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Classic Games (Games) Entertainment Games

Return of the Space Invaders 238

Posted by michael from the recycling dept.
pashdown writes "Get your two-liter bottles of Shasta and your all-Rush mixtapes ready! In honor of the 25th Anniversary of Space Invaders, Taito has commissioned Namco to remake the classic arcade game. The only thing not nostalgic is the price, increased from one quarter to two." We had a sneak peek of this cabinet as a Slashdot Games story a couple of weeks back.
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Return of the Space Invaders More

Return of the Space Invaders

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  • space invader history (Score:5, Informative)

    by wo1verin3 ( 473094 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @05:47PM (#7642739) Homepage
    Great history of Space Invaders [aol.com].

  • realism (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Ass, Ltd. Ho! ( 714400 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @05:48PM (#7642756)
    be realistic, people. This game is 25 years old. You can play it on one of those joysticks you plug directly into your TV that costs $20. Who the HELL is going to pay 50 cents to play this thing. I haven't been in an arcade in a couple years. Does EVERYTHING cost 50 cents? Are there just no quarter games left? Is nostalgia really that powerful? I wasn't old enough to have any quarters the first time around. This is space invaders 25th anniversary and i just had my 24th. Maybe I'm young and dumb. Come on. 50 cents? Anyone?

    • Re:realism (Score:3, Insightful)

      by wo1verin3 ( 473094 )
      a) I loved this game and grew up with it, I would easily part with some coins to play it

      b) Most games cost more then this now, some being $1 or $2 depending on what location they're in

    • Re:realism (Score:5, Insightful)

      by gunfinger ( 729227 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @05:55PM (#7642836) Homepage
      nostalgia is one of the stronger powers, actually. stronger than that, tho, is the dissapointment that comes from attempting to regain that same all-encompassing ball of senses (rush tapes and shasta included) that you had when you first played that classic game (ANY game you consider classic).

      that said tho, the new galaga versions kick ass, faster play, faster shooting, tasty graphics while maintaining the flat-down perspective. of course there's hope and love for games, just don't go looking to be a 10 year old again.
      • that said tho, the new galaga versions kick ass, faster play, faster shooting, tasty graphics while maintaining the flat-down perspective.

        It's also available on the Namco Museum for $15.. great buy.
        • OTOH, you can play from Excel! This link [plala.or.jp] is supposed to have downloads to pacman and space invaders Excel macros, but I've only found the pacman one so far.

          The site is in Nihongo, so I can't read it all that well. Anybody want to translate?

      • Re:realism (Score:3, Insightful)

        by nolife ( 233813 )
        But nostalga does not rub off onto those that were not there at the time. The only people that will be interested are those from that time frame and can relate directly to it. It limits your market.

        I was testing a MAME setup at the house with a decent collection of games. My 12 year old son is into gaming. He has an XBox, PS2, Dreamcast, plays various games on the computer and gets a few monthly game magazines.

        His only comments on MAME were, the graphics on the games "suck" and no better the N64 and t

    • Re:realism (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Dan667 ( 564390 )
      The movie industry was worried that no one would go to the movies when VCR's came out. People still go because they like the experience. There is something about a full sized arcade game that does the same thing for me.

    • Re:realism (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Lumpy ( 12016 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @06:03PM (#7642928) Homepage
      yes there are LOTS of quarter games left. Many good arcades (the ones that are left) have entire rows for $0.25 a play.

      Hell Just last month 3 friends and I scared the hell out of a bunch of kids at the arcade near me as we hogged the Gauntlet machine for 3 hours.

      nothing like freaking out teens by seeing 4 35-37 years olds in their arcade screaming and yelling at each other playing a video-game.

      only the asshat operators are charging more per play for the classic games.

      • Re:realism (Score:5, Informative)

        by prockcore ( 543967 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @06:30PM (#7643206)
        Many good arcades (the ones that are left) have entire rows for $0.25 a play.

        Find the closest Wunderland or Nickel City. It costs $2 to get in, and 1/4th the games are 5 cents, 1/4th are 10 cents, and the rest are free!

