Space Invaders Extreme 2 (Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi)

The old has become new again with SPACE INVADERS EXTREME 2 now available on the Nintendo DS. This title is a remix of the classic Space Invaders title in which you control a small ship that can move along the bottom of the screen while an armada of aliens march back and forth the top of the screen. As the aliens march, they inch closer to your position, all the while firing back at your with pixilated bombs. The goal is simple, shoot the aliens before they can reach you and you clear the level. As with the classic title, various UFOs will buzz the screen and shooting them provides bonus points. With the Extreme series, the game takes on a very vibrant and chaotic tone with a lot of flashing lights and animation happening in the background, but all the old aliens and UFOs are back to be shot down.

Parents weaned on the original Space Invaders may cry foul when seeing this, but the effort to update the game to today’s faster paced and more visual world didn’t wreck the core of the game at all. Controls are simple and spot-on, and all the classic character shapes are nicely intact. The moving and highly visual backgrounds can be distracting from the main game play, but that’s part of the Extreme brand of the games. One nice upgrade to the title is that the sound effects no longer just exist, they are a part of the game as much as the visuals with the chimes and explosions incorporated right into the musical score.  With a couple difficultly levels for each level, young and older gamers can enjoy the title for what it is -- a fun little throwback to the days when the arcade ruled.

Online interaction: Wireless single card and multiple card required modes are included.

Available on: Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi
Available online
Genre: Arcade
Developer: Square Enix
Released on: October 20, 2009
Price: 19.99
ESRB Rating: E for (No Descriptors)