Have You Played… Space Invaders?

Have You Played? is an endless stream of game retrospectives. One a day, every day, perhaps for all time.

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The dauntless descent of these extraterrestrial hordes was impressive in 1978. And it’s still a good timewaster today. As for its alien foes, they probably deserve to conquer the planet. It’s not like we’ve done anything particularly good since the late seventies. Maybe the creation of the internet? No, absolutely nothing worthwhile. Luckily for the Invadophile, an updated version, Space Invaders Extreme, is out today on Steam. Would you like to see what Space Invaders is like today?

I lied! That’s not what it looks like today at all. That’s what it looks like 10 years ago on handheld consoles - the PSP and Nintendo DS - which is where this cacophonous imposter first appeared. But this is Space Invaders. It’s hard to keep track of a gaming icon that's older than my own steadily putrefying human body, a game that has been bootlegged more times than a Game of Thrones episode. So let’s just all agree the original game is still the best and come to terms with the idea that this simple black screen and its white spaceships will be remembered long past the point you and I have been forgotten. History is interesting, isn't it?