Space Invaders Downloadable Content
Albina Hickel
Space Invaders Get Even[a] is a video game by Taito for the Wii. Originally intended as a retail release, the game was released as a downloadable WiiWare game instead.[1] It was released in Japan on August 26, 2008, in Europe and Australia on November 7, 2008,[2][3] and in North America on December 1, 2008.[4] Outside Japan the game is published by Square Enix.[5]
The game costs 500 Nintendo Points. However, only one stage (consisting of two levels and a boss battle), dubbed the "Starter Pack" is initially available. The game's six additional stages must be purchased separately as three downloadable content packs, also priced at 500 Points each. As a result, the complete game costs a total of 2000 Nintendo Points.
The origins of the game lie with the original classic arcade game Space Invaders. However, Space Invaders Get Even puts a twist on the formula by letting the player control the space invaders themselves.[6]
Breaking away from the gameplay of the original game and its spin-offs, Space Invaders Get Even sees players piloting the invader's UFO across a landscape rendered in 3D graphics, which encompasses areas such as cities, deserts, forests, oceans and military bases. By downloading the extra stages, players are also given the option to swap out the UFO in the game with ships from the Darius and RayForce series of Taito shoot 'em ups, as well as a polygonal version of the "classic" UFO from Space Invaders.
Players move the UFO with the analog stick of the Nunchuk, and then use the pointer function of the Wii Remote to direct a swarm of up to 100 invaders in blowing up buildings and destroying the defending forces of Earth, with continuing destruction increasing the time available to the player. The invaders, which are rendered as flat, glowing two dimensional sprites which resemble the invaders in the original game, can utilize a number of attack formations to dispatch enemies, including forming a drill-like formation to bore into them or crushing them by bouncing on top of them from above.[5] Over time, human forces will shoot down the player's invader troops, which the player replenishes by shaking the Wiimote.[7] Upon eliminating all opposition in the stage, which includes fighter jets, helicopter gunships and gunboats, the player must then take on a large boss, which include a giant tank, mecha and a huge battleship.[8] The final battle of the game is against the original UFO that crashed on Earth 30 years ago during the first invasion, upgraded and modified by the earthlings.
Wired's Chris Kohler found the gameplay in the Starter Pack to be "addictive and well-balanced", yet lamented that making the rest of the stages available only as paid downloadable content was like "the modern-day equivalent of Insert Coin To Continue".[10] Nintendo Life, which gave it an 8/10, called it "a wonderful new take on the franchise", though they also believed that players may be put off by both having to purchase the additional stages and needing to free up the amount of internal memory (approximately 700 blocks) required for the game and its additional content.[11]
The player controls a laser base at the bottom of the display - this can move left or right and fire. To the top of the display formations of invaders appear - these must be shot for points and to avoid them destroying the players' laser base. Sometimes a flying saucer will traverse the top of the screen. This is the same basic design as Space Invaders; the player loses a life if he/she is hit, or if one of the aliens touches the ground; but the formation of the aliens differs greatly, changing from level to level. Sometimes there are only a handful of invaders in a tight formation, sometimes individual invaders advance rapidly down the screen separately from the main formation, and sometimes a boss level will be encountered, often consisting of a very large invader and various guards. The invaders themselves have individual properties, such as firing lasers, splitting into duplicates or charging for the ground after being hit once. Bonuses for higher scores can be obtained by doing as instructed by words that flash up on the background, such as hitting invaders of a particular colour or particular type.
Shooting four invaders of the same colour in a row awards one of four power-ups; bomb, broad shot, laser and shield. If a different set of four is shot afterwards, a flashing UFO will appear. Shooting that accesses the Bonus Round, in which a player is given a short time to complete a certain goal, such as defeating so many aliens. If the task is completed, the game enters 'Fever Time', awarding the player with an even more powerful up for a short time, allowing the player to get through waves of enemies faster. Getting different combinations of colours can reap different bonuses, such as a roulette UFO that offers bonuses such as Freeze and Extra Player, changing all the aliens to the same colour, or turning all enemies turn into UFOs that reap power ups after one hit.
