Space Invaders DX

DX contains four variations of the original Space Invaders, in addition to a multiplayer mode and a "Parody Mode" that replaces the characters with those from other Taito franchises. Home ports of DX received mixed reviews for their high price point and general lack of content.

• Title — Space Invaders DX • Developer — Taito • Publisher — Taito • Producer — Keusuke Kasigawa • Composer — Katsuhisa Ishikawa • Series — Space Invaders • Platforms — Arcade, Super Famicom, PC Engine CD, Sega Saturn, PlayStation • Released — ArcadeSeptember 1993 Super FamicomMarch 25, 1994 PC Engine CDJuly 28, 1995 SaturnDecember 13, 1996 PlayStationJuly 31, 1997 • Genre — Fixed shooter • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer • Arcade System — Taito B System, Taito F3 System

• Illustration — Space Invaders DX contains a two-player versus mode, in addition to a port of the arcade original. Space Invaders DX contains an updated version of the original Space Invaders alongside several other additional features. As in the original, the player controls a laser base situated at the bottom of the screen, who must destroy each formation of invaders before they successfully take over Earth. Formations march towards the bottom by moving to the side of the screen and then downward. The laser base can only fire one shot at a time, and must wait before it either collides with an enemy or goes off the screen. The invaders become faster as more are destroyed. Four shields are placed above the player, who can hide behind them for protection from enemy fire; however, the shields become damaged when inflicted with fire from either the invaders or the player. A UFO will occasionally appear towards the top of the screen, which can be shot down for bonus points. DX allows the player to select from one of four different game types; a black and white monitor, a color monitor, a version that places fake layers of cellophane across the screen to mimic color, and a “reflector” type that features a recreation of the backdrop found in upright Space Invaders machines. A two-player versus mode is also present, where two players compete against each other by destroying endless waves of invaders until the other side's base is destroyed enough times. Shooting colored invaders causes various effects to occur, such as having the opponent's invaders descend a level or add an extra row of invaders to their side. The arcade version features a "Parody Mode" that replaces the characters with those from other Taito franchises, including Bubble Bobble, Arkanoid, and Darius. The Sega Saturn and PC Engine CD releases add a new mode called “Kawaii Mode”, which replaces the backdrops with cartoony, anime-style characters and an arranged soundtrack, while featuring the same Space Invaders gameplay.

Taito released Space Invaders DX in September 1993 to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Space Invaders series. Early versions of the game were designed to run on the company's B System arcade system board, with later ones using its cartridge-based F3 System. The game was produced by Keisuke Kasigawa and composed by Katsuhisa Ishikawa, credited as “Babi” in-game. Space Invaders creator Tomohiro Nishikado is also credited for the port of the original. DX was ported to the Super Famicom on March 25, 1994, to celebrate Taito's 40th anniversary, which renamed it Space Invaders: The Original Game. A Game Boy port of the original game, simply titled Space Invaders, was also released in North America and Europe in 1994; this version features the DX game as a hidden extra, accessible by inserting the cartridge into the Super Game Boy peripheral for the Super NES. The game was ported to the PC Engine CD on July 28, 1995, followed by the Sega Saturn on December 13, 1996; the Saturn version was re-released as part of a bundle with Puzzle Bobble 2X two years later. The Super NES version is included as a bonus game in PD Ultraman Invaders, released for the PlayStation in late 1995 by Bandai. It was later ported to the PlayStation on July 31, 1997; this port was later published as a budget title by D3 Publisher in 1999 as part of its Simple series of budget games, renamed Simple 1500: THE Invader. The Super Famicom version was digitally re-released for the Wii Virtual Console on September 16, 2008, in Japan, November 17, 2008, in North America, and on November 28, 2008, in Europe.