'Space Invaders' celebrates three decades with 'Extreme'

With remakes being the go-to template for Hollywood and gaming alike in the past decade, it's easy to shrug off a rebranded rehash for your entertainment needs. Dissuade your skeptism: When a developer dusts off one of gaming's revered classics, it's worth at least a gander.

"Space Invaders Extreme" is the same alien-blasting, planet-saving pixels your parents played, updated with modern mechanics and presentation. The sum is something like queuing out to a techno tune while extraterrestrials slowly descend with death rays, and we like it.

On the franchise's 30th anniversary, Taito blows out the candles by bringing a fresh release to the Nintendo DS and Sony's PlayStation Portable. It's one of the best celebrations of the series in some time. The versions are nearly identical between systems, with the DS offering online Wi-Fi play (the PSP's multiplayer is local-only), and the system's dual screens making for a more vertical layout.

The assaulting aliens in "SI" have learned a thing or two since 1978. Lines of descending ships still attack by moving left to right in rows, then inching downward, but similar to other arcade classics like "Galaga" and "Centipede," they'll occasionally curl around the side of the screen or pop out of formation to try and zap you. UFOs ferry in reinforcements, tiny invaders are hard to hit, larger (or shielded) ships can take more hits - some even split into two enemies when shot.

These unpredictable extraterrestrials make gameplay more dynamic. Other refreshing improvements to the original formula include combos and colored enemies. Blast four of the same shade in a row, and a power-up will float toward the bottom of the screen. Grab it in time, and you'll equip your ship with a wider shot, shield, explosive ammo or board-clearing laser that sweeps the screen.

Power-ups provide an incentive to shoot strategically. As enemies align in different formations, picking your shots becomes as important as eliminating invaders. Color-changing aliens, or ones with immunity to certain weapon types, add light complexity to combat, and bonus rounds and bosses break things up further.

Boss characters usually take the form of oversized invaders. These bricky aliens (imagine a pixilated invader made out of 2-D Legos, similar to the arcade classic "Arkanoid") are flanked by tiny sentries, and each boss has a weak point that you'll aim for. Bringing these bullies down is a serious task, but it's one that grants "Space Invaders Extreme" nostalgic appeal while integrating some modern conventions.

You'll want to pay attention to any UFOs strafing the top of the screen. Zapping these vessels nets extra points, but they can also activate bonus rounds. Clearing a bonus stage's conditions (destroy a certain type of enemy within a short time limit, collect items, etc.) will send your ship into fever mode, granting rapid fire for a brief time.

Polished graphics and audio only add to "Space Invaders'" appeal; sound could be the game's strongest suit. In the vein of "Everyday Shooter" (a celebrated indie game on the PlayStation 3 and PC), each stage of "SI Extreme" is set to a different song, with your laser beams and exploded enemies chiming out beeps or bits of percussion to accent the music.

In effect, your sci-fi destruction gives the game its instrumentation. It's a neat coupling of presentation and play, but it isn't necessarily distinct enough to be a centerpiece of the experience. Animated images that backdrop your space battles add some lively scenery as well.

Being just 20 bucks, "Space Invaders Extreme" is a little slim on content. Single-player's just 11 levels deep, with each of the stages taking between five and 10 minutes to complete. Boss enemies don't hold anything back, though, and average invaders' improved tactics offer a serious challenge. Overall, the simplicity of the controls gives it a good balance of accessibility without overwhelming you.

"Extreme" plays the right cards in rehashing a gaming classic. Improved enemies, boss characters, bonus rounds and power-ups snap snugly into Taito's time-honored alien-blasting, and saturated visuals and sound complement only that content.