We are INVADERS, from SPACE! The Space Invaders Support Thread

[Ornl]

Try to reignite the fear early gamers felt when facing the invader armada in a time before Pyramid Head and Freddy Fazbear.

For Ridley and Simon, the scary cutscenes feature victims. Dogs have a sixth sense, so they are often targets of aliens, before the curious civilians and the soldiers. Duck Hunt, Ness, Fox and Snake could then have the role of victims.

 

[Ornl]

Delete: update in another posts.

 

[Wario Wario Wario]

For Ridley and Simon, the scary cutscenes feature victims. Dogs have a sixth sense, so they are often targets of aliens, before the curious civilians and the soldiers. Duck Hunt, Ness, Fox and Snake could then have the role of victims.

I'm not too sure about the idea of another death-themed trailer, more just one with a general threat. That being said, Ness; Fox; and Snake would all make great inclusions in an SI trailer.

 

[Ornl]

Delete: update in another post.

 

[Ornl]

[Vibes] People by night

Spoiler: A lot of pictures

 

[Ornl]

Delete: update in another post.

 

[Wario Wario Wario]

[Trivia] Pioneer
• In Japan, the Space Invaders creator Tomohiro Nishikado is The Pioneer of Japanese Video Games.*
He was designer the early team sport games Soccer then Davis Cup (1973), the early scrolling racing video game and the first to be exported Speed Race (1974), the early dual-stick on-foot multi-directional shooter Gun Fight (1975), and the first-person combat flight simulator Interceptor (1975). He had also imagined a prototype console intended for households with the originality of being able to download games through a telephone line, but his idea wasn't adopted at the time.*french biography
• Space Invaders was the first game to:
– be fixed shooter and set the template for the shoot 'em up genre.*
– popularize the concept of achieving a high score, save the player's score, end when the player loses (making it the first endless game).*
– sell over a million cartridges ; it's the first official licensing of an arcade game for consoles to become a "killer app" for video game consoles after quadrupling the Atari 2600's sales.*
– use a continuous background soundtrack.*
– with an original creative universe, instead of being a simulation of something that exists.*
• Unless I am mistaken, Space Invaders holds the record for the oldest video game series in the world still active.

Wouldn't Pong be the oldest game series still active?

Though, SI is getting new content more frequently than Pong so I'm not sure.

 

[Ornl]

Wouldn't Pong be the oldest game series still active?
Though, SI is getting new content more frequently than Pong so I'm not sure.

Oh. In the sense of "franchise", Pong did indeed become the record holder. I will have to correct "oldest video game series" to "oldest Japanese video game series".

Extract: Sakurai chilhood*

• The Invader Boom was in 1978-1979. At the time, I was 8.
• While my parents shopped, schoolboy Sakurai would go straight to the game corner.
• Table cabinets were the main feature, but larger arcade cabinets and eventually a laser disc system were also introduced. I think there were many Taito games.
• When I ran out of money, I went to a hobby shop on another floor, with demos of the newest games. The Famicom is seen as a founder, but many consoles preceded it – TV Vader, Atari, Intellivision, Arkadia, Vectre.
• Every game and piece of technology glimmered in my eyes. It was blinding. It might be childish to look back on it now, but there were many surprises and I was always having fun. I will never forget these games that touched me when I was just a kid!

 

[Ornl]

[OST] Let's groove!
• Menu Song / Invader House (Space Invaders Extreme)
• Shadow (Space Invaders Infinity Gene)
• Invader Disco (Space Invaders Extreme 2)
• Space Invaders 2003 (Groove Coaster 3)
• Space Invaders Infinity Gene Medley (Groove Coaster)
• Arkanoid vs Space Invaders (Groove Coaster 3)
• Sunday Roast (Space Invaders Gigamax)
(Ôô)' • Invader Girl! (Space Invaders Extreme 2)

Spoiler

[Data] New series represented by musicians on Smash websites
Brawl*
Sm4sh*
Ultimate*
• Monster Hunter, Final Fantasy, Megami Tensei (Atlusverse), and Castlevania series were named in Smash websites before being represented in Smash Bros series.
• Spike Chunsoft (creator of Erdrick, Solo and Chocobo), Level-5 (creator of Eight) and Koei Tecmo (co-creator of Byleth) were represented by musicians before the FP1.
• The other named series from the last other notable compagny are Darius, Groove Coaster, and Space Invaders from Taito.

