2. Space Invaders (Arcade)

By AHCHAY

Imagine a world without Space Invaders. A world where Toshihiro Nishikado had never had that sublime flash of inspiration which brought a new art form into existence. A world where shoot-‘em-up means posh people and shotguns rather than Ikaruga. A world, arguably, without videogames.

Because that’s how important Space Invaders is. There was a time before Space Invaders, when videogame meant ‘Pong’, and then there was a time after. Never mind how long it’s been since the Romans nailed a man to a cross, Space Invaders is *our* year zero.

Space Invaders is Elvis; snarling, thrusting and howling his way into the mass consciousness.

Space Invaders is Laika; screaming into space to die slowly in a metal coffin, more alone than any creature had ever been before.

Space Invaders is Michelangelo; crippling himself for the sake of art, God and self-glorification.

Space Invaders is the opening bars of Beethoven’s Fifth; strident, yearning and showing mankind the beauty of the infinite – and giving the infinite a glimpse of the beauty contained in the human soul.

But never mind its cultural importance, Space Invaders is, before anything else, a fantastic game. Beautifully balanced, lovingly crafted, sublimely honed and with a lot more subtlety than the 21st century gives it credit for.

Left, right and a single bullet are all that lie between you and the destruction of the world. Never mind the, frankly obscene, fire power of many of it’s spawn – Space Invaders is a game of skill, not of reflexes. A game where every shot counts (and every shot is counted), a game which rewards a steady finger, a keen eye and nerves of steel rather than relying on the miniscule hit-zone and button slapping typical of the modern arcade shooter.

It’s hard to single out a best bit – because everything about Space Invaders is a best bit. Maybe it’s the shuffle – still unique even now – allowing the skilled player to shoot behind the front rows. Or maybe it’s the first time you allow the invaders to land, half expecting a second chance. Possibly it’s the way that the last invader suddenly gets a sense of urgency, or that moment when you realise that it moves quicker going from left to right. Then again, could it be the Death Row method – now, I was never good enough to unerringly pull this off and, for the most part, it still eludes me. But when you do manage it, and that last line of five invaders is hurtling towards you – when you know that missing any of the next five shots will spell instant Game Over – it’s one of the finest feelings in videogaming.

It’s the sounds that first attracted me to Space Invaders - the relentless thud of the oncoming hordes, the sssh-bnk of your pathetic bullets unerringly finding their mark and the sssh-silence when they miss. Not to mention the gut-shaking, heart-rending explosion as you fail to dodge that last bullet – to an 11-year-old in the late ‘70s it sounded like the future. It still does. When old age finally takes me and I have lost all memories of who and what I am, the only thing left will be the Sssh-bnk of a well placed Space Invaders shot.

AHCHAY

And in reverse order...

50 to 40 - Oooh the suspense.
39 to 29 - Wow, if only we had Paul Ross to present.
28 to 18 - Time for a cup of tea in the break?
17 to 6 - Nearly there, so you get just a bit more meat.
5 - Into the legends...
4 - Is this the Bobby Moore to no.1's Paul Gascoigne?
3 - 3-2-1 quipped Ted Rogers. He wasn't wrong.
2 - We argued and agonised for months over this list - we really did.
1 - But of the number one slot, there was never any doubt.

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