Space Invaders 40th Aniversary is this June

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qmish
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Space Invaders 40th Aniversary is this June

Post by qmish »

Meanwhile, interview (kind of) with Tomohiro Nishikado (Space Invaders) and Hiroshi Aoki (Space Invaders Extreme) by our user Cacophanus
https://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarde ... 4d1b31eb28
When it comes to their most important element of game development, Nishikado responded with a refreshingly focused answer.

“This is especially important for arcade games, but I always strove to design something so simple, you don’t need to read the instructions to understand how to play.”

Whereas Aoki’s approach is a more personal one.

“I always begin by thinking about whether I’d enjoy the concept, then move on to whether someone else would be able to grasp the concept easily or not. It sounds like I’m being smug or complacent, but all the games I’ve developed so far have originated with this process and I still believe it works.”
“It all started with Atari’s Breakout; I wanted to recreate that feeling I got when I destroyed all the blocks and finished a stage, but I wanted to change the blocks for something with actual form and make it into a shooting game; a genre which I liked.
“Although there were several variants released after Space Invaders 3D and even competitive versions, I didn’t think any of them represented a real evolution until Infinity Gene was launched in 2008. The most recent progression I’ve seen was the Space Invaders game shown in Roppongi in January which used a giant projection display. This felt like the starting point for a new game.”
“A lot of different shooting games followed Space Invaders. At first, they were interesting and focused on gameplay and mechanics, but they quickly started getting more and more difficult, increasingly focused on the core players and losing sight of that invigorating feeling coupled with game design which anyone could enjoy. I was greatly disappointed to see the decline in popularity of shooting games.
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Pedro Lambrini
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Re: Space Invaders 40th Aniversary is this June

Post by Pedro Lambrini »

Amazing to think that I've been playing shmups for 40 years now... and I'm STILL crap at them!

I love the Space Invaders series. There are so many really fun titles out there but nobody really talks about them much.

After seeing Extreme get a PC release, I really hope we finally get a PC port of Infinity Gene. I love that game so much but I only have an iPhone after my 360 died. :(

Thanks for sharing the interview. :)
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qmish
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Re: Space Invaders 40th Aniversary is this June

Post by qmish »

Degica celebrates today with Space Invaders Extreme score contest

https://steamcommunity.com/games/744050 ... 1139512317
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Bydobasher
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Re: Space Invaders 40th Aniversary is this June

Post by Bydobasher »

Wow, 40 years this month, that's amazing. I never played Space Invaders as much as the Galaga games, but I do like Space Invaders -- the original game -- quite a lot even now. There are some interesting sequels too, but I prefer the simplicity of the first game. I'll have a go later today!
scs_jonah
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Re: Space Invaders 40th Aniversary is this June

Post by scs_jonah »

Thanks for sharing that interview. It's interesting to hear about such early game design. The pinball bonus lamp bit struck me. Though I didn't study game design in college, I took a course on video game music. We did a case study on Space Invaders and the slowly accelerating bass sounds that add so much intensity.

I had Space Invaders Extreme back in the day on DS, and I also remember the audio being one of my favorite elements. Is anyone else considering double-dipping on the re-release?
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BrianC
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Re: Space Invaders 40th Aniversary is this June

Post by BrianC »

I like the US/EU SGB Space Invaders. Not only does it have a nice port that is playable on the go, but it also has a SNES version that is playable on SGB. It's missing the 2p modes from the stand alone SNES cart, but the original is where it's at anyway.
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Bydobasher
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Re: Space Invaders 40th Aniversary is this June

Post by Bydobasher »

scs_jonah wrote:Though I didn't study game design in college, I took a course on video game music. We did a case study on Space Invaders and the slowly accelerating bass sounds that add so much intensity.
Yes, that bass is a shot of adrenaline. Normally I'm pretty good at remaining calm and relaxed in all situations, but that accelerating bass has a way of getting me excited -- and that's when I start missing shots and things go wrong! It's so simple and brilliant.
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Re: Space Invaders 40th Aniversary is this June

Post by Square_Air »

I don't strive to be good at Space Invaders, but I pop in a few credits every once in a while. I still think it's a fun game, though definitely a bit outdated. The historical significance of it is absolutely undeniable though. Everyone should pop in a few credits every now and then just to pay their respects.
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Necronom
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Re: Space Invaders 40th Aniversary is this June

Post by Necronom »

That's how to celebrate: :shock:

http://arcadeheroes.com/2018/06/15/tait ... s-gigamax/

My favourite being Extreme 2...love the crazy bingo system, still hunting for that Full House Fever :lol:
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MintyTheCat
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Re: Space Invaders 40th Aniversary is this June

Post by MintyTheCat »

It's a strong formula that can still be fun after all those years have passed. It's hard to find the simple things that work well and not to pile in all the complexity. It's really having a strong but simple and effective gaming system that matters.

I still enjoy playing SI :)
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EmperorIng
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Re: Space Invaders 40th Aniversary is this June

Post by EmperorIng »

Fun interview to read. I think partially I'll celebrate this week by playing some Akkanvader/Space Invaders '95. What a great game.

The Extreme games are also highly addictive. It would be nice if SI Infinity Gene would come to steam on top of Extreme (so I can finally play it), but I guess there are those arcane reasons which no mortal can ascertain.
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Despatche
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Re: Space Invaders 40th Aniversary is this June

Post by Despatche »

Now is a good time to go give Gaplus (which has way more to do with SI than Extreme ever will) some love.
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BrianC
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Re: Space Invaders 40th Aniversary is this June

Post by BrianC »

Despatche wrote:Now is a good time to go give Gaplus (which has way more to do with SI than Extreme ever will) some love.
I rather play Galaga 3 ;)
Spoiler
Funny thing is that Galaga 3 is just a conversion kit and, AFAIK only changes the title screen. I don't agree that Gaplus has more to do with space invaders, though. It plays quite a bit different and Extreme still takes quite a few things from the original.
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