Space Invaders: Infinity Gene

Developer: Taito
Publisher: Taito
Release Date: July 27, 2009
Systems: iPhone/iPod Touch (reviewed), other mobile phones
ESRB Rating: N/A
Official Web site

In a nutshell: If you showed this to a Space Invaders player 30 years ago, their head would literally explode.
0:00 After hearing our own Ryan Kuo and countless others absolutely GUSH about this for weeks, I finally decided to plunk down the $4.99. I liked Space Invaders Extreme well enough, but I'm wary of how the iPhone's touch controls will work...

0:01 An incredibly old-school black-and-white intro screen shows the points scored for dead enemies. It even has a "Credits: 1" message in the corner." After some loading, I hear waves washing over a bit-tune violin on the options screen. Eerie.

0:02 The available difficulties are Easy and Normal. I'm betting Normal is more like a normal Hard, but I'm feeling gutsy.

0:03 "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change," reads the introductory Darwin quote. "The king of games strikes back!" Eep! Wait, the king? Space Invaders hasn't been king for decades! Anyway, it starts out just like the old-school classic, with a ship that fires automatically and is slid back and forth by my thumb. This quickly transitions to Level 1-1, "Adaptive Radiation," which is much faster-paced and includes some large Invaders that throw off bright white shrapnel and explosions as they're hit. Digging it already...

0:05 When I finish the level, a big "EVOLUTION!" message comes up. I accidentally tap too fast and don't see what new feature I got. Oh well. Level 1-2 is "Genetic Diversity." It includes a few rows of never-ending Invader streams that are hard to shoot through but whose shots are easy enough to dodge. In the end, I find I got a "122 chain," but no "Nagoya Attack," whatever that is.

***-->CONTINUE READING AT CRISPY GAMER<--***

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Space Invaders Extreme

Developer: Taito
Publisher: Square Enix
Release Date: June 17, 2008
Systems: PSP (reviewed), DS
ESRB Rating: E

In a nutshell: Space Invaders meets Geometry Wars. Ow, my brains...

0:00 I've never been a huge fan of the original Space Invaders (I was always more of a Galaga man, myself), but I've been hearing good things about this fast-paced, portable remake. Before I even turn on the game I'm entranced by the clear plastic shell for the UMD. Wicked!

0:01 "Taito Corporation. Space Invaders 30th Anniversary. Space Invaders Extreme!" reads a sexy voice right out of the Starship Enterprise. The title screen has a large dancing invader with lines of other invaders across the top and bottom. The logo/title replaces some Es with 3s for no apparent reason. What is this, Driv3r?

0:03 I have a love/hate relationship with games, like this one, that let you preset your starting number of lives in the options screen. I always set it as high as possible, but I always feel bad about it, like I'm cheating somehow.

0:04 "Stage 1, Let's Go," reads the screen. A driving techno beat matches all the crazy, multicolored crap floating around the background. Like the original game, I've still got a little ship at the bottom of the screen, firing up at the slowly encroaching invaders. Luckily, though, the firing rate is much faster. The n-shaped shields from the original are gone, making it feel a lot more like Galaga -- a good thing.

0:05 Power-ups? Really? A blue block floats down from a destroyed invader and gives me a thick blue laser that absolutely EVISCERATES everything. Hoo yeah!

Read the full review at Crispy Gamer

Furu Furu Park

Developer: Taito
Publisher: Majesco
Release Date: Jan. 16, 2008
Systems: Wii
ESRB Rating: E10+

In a nutshell: Taito's answer to Nintendo's Wario Ware.

0:00 I played this game for about 10 seconds at E3 2007, and it was mildly entertaining back then. Will it hold up for an hour? I have my doubts.

0:01 Pet peeve: I hate Wii games that don't let you use the pointer to navigate the menus. Using the d-pad is much less natural to me. Oh, well.

0:02 In Rank mode, "Bogey the pig will rank your true nature!" How can I say no to that?

0:03 Bogey is a cute, green pig in a neon room right out of "The Matrix." "You came here so I can measure your true nature and rank you, right?" I believe we have established that. I love the old-school, 16-bit style music.

