_____ _____ _____ _____ _____
| ___| | _ | | _ | | ___| | ___|
| |___ | |_| | | |_| | | | | |__
|___ | | ___| | _ | | | | __|
___| | | | | | | | | |___ | |___
|_____| |_| |_| |_| |_____| |_____|
___ ___
| | | |
| | | |
|__ |__ __| __|
| | | |
| | | |
___| |_____________| |___
| |
| |
___| ___ ___ |___
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
___| |___| |___| |___
| |
| |
| ___ ___ |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | ___________________ | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
|___| |___ |_______ _______| ___| |___|
| | | |
| | | |
|________| |________|
_____ __ _ __ __ _____ ____ _____ _____ _____
|_ _| | \ | | \ \ / / | _ | | _ \ | ___| | _ | | ___|
| | | \ | | \ \ / / | |_| | | | \ \ | |__ | |_| | | |___
| | | |\ \| | \ \/ / | _ | | | | | | __| | _| |___ |
_| |_ | | \ | \ / | | | | | |_/ / | |___ | |\ \ ___| |
|_____| |_| \__| \/ |_| |_| |____/ |_____| |_| \_\ |_____|
Copyright
Written By Brian P. Sulpher
E-mail:
[email protected]
Version 1.0
Dates Written: December 15th to December 16th, 2005
I dedicate this to the NES fans out there, as this one is part of the NES
FAQ completion Project of 2004-2005, courtesy of the FAQ Contributor Board.
We honour the most truly awesome and great system... the Nintendo
Entertainment System! Never mind about Atari, Commodore 64, Colecovision,
Sega Master System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, or
any of the newer systems, we all know that the good old NES is where true
gaming is at!
Also, for Cougar, Howler, and Koonce. I miss you, and I hope you are living
it up in the afterlife as you did in this world. You will always be in my
memories, and you will never be forgotten.
-----------
Version 1.0
-----------
-Submitted guide on December 16th, 2005
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------Table Of Contents------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Introduction
2) Controls
3) Enemies
4) Items
5) Strategies
6) Final Word
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------Introduction---------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) The following is a fairly good introspective into the what, why, where,
who, when, and how of Space Invaders, with full credit to the following
webpage for even helping me learn some new things:
http://hometown.aol.com/spaceinvaders78/history.html
Backed by a thudding bass beat, dozens of invaders from another world
descended on our planet in 1978. Within months, Space Invaders was one of
the hottest fads on the globe, helping propel the video arcade into a
multi-billion dollar industry.
The invasion began in Japan. Programmer Toshihiro Nishikado took the classic
sci-fi riff of alien invasion and transported it to the video screen. The
otherworlders, arranged in a tight row and column formation, marched left
and right across the screen, dropping down one level each time they hit the
side. You controlled a lone laser base, defending the planet by firing back
at the hostile armies. You could also move left and right, using four
convenient shields to play a dangerous game of fire and retreat as the
aliens unleashed their own laser assault.
As the invaders were knocked out one by one, their march grew faster and
faster, until a lone invader sped across the screen. If you managed to hit
them all, a new wave of invaders would take to the sky. But if the baddies
hit ground zero, it was game over for you and for the Earth.
When Taito released Space Invaders in Nishikado’s homeland, the game caused
a national furor. Hundreds of thousands of Space Invaders machines were
produced, and the game’s popularity caused a shortage of 100-Yen coins. When
restaurants complained that customers were playing instead of eating, Taito
simply supplied them with sit-down cocktail cabinets, further fueling the
Space Invaders hysteria.
That same year, Bally Midway released the game in the United States. The
mania wasn’t quite as intense, but Space Invaders was still a phenomenal
success. The game almost single-handedly brought video games into the
mainstream, and Space Invaders clones began popping up at an amazing rate.
Some, like Galaxian and Gorf, went on to successes of their own, but none
could match the popularity of the original.
As if the game’s arcade legacy weren’t enough, Space Invaders also helped
popularize home gaming, turning the Atari 2600 from a little-known novelty
into the must-have toy of the late 70’s. Atari won an exclusive license to
market a home version of the Taito game, and 2600 sales skyrocketed.
Taito released a handful of sequels over the years, starting with Space
Invaders II (a.k.a. Deluxe Space Invaders) in 1980, followed by Return of
the Invaders, a 1985 release. 1991’s Super Space Invaders (a.k.a. Majestic
Twelve) gave your laser base a few handy power-ups, along with boss aliens
and a bizarre new challenge stage that involved protecting cattle from alien
abduction. The series’ last installment to date was Space Invaders ‘95, a
graphically-enhanced take on the now-legendary original.
Space Invaders eventually lost its arcade supremacy to later hits like
Asteroids, Centipede and Pac-Man, but these games might never have made the
big time without Space Invaders’ breakout success. The energy and fan mania
that Space Invaders brought to the arcade were instrumental in creating the
video game business as we know it today, and its legacy lives on in every
space shooter that has arrived in its cosmic wake.