        • Re:realism (Score:2, Insightful)

          by someguy42 ( 609667 )
          Find the closest Wunderland or Nickel City.

          Yeah, since there's only 3 of them, and the nearest one to me is 11 hours away! Sounds like a wonderful plan! Spend $80+ on gas to get there to play games for a couple hours at $.05 or $.10 a pop! Heh!

      • If you're *really* 35-37 years old, your use of the word, "asshat" is inappropriate for your generation.

        I haven't yet decided about "to the extreme!".
    • Sadly enough, the only $.25 games left in arcades are the classic machines. Fortunately they're usually the better games. You're right, .50 is too much to pay for a game though. Whenever I see a good $.25 machine, I usually end up running 1 or 2 bucks through it. Doubling the cost is going to make me a lot less likely to play at all. And I'll still only want to spend a buck or two per sitting. I've got games at home you know.

      • Re:realism (Score:3, Interesting)

        by OldFart58 ( 663547 )
        When I was 19, BattleZone was 50 cents a play - I _loved_ that game.

        Being a starving college student, however, I eventually ran out of quarters (not just because of BattleZone, but...)

        Had also just taken my first programming course as a math elective about then (was a bio major at the time - and had just found out that I _hated_ O-chem) - my grades suffered considerably as I found myself spending inordinate amounts of time in the comp lab - but it turns out that that was the only programming course av

    • Re:realism (Score:5, Insightful)

      by John_Booty ( 149925 ) <johnbooty@booty p r o j e c t . o rg> on Friday December 05, 2003 @06:06PM (#7642959) Homepage
      be realistic, people. This game is 25 years old. You can play it on one of those joysticks you plug directly into your TV that costs $20

      One of the reasons the arcade industry died out in America is because the games simply got too complicated. The games with whiz-bang-ultra-3D-photo-realistic-graphics and 27-button controllers that impress HARDCORE games are a big turn-off to a large majority of the audience. Most people don't want to have to figure out something complicated in the arcade. They want something they can have fun playing for 10 minutes while they're waiting at the laundromat or the movie theater or for their friend to finish taking a leak at the highway rest stop.

      I think this is especially true now that home games match (or outshine) arcade games and offer much more depth and complexity. No longer do hardcore gamers spend hours in arcades- they have game consoles for that at home. The market for more complex arcade games simply does not exist any more.

      In the year 2003, arcade games need to offer quick, short, simple bursts of fun. And nothing fits the bill better than the games of 20-25 years ago.

      And of course a game that cost 25 cents in 1980 is gonna cost 50 cents now. Have you ever heard of inflation? Relatively-speaking, it's probably cheaper now.

      • Don't forget, they also got 'Family Friendly'. (Score:4, Interesting)

        by H3lldr0p ( 40304 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @06:24PM (#7643147) Homepage
        There was a great, and I do mean great, arcade in my local mall when I was growing up. It had darkish lighting, ashtrays everywhere, a coke despenser and the overall perfect atmosphere for somebody wanting to get away from everything to play a game or two.

        Parents always complained about the place, as parents are want to do. Not that anything ever went down there. The owners were parents themsevles and wanted to make sure it was just a fun place to hang out.

        Long story short the mall they were located in got tired of hearing parental complaints so they forced them out by jacking up the stall price quarter after quarter after quarter until it got too pricy. About a year after it left, the mall sold the stall and the one next to it to a Fun Factory.

        Now, the place is all lit up, bright and shiny, and costs three to four times as much for each game. There a couple of guys who stand behind the counter and occasionally play a game or two, but it is now home to a few mall rat gangs and has had more fights break out in the last couple of years over high scores than the old place ever did in its lifetime.

      • Re:realism (Score:4, Interesting)

        by Galvatron ( 115029 ) * on Friday December 05, 2003 @07:41PM (#7643834)
        Yup, actually according to the first inflation calculator I found on Google, $0.25 in 1980 is $0.59 in 2002. Although, on the other hand, computer hardware has generally gotten much, much cheaper, so it seems entirely reasonable that the game should be cheaper in real terms.
        • Although, on the other hand, computer hardware has generally gotten much, much cheaper, so it seems entirely reasonable that the game should be cheaper in real terms.


