Atari's Space Invaders Clone

Phetishboy

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What was it? Seems like most arcade companies tried to make their own SI-type shooter after the huge success of that title. Midway had Galaxian, Nichibutsu had Moon Cresta, Taito had Stratovox. What was Atari's answer? Centipede? Maybe Missile Command?
 
What was it? Seems like most arcade companies tried to make their own SI-type shooter after the huge success of that title. Midway had Galaxian

huh? Wasn't it Midway that produced Space Invaders to begin with or am I just stoopid?
 
Ah, in that case I ask about this part:


I was just citing later examples. Truth be told, I know there are tons of SI clones, even by the company that created SI and the company that got licensing for SI, but I can't think of any of their names right now. Generic titles like 'Space Armada', 'Menacing Martians', 'Malice-filled Moon Ships', 'Cosmic Bomb Droppers', 'Alien Armada' etc. I just noticed that Atari really didn't develop an obvious SI rip off clone, though I have heard Centipede and Missile Command listed in the same genre.
 
I was just citing later examples. Truth be told, I know there are tons of SI clones, even by the company that created SI and the company that got licensing for SI, but I can't think of any of their names right now. Generic titles like 'Space Armada', 'Menacing Martians', 'Malice-filled Moon Ships', 'Cosmic Bomb Droppers', 'Alien Armada' etc. I just noticed that Atari really didn't develop an obvious SI rip off clone, though I have heard Centipede and Missile Command listed in the same genre.


OkeeDokee. I get it now. I remember playing Space Invaders a lot on my Atari 2600. Does that count for anything?
 
What was it? Seems like most arcade companies tried to make their own SI-type shooter after the huge success of that title. Midway had Galaxian, Nichibutsu had Moon Cresta, Taito had Stratovox. What was Atari's answer? Centipede? Maybe Missile Command?
I would add Nintendo- Space Firebird and Centuri/Amstar- Phoenix... It is strange that Atari never seemed to follow that space shooter model...

Side question, is every game with a ship at the bottom, and rows of aliens at the top considered to be a descendant of Space Invaders? Sub-question, would you also consider them to be direct descendants of Breakout?
 
I would add Nintendo- Space Firebird and Centuri/Amstar- Phoenix... It is strange that Atari never seemed to follow that space shooter model...

Side question, is every game with a ship at the bottom, and rows of aliens at the top considered to be a descendant of Space Invaders? Sub-question, would you also consider them to be direct descendants of Breakout?

Nintendo Space Fever (and Space Fever II) are near copies.
 
atari had breakout, which was the inspiration for space invaders. they also had the first licensed home version on the 2600.
 
While Centipede and Missile Command aren't space shooters, I have always felt that they are in the same vein - the enemy comes from above, never really stopping until you are dead in wave after wave. As someone mentioned though, Tempest really is Atari's answer to Space Invaders as it was originally started as such, wasn't it? I also think of Asteroids fitting into the same vein but instead of the top-down method making the threat come from all around you was a more exciting way to do it. And that's what I liked about Atari - they didn't need to produce a straight clone like so many others, they just took the basic concept behind SI and went in a completely different direction with it. And with each of these games, they made it far more exciting/entertaining than SI did, which I have always found to be slightly boring.
 
I believe it was Mark Cerny who said Atari's philosophy at the time was that each game should be as different as possible so as to always stand out. Based on the timing, I've always thought that Asteroids was their answer to Space Invaders.
 
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