As it seems that everyone but me has a blog nowadays, I thought I could finally create one myself. But, what would I write about? Well, there’s no doubt that the subject has to be something I actually care about enough to keep the blog updated at least once a week… That’s when it hit me: it’s gotta be a classic arcade games blog! Then I started hearing voices saying “if you write it, gamers will come”. Okay, maybe not. But still, it’s a subject I really like, and hopefully you’ll enjoy my ramblings too.
I want to start off with a personal favourite and what is considered one of the most successful arcade shooting games. Another good reason to get started with this particular game is that it was released in the same year I was born: 1978 (awesome coincidence). That game is none other than Taito’s timeless Space Invaders.
In case you’ve never heard of this game (shame on you) the premise is basically that our planet is being attacked by bizarrely neat-arranged waves of bomb dropping aliens, and your job is to stop them -with your always handy laser cannon, while you earn as many points as humanly possible!
Gameplay
The game is actually quite straightforward, but the action can end up being distinctly captivating, and in particular you’ll find yourself entranced by (and dreading) the magnetic deep bass pounding sound that the invaders generate. No one can deny that those fright-inducing sound effects were a substantial part of the game's signature tension. I remember getting the jitters every time I played, as I was certain those damn aliens were coming for me at an increasingly faster rate!
The rows of aliens start off at the top of the screen, and to help you defend our beloved Earth, you take control of a laser cannon at the bottom of the screen. You can move it bypressing the left and right buttons and the fire button in order to shoot upwards. The aliens march down-screen in lockstep, and each time the end of the screen is reached they will drop one row closer to the bottom. This never-ending offensive will undoubtedly make you feel claustrophobic whenever you fail to keep them at bay by ducking out from behind your shields to return fire. Your goal is then to earn points by shooting the aliens before they can land. If you succeed in destroying them all, you’ll move on to the next (tougher) level, but should even one of them land, it’ll be game over. Now and then, a flying saucer will pass by along the top of the screen, and it would be a good idea to shoot it down, as you’ll earn extra points.
Here’s a video of the game that will give you a better idea of what I’m babbling about.
Yes, I’m aware that to the newest generations of gamers this may be look and feel like a pretty archaic and old-fashioned game. Sure, Space Invaders is anything but a game with the most outstanding graphics and music you’ve ever heard, but you need to keep in mind that this baby was one of the first shooters created for a commercial video game! It was so widespread at the time that the lack of quarters was customary, and it unleashed a real pop culture phenomenon. It was also the probable cause of kids skipping school, and the assertion that video games were the latest manifestation of the devil. Matter of fact, this great game keeps on going to this day, not only as a nostalgia side-effect, but because gamers still crave for blowing aliens back to wherever they came from. That’s why Taito's Space Invaders has been ported to dozens of platforms, from coin-op to the Nintendo DS, and it has even "invaded" mobiles. There are also free flash versions of the game that you can play on the Net, and you can even play the original thanks to the Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator (MAME) which is an emulator application designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software.
In summary, Space Invaders is a tough nut to crack, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll have a blast. It’s the kind of game that is always worth your time. So, whenever you feel like blasting aliens don’t hesitate to play this fantastic and classic arcade game! Here's a link to a Space Invaders online version so you can get your daily fix and improve your high score in no time.
Interesting facts you probably didn’t know about Space Invaders
-In designing the game, Tomohiro Nishikado drew inspiration from popular media: Breakout, The War of the Worlds, and Star Wars. To complete it, he had to design custom hardware and development tools.
-The highest-ever Space Invaders score was 55,160 points, achieved by Donald Hayes on June 7, 2003.
-A shortage of 100-yen coins in Japan was attributed to the game, and this led to an increase in production of these coins.
-By 2007, it had generated almost US$500 million in revenue.
-Space Invaders was the first video game to have an intermission between gameplay, and to popularize the concept of achieving a high score.
-Game Informer considers it, along with Pac-Man, one of the most popular arcade games that tapped into popular culture and generated excitement during the golden age of arcades. In 2007, Guinness World Records listed it as the top-rated arcade game, and IGN listed it as one of the "Top 10 Most Influential Games".
You can check this and more on that wonderful free encyclopedia known as Wikipedia. There’s also a Strategy Wiki that teaches you how to play and gives a nice trick to get 300 every time you hit the mystery saucer: I’ve never tried that trick myself, but will certainly do now!
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