 

[MAtgSy]

Others important facts
• Space Invaders series sales grossed over $14 billion, making it the 7th highest grossing series of all time, behind Mario, Pokémon, Call of Duty, Dungeon Fighter Online, Wii Series and Pac-Man.*, °

I had no idea Dungeon Fighter Online was that big.

 

[Ornl]

I had no idea Dungeon Fighter Online was that big.

Taito has its invasive alien, but Tencent has its aggressive monsters. Tencent himself is a devouring monster. I was a little disappointed that this year Tencent, instead of a Japanese company, bought 20% of Marvelous.

Before Terry appeared, the argument of a rapprochement between Nintendo and Tencent (SNK's partner) was discussed. But when Terry appeared, Sakurai used another strong argument: King of Fighter had inspired him. Before that, Sakurai had revealed that the design of Persona 5 had inspired him. It's hard to say what other Sakurai inspirations are (there is Ohajiki, a Japanese flat marbles game, for Smash 64 ^^), but here's where his creations refer to Space Invaders:
• Meteos – Aliens OST*
• Kid Icarus: Uprising – After talking about "invaders from space" in Chapter 15, the Air Battle in Chapter 24: The Three Trials refers to Space Invaders, Pong and Frogger.*

 

[Ornl]

Consequences since Sephiroth
Does a 3rd Squenix rep greatly reduce the chances of 2B, Geno, Lara Croft or Space Invaders? How to know if it's a door that opens or a door that closes? What's very positive for Nintendo's future is that it has strengthened its partnership with Squenix.

Ultimate traits of third-party characters
Words that are favorable for Space Invaders are in green.
Words that are opposed to him are in red.
He would have the potential to appear with a Single Fighter Ability (yellow).*
• Snake – ultimate genre influence, friend request to Sakurai.
• Sonic – ultimate mascot, ex rival turned friend, genre influence.
• Mega Man – ultimate mascot, Nintendo's friend, SFA.
• Pac-Man – ultimate retro mascot, genre influence, friend, catch-up.*
• Ryu – ultimate genre influence, friend, SFA.
• Cloud – ultimate favorite games/series rep, SFA.
• Bayonetta – freshness, SFA.
• Simon – ultimate genre influence, friend.
• Joker – ultimate freshness, favorite games/series rep, SFA.
• Hero – ultimate genre influence, friend, favorite games/series rep, SFA.
• Banjo – ultimate retro friend, catch-up.
• Terry – ultimate influencer, SFA.
• Steve – ultimate genre influence, freshness, favorite game rep, SFA.
• Sephiroth – ultimate favorite games/series villain, ex rival turned friend.

• 2B – ultimate freshness, favorite games/series rep.
• Geno – ultimate catch-up, retro friend.
• Lara Croft – ultimate mascot, genre influence.
• Bub & Bob – ultimate retro mascot, genre influence, friend.
• Space Invaders – ultimate retro mascot, genre influence, influencer for Nintendo, friend.

 

[Ornl]

Delete: removal of excess pollution.

 

[Ornl]

Well done for the 200 votes for Space Invaders in Global Smash Roster, and for the 100 votes for his friend Bub&Bob !

 

[Tetrin]

Count me in as a supporter

 

[Starlight Liger]

I don't think Sephiroth changes the chances for Space Invaders only because Taito as a brand operates seperately from Square Enix.

 

[Ornl]

I don't think Sephiroth changes the chances for Space Invaders only because Taito as a brand operates seperately from Square Enix.

I agree and I think people distinguish Squenix and Taito. In this Famitsu poll (2017), the magazine asked which companies readers prefer ; Atlus is distinctly separate from Sega. In web images searches for "Square Enix", Space Invaders and Taito don't appear at all.

