This past weekend I picked up another Nintendo DS title - I have to admit, I was a (very) late DS adopter, but let me go on record saying that I am really enjoying the price-point on many DS games; this new game only cost me 20 bones, and it’s a freaking blast.

Oh, yeah - the game is Space Invaders Extreme. This game was part of Taito’s 30 year Anniversary Celebration for Space Invaders, and they marketed the celebration pretty heavily. I’ve seen everything with little Invaders plastered on them, T-Shirts, tumblers, and even bath towels - and while I doubt it’s all officially sanctioned by Taito, it’s all very cool gear.

I remember mentioning this game last summer, and its existence had slipped my mind until I noticed it calling to me from behind the glass in the display case. I can remember telling myself that this was a must-get game for me if I ever bought a DS… and I am thrilled that I noticed it, and even happier to report that my high expectations were satisfyingly met.

Look, I’m not going to lie to you - Space Invaders Extreme is a simple game, but it is all all all about execution. So what do you get for $20? A game that is worth every last freakin’ penny you earned and spent on the game.

The production values in this game are tight… but when it comes right down to it, we’re talking Space Invaders coming at you, WHOMP! WHOMP! WHOMPing their way down with the hopes of blasting your ship into oblivion.

The enemies are drawn using the classic pixelized graphics they were originally introduced with, and that alone makes this game all Space Invaders. But in the background there’s an amazing digital display of graphics that whiz by. The backgrounds are simple for the most part, but they are mesmerizing and give the game a totally modern look - it’s funny, because while they do not add anything to overall gameplay, they do raise the game’s visual appeal to the next level. I seriously cannot imagine this game being as good without these trippy backgrounds, and they are just backgrounds!

The nostalgia of watching these incessant aliens working their way towards you is thrilling for an old man like myself; as we old timers always end up saying, I spent every single allowance for countless months playing games like Space Invaders, and it feels good to see the guys back in my video games.

But the game is not solely designed and pitched to the old timer crowd looking for a retro gaming fix - this game is definitely geared to the new gaming generations.

Space Invaders Extreme has thumping electronica music that pulsates with the gameplay. Not since Rez have I felt that the music is so alive and so perfect for the game. The music style is similar, and shooting down enemies plays music notes that accentuate the music playing in the background.

The power-ups the game gifts you with are a lot of fun; from a cluster-bomb style weapon to a wide-blue laser beam, the power-ups really feel great and get you pumped when you manage to mow down an entire screen in mere seconds.

A fantastic addition is the voice in the background. The voice reports when you’ve achieved combos, level up, and complete stages. It queues you in when you’ve done something right; it gets your attention and gets you thinking about what exactly you just did to get recognition. That is how I discovered that consecutively shooting aliens of the same colour would score combos, and that power ups would fall when I’ve shot 4 of the same alien. Even the flying saucers across the top appear when you perform certain combos, and I am starting to think that the type of saucer also depends on what you’ve recently shot down.

As mentioned, the game has a sense of stages. You work your way through a stage, shooting down the aliens and eventually make it to a boss round. But as you fight your way through the stage you’ll trigger different game modes, like the Fever mode and what I call Bonus Rounds.

Fever mode is a blast-fest round where you rack up as many kills as you can, and Bonus Rounds have an objective, like killing 16 flying saucers in a short time span. These different gameplay modes really spice the game up, always keeping it fresh, and I must say it really appeals to my short attention span.

They’ve also mixed things up by having different types of aliens in this rebooted Space Invaders - some shoot laser beams, some have shields of varying strength, there are small medium and large aliens, and they don’t always move from left-to-right. There are times where you have several clusters moving in opposing directions, other times they are going totally Galaga on your ass and whirling around the screen in dizzying patterns. Other times the 2D-alien sprites turn sideways to only be 1-pixel wide; these new aliens are tricky little buggers!

Use of the top screen is pretty good - most of the time it’s a billboard of info about chains, combos, score, and much more. But in some game modes the aliens have full reign of both top and bottom screens. This is especially well done during Boss battles. Most often the Boss is a giant alien, and there are varying ways to kill them. Sometimes there’s a core that must be shot, much like the Boss level in Gorf, other times it’s a matter of figuring out the alien’s weak spot and taking advantage of it when the opportunity arises.

When you finally beat the Boss you are given an overall rank for your performance during the stage, along with a slew of quick stats that give you a good sense of what you did right.

This entire game really has a fantastic feel to it; it is totally electric and looks modern, yet it continually exudes the whole retro Space Invaders look and feel - you’ll never doubt that you are playing a Space Invaders game. I cannot imagine anyone not loving this game, I can’t seem to put the damned thing down.

And you want to know what the best part is? The sales clerk informed me that the follow-up, Space Invaders Extreme 2, is coming this fall. According to Amazon.com it is due to hit shelves September 30th, I just might end up pre-ordering this sucker if it’s anything like this version. I cannot imagine how they’d improve on what they’ve already delivered, but if all they do is put a bit more polish on it, add a few new game modes, and bring me the same entertainment value… I’d be one gamer that’d be proud to boast that I’ve dropped $40 on Space Invaders games this year.

If you are still not convinced, or simply cannot envision the magic that is Space Invaders Extreme, watch this video - I really hope it will entice you to pick this game up - even if it’s not on the DS - because the game is fantastic.

And in closing… I know this is totally unrelated, but that was quite a hockey game last night! It all comes down to a game 7 decision for the Stanley Cup!

Goooo Penguins!