Space Invaders

by ACTIVISION

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00001QHYA
• Media: CD-ROM
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,584 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From Children's Software Revue® -- "Subscribe Now!"

The addicting format of this blast 'em up challenge hasn't changed a bit since it was first released as an arcade game in 1978. The graphics, sounds and features are all up to date, however, making this new version a perfect case study in how to successfully modernize a classic.

In case you missed the 70s, here's the Space Invaders scenario: Rows of alien robots slowly move down the screen, dropping bombs. Your mission is to defend the world by moving a tank along the screen bottom, blasting the aliens (no blood) while dodging the bombs. With each alien that is destroyed, the speed of the game increases, so the better you do, the harder the challenge. Once all the aliens are destroyed, a new, harder set of aliens appears. The game starts at a very easy level, so even young children can have a successful first experience.

New features include the ability to save games and post high scores, to select the level of graphics detail and to customize the controls. There is also a two player mode, letting two players play cooperatively, making this an excellent social experience.

Fun game features include things like "tank enhancers" that are dropped from a mother ship, shields, a double shot feature, new batteries and the ability to freeze time- making it easy to shoot the aliens. We counted 16 different aliens and were able to play for over three hours without getting to the harder levels. Overall, for sheer fun and action-packed game play, this is a great program.
Teaches: game play, logic, timing (temporal relations), strategy
Age Range: 10-up (our guess) Copyright © 2000 Children's Software Revue

Product Description

Attention all earthlings! Relentless alien hordes have been identified in a vicinity near you. Be aware--the classic arcade update has proven to be even more dangerously addictive than ever before. Alien troops have been reinforced with enhanced firepower, 3-D graphics, special effects and multiplayer modes! Remain calm--Space Invaders can be battled on the Game Boy Color, PlayStation and Nintendo 64 game consoles, as well as on the PC. Space Invaders skyrockets the classic arcade franchise to new heights with out-of-this world 3-D graphics, explosive special effects, enhanced firepower, high resolution cinematics, and frenetic multiplayer modes in graphically rich space worlds. Classic Arcade Action! Brave 100 levels of classic shoot-and-dodge-style gameplay--now in 3-D and updated with a host of innovative features! Visit a variety of space worlds, including Pluto, Saturn, Mars, and Earth--each with dynamic terrain and interactive background elements. Explosive weapons and sound effects! Your arsenal includes an infrared laser beam, flame throwers and a neutron blast, plus bonus power-ups and special weapons unique to each world. Be abducted by awesome 3-D graphics, high-resolution cinematics, an engaging single-player storyline, and intense sound effects. Take on alien invaders cooperatively, or go head-to-head against a friend in a two-player race to annihilate aliens for points. Battle 18 species of aliens and 10 huge bosses, including Crunchers, Dodgers, Ic Invaders, and Invisible Invaders--each with unique attacks and advaced strategies. Hidden bonuses include a replica of the original arcade game, plus two bonus worlds with 20 additional hidden levels.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun but too easy, November 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Space Invaders (CD-ROM)

I am old enough (32) to remember playing the original Space Invaders in the arcade. This updated version was fun while it lasted, but I won the game on the normal level after three tries. The expert level lasted two tries. The hidden maniacal level lasted two tries also. So, after 4 days, I had won the game. That was somewhat disappointing, especially since I'm hardly an arcade shark.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Space Invaders: The Next Generation, May 31, 2003

By 

Mike King "Mike Vegas King" (Taunton, MA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Space Invaders (CD-ROM)

I recently upgraded to Windows XP, and I'm happy to say that "Space Invaders" is still compatible with my computer. Using the keyboard for controls quickly becomes as easy as using a mouse on other computer games. Hitting the passing spaceship above the descending aliens is critical, as that unlocks added features you'll really need, such as a shield and double shot. I also like how each level adds a different alien with more challenging features. Especially tough is the huge super-alien that appears at the end of every level. With state of the art graphics and ease of gameplay, Activision has created a great game that's both fun and addictive. More expensive computer games are gathering dust on the shelf while I continue to zap aliens!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Job!, October 31, 2004

By 

Boxy The Turtle (Mezmerize/Hypnotize) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Space Invaders (CD-ROM)

Activision has done a great job rebuilding one of the best classics from the old video game days. In this game, go to every planet and fight off over 12 types of aliens and over 8 boss aliens. By beating the game(which is a bit too easy, unfortunately), you will unlock the classic version of the game.
Graphics-5/5: The graphics are great in this game. You can turn the 3D detail of the game up and down. I have to say that when you turn 3D detail to Low, it looks a bit like Paper Mario. It looks cool that way.
Control-5/5: Control is nice and easy, but they are very original controls. I've never seen another game using the Comma key as a control. Plus, if you don't like the controls, you can change them through the Control Configuration menu.
Challenge-2/5: I have to admit, this game ain't too hard. It takes about, say, 45 minutes at the most to complete, not counting the 2 hidden bonus level thingies(I'll explain those in the Replay Value section.)
Storyline-NOT COUNTED- You don't need a storyline for a classic game. I don't even remotely CARE about storyline in many games, except if it's an RPG.
Originality-NOT COUNTED- It's based on a classic game. Shooting aliens isn't that original, but who cares?
Replay Value-4/5: This game can be played many times without getting old. Also, 2 more planets can be unlocked (I have no idea how) that are really fun. Unfortunately, out of about the 25 or so times I've beaten the game, the 2 hidden planets have only appeared once.
Music-4/5: There's actually not all that much music. But, the music that is on Mars is really techno and cool.
FUN- 10/10: The most important thing in every game is, of course, the fun factor. This game is really fun, and the bosses, very original and fun to beat, make the fun factor even higher. I would give it an 11 out of 10 but I don't do that.
Overall-30/35: If you've counted out all of my points, you'll see Space Invaders scored a very high 30 out of a possible 35. If I do the math on my calculator, it's a .857. That's about a 4 and a half, which is a 5 in this case. I recommend this version of the classic game to anybody. I could keep blabbing about how good this game is, but I'll run out of room. G'bye!