0:04 I get to choose which five mini-games I'm ranked in. Brain, Power, Balance and Technique are the categories. Sonic Blastman! Pocky and Rocky! Awesome! Puzzle Expert, Unwrap the Money, less awesome.

Read the full review at Crispy Gamer

Taito Legends Power-Up

Developer: Taito
Publisher: Empire Interactive
Release Date: May 17, 2007
System: PSP
ESRB Rating: E
Official Web site

In a nutshell: Some classic and not-so-classic Taito arcade games.

0:01 There are 21 games in this collection, which means each one only has three minutes to wow me.
0:03 Three minutes is enough to beat the first level of Space Invaders. The game really doesn't stand the test of time, especially the grating sound effects. I like being able to turn the PSP on its side and play in landscape mode, though.
0:06 Space Invaders 2 feels a lot like Space Invaders with some colors and cut scenes. Padding the list, much?
0:09 Imagine Pac-Man with one really fast, really stupid ghost and incredibly slow turns. That's Space Chaser. I'll pass.
0:12 Crazy Balloon is hard to categorize. You guide a dancing balloon through a minefield. It takes some getting used to, but I think I like it.
0:15 Balloon Bomber - Space Invaders, but even less exciting. I mean, bomb-dropping balloons? Snore!
0:18 Lunar Rescue - Interesting mix of didging and shooting. I love the little "AAA..." sound effect that pops up when you drop a human. Has some potential.
0:20 Phoenix - Tatio's answer to Galaxian has bad hit detection and horrible sounds effects. Pass.
0:24 Qix - An original classic I've played many times before. Carve out a section of the screen with a line-cutting tool. Fun!
0:27 I love the concept of Space Dungeon. Adventure-style crawl meets space shooter action. I'll have to play some more later.
0:29 I can think of no reason to play Alpine Ski in a world in which Ski Free exists.
0:31 Elevator Action - Anotehr classic with great controls, neat sound effects and an interesting platform-meets-shooter premise. More please.
0:34 Chack 'n' Pop. Weird, occasionally upside-down physics take some getting used to. Meh.
0:37 The Legend of Kage - Impressive graphics for the time that hold up even now. Fun controls make you feel like an unstoppable ninja... until you're stopped, that is.
0:39 The Faiyland Story - They can't give us Bubble Bobble, so they give us this weird warmed over remake with a which who turns enemies into falling chocolate cakes. Meh.
0:42 Return of the Invaders - Space Invaders with nicer graphics, faster gameplay and enemies that do more than just move mindlessly back and forth. So, Space Invaders, but good. A lot like Galaga.
0:46 Ki Ki Kai Kai - Despite the random Japanese folklore characters and derivative top down shooting format, there's something endearing about this.
0:48 The Rastan Saga - Derivative, homoerotic sword-slashing action. Meh.
0:52 Kuri Kinton - Manga-inspired graphics and some interesting controls make this Kung Fu clone interesting.
0:55 The New Zealand Story - Another pale imitation of Bubble Bobble, this time featuring a yellow kiwi bird who shoots arrows on sprawling stage. Cute, with some inventive level design.
0:58 Raimais - Like a retro-futuristic Pac-Man where you never stop moving. Or: Space Chaser, but good.
1:01 Cameltry - Weird name, totally orignal world-rotating, ball dropping concept. I love it!

Would I play this game for more than an hour? Yes
Why? Crazy Balloon, Lunar Rescue, Qix, Elevator Action and especially Cameltry.

This review based on a retail copy rented from GameFly.

Exit

Developer: Taito
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: Feb. 15, 2007
System: PSP
ESRB Rating: E
Official Web site

In a nutshell: Er, exit.

