History VideoGame / SpaceInvaders

The {{Trope Maker|s}} that spawned a thousand other ShootEmUp games, Creator/{{Taito}}'s ''Space Invaders'' debuted in 1978. Although VideoGame/{{Pong}} had started the industry, this game revolutionized it, virtually launching UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames, establishing or [[TropeCodifier codifying]] many of the tropes used in later games, such as VideoGameLives, and a separate score counter for high scores.

The game was so popular in Japan that the home version was [[KillerApp largely responsible for the runaway success]] of the [[UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}} Atari VCS]] (later 2600) home console system. It also spawned the medical term "Space Invaders wrist." In United States arcades, it was the first video game to out-gross any and all {{Pinball}} machines (the top selling arcade game the year before had been [[Creator/MidwayGames Bally's]] ''Evel Knievel'' pinball). It was the first game in which play could last an [[EndlessGame open-ended amount of time]], given sufficient skill, rather than being timed to a finite clock, and it immediately spawned a host of equally classic imitators, such as ''VideoGame/{{Galaxian}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Gorf}}'', and the entire top-scrolling rail shooter genre.

The {{Trope Maker|s}} that spawned a thousand other {{Shoot Em Up}}s, Creator/{{Taito}}'s ''Space Invaders'' debuted in 1978. Although VideoGame/{{Pong}} had started the industry, this game revolutionized it, virtually launching UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames, establishing or [[TropeCodifier codifying]] many of the tropes used in later games, such as VideoGameLives, and a separate score counter for high scores.

* ''Space Invaders Day of Resurrection'' (1990; Japanese [[TurboGrafx16 PC Engine]] only)

* {{Nerf}}: In the ''Extreme'' games, shooting an alien at point-blank range results in a x20 "Nagoya Attack" bonus to the points earned for killing it. This led to a very boring {{Metagame}}, so the Steam version reduces the multiplier to a mere x2.

* LargeHamAnnouncer: The announcer in the first ''Extreme'' game has very simple lines and a polite tone, but the ''Extreme 2'' announcer sounds more like a racetrack commentator:

* ''Space Invaders Infinity Gene'' (2009; [[IOSGames iPhone, iPod Touch]], 2010; UsefulNotes/XBox360, UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, 2018; UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows via UsefulNotes/{{Steam}})

* ''Space Invaders Infinity Gene'' (2009; [[IOSGames iPhone, iPod Touch]], 2010; UsefulNotes/XBox360, UsefulNotes/PlayStation3)

* ''Space Invaders Extreme'' (2008; UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable PSP]])

The game was so popular in Japan that it caused a nationwide shortage of the 100-yen coins that the game's coin slot demanded, and the home version was [[KillerApp largely responsible for the runaway success]] of the [[UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}} Atari VCS]] (later 2600) home console system. It also spawned the medical term "Space Invaders wrist." In United States arcades, it was the first video game to out-gross any and all {{Pinball}} machines (the top selling arcade game the year before had been [[Creator/MidwayGames Bally's]] ''Evel Knievel'' pinball). It was the first game in which play could last an [[EndlessGame open-ended amount of time]], given sufficient skill, rather than being timed to a finite clock, and it immediately spawned a host of equally classic imitators, such as ''VideoGame/{{Galaxian}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Gorf}}'', and the entire top-scrolling rail shooter genre.

* AliensStealCattle: Bonus stages in ''Super Space Invaders'' have you defending a group of cows of alien flying saucers that try to abduct them.

* AwesomeButImpractical: Yeah, you can shoot through the houses and kill aliens, but it's a poor strategy.
** Some of the special weapons in Space Invaders X come across as this. Diagonal Burst for example fires a missile which then splits into two smaller projectiles upon impact which cut through invaders. Useful for diagonal rows of identical invaders, but sometimes a projectile will hit nothing if it flies in-between them or if the primary shot was used on the side of a wave.
* BattleshipRaid: The Giant UFO on ''Infinity Gene's'' Stage 3-3.

* BossRush: Stage 3-5 of ''Infinity Gene'', where you fight every single MiniBoss so far, before fighting the boss. The extra stage X-19 has you fight every boss in the entire game. X-29 has you fight the bosses again, except that they all TookALevelInBadass.

* DegradedBoss - Good lord, Infinite Gene must have over a hundred of these in the normal game alone. Usually the demoted versions have far less health, but they'll leave depriving you of points if you can't finish them off quickly enough. There's also usually something else going on to differentiate each battle.

%%* FlyingSaucer

* LuckBasedMission: Infinity Gene's Challenge Mode in the UsefulNotes/XboxLiveArcade version gives you randomly generated levels. You can always win (probably), but sometimes invaders will blindside you out of nowhere unless you're at the bottom of the screen, and the boss is random; could be one that takes 5 seconds to beat, or could be the Gigantic UFO, which consists of nearly a minute of just looking at it in the background, a minute or so of avoiding some simple shots, and finally the actual fight against the UFO itself.

