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Sega SG-1000

Space Invaders

Sega SG-1000

Sega SG-1000

Earth is under attack from rows of bomb dropping aliens, and you need to defend it! The rows of aliens begin at the top of the screen, and you control a laser cannon at the bottom of the screen. Your goal is to earn points by shooting the aliens before they can land. The aliens march back and for...

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Developer
Sega Enterprises

Released on
1985

Size
1–2 Players

Version
Sega SG-1000

Requirements
Sega SG-1000

Downloads
Shooter

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

Earth is under attack from rows of bomb dropping aliens, and you need to defend it! The rows of aliens begin at the top of the screen, and you control a laser cannon at the bottom of the screen. Your goal is to earn points by shooting the aliens before they can land. The aliens march back and forth, and each time the end of the screen is reached they will drop one row closer to the bottom. Shoot them all, and you move on to the next (tougher) level, but if even one of them lands the game is over.

Surprisingly the SG-1000 port of the game was one of the most accurate of its time, surpassing the NES and MSX versions which were the console’s main competitors. Though it adds more color (the arcade version was simply black and white, with translucent overlays to mimic color), the SG-1000 version retains all the original graphics, whereas other ports (especially for Atari systems) re-drew the invaders due to various graphical restrictions.

The SG-1000 version does not appear to have been released outside of Japan.

Space Invaders

Overview & History

Released in 1983, Sega's port of Taito's arcade legend for their inaugural home console, the SG-1000, represents a fascinating chapter in early Japanese video game history. While the original coin-op defined the golden age of arcade gaming with its tense, descending extraterrestrial onslaught, bringing this monumental title to Sega's custom hardware required smart technical compromises. The SG-1000 iteration captures the hypnotic desperation of the arcade original, tasking you with defending Earth from an endless, ever-accelerating alien armada using a solitary laser cannon. Though stripped of the iconic, shifting multi-colored scanlines of the arcade cabinet, this cartridge version delivers a remarkably faithful rendition of the gameplay loop that started a global phenomenon, serving as a vital historical stepping stone for Sega before the Master System era.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

You control a solitary movable laser base situated at the bottom of the screen, facing off against rows of descending pixelated alien invaders. As you pick off the Martians one by one, the entire formation accelerates, ratcheting up the tension with every step down the playfield. Defensive cover is provided by four destructible bunkers, though enemy plasma fire and your own misplaced shots will slowly erode these barriers into useless debris. Occasionally, a mystery flying saucer streaks across the top of the upper border, offering a hefty bonus score if you can land a clean shot amidst the chaos. The game ends when the alien horde breaches your planetary defense line at the bottom of the screen, or when you exhaust your finite supply of spare cannons.