Space Invaders Extreme

Reviewed by:
Gerasimos Manolatos

The Skinny: Celebrating its 30th birthday, Space Invaders gets an “extreme” makeover with seizure-inducing graphics, a funky soundtrack, and slick, new power-ups.

The Good: Remember when the range of sound in a video game varied between “beep” and “boop”? Taito thankfully updated the audio, adding upbeat techno tunes synchronized to game play. Action is sped up with weapons upgrades, including a broad shot, a bomb shot, and, our favorite, the blue laser! Plus, the DS version has an extensive multiplayer, allowing you to post your best scores on online leaderboards and play others one-on-one via Wi-Fi.

The Bad: PSP users will have to make do with a neutered version—multiplayer is restricted to local area networks against friends with the game, which means no leaderboard and no online play.

Remake Remix: We can’t wait for Halo Extreme in 30 years—something along the lines of Master Chief on Ecstasy fighting a war against rainbow-colored Furbys.

Buy, Rent, or Disembowel? Buy. It’s one of the best pick-up-and-play games available this year.

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