To hundreds of thousands—perhaps millions—of
players, this is the original version of Space Invaders,
rather than the preceding arcade game. Speaking personally,
it's the first game I ever played on the VCS. Believe
me, I saw nothing lackluster or insufficient about this
one as I tried doggedly to score as high as possible,
rejoicing in the "bloopbloopbloopbloop" of a destroyed
Command Ship or timing a shot just right to finish off
that deranged final invader (nickname: The Typist).
It's done as well as could be imagined, and it's still
surprisingly addictive. The added options of zig-zagging
bullets, guided missles, invisible enemies and moving
shields automatically boost it far beyond most any other
invasion game; it continues to exist as the best home
version of this winner in any "Most Influential Game"
contest. It also features the single greatest farting
sound of all games in history.
2011 ben langberg, all rights reserved.