 

[Ornl]

[Trivia] CEDEC 2015*
The CEDEC Awards are an annual event in Tokyo. In CEDEC 2015, two Special Award were distributed with a same consideration to honor the first generation of video games: the first was to Toru Iwatani, for having created Pac-Man, the second was to Tomohiro Nishikaku, for having created Space Invaders. Masahiro Sakurai was here.

CEDEC Awards*
• Special Award – Hironobu Sakaguchi (Final Fantasy), Ken Kutaragi (Sony), Koichi Hamamura (Famitsu), Koichi Sugiyama & Yuji Horii (Dragon Quest), Masahiro Sakurai (Nintendo), Masaya Nakamura (Namco), Satoshi Tajiri & Tsunekazu Ishihara (Pokémon), Shigeru Miyamoto (Nintendo), Tomohiro Nishikado (Space Invaders), Toru Iwatani (Pac-Man), Yōichi Erikawa (Koei), Yu Suzuki (Sega arcade).
• Other Awards – Akihiro Hino (Level-5), Masayoshi Sutoh (Atlus).
• Other series that won Awards – Guilty Gear (Arc System Works), Ico & Shadow of the Colossus (Team Ico), Journey (Jenova Chen), Kantai Collection (Kadokawa Games), Monster Hunter & Street Fighter (Capcom), Neko Atsume (Hit-Point), NieR & Ōkami (developed by PlatinumGames), Puzzle & Dragons (GungHo Online), Rhythm Heaven & Splatoon (Nintendo), Souls (FromSoftware).

 

[Ornl]

[Game content] The Rule of Three*
Today the Spirit Board event focused on trios of spirits ends. Chorus Kids are one of the spirits. A Rhythm Heaven character was supposed to be in Sm4sh according to leftover data found, and it is unknown why they were cut from the game. They then became part of the Grinch Leak. However, they won't become a fighter and

would be the best trio in Smash.


[Trivia] Taito & Touhou
In turn, the alien crab headed for rhythm games, as the Groove Coaster logo. There, he meet Lanota, Undertale, Vocaloid, and Touhou Project. Space Invaders and Touhou Project have in common that they are partly Shoot 'em up, but other things bring them together. ZUN, the Touhou author, worked as a programmer at Taito from 1998-2007, and he refers to Space Invaders two years later in Touhou SeirensenStar Lotus Ship ~ Undefined Fantastic Object.*
Given this proximity, I could quite imagine that the two come in the same pack, one as a Costume.


[Interview] Miyamoto about enemies we kill in video games – The New Yorker, 12.20.20*
How do you feel about the fact that the medium has come to be dominated by guns and shooting?
I think humans are wired to experience joy when we throw a ball and hit a target, for example. That’s human nature. But, when it comes to video games, I have some resistance to focussing on this single source of pleasure. As human beings, we have many ways to experience fun. Ideally, game designers would explore those other ways. I don’t think it’s necessarily bad that there are studios that really home in on that simple mechanic, but it’s not ideal to have everybody doing it just because that kind of game sells well. It would be great if developers found new ways to elicit joy in their players.

Beyond that, I also resist the idea that it’s O.K. to simply kill all monsters. Even monsters have a motive, and a reason for why they are the way they are. This is something I have thought about a lot. Say you have a scene in which a battleship sinks. When you look at it from the outside, it might be a symbol of victory in battle. But a filmmaker or writer might shift perspective to the people on the ship, to enable the viewer to see, close up, the human impact of the action. It would be great if video-game makers took more steps to shift the perspective, instead of always viewing a scene from the most obvious angle.

Reaction: Originally, the Space Invaders are the enemies that die for the player to get a good score. In Smash, the Aliens would become the fun fighters to play, instead of being the "victims", like R.O.B from the Subspace Army in Brawl, Hunted Duck and Piranha Plant. Space Invaders would be the best choice in this category.

 

[Ornl]

[Analysis] Is Taito content an asset or an obstacle?
Does it form an open or a closed door for come in the last 3 DLC?

