Euphoric- Space Invaders Extreme 2 Review


Few series have aged as gracefully as Space Invaders. While most franchises from classic gaming’s pantheon have succumbed over time, those intergalactic marauders seem to have unearthed the elusive fountain of youth. Their recent exploits on DS, PSP, iPhone and home screens have felt astonishingly fresh, and seem to contradict that the intruders have been attacking earth for over three decades.

Last year’s Space Invaders Extreme was a critical and commercial success that reinvigorated the game with vibrant visuals, an addictive combo system, and a musical score that synchronized with the on-screen action. Playing the game with a set of headphones was an entirety immersive experience that demanded a player’s attention. This year, Space Invaders Extreme 2 ups the ante, creating a diversion that’s never frustrating, but necessitates the absolute concentration of gamers.


Like the invasion that took place on DS screens a year ago, Extreme 2’s pacing it what gives the game’s its energy. Players start each game with an anemic beam that recalls the original games solitary armament. Eliminating a group of foes of the game color sends a new weapon hurting toward the player, from shells that rips apart invader formations to a laser that effortlessly slices through the attackers. These power-ups only last a few seconds; just enough time for players to vanquish another group of similarly colored foes. It’s a wonderfully addictive cycle that easily fatigues the fingers of even hardened arcade veterans.

While Extreme 2’s offensive weaponry is similar to the first title, the game’s pace has been retched up in intensity. Whereas last year’s game mixed things up with a slightly more leisurely-paced bonus round, now the levels play out on the DS’s top screen, while the core game simultaneous continues on the lower display. In an ingenious concept that adds a strong risk/reward element to the game; players focusing on the bonus foes are forces to divert their attention away from a more perilous wave.


Occasionally, a burst of skillful shooting will initiate the game’s new Bingo round. Here, vanquishing sets of specific colored foes colors in a square on the top screen’s three by three grid. Netting three bingo spots on a row activates the game’s Super Fever Time, which is just as intense as it sounds, but is invaluable for nailing those supreme scores. Beyond the game’s straight-forward Score Attack mode, players have Time Attack, and multiplayer variants, as well as the ability to replay any previously cleared stages.

Individually, each of the game’s sprites are simple, pixilated shapes. Yet, when dozens of these characters are moving, transforming, and exploding across the game’s swirling backdrops, the overall visual effect is powerful. The game’s electronic soundtrack is augmented by a multitude of actions; everything from firing a shot to each step of the invaders contributes a blip or buzz to the title’s aural accompaniment. 

Like last year’s iteration, Space Invaders Extreme 2 is one of the best shooters to be found for Nintendo’s dual screen portable. With a significant change in the pacing of the game, and a twenty dollar price of admission, I can safely endorse the update to owners of the first title. For those that overlooked the game, here’s your chance to correct that glaring omission. Like any arcade classics, Extreme 2 will both your put your senses and trigger finger to the test, and make your forget about everything else for a few brief, euphoric moments.

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Posted by DesertEagle at 11/6/2009 4:00 PM
Categories: Shmups,DS,Reviews
 

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