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SPACE INVADERS (1978) / QIX (1981)

Developer: Taito World Record Hi-Score: 218,870 (Space Invaders) / 1,666,604 (Qix)

Dec 2020

Space invaders was the first video game to really take the world by storm in 1978. Still simple, fun and challenging to play today, this is the 25th anniversary edition release of the arcade machine. Still the same great game, but in an official Taito cabinet made for the anniversary. When Space Invaders was originally released it was before arcades had actually become a ‘thing’, so there were halls and public spaces dedicated to rows and rows of the same machine, with endless queues of eager customers wanting to experience this new form of entertainment. By 1982 it had grossed $3.8bn! One of many reasons the game is often classed as the most influential video game of all time.

This anniversary edition of the arcade machine is combined with a lesser-known classic, also released by Taito. Qix, originally released in 1981 is a unique title, that starts with largely an empty screen, with the objective being that the player draws lines to close-off areas of the screen, without getting hit by the erratically moving ‘Qix’ that jumps around the screen. You need to fill a percentage of the screen (usually around 65%) to then proceed to the next level. A frustrating but enjoyable game with simplicity at its heart.