Spoiler: Division of the existing

Intro – Distinguish the origins of companies
I'm doing it here because ssbwiki and Famitsu are doing it. In this Famitsu poll, readers vote for their favorite publishers:

Sega 20% (probably because Hatsune Miku Project DIVA, Sakura Wars, Shenmue and Yakuza) - Square Enix 17% - Konami 12% - Nintendo 11% - Atlus 7% - Spike Chunsoft 5% (probably because Danganronpa) - Bandai Namco 4% - Capcom 4% - Sony Interactive Entertainment 3% - Koei Tecmo 2%

Some new destinct companies represented by a new fighter were initially represented by other content. Here, these contents formed open doors.
Obscure reps
• Capcom (Mega Man) was teased by TLoZ: The Minish Cap as stickers (Brawl).
• Square (Cloud) was teased by Mario Hoops 3-on-3 as a sticker (Brawl).
• PlatinumGames (Bayonetta) was teased by the Wonderful 101 as musics (Sm4sh).
• Chunsoft (Hero) was teased by Fossil Fighters: Frontier and the Mii game Warrior's Way as trophies, then the Chocobo hat design (Sm4sh).
Explicit reps
• Namco (Pac-Man) was teased by Donkey Konga series, Mario Superstar Baseball and Star Fox: Assault rating (Brawl).
• Rare (Banjo) was teased by content since Smash64.
Other Fighters without teasing
Snake - Sonic - Joker - Terry - Steve
Other Fighters from same destinct companies
Ryu - Simon - Sephiroth

The red color represents the newcomers from FP2. No new third-party destinct company from FP2 has been teased by previous content. Taito and other companies were teased, so their case would be different. If Space Invaders should appear, its case would therefore be comparable to Mega Man, Cloud, Bayonetta and Hero.

	Brawl​	Sm4sh​	Sm4sh DLC​	Ultimate​	FP1​	FP2​
Obscure teasing (4/14)
Explicit teasing (2/14)
Without teasing (5/14)
From same companies (3/14)

representation
Obscure reps: remixes by Zuntata band (Sm4sh then Ultimate) and Orville from Takt of Magic as a spirit (Ultimate). Musics including Staff Credits - Kirby's Dream Land, a remix of the first Sakurai's project. Orville is the protagonist of Takt of Magic, a Wii game released in 2009 (Japan only). Taito isn't credited on the cover of the game box.

Spoiler: Other third-party compagnies with minor representation

Having any content doesn't mean announcing a new Fighter. Here, these contents seem to be closed doors.
Obscure reps
• Grasshopper Manufacture: credited for a music (Brawl).
Then Travis Touchdown appeared as an Mii Costume (Ultimate).
Explicit reps
If any of these companies should appear, their case would only be comparable to Pac-Man and Banjo.
• Arc System Works: River City as spirits (Ultimate).
Will we have Sol Badguy? I think the representations of SNK, Street Fighter, Tekken, Virtua Fighter, then Min-Min now form a closed door to other rep from fighting series. So I think there won't be any fighter from Arc System Works.
• Arika: AR Games as a music (Sm4sh), then Tetriminos as spirits (Ultimate).
• Bethesda: The Vault Boy as a Mii Costume (Ultimate).
An interview disconfirmed Doomguy, so the Vault Boy formed a closed door to Doomguy.
• Hudson Soft: Ballyhoo & Big Top as a trophy and Mario Party series content (Sm4sh).
Then Bomberman appeared as a Assist Trophy, a Mii Costume and a Spirit (Ultimate).
• Koei Tecmo: Mayu as a trophy (Sm4sh 3DS), Mio & Mayu Amakura as a trophy (Sm4sh Wii U). Yuri Kozukata as an Assist Trophy and a spirit (Ultimate). The spirit artworks of the Moon (TLoZ: MM), Impa, Master Kohga, and the Diminutive Guardian (HW: AoC) are credited KT (Utlimate).
Will we have Hayabusa? I think the Hyrule Warrior ninjas now form a closed door to other ninjas and warriors; I can't imagine Hayabusa being teased by Impa and Master Kohga. Moreover, an interview disconfirmed Ryza, so I seriously think there won't be any fighter from Koei Tecmo. It doesn't seem so strange to think since characters as important as Bomberman have been refused.
• Marvelous: Daemon X Machina as spirits (Utimate).
Will we have Farmer from Story of Seasons? I think that no series could better than SoS to represent Marvelous. But, what does a little farmer weigh next to a great miner? I think Steve forms a closed door to Farmer.
• Ubisoft: Rayman as trophies (Sm4sh). The Rabbids as spirits and Mii hat, Altaïr as a Mii Costume (Utlimate).
Then? The door seems firmly closed.