0:01 Any intro that includes a picture of a cat thinking "I am hungry" amid scenes of life saving daring-do is all right by me!
0:02 My character is an "escapeologist?" That's not a word...
0:04 For an escape expert, he sure walks slowly and deliberately.
0:05 You're telling me how to climb a ladder? Shut up for chrissakes I know how to climb a ladder, Jesus, ow my ear!
0:06 Ah, the R button makes you run. Looks much better and feels more natural.
0:07 I fall and hurt my leg while trying to climb down a rope. The writhing in pain animation is a nice touch.
0:10 So now I can run, but climbing ladders and stairs is still painfully slow. I guess this is a nod to realism? Would it kill them to put a fast forward button?
0:11 So I have to push square to pick up key, square again to use key, the circle to open the door. All this could be automatic.
0:13 Nice variety of hazards/objects so far. Fire, elevator, switches, iron bars, ladders, ropes. Lots of options for good puzzling.
0:15 The game specifically points out that men and women have the same abilities. Very egalitarian.
0:17 I have to stand in just the right place to use ladder. These controls are becoming a major annoyance.
0:18 When you tell your companion to stop, they give out a plaintive “Why?” Cute touch.
0:21 This is getting complicated. I have to instruct a young guy to help an adult over a box. Lots of stuff to remember!
0:27 If this chef says he's hungry one more time...
0:28 The voice acting is simple, direct, and mercifully short. “Take it,” “Gotcha...” “I can't!” Adds to the play flow nicely.
0:31 More positioning problems... this kid won't get in the right place for me to help him. Take another step, damnit!
0:39 What should be a simple puzzle is marred by bad controls. I should be able to push this stretcher onto the switch, but I keep going too far.
0:48 I'm an idiot. The elevator goes up an extra floor, meaning I don't need to use the stretcher to hit the switch. My bad.
0:50 “Got to save those people from a roasting before my cappuccino gets cold.” Now there's a guy who knows his priorities.
0:52 It takes a second to jump after you hit the jump button, a la Prince of Persia. Very annoying. Message to developers ... when I hit the jump button, I want to jump NOW.
0:56 I jump to a much later level just for kicks. I have no idea what I'm doing. Maybe by the time I finish all the other levels I'd be good enough.

Would I play this game for more than an hour? Maybe.
Why? The puzzles show promise, but the controls and pacing are infuriating.

Bust-a-Move Bash!

Developer: Majesco
Publisher: Taito
System: Wii
Release Date: April 17, 2007
Official Home Page

In a nutshell: Shoot colored balls at other colored balls. On the Wii!

0:01 OMG the manga-fied Bubble Bobble dinosaurs are SO CUTE! The stages to select from are a cityscape, a house and a cupcake/lollipop land. Wha? I'll choose lollipop land, I guess.
0:03 The point-to-aim controls are pretty intuitive and quicker than the old directional ones. Got to have a steady hand though.
0:06 The most puzzling thing about puzzle mode is where it gets off calling itself puzzle mode. There doesn't seem to be much puzzle or strategy to them. Just match the colors. Most stages don't even have a very pressing time limit.
0:10 The game has an annoying habit of giving you one extra orb after you've destroyed all the others of the same color. What am I supposed to do with this?
0:13 After ten rounds, I get an interesting shooting mini-game. I get a fire bubble for my trouble.
0:17 In round 13 I finally have a close call, but save myself with a nice ricochet. *whew*
0:18 I hate how sticky the balls are. They keep latching on the the mass just slightly off from where I want. Annoying.
0:26 After 19 rounds of barely any excitement, I die when a drought of black balls comes. Time to try another mode: Shooting.
0:28 It's just like the mini-game. I figure out that there's a lock-on feature so you can shoot less often. Clever, simple, fun, and over too soon
0:32 Shooting gets old relatively quickly. On to Endless mode.
0:35 In Endless mode, anything you drop off an overhang gets put somewhere useful automatically. A nice touch that encourages more strategy.
0:37 I love the Slip power-up, which slides the bubble to an appropriate place auto-magically if you're off. The whole game should be like this.
0:42 I keep getting more slide power-ups. Now this is more like it. Also ,the bubbly music is the best kind of infectious.
0:49 After 14 minutes of endless mode, I find myself entering a trancelike state. A good sign of a good puzzle game.
0:50 Construction paper fire trucks keep passing by in the background. Distracting.
0:58 On the brink of disaster, I'm saved by a chain that clears half the screen. Gratifying and bewildering to watch.
1:03 I realize I'm over an hour and I should probably get to doing other stuff.

Would I play this game for more than an hour? Yes
Why? Simple, relaxing puzzle gameplay with controls that don't get in the way. Just what I'm looking for.