The main game sees the player go through 5 stages, and depending on the score he/she managed to achieve at the end of the level 2 and beyond, he/she can opt for an easier or harder route, with a total of 11 individual stages. Arcade Mode features a save and retry feature that allows players to continue and restart the game from the level they were on. Ranking mode does not feature these options, but allows the player to post his/her score on the online leaderboards. Stage Mode allows the player to replay any stage they have completed.
On the DS, two players can compete against each other using either the Single-card download play, Multi-card play, or Nintendo WiFi Connection (via the Internet). The top screen is used to display the remote player's progress; there is also an online ranking system. The PSP version only allows local competitive play.
Multiple player options for the DS version have already been mentioned above, but in gameplay terms both versions are the same, sharing the same levels, attack formations, similar graphics, and power-ups. However, the PSP version has crisper graphics due to the higher resolution implemented on the PSP. Also, while the DS version has a soundtrack composed and performed entirely by Taito's in-house sound team Zuntata, the PSP version features music from a guest group of external composers and DJs. The obvious main difference between the two is the use of the second screen on the DS version. This is used to make certain levels, specifically Bonus Rounds and Boss Battles, vertically larger. When not used for this it contains assorted information on the game currently in play. The Nintendo DS version can also use the Nintendo DS Paddle Controller which was originally designed for Arkanoid on the DS, or the DS Rumble Pack, adding force feedback to the game's music.
In addition to the peripheral support, the DS version features many modes of online play not available to its PSP counterpart; the game can be played against random players and friends over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and top scores can also be shared over the internet. Also, single-card download play is available for local multiplayer. The PSP version only supports multiplayer locally in Ad-Hoc mode, and each player must have their own game disc. No Infrastructure modes are supported for online play or high score tables.
The Xbox Live Arcade version has many of the networking features of the DS version with the addition of a co-op mode where up to four players can play the arcade mode. It also uses background visualizers as created by Llamasoft's Jeff Minter.
Downloadable content was announced for the Xbox Live Arcade version of Space Invaders Extreme on the 17th of June, due on the 18th of the same month. It includes three new stages, with new enemies and bosses, and two emulators, allowing the play of the original arcade versions of Space Invaders and Space Invaders 2.
The game has enjoyed critical praise since its release. The game is noted for its fast-paced gameplay with IGN claiming the game "[is] energetic and addictive, and does an absolutely fantastic job retaining the old-school charm of the original 1978 classic"; however, IGN scored the PSP version of the game slightly lower due to its lack of online play and score sharing. Gamespot stated that "the gameplay has been improved" over the original. 1UP called the single-player mode "engrossing" and Gamespot later concludes that "Space Invaders Extreme is a very good example of how to update a classic game".
Both versions of Space Invaders Extreme were listed as the best shooter game for their respective consoles by IGN.com. IGN also awarded the DS version as having the best artistic design and best original score, as well as being best shooter for the DS.
Space Invaders Extreme has arrived with greatly improved graphics and interactive sound to deliver a new immersive experience! Packed with vibrant visuals and a pulsing soundtrack, Space Invaders Extreme comes with 16 stages, filled with invaders and huge boss fights.
In Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE, enjoy couch-multiplayer with up to 4 players. Team up with friends to shoot down the invaders to clear the stages as fast as possible. This brand new experience offers new stages, gimmicks and new music written by TAITO's sound team 'ZUNTATA'.
This content may be purchased by users who have registered a Nintendo Account and accepted the respective legal terms. To be able to purchase content for Wii U or Nintendo 3DS family systems, a Nintendo Network ID is also required and your funds usable through the Nintendo Account must be merged with the funds tied to your Nintendo Network ID. If the funds have not yet been merged, you will have the option to do so during the purchase process. To start the purchasing process, it is necessary to sign in with the Nintendo Account and the Nintendo Network ID. After signing in it will be possible to review the details and complete the purchase.
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