          Add to that the fact that the game isn't being changed at all from the original, according the article. Surely Taito have redeemed their R&D costs by now.
    • .. and how did they manage to make it cost over 2k$?

      the electronics surely are just around that 20$, if they're not stupid.

      there's no reason why one game would need to be .50$. especially when the thing is cheaper to build than anything.

      • Re:realism (Score:3, Insightful)

        by stratjakt ( 596332 )
        Build one then..

        The monitor will run you 3-5 hundred, new. Go price out a 19" standard res arcade monitor at happ. Don't forget shipping, these things dont show up in the mail.

        The cabinet will cost you about 100 bucks all told, even if you make it out of cheapo MDF.

        Joysticks, buttons, switches, wood-mounted PSUs and iso transformers... Rugged arcade quality stuff ain't cheap, and the cheap stuff is worthless. You ever seen the beating the drunks at the bar put on the Golden Tee Golf machines? Those
        • the thing is that there's not much stuff needed besides the cabinet and the monitor. monitor goes for few hundred $, the cabinet parts for few hundred $ more, i still don't see them coming up at 2k+ as the electronics(including the game itself) and control should come under 100$ as well(from a chinese factory of some sort).

          though i doubt if these are sold to make money in pure revenue into itself.. rather as attractments. and as a heritage showoff.

    • Re:realism (Score:3, Funny)

      by mbadolato ( 105588 )
      Does EVERYTHING cost 50 cents

      The scary thing is, remember going "Dragon's Lair costs 50 cents to play? SCREW THAT!"

    • Re:realism (Score:2, Insightful)

      by borg1238 ( 692335 )
      Who the HELL is going to pay 50 cents to play this thing.

      Jesus, it's only 50 cents. You can't even buy coffee with that. I'd say $.50 for 3-5 minutes of playtime (and maybe a nostalgia kick on top of that) is a fair trade.

      • Jesus, it's only 50 cents. You can't even buy coffee with that.

        Move to NYC, guy. Every morning, the streets are lined with guys in carts who would love to sell you a cup of coffee for $0.35 to $0.50, and the quality ain't bad, either.

    • Re:realism (Score:5, Interesting)

      by squidfood ( 149212 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @07:13PM (#7643596)
      Who the HELL is going to pay 50 cents to play this thing.

      True story: So I wandered into Gameworks (Seattle) a few months back. Among the multi-player driving games and VR stuff, at the back in a corner was a row of classics.

      There was a 13-year old shooting away on Galaga. I watched him for a moment, and in a pause he noticed me and said "Man, this is the most awesome game ever!"

      Man did that restore faith in the youth of today.

    • Summary: bah humbug.

      The point you are missing though is that your are not paying to play a game. You are paying for a slice of nostalgia.

      You didn't play Space Invaders in college, therefore you Aren't The Target Demographic, you young whippersnapper.

    • Seems to be a problem with old games lately.
      Really, look what they did to chess....used to have REAL people and all, now just cheap plastic knock-offs...seems to be a trend.. Look at that silly Monopoly game...same flat board and little metal pices after like 50+ years...

      Old games are like that...it doesn't have to make sense...that's why they call it CULTure!

  • Terrific! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by ActionPlant ( 721843 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @05:48PM (#7642760) Homepage
    I've missed this game! You used to only be able to play it in small-town pizza shops anymore. I wouldn't mind owning one myself...it would make a great conversation piece for the livingroom.

    Damon,
    • wouldn't mind owning one myself...it would make a great conversation piece for the livingroom.

      www.ebay.com

      a buddy of mine bought a dead one for $125.00 and a set of working boards for $400.00

      $525.00 later plus driving 6 hours to get the game and another $125.00 for reproduction stickers for the sides of the cabinet to make it look better and he has one in his basement.

      if you are not electronically inclined... even slightly then you are out of luck and at the mercy of us geeks that took the time to lea
      • Very cool...you guys could make some serious money, you know. I'm thinking there's quite the "nostalgic geek" market for these things. At least, I know I'd pay a pretty penny.

