Space Invaders Revolution Game by Mastiff Reviewed by Mikaa robbin12388@bellsouth.net Size: One DS Game Card Save: Battery save, saves high scores and progress Released: Winter 2005 Works with: Nintendo DS Price: US$20 new Fast Opinion: It's Space Invaders, with enough twists to make it worth a glance. **************************************************************************** Opening Snide Remarks: Who here has NOT heard of Space Invaders? Originally concieved and released through Taito in Japan (where it created the infamous coin shortage and forced the country to mint more coins needed to play the game), licensed by Atari for the 2600, cloned by virtually every concievable major programmer in the mid 1980s (and dozens of freeware and pirate clones since), and typically rerererereleased back each new portable generation. SO! Is this "Revolution" a turning point for Space Invaders? While you wonder why Mastiff (the ones responsible for the DS release of the classic game) went with a title that sounds more like one that we will see much later this year (when the Revolution is released), I shall go into this... interesting release. **************************************************************************** Gameplay Descripion: Ever played Galaga? It's origins lay in Space Invaders. OK, really, Galaga was a sequel to Galaxian, another Namco shooter, but Space Invaders still was the original inspiration for these classics. However, there are enough differences to make me have to go into depth: you have a cannon/ship at the bottom of the screen, you must clear out the screen of alien invaders from space, you have four shields/barriers to protect you from their fire, and the foes march back and forward across the screen. Note that each time they march across the screen (as in, back and forth, right to left, repeat, ad nauseum), they drop one row, moving closer to the player. If they reach the level of the shields, they begin to chew up whatever they did not destroy (or what the player did not shoot, should you opt for the novice tactic of shooting through your shield). If they hit the bottom of the screen, good bye earch (and that extra life, should you have one). The above effectively describes the "Classic" version of the game, which is shockingly accurate for a portable game, from the music to the graphics (the invader's shade even changes as they move down, just as they would with the original arcade game with the color bars to give the game colors). The "New Age" mode is notably different, though still virtually the same. As with many modern shooters, you can choose a mission, go and clear three waves of foes (usually with special attributes, whether it be a single giant invader or cloaking aliens), then move on to the next. While this might seem kinda dull on paper, it is actually fun in that you have at least six levels available from the start, and enough differences to make it worth while. There are special abilities you can activate (such as additional shielding, rapid fire, and other traditional shooter goods) once you obtain a set cumulitive score in Classic mode (or at the start where you can shoot a UFO for 300 points). This isn't Nanostray with gloriously beautiful graphics, but neither is it yet another rerererererererererererelease that we have been getting for the last two decades. Liked: Variation in New Age, Classic IS perfect in replication Hated: Abilities (which, I should add, are activated by the touch screen) feel tacked on JUST for the touch screen instead of game play... **************************************************************************** Graphics Description: As far as Classic goes, it is 100% faithful, right down to the cheesy explosion of the player's weapon. Bonus points for this alone, though I would LOVED to have had a black and white version just for that first-gen Space Invaders arcade feel. Not a biggie, though. New Age, though, has a few minor flaws. First, kudos for keeping the main graphics faithful to the Classic mode in design, and the animations (what few there are) are smooth as silk. Heck, even the giant Invaders are nice to see. But then we have the nasty backgrounds. No, they are by no means ugly, but geez, the images are almost pointless, and have a washed out look to them. On the upside, at least the backgrounds do not distract from the game, which balances out. Great for what you are going for. Liked: Classic mode is PERFECT, New Age is nice and smooth... Hated: ...with backgrounds that serve to only replace the blackness of nothing **************************************************************************** Sound/Music Description: Boop. Boop. Boop. Boop. Ok, so I cannot replicate the sound too well on paper, er, text, but the general music is perfect, in that classic arcade way. Remember that soft spot you have for Super Mario Bros.'s underworld theme? That kinda feeling. It is by no means Final Fantasy in epic scope, but more like Myamoto in simplicity. The menu music, on the other hand (and a few bars from New Age), are just crap. Liked: Perfect rendition of what might be the most effective yet simple gaming score ever concieved... Hated: ...mirred with trashy menu and the occasional New Age score. **************************************************************************** Play Control/Game Design: There are both controls to play with the standard face buttons and the touch screen, and for once the touch controls were not thrown in for no reason. At least, the main touch controls. More in a tick. The main controls are the standard fare for Space Invaders: left and right to move left and right, and a fire button. Yep, tha's it, folks. Yeah, I said "tha's," so what? Anyway, the main touch controls are tollerable, but in no way near as good as could be. For one, I would have preferred to have the joystick control either on the left or right instead of dead center bottom of the touch screen. As it is, the joystick control are just a bit awkward and painful after a while. Also, the fire button is stuck where it is, so anyone who is glad for the touch screen's recent welcoming of Left-handeds will be annoyed at this. As for the often-alluded to extra touch options, they work fine, but are slightly hard to reach in the middle of a heated battle, and just don't seem to really contribute to the game. On the upside, I like being able to actually "insert coin" at the startup screen. ^o^ Yeah, I long for the ol' arcade games. Kinda scary that I'm twenty, isn't it? Liked: Main controls, "Insert Coin" Hated: After thought extra controls, awkward touch controls for actual game **************************************************************************** Improve: Touch controls, add a few more options, allow for customization of Invader "puzzle" missions RIYL: Nanostray (DS), Retro Atari Classics (DS), Taito Classics (PS2, XBOX), Namco 50th Anniversary (Any system except DS) **************************************************************************** Final Words: For US$20, you get what you pay for. Classic, very, very retro, and really only fun if you are in to such games. Not what Jr. would want, but still has that zen feeling. **************************************************************************** Score Gameplay: **** (Four Stars) Graphics: **** (Four Stars) Sound/Music: **** (Four Stars) Play Control/Game Design: **** (Four Stars) Personal Opinion: ***** (Five Stars) Total: * X 21 (Twenty-one Stars) Final Score: 84% **************************************************************************** Currently Known Codes: *It seems that every 2,000 points you accumulate in Classic mode or via the start-up shooter, you unlock an ability in New Age. Note that the points add up to a pool every time you play, so don't worry about having to get 10,000+ points in a single session. Editor's Note: Just because he didn't add this: "What should we do?" "Speed up, Drop down, and REVERSE DIRECTION!"