Pointless clone of a classic
Despite the lack of an 's' on the end of the name, there's no disguising just what this game really is but what is most surprising about it is that there was actually a need for it to be released in 1998. Just in case you can't guess what's going on here, this is basically a clone of an old space shooter called Space Commanders which was in itself a clone of, guess what, Space Invaders. Unfortunately, while simply being a clone isn't necessarily a bad thing, in this case Space Invader turns out to be both unoriginal and tedious, so if you want your classic retro shooting experience, stick to the original, which still holds up today. Just in case there's been a rock on your head for the last twenty or so years and you've never actually experienced Space Invaders-style games, the basic goal is simply to blast your way through wave after wave of aggressive aliens on a series of single screen levels. Things start out pretty simple, but the aliens soon get cleverer and faster, while the barriers which protect you from the start soon get whittled down, leaving you exposed to all sorts of enemy shenanigans. That's pretty much all there is to the game and it remains little more than an exercise in high score chasing. While that's not necessarily a bad thing, in this case, Space Invader proves to be a pretty unnecessary and singularly boring experience. It's as if the magic which imbued the original has been completely sucked out, with visuals that lack the appeal of their inspiration and gameplay that just seems pointless rather than thrilling. Play it if you really have to play every Space Invaders clone but otherwise, skip this one.
