Arcade Week: Day #1
So it turns out I’ve played quite a few arcade games during my lifetime, and I was just gonna review most of these separately. But then I thought: remember the NES week? So I’m bringing it back but this time for Arcade games, and what better game to start it off with then Space Invaders!
In the game you play as a laser cannon which can only move horizontally as you try to shoot 5 rows of aliens that are slowly moving down the screen also shooting at you. You also have 4 stationary ‘bunkers’ (they’re basically shields) which survive a certain amount of fire. You also only have 3 lives, with the game ending either if they run out or the aliens reach the bottom of the screen and take humanity, in a less dark way then it sounds. And…that’s Space Invaders. A game inspired by media like Star Wars and made a similar amount of money. People were obsessed with this game and it’s not hard to see why. Overall, for one of the biggest arcade classics, it still holds up. Maybe it doesn’t hold up greatly and it is clearly dated but its ideas are still classics and can be enjoyed by anyone.
Classic, noises, those alien names are adorable
So it turns out I’ve played quite a few arcade games during my lifetime, and I was just gonna review most of these separately. But then I thought: remember the NES week? So I’m bringing it back but this time for Arcade games, and what better game to start it off with then Space Invaders!
In the game you play as a laser cannon which can only move horizontally as you try to shoot 5 rows of aliens that are slowly moving down the screen also shooting at you. You also have 4 stationary ‘bunkers’ (they’re basically shields) which survive a certain amount of fire. You also only have 3 lives, with the game ending either if they run out or the aliens reach the bottom of the screen and take humanity, in a less dark way then it sounds. And…that’s Space Invaders. A game inspired by media like Star Wars and made a similar amount of money. People were obsessed with this game and it’s not hard to see why. Overall, for one of the biggest arcade classics, it still holds up. Maybe it doesn’t hold up greatly and it is clearly dated but its ideas are still classics and can be enjoyed by anyone.
Classic, noises, those alien names are adorable
I mean this game DID help create a giant video game boom for a reason, yanno? It's definitely simplistic, shoot the bad guys, don't get shot, don't let them reach the bottom or else you get an immediate game over. Though the mechanics of having only one shot of yours onscreen provides depth in that not only do you have to be precise and make every shot count, but also provides more firepower the closer that you are to an enemy. For a game this early, they really nailed the game balance and that's to be commended. There are even fun little secrets such as how the UFO gives more points if you destroy it on a particularly numbered shot. It's simple, and it can also be a bit frustrating near the later levels where the invaders basically start right in front of you, but for its time it's an incredibly well-designed game.
So, I finally played Space Invaders for the first time, and you know what, for a game made in 1978, it holds up surprisingly well. It is the definition of simple, just shooting aliens, but given how your objective is keeping them from "invading" rather then just killing them all, and how precision plays heavily into the gameplay, it is surprisingly pretty well done. You know, for 1978 anyway.
Game #98
Game #98
Retro Yearly List #4 [1978: Space Invaders]
Playing this for the first time was a surprising experience. It's a classic and I can see why, almost everything here has been executed right on the general idea. It's a pretty challenging game but is not unfair, the atmosphere is great, as it's one of the first games to introduce background music, which increases its speed while the entire screen is being destroyed, and the controls and mechanics are on point, got pretty invested in this one.
Playing this for the first time was a surprising experience. It's a classic and I can see why, almost everything here has been executed right on the general idea. It's a pretty challenging game but is not unfair, the atmosphere is great, as it's one of the first games to introduce background music, which increases its speed while the entire screen is being destroyed, and the controls and mechanics are on point, got pretty invested in this one.
This is a tamer version of better arcades games in this vein to come in the future, but it's still cool. I like most of the sound effects and they bring out an urgency at points, and the faster enemies towards the end of a stage is exciting, but I do think the barricades are kind of unnecessary and take away from the dodging aspect of it. It also can be slow to start due to the age but I would say it's still solid overall.
7.0/10
7.0/10
THE original shmup. Blast rows of aliens, shoot at a UFO occasionally, hide behind shields, things get faster the fewer enemies are on screen. Rinse and repeat until you lose all your lives.
In reality, this game is incredibly simple, but I'm giving it full marks just for its legacy and for having the cutest little alien sprites I ever done did see. I have a big soft spot and love for this game and I won't stop appreciating it.
In reality, this game is incredibly simple, but I'm giving it full marks just for its legacy and for having the cutest little alien sprites I ever done did see. I have a big soft spot and love for this game and I won't stop appreciating it.
Space Invaders é um clássico e provavelmente não existe nenhuma pessoa que não conheça e não sabe como ele funciona, até porque é extremamente simples; alienígenas estão invadindo, atire neles antes que eles alcancem o chão, e se necessário, use as paredes como proteção. Porém, mesmo sendo simples, é um dos jogos mais importantes e mais revolucionários já criados, além de ter sido um grande sucesso na época que lançou pelo seu loop divertido. Basicamente, o que Space Invaders fez para ser tão aclamado, foi trazer ideias de game design que já haviam sido trabalhadas previamente, e aperfeiçoá-las, por exemplo, o loop fica progressivamente mais difícil, algo que já acontecia em Pong, mas aplica isso em um contexto diferente; enquanto Pong ficava mais difícil de "se proteger", no caso, bater na bola e não deixá-la passar, aqui fica mais difícil atacar, os inimigos são mais difíceis de se acertar pois ficam cada vez mais rápidos e mais próximos de você, trazendo aquele sentimento de urgência e desespero já apresentado no Pong, mas intensificando-o ainda mais, já que agora são vários alienígenas, que também atiram em você, logo na sua cara. Além disso, esse jogo serviu como base pra diversos gêneros de ação modernos com a adição da simples, porém interessantíssima mecânica de cover, oferecendo os jogadores zonas onde eles estariam seguros dos ataques inimigos, incentivando a jogar mais defensivamente, mas nunca fugindo da ideia de invasão alienígena iminente, já que além dos inimigos estarem constantemente se aproximando de você, eles podem destruir sua proteção, assim, incentivando que você misture sua defesa e sua ofensiva.