Other destinct companies without Fighters
Activision - Blizzard - Core Design (Tomb Raider) - Epic Games - FromSoftware - GenDesign (new Team Ico) - Level-5 (except Eight Hero as a very obsure rep) - Nihon Falcom - Nippon Ichi Software...
Activision, Blizzard and FromSoftware have Amiibos.

Conclusion
I think Taito would be the most likely (and the only possible) pick among the minor third-party companies already represented in Ultimate. Orville isn't representative enough of Taito, he's the opposite of an icon, so I think Space Invaders can't be bothered by him. It's especially the participation of Zuntata (Taito music team) in Ultimate (including Staff Credits - Kirby's Dream Land, a remix of the first Sakurai's project) which is a favorable element, a potential teaser.

 

[Schonberg]

Popping in to say this is a great idea for a retro rep, given their absurd impact on the gaming industry rivaled by few if any. Absolutely supporting.

Part of me wonders if a way to keep the charm of the original sprites while also allowing for fluid movement would be to do what Smash did with Pac-Man - make the main character a full 3D model based on the original artwork, and then include tons of classic sprites in their moveset.

It’s the form that also just got a Figma release!

Imagine zoning from above by releasing a swarm of invader sprites like a high projectile to descend on foes or fire beams downward, or grabbing onto a UFO invader to fly up for its recovery. Maybe since Pac-Man even weaponizes the Ghosts, you could even release the player’s tank to scroll along the ground and fire upwards, a great space controlling tool at the cost of it also being able to hurt you (after all, you’re the alien it’s fighting!)

Just spitballing some ideas, but it’s a possibility!

 

[Ornl]

Just spitballing some ideas, but it’s a possibility!

This reminds me that Space Invaders has enough potential not to have to resort to a "Taito roulette". I'm also relieved that Pac-Man's Galaxian

has a different move than SI.
Personally, I would prefer that the humanoid shadow to be just a low-key concept, because it originated is a visual promotion but wasn't part of the first game. Most of the other proposals are similar, so I guess all the supporters would get something they wanted to see.

Special moves by masshi_bros.

 

[Ornl]

[Concept] 3d model

[Trivia] Taito games released on Switch
• Bubble Bobble – 4 Friends (2019).
• Touhou Project – Spell Bubble (2020).
• Darius – Cozmic Collection/Revelation (2019-21).
• Densha de Go ! – Hashirou Yamanote Line (2020).
• Groove Coaster – Wai Wai Party !!!! (2019).
• Pocky & Rocky – (coming in 2021).
• Space Invaders – Invincible Collection (2020).
• The Ninja Warriors – The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors (2019)
• Other games in Arcade Archives (2019-20) – Alpine Ski - Ben Bero Beh - Elevator Action - The Fairyland Story - Front Line - Kuri Kinton - Liquid Kids - The Legend of Kage - Time Tunnel - The Tin Star - Water Ski - Wild Western.
(Software) • KORG Gadget v3 (2019).

 

[Ornl]

[Uptate] Referencing trivia
https://smashboards.com/threads/we-are-invaders-from-space-the-space-invaders-support-thread.455172/#post-24144494

(Pioneer) Cleanup.
(History of Nintendo) Addition of the creator of Pokémon to Nintendo personalities influenced by SI. Display of three powerful quotes as a triptych.
(Proximity with Nintendo) Addition of Sheriff, DK3 ans the SI clones by Nintendo R&D1 and HAL Laboratory. Addition of the list of Taito games released on Switch.
(Pop culture) Addition of this short part.
(Masahiro Sakurai's focuses) Addition of two important mentions to SI. Addition of two references to SI in his games.
I don't know if my English is still good :/

 

[Ornl]

[Look at the existing] Pixel sprites in Smash Bros

DK/Mario
– Nintendo gave importance to Pirahana Plant to accustom the players to generic retro ennemis; it's marketting ^^

Mother
– Nothink about Mother. However, Nintendo refused Sans to put SI instead, because paying homage to the oldest shooter was more important to the company. But SI meets Undertale in Groove Coaster.

