Space Invaders (1978)

Nothing screams video game nostalgia like Space Invaders. My dad would tell me stories about this one place where you would sit down and play the game through a glass screen in the table (which made me wish all arcade games could be like that). When my dad taught me about the shoot through the barriers for cover tactic, I felt like I had been imparted the most practical wisdom a man could ever give his son. I still have a Game Boy adaptation (with new music, stage introduced enemies, boss fights, and power ups dropped randomly from the bonus UFOs), a copy for the computer with fancy three dimensional graphics, and a PSP version released for the 30th anniversary but with a more trippy, unpredictable gameplay and cool techno music. What makes Space Invaders so durable through the years is because of its simplicity.

Some things never change.

The concept is simple: shoot enemies that usually follow a certain pattern (to the left, down a row, to the right) and sometimes UFOs that provide a bonus. The more you put away, the faster they get. They reach the bottom, your dead. They hit you without a shield, your dead. Lead your shots so you can guarantee a perfect hit.

Okay. I'd buy that.

No overall story. Hardware was custom made for what was at the time unique enemy movement despite being painfully predictable. Yet this game is an arcade classic because literally anyone can pick it up and play. It's straightforward and entertaining to see how many levels you can progress. Sometimes you just can't beat a tried and true system.


Final Judgment: 8/10