        Damon,
      • Cool, I got two old pinball machines in working conditions. They are so much better, they actually have 1 point bumpers!

    • Great conversation piece? (Score:3, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      "Hi, come on in!"

      "Hey what's that thing?"

      "Oh this, it's my Space Invaders cabinet. Isn't it awesome to behold?"

      "Uh, yeah. Neat. How much was it?"

      "I got one used for around 500 bucks and it only took around 350 man hours to refinish."

      "That's...um, great."

      "Did you want to have a game?"

      "No...thanks. Um, where can I sit?"

      "We have to sit in the kitchen."

      "I should get going."
    • Obligatory Simpsons Quote:

      Willie: It's impossible for me to fire a pistol. If you'll check me medical records, you'll see I have a crippling arthritis in my index fingers. Look at 'em! I got it from space invaders in 1977.
      Wiggum: Aw yeah, that was a pretty addictive video game.
      Willie: Video game?

  • what? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 05, 2003 @05:49PM (#7642765)
    two-liter bottles of Shasta and your all-Rush mixtapes

    wow, and back then I though I was a loser...

    • Re:what? (Score:3, Informative)

      by greenskyx ( 609089 )
      Did you ever watch Futurama? If not you might be missing the point... but yeah Fry is a loser...
      • Yeah, everyone knows all the cool kids drink Mr. Pibb.
        • I want a pop, pop, pop, pop. I want a... Shasta. Grr, damned advertising culture. ;) Seriously though, that was good stuff, and the three liter bottles combined with two liter bottles were great for making gravity bongs, or so I've heard.

  • 50 cents for Space Invaders? (Score:4, Informative)

    by Skyshadow ( 508 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @05:50PM (#7642780) Homepage
    Okay, I'll admit that having a Space Invaders cabinet in my home would be cool beyong the bounds of cool (using, of course, the geek definition of the word), but who the heck is going to drop 50 cents to play in a restaurant or bar?

    Personally, I wish they'd reissue MK2 -- I kick *ass* when I'm playing on one of the cabinets. Nobody beatin' me when I'm driving Baraka....

  • Enough Space Invaders (Score:5, Funny)

    by use_compress ( 627082 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @05:51PM (#7642789) Journal
    Why don't they bring out the classic video game that everybody loved-- Custer's Revenge [classicgaming.com]!

  • 25c still the baseline (Score:5, Interesting)

    by RobertB-DC ( 622190 ) * on Friday December 05, 2003 @05:51PM (#7642793) Homepage Journal
    What's surprised me is that I can often get in a quick arcade fix at the local quickie mart or laundromat for a quarter. Sure, anything reasonably new will be 50c, but a single quarter gets me as much fun as it did in 1985.

    Wouldn't that be roughly the equivalent of playing Pac-Man for a 1980's dime?

    As for this game, are they still planning to package it with QIX [namcoarcade.com]? That's one of the old school games I miss. That and my favorite game of all time, Mr. Do! [klov.com]. If anyone knows where a working Mr. Do! is within 100 miles of Dallas, lemme know and I'm there with a roll of quarters!

    • I gots a Mr. Do! (Score:4, Interesting)

      by freeweed ( 309734 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @06:07PM (#7642970)
      I picked up a non-working Mr. Do! a couple of years back, was gonna do the MAME cabinet thing but never found the space to put the cab.

      As it turns out, the only thing wrong with the game was that the monitor was blown (and no, I'm not up to re-capping it, thanks :). The speaker was unplugged, so the guy I got it from just assumed it was busted. I finally managed to cobble together a cable to interface into an old Tandy RGB monitor. So instead of a nice 19" screen, I play on a sad 9" screen :(

      I've been debating looking into the cheap LCD monitors you can get for PSX/GC/XBOX, and basically making the world's stupidest gameboy. The original Mr. Do! board fits almost perfectly into a standard sized briefcase, so it would be a fun luggable to show off.

      Anyone know if any of these screens can accept straight RGB inputs? Or are they composite/s-video only?

