As the brainchild of prolific game designer, Tomohiro Nishikado, "Space Invaders" kickstarted the Golden Age of arcade games in 1978.
This was considered one of the first shoot-em up games. You play a defender of Earth in control of a laser turret that moves back and forth, popping in and out from behind destructible barriers used as cover. You must fend off a swarm of evil aliens slowly advancing toward you, and if they reach the bottom of the screen, it's game over. The aliens even speed up after each loss they suffer, which was actually a convenient bug that Nishikado left in to make the game more difficult. While you don't "beat" the game per se, you can rack up a remarkable high score if you choose your targets carefully, are fast and accurate with your movements and attacks, and keep an eye out for a red flying saucer that pops up sometimes so you can destroy it for extra points.
Sure, the game is ancient by 21st century standards, it was very advanced in 1978 the first arcades began to open. And the fact that Nishikado designed it by himself from the ground up is even more impressive. The sound effects sound great for the time, like the high-pitched whine of your laser, explosions, and whirring hover of the UFO. There's a fairly good color range too, like the green turret and barriers, white aliens, and red saucer. The music even speeds up as the aliens do to keep you tense and on your toes.
In the end, Space Invaders is an unforgettable arcade masterpiece that is still enjoyable today. Not only did it help solidify the video game market, but even inspired future game designers, including Shigeru Miyamoto.
