Space Invaders Extreme 2 Review: Like Shooting Fish In A Barrel

Written by 2.o | November 4, 2009

In recent years two of video games’ longest standing arcade franchises have made attempts to completely reinvent themselves. While other games have tried with XBLA and PSN rereleases of slightly updated versions of games that have been around for 20 plus years, “Pac-Man” and “Space Invaders” have gone the extra mile to truly update their experience for an entirely different generation of gamers. Up until the release of “Space Invaders Extreme 2” I would have said that “Pac-Man C.E.” was at the head of this particular pack, but this little DS game packs such an astounding punch it edges out our little yellow friend by just a hair. On the surface, “Space Invaders Extreme 2” is a very close follow-up to the original DS, PSP, and XBLA release, but upon digging deeper, you notice that virtually every aspect of the game has been polished and then turned up to hyper speed in this release.

Space Invaders Extrmeme 2 If you’ve somehow managed to never set your hands on a “Space Invaders” games (for shame) the basic gist of it is to stop the aliens, or “space invaders,” from attacking from the top of the screen. These tiny creatures slowly encroach on the bottom of the screen, and the player is in charge of putting an end to them by shooting from a ship stationed at the lowest point of the screen. It’s as basic of an action arcade game as you can get, and, it’s one of the few video games that can, unequivocally, be considered a Classic. Like the original “Space Invaders Extreme,” “Extreme 2,” turns the classic “Invaders” formula completely on its head, and creates an entirely new experience. It’s more than just a flashy new coat of paint; these games layer multiple new mechanics on top of the shoot-the-invaders concept to create all kinds of new challenges.

At its most basic level “Space Invaders Extreme 2” has you shooting and killing the invaders, which come in a whole variety of sizes, shapes, and colors, much like the original. While they don’t attack at you from every angle (it’s still pretty much still just from the top) they have a host of different attack and defense methods, which keep the game going at an impressive pace, and puts it almost on the same level of some of the less complicated shmups that are out there.

Space Invaders Extrmeme 2 For the most part, “Extreme 2″ is really just an extension of the original “Extreme,” which isn’t by any means a bad thing (I think I already established that game was pretty amazing), but there’s only a few actual changes and additions to the game. One of the biggest additions is a Time Attack mode, which is a perfect fit, as “Extreme 2″’s hectic gameplay lends itself to speedy completions perfectly. And, if that’s still not enough for you, Ranking Mode allows you to blow your way through the levels then upload your scores to the network, and see how you rank against other players.

One of the other big changes in “S.I.E. 2″ is the integrated mini games that replace the cut away games from the original. If the player can clear the invaders in certain color patterns they’ll have the opportunity to shoot down a multicolored flashing ship as it crosses the top of the screen. If you can take it out, you’ll have the chance to go into “Fever Time” if you can clear out the mini game on the DS’ top screen, while you continue to take out the invaders on the lower screen. If you can complete the mini game you’ll be rewarded with “Fever Time” where you can score big points, both on the top and bottom screens. This is a big step away from the original where if you shot the multicolored ship you would be taken to a whole other screen for the duration for the mini game, and then thrown back into the gameplay when that was over. “Extreme 2″’s method works a lot better, since it’s a seamless experience, and actually makes the main screen’s action even more crazy. Add to that the inclusion of another bonus mode, called “Bingo,” (which is set off in virtually the same manner as the others – shooting the invaders in certain patterns) and you can tell that the developers really wanted to revamp the bonus experience in this game.

“Space Invaders Extreme” was one of the most creative takes on a classic game ever, and “Space Invaders Extreme 2″ follows suit perfectly. The developers didn’t try to fix anything that wasn’t broken, and that means this game is right about on par with the original. If you’re good enough to run through the score mode in about twenty minutes, you’re sure to find some other way to play (or simply replay) the game, and it’s because of that this game manages to retain its arcade roots, while layering on entirely new graphics and gameplay. The game’s amazing music, multiplayer, and hectic gameplay will all be very familiar to anyone that picked up the original, but for those who didn’t “Exteme 2″ is more than worth the $20 price tag.

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