Other Nintendo sprites
– Infantry and Tanks didn't return as an Assist Trophy because the soldiers were too serious compared to SI.
– Nintendo gave importance to Duck Hunt to accustom the players to generic retro victim; it's marketting.
– Nintendo gave importance to Sheriff to accustom the players to pixelated monochromes; it's marketting.

Namco
– Pac-Maze didn't return as a stage because it just was a test to optimize the SI's stage.
– Nintendo gave importance to Galaxian series and King & Balloon to accustom the players to their father; it's marketting.

River City
– Nintendo brings up new companies mainly represented by pixelated content to accustom the players to old companies that specialized in arcade games; it's marketting.

 

[Ornl]

[Fanart] SI Shot The Sheriff

Inspirations – Space Invaders Part II
· Majestic Twelve · Invader's Revenge
Trivia – Space Invaders and Sheriff
use one sprite in common:

 

[AustarusIV]

Space Invaders just strike me as a real dark horse candidate.

I get the feeling that their inclusion in Smash is not a matter of if, but when, considering their pedigree as a Japanese game franchise.

 

[Þe 1 → Way]

Sign me up. They might not have the best shot, but they would be such a dumb fun inclusion that I’m on board.

 

[MAtgSy]

Space Invaders just strike me as a real dark horse candidate.

I get the feeling that their inclusion in Smash is not a matter of if, but when, considering their pedigree as a Japanese game franchise.

Taito is part of Square & we just got another Square so it might be a while.

 

[AustarusIV]

Taito is part of Square & we just got another Square so it might be a while.

I wouldn't say they'd get in now in this pass, but rather they should probably be held in consideration when looking at their impact in the video game industry. Character, spirit, AT, stage, music, I'd be shocked if this series didn't get anything at some point in Smash (and not just here in Ultimate).

Also theoretically speaking, but since Taito is a subsidiary of SE the same way Atlus is for Sega, Nintendo/Sakurai would mainly have to talk with Taito themselves about including a character from their company, and the character credit would go to Taito Corporation rather than Square Enix. So the possibility is there at least.

While I'm doubtful it changes the likelihood in anything, I think the situation regarding Taito and SE is a little different than, say, the situation with the other characters developed by SE (such as 2B, Agnès, Crono, etc).

 

[Ornl]

Also theoretically speaking, but since Taito is a subsidiary of SE the same way Atlus is for Sega, Nintendo/Sakurai would mainly have to talk with Taito themselves about including a character from their company, and the character credit would go to Taito Corporation rather than Square Enix. So the possibility is there at least.

If we watch Taito for speculation, there is one fact that may (or not) fuel rumors. It's not much, but it highlights that Taito isn't (yet) out of the race.
In an interview in Nov. 2019, Tsuyoshi Tozak, the director of the upcoming Bubble and Bobble 4 Friends, was asked if Bub and Bob might make it to Smash, their only response was "Let's skip that question."*

Furthermore, I think that Squenix owns Space Invaders is also an asset.
Until now, being a direct friend of Nintendo was a disadvantage. Indeed, Nintendo hasn't proposed any DLC in Ultimate that come from one of these friend compagnies: Bamco, Capcom, Koei Tecmo, Konami, Level-5, Marvelous, PlatinumGames, Ubisoft, Sonic Team... Instead of that, Nintendo consolidated other alliances (Atlus, Microsoft x2, SNK, Squenix x2).
Taito is a longtime friend.
By inviting Hero then Sephiroth, Nintendo says: "We don't want Crono, Geno and Sora (nor probably 2B), because Hero and Sephiroth are better and more ultimate". But if Nintendo wants Space Invaders, this will have the good effect of consolidating its alliance with Square Enix again. At the end, I can imagine Squenix finally being proud to propose a radically unique, original and different rep.

