit four (4) of the same color aliens in a row a special weapons will be dropped. There are also bigger versions of the aliens showing up every now and again, the addition of boss fights with really big aliens and the fact that hitting ships on the top will put you into a mini-game where you can score a "Fever" where you start massively eliminating aliens.
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/features/sie/shot2.jpg
Along with the single-player mode that puts you through five (5) stages, which you can continue at the beginning of the last stage after you lose your lives, there are multiple options to play in multiplayer, including a pretty cool co-op mode. The co-op mode has you and three (3) friends on the same screen taking out the aliens. You have to converse with each other in order to get special weapon drops since each of you have a combo meter and the game keeps track of each color you shoot. You shoot four (4) in a row and a special weapon will drop. The co-op mode is a bit crazy, but it is also a lot of fun.
If there were a couple things I could knock this game on it is that your ship moves awfully slow from left to right and that there aren't a whole lot of people online to play co-op or multiplayer with, although you do have the option of local play as well. This game has plenty of things to offer in multiplayer, there just aren't many people out there with this game it seems.
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/features/sie/shot3.jpg
Space Invaders Extreme is an excellent update of a classic game. Like I said, I wasn't too into the game back when it first came out, but I do recognize that it is an important game in the annals of video game history. I think the game is well worth the download, just for the fact that I'd then have more people to play with after being done with the single-player arcade mode.
Score: 4 out of 5 CoGs
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG4.png
Loren says, "A week done update to a classic game, it's well worth the pickup for the new graphics and juggling of the original gameplay done by Backbone"