    • 50c is reasonable -- for their target audience (Score:5, Funny)

      by GuyMannDude ( 574364 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @06:08PM (#7642976) Journal

      Space Invaders is an old, old game and definitely looks it. I'm sure their target demographic are the people who grew up playing this and want to relieve a little bit of nostalgia for old times sake. And those of us old enough to be in this demographic are certainly not hurting for money so 50c is pretty much the same as 25c to us. I'm not going to squabble over a few cents, for chrissake. We just want to relive how we felt in the days when we played videogames in arcades, listened to Journey and got raging hardons everytime Jodi Jackson walked by our desk in 8th grade algebra class. If I gotta pay 50c for that experience, big fuckin' deal! Besides, it's not like we're going to play it over and over all night long. We'll just play it once or twice, laugh, and then get back to drinking with our friends. 50c is a big increase over 25c to kids but I'm sure they wouldn't really be interested in Space Invaders anyhow. They'd probably just laugh at the graphics and repetitive sound effects and say "That's something my dad would have played!" -- and they'd be right!

      As for Qix, I'm simply direct you to my earlier post [slashdot.org]. That game really rocked. Big time.

      GMD

    • If anyone knows where a working Mr. Do! is within 100 miles of Dallas

      There's a coffee house in Tucson with a tabletop Mr Do.. so whenever you're driving by on your way to california or something you can stop by.. hehe

  • From the article: (Score:4, Insightful)

    by IANAL(BIAILS) ( 726712 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @05:51PM (#7642794) Homepage Journal
    "Taito aims to sell 10,000 of the standalone game machines at $2,772 a unit." At first I thought 'there's no way people would be willing to pay so much for a game', but then I realized that the intended market for the game is nostalgic baby boomers with a lot of disposible income... I'd bet they do end up selling out. I only hope that a few make it to the local arcades - it would be so much better than that Dance Dance Crap.
    • I love DDR. Of course I don't play it in the arcade. I play it at home. Nothing beats alcohol, friends, two dancepads, and my ps2. And the best part is, chicks dig it.

  • Inflation? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by -Grover ( 105474 )
    Although the game itself will not change, inflation has taken its toll. One play will now cost 50 cents, compared with 25 cents a generation ago.

    Speaking from an outsiders standpoint, don't arcade games today let you set how much it costs to play? Not to say I wouldn't use it for 50 cents, but why mess with a classic?

  • For 50 cents... (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    this baby better be showing in 256 colors!

  • No Screen Caps (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Torinaga-Sama ( 189890 )
    Note that the provide no Screen caps, so it will probably the exact same game that gets boring after 2 minutes, just like every other ROM you loved as a kid.

    Do yourself a favor, stay away, keep the memories of your youth pristine and unmolested. Do not be a George Lucas.

  • It never had permanent appeal (Score:3, Interesting)

    by SexyKellyOsbourne ( 606860 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @05:55PM (#7642835) Journal
    Though space invaders is a classic, I don't expect too many of these things to show up. The old Game Boy and SNES cartridges didn't sell to well -- why? Space Invaders is an outdated, frustrating game, and is only well known because it was ahead of its time with its false-cellophane colours. Thinking that people will pay $0.50 to play that cheap game is ridiculous, and most arcade vendors will have to set it down to $0.25.

    If there was demand for it, it would have been remade, and I haven't seen space invaders in an arcade for 10 years. The only arcade games to be remade and be successful are Mrs. Pacman and Galaga, most of which fell apart after 20 years, with the survivors suffering from horrible screen burn. Some games that used to be ubiquitous, like TMNT and Mortal Kombat II, are now becoming increasingly scarce, but will probably not be remade just because they were popular in the contemporary sense only.

  • 2,772 divided by .50 is 5544. That means each system will have to be played 5544 times to just *break even*. Quick, boring fad gone in 5, 4, 3, 2, ...

    Heh, I'll just just go back to playing my 2600 Space Invaders I got, for, um, $10 bucks (including console).

    -Sean
    • Woof, the 2600 space invaders is an awful port. The arcade version really just feels a lot better. Don't get me wrong, I love the 2600, I buy nearly every one I can find, but there were some awful arcade ports (space invaders, pacman), as well as some good ones.(breakout, donkey kong)
    • well, if a friend sees it, and tells you-
      and you go, and play it 4 times.. for nostalgia's sake..
      then you play a few other machines in the arcade, because you happen to be there

      it was only played 4 times by you- but you dropped more than $2 at the arcade..

