It's
been 30 years since Space Invaders infiltrated the world's arcades and made off with
a generation's laundry money. To mark the anniversary, we've already been
treated to one exceptional update of the classic in Space Invaders Extreme. So it's no terrible
tragedy that Space Invaders Get Even, a new download available through Nintendo's
WiiWare store, feels only partially materialized. The game starts with a great
premise: Players handle the Space Invaders mothership, a levitating saucer with a
slew of Lucky Charms-colored aliens swarming around it. They attack Earth and
wreak havoc, smashing tanks, turrets, and other puny defenses. But the
destruction isn't all that rampant, since the game saddles you with an
artificial time limit. Seconds tick away as you're fighting, and you're docked
every time your spaceship takes a hit. To avoid death, you have to resort to
the nerdiest of all videogame pursuits—methodically dodging a hail of
bullets. The scenery changes a little as the game progresses, but once you've
toppled one skyscraper, you've toppled them all. The small satisfaction of
devastating Earth's defenses quickly fades. Then wannabe planet-crushers are
left wrestling with the game's controls. Particularly vexing is the alternating
waggle that's supposed to replenish your supply of alien minions.
Beyond
the game: Space
Invaders Get Even
has been chopped into four episodic bits, each of which costs $5. Strangely,
the first chunk is the shortest and most frustrating.
Worth
playing for: When
you pull cattle up to your ship with your UFO's tractor beam, an exasperated
farmer cries to the heavens, "What do they want with my cows?" You don't want
to know, mister.
Frustration
sets in when: The
game doesn't take the time to explain the rules. You're immediately thrown into
a fight and expected to muddle your way through. This is not how you encourage
people to spend another 15 bucks.
Final
judgment: Mission
aborted.