Space Invaders Totally Explained

Everything about Space Invaders totally explained

is an arcade video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado in 1978. It was originally manufactured by Taito and licensed for production in the U.S. by the Midway division of Bally. Initially released in its native Japan in 1978, it ranks as one of the most influential video games ever created. Though simplistic by today's standards, it was one of the forerunners of modern video gaming.

Gameplay

Space Invaders is a two-dimensional shooter game. The player controls a laser cannon by moving it horizontially across the bottom of the screen, and firing at aliens. The aim is to defeat five rows of eleven aliens—some versions featured different amounts—that move horizontially back and forth across the screen as they descend towards the bottom of the screen. The player defeats an alien by shooting it with the laser cannon—also earning points. As more aliens are defeated, the aliens' movement and the game's music speed up. Defeating all the aliens brings another wave that's more difficult. The aliens attempt to destroy the cannon by firing at it while approaching the bottom of the screen. If they reach the bottom, the alien invasion is successful and the game ends. A special "mystery ship" will sometimes move across the top of the screen. The laser cannon is partially protected by several stationary defense bunkers—the number varies by version—that are gradually destroyed by alien fire.

Development

Space Invaders was created by Tomohiro Nishikado; he handled planning, graphic design, and programming. The game was in development for a year; the year was divided between designing the game and developing the necessary hardware. Nishikado was first inspired by Breakout, and aimed to create a game that featured the same sense of achievement from completing stages, but more complex graphics. Early enemy designs included tanks, combat planes, and battleships. However, Nishikado wasn't satisfied with the enemy movements; technical limitations made it difficult to simulate flying. Human beings would have been easier to simulate, but Nishikado felt shooting humans was immoral. Despite the specially developed hardware, Nishikado was unable to program the game as he wanted—the Control Program board wasn't powerful enough to display the graphics in color or move the enemies faster—and considered the development of the hardware the most difficult part of development. Legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto considers Space Invaders a game that revolutionized the industry, and was never interested in video games before seeing it. As one of the earliest shooting games, it set many precedents and helped pave the way for future titles and the shooting genre. Space Invaders was the first video game to include some kind of intermission between gameplay, Excluding the dedicated Pong home consoles, the 1978 Atari VCS version was the first official port of an arcade game and became the first "killer app" by quadrupling the system's sales. In 2007, Guinness World Records ranked it the top rated arcade game. In 2003, Taito released Space Raiders, a third-person shooter reminiscent of Space Invaders.

Re-releases and sequels

Space Invaders has been re-released on numerous platforms, and spawned numerous sequels. In 1978, it was ported to the Atari 2600. This version featured simplified graphics, but numerous gameplay options. For example, moving defence bunkers, zigzag shots, and two-player cooperative gameplay. It was followed by ports to subsequint Atari systems; two on the in 1980, and another on the Atari 5200 in 1982. Each port featured different sets of gameplay variants. Taito released an arcade sequel titled Space Invaders Part II in 1980 with color graphics and new gameplay elements. This version was released in the United States as Deluxe Space Invaders (also known as Space Invaders Deluxe or Space Invaders DX), but featured a different graphical color scheme and a lunar-city background. Another arcade sequel, titled Space Invaders II, was released exclusively in the United States. It was in a cocktail-table format and featured a competitive two-player mode. In 1983, Atari created a special edition version titled Pepsi Invaders (also known as Coke Wins) for Coca-Cola Company employees. The game featured individual letters spelling out "PEPSI" in place of the aliens. This version is one of the rarest video games produced as only 125 copies were made. Remakes were developed for seventh generation handhelds. Space Invaders Extreme was released on the Nintendo DS in Febuary 2008, and featured similar gameplay as the original integrated with musical elements.
The game and its related games have been included in various video game compilation titles. Space Invaders Anniversary was released in 2003 for the PlayStation 2 and included nine Space Invader variants. Space Invaders, Space Invaders Part II and Return of the Invaders are included in Taito Legends, a compilation of Taito's classic arcade games released in 2005 on the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC. Space Invaders Further Information
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