    • That means each system will have to be played 5544 times to just *break even*. Quick, boring fad gone in 5, 4, 3, 2, ...

      Shouldn't that be:

      Quick, boring fad gone in 5, 5, 4, 4.... :)

  • just realized how pricey... (Score:5, Informative)

    by wo1verin3 ( 473094 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @05:55PM (#7642845) Homepage
    From article:
    Taito aims to sell 10,000 of the standalone game machines at $2,772 a unit.

    That is a bit expensive if all you're looking for is nostalgia since you can buy the original for $1295 [american-amusements.com] or maybe off e-bay for $369 [ebay.com] (current bid at time of comment).
    • Yeah, but I just went to their site - now I really want to get myself a christmas bonus - Hard Driving for $1095! I used to love that game. Of course, if they'd had the sequel (Stunt Driving - the yellow one) that would be even better...

      http://www.american-amusements.com/am/home.nsf/P ub lic/Hard_Driving.htm
    • That is a bit expensive if all you're looking for is nostalgia since you can buy the original for $1295 or maybe off e-bay for $369 (current bid at time of comment).
      If you are just after nostalgia you could get this [thinkgeek.com] instead for only $44.99!

  • Everyone knows about the "furrer" trick, right? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Ubergrendle ( 531719 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @05:57PM (#7642866) Journal
    As discussed here [klov.com], there was a trick with the original game that allowed for ultra high scores. Basically it involved timing the shots at the bonus flying saucer, to maximise 300 points whenever possible.

    I found out about this trick as I met Mr Furrer through work just recently. Basically many a night was wasted in The Bombshelter at Waterloo University (Ontario, Canada) playing that game before he gleamed on the pattern. Last he knew, he had the world record for Space Invaders.

    Now he's a J2EE programmer working on Weblogic platforms. Unfortunately playing Space Invaders never turned into a full time career for him. ;)
  • The long national nightmare is over!

    I'm going to rest now. My work here is done.

  • These double game re-releases (Galaga/Pacman, Centipede/Missle Command, Space Invaders/Qix) are really pretty lame, they always cost significantly more than buying the two original machines themselves! Granted they're marginally easier to maintain and take up half the space, but really, is that worth $1000+ to you? I would bet they get less in revenue as well -- if an arcade game costs 50 cents I'll usually only play 1-3 games, but when it's only a quarter I tend to pump at least a few bucks into it (if it'
  • My favorite from the old days was Tempest.

    I was not co-ordinated enough for Astroids and I really never played Space Invaders much.

    I also liked Bagman.

    --ken

  • Fifty Cents is the DEFAULT option. (Score:5, Informative)

    by RyuuzakiTetsuya ( 195424 ) <taiki.cox@net> on Friday December 05, 2003 @06:09PM (#7642989)
    Not the actual price depending on your location. Most modern(post 1990?) coin op games have some sort of pricing setting in the service menu and can be set as high as 8 coins, whatever coin you may use. Whether it be a quarter, nickel, or loonie.
    • Most modern(post 1990?) coin op games have some sort of pricing setting in the service menu and can be set as high as 8 coins, whatever coin you may use. Whether it be a quarter, nickel, or loonie.

      Or twonies...

      16 bucks canadian...that's about 12 bucks U.S.!

      Man, puts that whole 50 cents into perspective : )

  • Rush Tapes? (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Get your two-liter bottles of Shasta and your all-Rush mixtapes ready!

    Why would I want to listen Rush Limbaugh? I would rather have some of his good drugs while I am playing the game.

  • God How I Loved That Game (Score:5, Interesting)

    by tealover ( 187148 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @06:12PM (#7643025)
    Space Invaders reminds me of a time, a time that seems perfect to me.

    For me, I was a youngster in NYC in late 70's thru early 80's. Penn Station was my playground. They had all the videogames you could think of down there. They even had those old football games with the rollers that you had to smack at with the palm of your hand, which would inevitably get pinched by rolling too far and falling into the small crevice next to the ball.

