I don’t know about you, but I’m always blown away whenever a game I used to play as a kid in the local arcade is accurately recreated on a mobile device. The latest to do that is Taito’s Space Invaders for the iPad.
Now, don’t get this version of Space Invaders confused with Space Invaders Infinity, which is a more updated and modern version of Space Invaders. Space Invaders HD is more like the traditional Space Invaders that we’ve all grown up playing and was already released on the App Store as an iPhone game a couple of months ago.
So what does the iPad version of the game offer that isn’t already available in its iPhone counterpart? Well, for one obvious thing, the game takes full advantage of the iPad’s screen. You can play a 1 player game, which takes up the entire iPad screen with the game taking the majority of its real estate, while the lower portion of the screen is dedicated to the joystick & ‘Shot’ button. The controls can also be changed to ‘Controller’, which displays two arrows that controls your ship, or the often supported, but difficult to master, “Accelerometer”, which uses the iPad’s accelerometer to control the ship.
You can also play a 2 player game which feels like a classic tabletop arcade version where players can sit on opposite sides of the iPad to jump into the action when its their turn. If you rather sit next to your opponent, say, if it’s a lady friend, then you can enable “Pass-and-Play” which allows players to pass the iPad over to the next player when its there turn. Kind of a slick way to show off your rock hard biceps while you’re shooting wave after wave of alien hordes.
For you OpenFeint users, you’ll be happy to know Space Invaders HD fully supports the service with leadboards & achievements.
Space Invaders HD ($4.99) – [iTunes Link]