Space Invasion / The Invaders

[mclemore]

So what exactly is this creature?

Submitted photo. Marquee says Space Invasion. The side looks like it says The Invaders but hard to tell. I think I've seen one of these before, but I can't remember where.

??

 

[HighScoreSaves]

Looks like the Japanese version from Taito in 1978.

 

[z3k3]

Tell me about the operator tag on your Stunt Cycle kiosk and I'll answer.

 

[MasterFygar]

It is the same overall cab as the Japanese upright version but all official Taito releases used the real name of the game.

Looks like this is a (likely foreign) bootleg. I know some Italian bootleg cabinets from the period used cabinets similar to the Japanese originals with slightly changed logos/names, so that could be an explanation. The European version of Commando used a Taito-shaped cabinet and was called "Space Invasion," so it's also possible this is a licensed or bootleg release of that where they decided to poke fun at its similarity to Space Invaders (the original cabinet even used the original Taito-version font on the marquee)... though I highly doubt that judging by the CP.