    All games were 25 cents. All of them.

    The Penn Station arcades are no longer there. It doesn't seem the same to me.

    A NYC slice of pizza and a water down soda, invariably from one of the 50 "Original Rays" would sustain me for hours of game playing. The grease would run down your arm...but you didn't care. It was all about the game. Even now, the smell of a NYC slice takes me back to that time.

    Most pizzerias back then had a couple of game machines. Most do not these days.

    I remember a small videogame place named Simon's on 8th avenue between 17th and 18th st., if I remember correctly. I'd walk there from JHS 70 and play pacman and asteroids and missile command for hours. I'll never forget the time this guy was playing and left 50 cents in the game for me to play as he left. He was my hero that evening.

    It's no longer there. Some hip new eatery has long ago replaced it.

    But Space Invaders was my firs love. How I loved that game. Beautiful in its simplicity. When I run into a machine, I have to play at least one game. No matter where I am. It brings me back to fun days. Days not longed by worries about job and mortgages and terrorism. Kids need those days.

    I hope this release of a classic will give kids of today memories like I have.

  • Cellvader (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    This site [geocities.jp] has versions of Pacman and Space Invaders which run inside an Excel spreadsheet.

  • Space invaders = B&W Qix=COLOR (Score:5, Funny)

    by freeze128 ( 544774 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @06:15PM (#7643056)
    You would think that the red and green celophane would screw up the appearance of Qix....

  • A remake of space invaders is like a remake of ... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by ArmorFiend ( 151674 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @06:17PM (#7643076) Homepage Journal
    A remake of space invaders is like a remake of Tolkein ... its been knocked off so many times unofficially, what in god's name would be the point of paying someone to knock it off?

  • I think it is going to be hard to sell 10,000 units of a 25 year old video game. There may still be a bit of a market in Japan, but the coin-op market in the US is pretty much dead.

    About the only place left in the US that video games still make a buck are family entertainment centers (FEC). In recient years, the trend in FECs has been toward simulators and games with LARGE screens. back in the 80's a 15" screen was the standard. Now-a-days, most cabinets have at least a 22" monitor.

    The sad part of thi
    • The sad part of this is that pinball machines got nixed in the process. Midway shutdown there operation in 1999, and the only company realy pouring money into it these days is Sega.

      Don't you mean...

      The sad part of this is that pinball machines got nixed in the process. Williams (the maker of Bally tables) shutdown their operation in 1999, and the only company realy pouring money into it these days is Stern. (who inherited the Data East/Sega legacy)

  • Margins on $2,772? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Agar ( 105254 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @06:20PM (#7643106)
    Sure, while everyone's complaining about the $0.50 price tag per game, only one other person (so far) has mentioned the actual sales cost of the console -- $2,772(!!)

    Considering the game itself can be played on a cpu less powerful than that in today's cell phones or children's toys, a 20" TV can be had for $69.99 [circuitcity.com], the rest of the cabinet is particle board and laminate, and there are no incremental R&D costs to amortize, why the hell are they charging so much?

    Given the state of arcades in the US, I think they'd sell more if they charged $699 (still a robbery) and went after the niche of geeks wanting one in their living rooms.

    This is ridiculous.
  • Willy: It's impossible for me to fire a pistol. If you'll check me medical records, you'll see I have a cripplin' arthritis in me index fingerrrs. Look at 'em! I got it from "Space Invaders" in 1977.

    Wiggum: Aw, yeah. That was a pretty addictive video game.

    Willy: Video game?

    -Tom

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Obligatory Simpsons Quote (Score:3, Funny)

    by ZaMoose ( 24734 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @06:28PM (#7643188)
    From Who Shot Mr. Burns, Part Two:

    Willy: I'm telling ye, I could nay have shot Burns.
    [uncrosses, then recrosses, his legs; everyone groans]
    Eddie: [cocking pistol] This is your last warning about that.
    Willy: It's impossible for me to fire a pistol. If you'll check me medical records, you'll see I have a cripplin' arthritis in me index fingerrrs. Look at 'em! [holds them up] I got it from "Space Invaders" in 1977.
    Wiggum: Aw, yeah. That was a pretty addictive video game.
    Willy: [surprised] Video game?

