A stylistic new direction for a gaming legend
How? How does an iconic game get such a sweet makeover and slide under the radar? The answer could be the sheer number of games rolling out in the holiday season or it could be that Space Invaders has done well with its updates recently, but neither is an excuse. Space Invaders Infinity Gene on Xbox Live Arcade is all that made the original grand and addictive with a look, feel and stylistic update to engage today’s gamer. The core gameplay remains but what’s so special about this download, let’s take a look.
Gameplay – Any gamer worth their salt knows the left to right, right to left and shoot gameplay found in Space Invaders. This new version jacks up the visuals with enhanced music, adds in boss battles and new enemy types while retaining the original gameplay. The normal, expected gameplay is joined by Challenge, Bonus and Music mode. Bonus is just that, bonus content unlocked while music mode takes uploaded music and creates a graphical look that matches the beat of the music. Finally the Challenge mode is a series of standalone modes that challenge the gamer to meet certain objects. A new featured called evolution allows gamers to upgrade their ship and gameplay elements. This adds a bit more thinking on how to spend evolution points to further enhance the gaming experience. It’s Space Invaders that makes a nice series of improvements, nuff said.
Graphics – Keeping it simple is a good thing. The very linear, straight lines and designs, remains with added colors. No over the top, 3D visual facelift for Infinity Gene, just a fresh coat of paint on a classic that looks outstanding in HD. The black and white colors are joined by more color settings but it never overpowers the gamer and gets confusing. A game that be visually enjoyed by multiple generations of Space Invaders.
Sound – its old meets new as the original sounds and limited tunes get jazzed up a bit. This is not a soundtrack that will really jump out at gamers and after a few games will begin to blend into the background. Game is best served with some sweet MP3’s playing in the background.
Design – Nothing radical as the core design (left to right, right to left and shoot) remains with some updates. What’s fresh and a nice ‘way to go’ is that this old-school formula works really well with updated colors, enemies and enough gameplay tweaks to really engage a new generation of gamer. Being able to level up ones ship is a huge bonus and adds to the fresh feel of Infinity Gene.
Miscellaneous – What’s old is new yet again. Not all updates, remakes, re-boot’s work but this one does. Fans of the original, OG gamers and the young pups alike can dig this title while remembers old gaming memories and building new ones.
Overall for $10 gamers need to get Space Invaders Infinity Gene. It’s a great update to a very dated, classic title that works and works well. Nothing to turn off older gamers but everything to satisfy newer gamers.
