Space Invaders 91
System: Genesis
Release Date: April 1991
Developer: Taito
Publisher: Taito
Genre: Shoot ‘em Up
Shoot those back and forth moving aliens invaders, I’ll see you at Space Invaders 91! Taking a page out of Namco’s playbook, Taito is here with an “update” to their coin-op masterpiece. Rows of space invaders move back and forth atop the screen, slowly inching their way toward you. It’s up to you to clear them all, because if they make it to the ground, you’re toast!
You can shoot with either A or C Buttons, while the B Button uses an item if you have one. Items are gained by shooting special UFO’s that occasionally come on screen. They move pretty quickly, though, so it’s easy to miss them. There is an item that creates shadows for your ship, allowing you to shoot multiple beams at once. There is a weapon that eliminates all enemies touching the one you hit horizontally. There is a beam that shoots through a column of enemies and a beam that shoots a wide column.
There are also shield augments that keep you safe from taking damage. Otherwise, you have a default shield that protects you from taking a few hits. When that shield depletes, you die and can choose to continue from the beginning of the wave, or head straight to the game over screen. Each round has two waves before you’re off to the next set piece. Keep an eye out for floating obstacles that fall to the ground if you hit them. They can’t be run over and could block your ability to maneuver and kill the invaders.
Graphics: 1.0
While the sprites are nicer than the original, they aren’t good for the Genesis.
Sound: 2.0
Clearly the best thing about this round of Space Invaders is the music.
Gameplay: 1.0
Go back and forth, shoot, don’t get hit. Powerups are sporadic.
Difficulty: 1.5
You get three lives. There are a lot of bullets you need to avoid.
Fun Factor: 1.0
I just didn’t enjoy playing another version of this game.
Overall Rating: 1.3
Space Invaders 91 earns a D+. Like Galaga 90, this is a cash in on a name. Unlike Galaga 90, this does nothing to advance the gameplay and is therefore skippable.