 

[jdevy_]

Space Invaders (and Taito's characters) I feel is surprising to see not included as represented IP in Smash. Orville and the ZUNATA tracks are all they have at the moment. Though there was the "no comment" on Bub and Bob in Smash with that one Taito developer interview. Does that suspicious statement maybe mean Taito content is coming later on in the DLC? Who knows what's behind closed doors, though. Hopefully, no higher up on the Taito side of Square is opposed to the idea of Space Invaders or Bubble Bobble in Smash. With Taito being involved in Smash and not lending any of their original IPs I can see that being a possibility, even though it'd be unfortunate

I personally would love if the single individual crab invader was a fighter with octopus and squid alts. A moveset using projectiles from Space Invaders and Groove Coaster with the fighter getting progressively faster as you damage it even more. It probably isn't as likely of a possibility as I want it to be, but this kind of rep would be a perfect way to end of Smash Ultimate's DLC. A fighter older than Game and Watch, and from a game that helped influence Nintendo into gaming.

New Bubble Bobble director used to design fingernail stickers, has no comment on Smash Bros.

Bubble, bobble, toil and trobble When I recently drafted up an interview for the director of the new Bubble Bobble...

www.destructoid.com

 

[Gorgonzales]

Is it just me or has SI support been on a slow increase as of late? I've noticed they've got 155 votes on Global Smash Roster, and the thread's got 3 new supporters in the span of about 4 hours! Not that long ago we were just considered a "meme pick", but I think the invasion is going smoothly now... first Smashboards, then the WORLD-uh, I mean official roster. Totally meant the official roster.

BTW, I found this rad concept art - some ideas I'm not too keen on, but overall it's a great set of ideas. Credit to thegourggorg

Sometimes when my art is featured here I have to do a double take, lol. I'm glad you like the concept! Just curious, what are some of the things that you don't agree with?

 

[Wario Wario Wario]

Sometimes when my art is featured here I have to do a double take, lol. I'm glad you like the concept! Just curious, what are some of the things that you don't agree with?

The smooth shape idea - I think they’d be more interesting as pixelated characters, using edited versions of the original sprites. Additionally I think Neutral and Down B are good concepts, but don’t seem that distinguished from a regular old shield.

 

[Gorgonzales]

The smooth shape idea - I think they’d be more interesting as pixelated characters, using edited versions of the original sprites. Additionally I think Neutral and Down B are good concepts, but don’t seem that distinguished from a regular old shield.

I see. A lot of people pointed out that down special was really similar to a regular shield, which is something I hadn't considered when making this (I'm a lot more careful when putting together movesets now, lol) but it totally makes sense. I just wanted to include the bunkers in some capacity in the moveset but wasn't sure how.

Neutral B is meant to simulate how the invaders in the back essentially use the ones in the front as meat shields. This move is way different than a normal shield since you can move and attack while the little invaders orbit you.

The smooth shape idea is up to personal preference. I tried to reflect how Smash updates the designs of previously pixel-only characters like Ice Climbers and Duck Hunt to fit the modern era. I didn't want to go quite as far as those two and wanted the invader to still be recognizable, so I went for the half-smooth half-jagged look as a sort of compromise. That being said, I think a purely-pixel based style could definitely work as well.

 

[Ornl]

Sometimes when my art is featured here I have to do a double take, lol. I'm glad you like the concept! Just curious, what are some of the things that you don't agree with?

Thanks to you for this very pleasant base!
Mm... let's see... (and sorry for my english :/ )
If Space Invaders was a DLC, I wish he is as competitive as possible. To make the character more powerful, I would make the respawn ability free, without it being a special attack. Thus, spawning minions would be automatic, simulating how new invaders are continuously coming to the rhythm.
So the neutral-B would be free to send a lightning bolt, and the special-B would be free to dash – or send a minion – with a round trip.