  • I still got a trick or two up my sleeve! (Score:3, Funny)

    by tmhsiao ( 47750 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @06:31PM (#7643215) Homepage Journal
    Watch, as I fire upwards through our own shield!

  • your all-Rush mixtapes

    Now that's just sad.

  • At my favorite bar there is a Namco Class of 82' machine that has both Ms. PacMan and Galaga on it. Costs 25 cents a game. Personally, I think Galaga owns Space Invaders, but granted, it came out a few years later. But 50 cents a game? Whatever. No one is going to pay that to play Space Invaders when they can pay the same amount to play the "What 5 things are different in these 2 pictures of this naked woman game." It just doesn't add up. 25 cents is a lot more resonable, and I bet you'd get more than twice
  • See also the Space Invaders wall art [thinkgeek.com] at ThinkGeek -- you get individual "sprites" which you can stick on your wall to arrange a life-size screenshot :). (My only concern is whether the images might leave an adhesive residue after they're removed.)

  • I wonder how long it'll take until somebody ports MAME to this platform - so we can finally play Space Invaders on it.

    Oh, wait...

    np: Monolake - Tetris (Momentum)

  • Wouldn't play it for free... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Alea ( 122080 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @06:55PM (#7643452)
    I know it deserves respect as one of the earliest, but the game was very weak compared to most of its close successors. I never found it engaging, even when it was almost the only option.

    Some years later, an arcade in my hometown had a Space Invaders machine running for free. No one touched it. I think I played a couple of games and got bored... I can't help thinking the same fate will follow this venture. Sounds like something no sane arcade owner would buy... more of an executive toy.

    Now Donkey Kong, Centipede, Tempest... any of those I would pick up and play with some interest.

  • Inflation? WTF? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Cody Hatch ( 136430 ) <cody&chaos,net,nz> on Friday December 05, 2003 @06:58PM (#7643477) Homepage
    I think something is seriusly wrong with there math. On the face of it, it seems fine. $0.25 in 1978 (year Space Invaders was released) dollars comes to $0.74 in 2003 dollars. In other words, $0.50 actually represents a price cut of about 1/3. Not bad...except for one thing.

    While prices overall have roughly trippled since 1978, prices of computers, electronics - almost everything that uses transistors, in fact - have plummeted. The hardware to run Space Invaders wasn't far off cutting edge in 1978, and it was *EXPENSIVE* (hey, it ran at a whole 2 Mhz!). The price of $0.25 was as high as it was because the operators needed to pay off the purchase price. On the other hand, the hardware needed to play Space Invaders is cheap. Hell, a $8 embedded microtroller has enough grunt to do it. With hardware costs so low, I'd expect a MUCH lower cost to play, not just 1/3 lower.

    Incidentally, I note it's now selling for $2,772. Anyone know what the cabinet cost when new? I'm wondering how big a price drop that represents...
  • Nobody remembers the "Anthology of Interest II" episode, where Fry defeats the space invaders?

  • Actually, as better link would have been (Score:3, Informative)

    by The Analog Kid ( 565327 ) on Friday December 05, 2003 @07:27PM (#7643709)
    this [2112.net]
  • Finally a quote from my favorite scene in the entire Futurama run!



    Leela: Invaders! Possibly from space!

    [Cut to: Outside Lrrr's Ship. He opens a window and pokes his head out.]

    Lrrr: People of Earth, I am Lrrr of the planet Nintendu 64. Tremble in fear at our three different kinds of ships!

    [Cut to: Outside Planet Express.]

    Fry: Alright, its Saturday night. I have no date, a two litre bottle of Shasta, and my all Rush mix tape! Let's rock!

    [Scene: Player's Ship. Fry stands at an arcade console
  • ...and to think I thought had scared them away for good during their previous attack wave!!! Got... to... save... planet...

  • 22-14 (Score:2)

    by klui ( 457783 )
    22-14. If you don't know what this means, you're not a Space Invader fan.

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