Videogame players as a whole tend to clamor for more innovation from their products. To them, each successive release must be more pioneering than the last or the product will be derided as being ‘derivative’ and ‘lacking in originality.’
While it obviously is important that videogames do their best to continuously push the envelope; sometimes there is nothing wrong with a title that achieves little more than merely being similar to the ones that precede it. One can look at them as the equivalent of comfort food; while the flavor may not change drastically, at least you know what you will be receiving.
One such title that qualifies as comfort food is the sequel to Space Invaders Extreme, aptly titled Space Invaders Extreme 2. It possesses the same great taste as its forerunner, with only a few alterations made to make it stand out.
The original Space Invaders Extreme, which saw release by Taito on June 17, 2008, represented the company’s latest attempt to bring the established retro property up to modern standards. This was accomplished by taking the original concept, which consisted of blasting aliens, and refining it with equal mixtures of style and substance. While the invaders persisted in their efforts to enter your space, they now came in color-coded varieties, and destroying a specific amount of similarly colored adversaries would reward one with additions to their alien-busting arsenal. Bombs, multi-shots, shields that provide one with some defense from enemies, and extended laser blasts would compliment the signature weapon, providing some alternate means in fighting those annoying aliens.
The original title also gave players additional venues to fight off these invaders; blasting the flashing UFOs that would transport one to a bonus round where they would have to achieve a specific task, such as eliminating a set amount of ships, in a certain period of time. Should one succeed there, they would activate Fever Time, where the player's ship becomes powered up and one can gain bonus points for defeating errant invaders. In addition, fending off invader waves would earn one an appointment with their designated ‘leaders,’ who would do their best to make sure that the player would never see the light of day ever again. However, should the player manage to succeed in their quest and save humanity from these invaders, they would have the option to do it again, either via the game’s extreme mode or through any of the branching paths that one can take in the regular mode.
Space Invaders Extreme 2 takes these concepts from the original and expands on them. The core gameplay of one ship against many, many enemies remains, however, the game has since added more aliens and giving said more means to attack one. They have also added branching paths and altered the designs of a few of the weapons.
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