* SegmentedSerpent: Space Invader Infinity Gene's boss: Centipede. Its head is equipped with a gun which shoots lasers at you. When a segment is destroyed, the boss will split into individual serpents; each with guns on their heads. Destroying a head will cause all pieces to scatter and reform into one serpent again. Once enough segments are destroyed, the boss stops reforming, [[TurnsRed and the remaining segments start chasing you, all with guns.]]
** The Venus boss from Space Invaders X is a snake-like machine that flies around the stage trying to collide with you with each of it's segments contributing to the boss's health. Every once in a while, it will break apart and each segment will bounce around for a while. Did we mention that defeated segments can still touch you?

* LuckBasedMission: Infinity Gene's Challenge Mode in the XboxLiveArcade version gives you randomly generated levels. You can always win (probably), but sometimes invaders will blindside you out of nowhere unless you're at the bottom of the screen, and the boss is random; could be one that takes 5 seconds to beat, or could be the Gigantic UFO, which consists of nearly a minute of just looking at it in the background, a minute or so of avoiding some simple shots, and finally the actual fight against the UFO itself.

* ''Akkanvaders'' (1995), aka ''Space Invaders '95: The Attack of the Lunar Loonies''[[note]]Features {{Crossover}} appearances by Sayo-chan/Pocky from VideoGame/PockyAndRocky, and the Silver Hawk from the VideoGame/{{Darius}} series.[[/note]]

* ''Akkanvaders'' (1995), aka ''Space Invaders '95: The Attack of the Lunar Loonies''[[note]]Features {{Crossover}} appearances by Sayo-chan, (AKA: "Pocky") from VideoGame/KiKiKaikai (AKA: "Pocky and Rocky"), and the Silver Hawk from the VideoGame/{{Darius}} series.[[/note]]

The [[TropeMakers Trope Maker]] that spawned a thousand other {{Shoot Em Up}}s, Creator/{{Taito}}'s ''Space Invaders'' debuted in 1978. Although VideoGame/{{Pong}} had started the industry, this game revolutionized it, virtually launching UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames, establishing or [[TropeCodifier codifying]] many of the tropes used in later games, such as VideoGameLives, and a separate score counter for high scores.

The [[TropeMakers Trope Maker]] that spawned a thousand other {{Shoot Em Up}}s, Creator/{{Taito}}'s ''Space Invaders'' debuted in 1978. Although VideoGame/{{Pong}} had started the industry, this game revolutionized it, virtually launching TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames, establishing or [[TropeCodifier codifying]] many of the tropes used in later games, such as VideoGameLives, and a separate score counter for high scores.

2002 saw an ill-fated attempt to updated the franchise, with a Gamecube/PS2 game called "Space Raiders" released that took the familiar gameplay of the original, but set it on the streets of Earth, with the ships of the original series replaced with large bugs. The game was a critical and commercial flop, in particular for its bizarre attempt to update the story and setting. But then, in 2008, Taito released ''Space Invaders Extreme'' for Nintendo DS, PSP and Xbox 360 as part of the [[MilestoneCelebration 30th Anniversary]]. The game turns into a fast paced shooting game, omitting barriers, but adding new varieties of invaders with various weapons and shields, and, most importantly, a complex [[{{Combos}} combo system]] that rewards players with {{Power Up}}s, {{Bonus Stage}}s and {{One Up}}s. A sequel was released for the DS in 2009 featuring even faster gameplay. Additionally, Taito also released ''Space Invaders Get Even'' for [=WiiWare=], where the invaders, rendered in pixelated 2D in a 3D environment, become {{Villain Protagonist}}s and attack Earth's cities.

And then, in 2008, Taito released ''Space Invaders Extreme'' for Nintendo DS, PSP and Xbox 360 as part of the [[MilestoneCelebration 30th Anniversary]]. The game turns into a fast paced shooting game, omitting barriers, but adding new varieties of invaders with various weapons and shields, and, most importantly, a complex [[{{Combos}} combo system]] that rewards players with {{Power Up}}s, {{Bonus Stage}}s and {{One Up}}s. A sequel was released for the DS in 2009 featuring even faster gameplay. Additionally, Taito also released ''Space Invaders Get Even'' for [=WiiWare=], where the invaders, rendered in pixelated 2D in a 3D environment, become {{Villain Protagonist}}s and attack Earth's cities.

** Some of the special weapons in Space Invaders X come across as this. Diagonal Burst for example fires a missile which then splits into two smaller projectiles upon impact which cut through invaders. Useful for diagonal rows of identical invaders, but sometimes a projectile will never hit anything if it flies in-between them or if the primary shot was used on the side of a wave.

* AscendedGlitch: The aliens speeding up as their numbers decreased. The behavior is the unintentional result of removing objects from memory, which makes rendering the remaining aliens easier for the system. The developers originally wanted to code out the behavior but after some playtesting they determined that it added challenge and the perception that the aliens were doubling down as their numbers fell so they left it in.

* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: If you beat ''Infinity Gene'' in any difficulty [[EasyModeMockery higher than Easy]], you'll get the message, "To everyone who loves games. And CharlesDarwin."