Space Invaders Extreme

true <img src="http://www.gamervision.com/contributed/1242836731ZKkJoWHclP.jpg" height="238" alt="" width="620" /> When Pac-Man Championship Edition launched on the Xbox Live Arcade in 2007, many of us envisioned a needless re-imagining of a classic game, another tie-in that would milk the Pac-Man franchise even further. As it turned out, Championship Edition was not only a fantastic downloadable title that revitalized the series, it was just as fun and addictive as the original, if not more so. Now Taito is looking to give the same rebirth to Space Invaders, another decades-old arcade staple, by bringing 2008 handheld game Space Invaders Extreme to the Xbox Live Arcade. Like Pac-Man C.E., Space Invaders Extreme plays a lot like the original game with a fresh, neon-colored coat of paint, and that’s not at all a bad thing. Space Invaders has always been fun in its simplicity, and Space Invaders Extreme doesn’t do much to change up the formula. You still control a tiny, pixilated spaceship shooting upwards at waves of alien invaders, but now there’s a pulsating soundtrack and lots of bright colors. It’s like Space Invaders went to a rave and took a strange, questionable pill, and this was the result. At its core, the gameplay is the same, but there are some cool power-ups and bonus levels, as well as several multiplayer options. <img src="http://www.gamervision.com/contributed/1242674788j1STo3FnMH.jpg" alt="" /> Both versus and co-op play are available online and off, but neither felt engaging enough to make this as addictive as XBLA’s other neon-colored shooter, Geometry Wars. There are two versus modes, so you can either try to get a higher score than your opponent or simply try to stay alive longer. The problem with playing against other players on the same screen is that it makes each player’s area so small that it is difficult to see what is going on. I experienced this on a 46-inch television with one other player, so I don’t imagine that it would be very pleasant with a bunch of people sitting around looking for some alien-shooting action. Cooperative play is interesting, but falls flat instead of doing anything to stand out. It’s basically the exact same game, except two to four pixilated spaceships are moving around the screen and shooting at the same time. It feels somewhat chaotic, and it’s easy to lose track of which ship is yours and who is doing what. Despite any shortcomings that the multiplayer modes might have, Space Invaders Extreme is still fun, because it’s still Space Invaders. You’ll want to conquer the game’s five levels, try to improve your score, and feel the satisfaction of blasting apart rows of enemies with a laser. It’s not exactly innovative, but it’s entertaining. The problem is, it’s only entertaining in short bursts, which is what made Space Invaders Extreme a great choice for a handheld game. The addition of achievements should sway some 360 owners towards downloading this game, but it still felt repetitive after more than ten or twenty minutes of gameplay. <img src="http://www.gamervision.com/contributed/1242674797zXpeLXxbDJ.jpg" alt="" /> Like Pac-Man Championship Edition, Space Invaders Extreme has brought back an old game in a fresh way. It’s enjoyable, and brings back nostalgic memories of playing the original Space Invaders in arcades (because I was too young to know that the game was already fifteen years old). However, Space Invaders Extreme is easily overshadowed by two comparable XBLA games: Geometry Wars 2 and Pac-Man Championship Edition. Add in the fact that it’s already been out on handhelds for a year, and this coat of paint doesn’t feel as fresh as it should. If you’re a fan of Space Invaders, this is a no-brainer, but if you’re just looking for an addictive Xbox Live Arcade game, download the demo first. <img src="http://www.gamervision.com/contributed/1239819862Bhc2x2btRr.jpg" height="125" alt="" width="245" /> <a href="http://www.gamerankings.com/"><img src="http://www.gamervision.com/contributed/12049090913D6uenyIJz.jpg" height="42" alt="" width="111" /></a><a href="http://www.metacritic.com/games"><img src="http://www.gamervision.com/contributed/1204909164Gepk74pXtB.jpg" height="51" alt="" width="154" /></a> review

2009-05-18T16:03:18-04:00

<img src="http://www.gamervision.com/contributed/1242836731ZKkJoWHclP.jpg" height="238" alt="" width="620" /> When Pac-Man Championship Edition launched on the Xbox Live Arcade in 2007, many of us envisioned a needless re-imagining of a classic game, another tie-in that would milk the Pac-Man franchise even further. As it turned out, Championship Edition was not only a fantastic downloadable title that revitalized the series, it was just as fun and addictive as the original, if not more so. Now Taito is looking to give the same rebirth to Space Invaders, another decades-old arcade staple, by bringing 2008 handheld game Space Invaders Extreme to the Xbox Live Arcade. Like Pac-Man C.E., Space Invaders Extreme plays a lot like the original game with a fresh, neon-colored coat of paint, and that’s not at all a bad thing.

9007

8673

2009-05-21T09:43:47-04:00

2009-05-18T16:03:18-04:00

11967

7.5

space_invaders_extreme published It's Space Invaders... On Acid Space Invaders Extreme - Xbox 360

2009-05-21T09:43:47-04:00

763