That main site is the following URL, and it has all sorts of great Space
Invaders odds and ends, well worth checking out!
http://hometown.aol.com/spaceinvaders78/menu.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------Controls-----------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2) This section will take a look at the controls for fighting off the enemy
invaders from deep space.
D-Pad...: LEFT and RIGHT
SELECT..: Used on the menu screen to change the cursor from a One Player to
a Two Player game.
START...: Pauses/unpauses the game.
B Button: No apparent use.
A Button: Fires the laser at the incoming Invaders.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------Enemies-----------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3) This section will examine the enemy, detailing their every attribute.
o---------------o
| Invader Types |
o---------------o
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ Bottom Invaders ~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Points for Destruction: 10
Occupying the bottom two rows of the alien formation, these front gunners
are going to have to be removed before any other aliens can really be taken
down.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ Middle Invaders ~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Points for Destruction: 20
Occupying the middle two rows of the alien formation, these guys hang back a
bit, making them tougher to kill. The Rear Aliens are defended by these
game mascot aliens.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ Rear Invaders ~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Points for Destruction: 30
Occupying the final two rows of the alien formation, these guys are really
hard to cut down due to the impressive line of attackers that are below
their positions. However, they are worth the most per kill, so hitting them
is definitely a priority for your score.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ Mystery UFO ~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Points For Destruction: 50, 100, 150, or 300
Announced by a beeping noise as they enter the screen from the side, moving
horizontally across the screen from one side to the other. Although it does
not attack in any manner, it can be destroyed for some extra points, though
the total received seems to be random.
o-------------------o
| Movement Patterns |
o-------------------o
i) The entire pattern of Invaders will move back and forth across the
screen horizontally, moving left to right, then right to left, and
continuing to alternate.
ii) After finishing one sweep to the side, the entire group will move down
one space, drawing nearer to the ground.
iii) As each Invader is destroyed, the collective that remains will increase
in speed, continuing to increase until the lone remaining Invader is
shooting across the screen at top speed.
o---------------o
| Missile Types |
o---------------o
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ Type I ~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i) A slow moving missile that is a vertical line.
ii) It is a easiest to dodge missile, and it is the one that is most
frequently destroyed by a missile of your own.
iii) It also deals minimal damage to the shelter buildings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ Type II ~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i) A fast moving missile that is a vertical line.
ii) It is a fairly tough to dodge missile, and it is destroyed by a
missile of your own occasionally.
iii) It deals medium damage to the shelter buildings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ Type III ~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i) A fast moving missile that is a wiggly line.
ii) It is a fairly tough to dodge missile, and it is destroyed by a
missile of your own occasionally.
iii) It deals intense damage to the shelter buildings.
o-------------------o
| Defeat Conditions |
o-------------------o
The enemy can achieve victory through one of the following two conditions,
ending the game:
i) Removing all of the extra laser ships from the player's stock.
ii) Getting the lowest row of Invaders to touch down onto the earth.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------Strategies----------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4) This section will list some strategies for playing well at what is
arguably a very tough game to master.
a) The most important thing to remember when playing Space Invaders is to
move into position, fire off a shot at an Invader, and then move again to
line up a new shot while also avoiding any potential incoming enemy fire.
b) When tackling the entire set of Invaders, start by working the group over
along the edges. That is, choose one vertical column (either the far
left or far right) and the bottom horizontal row, whittling the numbers
down. Not only is it the most efficient way to remove the Invaders, but
it will also increase the distance the Invaders will have to travel,
making spend more time reaching the ground below.
c) Another excellent method for taking out one entire side of the Invader
force is to immediately blast your way through a shelter (most likely the
left-most shelter, through the right shelter will work as well), using
the small opening to blast the Invaders while being protected almost
every Invader counter attack. Just be ready to dodge out of the way of
any missile that is coming right down the pipe and that is not destroyed
by one of your missiles.
d) As the Invaders speed increase (with the destruction of more and more
Invaders), it will become necessary to lead the shots from the laser ship
to land hits upon the Invaders. The best location to do this is to use
the sides of the screen, as it will actually increase the potential time
for landing a shot.
e) Perhaps the most effective (but most dangerous) gambit to pursue is the
aptly named "Death Row". To perform this trick, let the Invaders get to
the row right above ground level (the one before they can hit the
ground), where they are almost touching the ship. The player must shoot
the Invaders as they move by, not worrying about a counter attack because
their lasers will not hit the ship!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------Final Word----------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5) As is the usual, this walkthrough is copyright property of Brian P.
Sulpher, 2005. The only website, group, person, etc. to have access to
post it is www.gamefaqs.com, www.ign.com, www.retronintendo.com, and
www.honestgamers.com. You must ask for permission before posting this,
as doing so without consent is a violation of international copyright
law.
If you liked it, hated it, have anything to add, then please E-mail me at
[email protected]. You can also contact me through MSN messenger
through the same E-mail address.
Credit to the following two sites:
http://hometown.aol.com/spaceinvaders78/menu.html (for the Introduction)
http://www.spaceinvaders.de/ (for the "Death Row" tactic)