 

[Ornl]

[Update] Masahiro Sakurai's focuses – two more
• He mentioned SI when he commented on the TV-Game 15 assist trophee in Smash Bros.*
• He used SI (20 postings) in his talk on GDC Risk and Return from 500th column Famitsu livestream.°,*
• He showcased some of his creations in Dragon Quest Builders 2, starting on a SI sprite, then ending by showing off the Super Smash Bros logo.*
• He mentioned "many Taito games" and the TV Vader clone when he talked about his childhood.*
• He mentioned "Space Invaders" when he talked about video games that have had an impact on him during his childhood.*
• He mentioned "Space Invaders" when he answered which game is at the beginning of his interest in video games.*
• He exclaimed: "Whaaat !? That’s amazing" when Fumito Ueda (cretaor of Team Ico / GenDesign) said he had a SI arcade cabinet in his childhood house.*
• His creation Meteos refers to SI in the Alien soundtrack.*
• His creation Kid Icarus: Uprising quotes "invaders from space" in Chapter 15 and refers to SI in Chapter 24.*


[Fan-theory] Imaginary pairs of third-party series
Each third series has a binomial that is more or less serious or far-fetched.
The way would seem free for Space Invaders forms a pair with Pac-Man.

Spoiler

Metal Gear and Castlevania
Pair by company, genre (Action-adventure), projectile users, year (86-87), mature content.
• Couldn't break: Assassin's Creed · No More Heroes · Resident Evil · another Konami rep (Bomberman and Ganbare Goemon are good indicators that there won't be Frogger and Silent Hill)
• Could break: Ninja Gaiden, but minimalism could refuse Hayabusa. I think Musou rep in Ultimate (Hyrule Warriors) is a disadvantage (not a teaser).


Street Fighter and The King of Fighter
Pair by genre, birth on arcade, author (Takashi Nishiyama).
• Couldn't break: Ikari Warriors · Psycho Soldier · River City · Samurai Shodown · Tekken · Virtua Fighter
[Trivia] Ikari Warriors, that appears in Terry's stage, is another arcade game heavily influenced by SI.
• Unbreakable: I think a fighting rep can't come before Heihachi.


Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest
Pair by company, genre, Japanese preferences.
• Couldn't break: Mana · Super Mario RPG · Octopath Traveler
• Unbreakable: since Hero represents the concept of JRPG heroes then Sephiroth, Chrono Trigger or Kingdom Hearts seem unlikely, and Tales and Xenosaga seem too for additional reasons (see Pac-Man) ; I think that minimalism will refuse Tales, Xenosaga and Ys.


Bayonetta and Persona
Pair by owner, style (contemporary gothic, affiliated with darkness, invocations, glasses, guns), recent rep (2009-2016), mature content.
• Couldn't break: Astral Chain · The Wonderful 101
• Could break: Devil May Cry, but minimalism could refuse Dante.


Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man
Pair by genre, style (blue cartoon with robots), heroic, alternatives to Mario which were serious.
• Could break: another Sega or Capcom rep.
AND

Banjo-Kazooie and Minecraft
Pair by company, occidentality, explosive users.
• Couldn't break: Cuphead · Bethesda (Vault Boy is a good indicator that there won't be Doom) · Raving Rabbids · Rayman · Shovel Knight · Simcity · Undertale
• Could break: Halo, but minimalism could refuse Master Chief.
OR

Sonic the Hedgehog and Banjo-Kazooie
Pair by genre, by style (cartoon with animals), fast, exciting stories about Nintendo, have Mario Kart-like games, Melee catch-up, alternatives to Mario/DK which were serious.
• Couldn't break: Raving Rabbids · Rayman · another Sonic Team rep (Knuckles and Tails are good indicators that there wont' be Eggman).
• Could crash: Crash Bandicoot, but minimalism could refuse Crash.
AND
and
Mega Man and Pac-Man/?
Pair by Man-mascots, Sm4sh newcomers, item users.
AND
and ?

_______________________________________________
Bonus: Capcom + Project X Zone sub-pair

• Couldn't break: Resident Evil · Virtua Fighter · any Bamco rep (Gil and Heihachi are good indicators that there wont' be another Namco rep)
• Could break: Devil May Cry · Monster Hunter · any Sega rep.
[Trivia] Hideki Kamiya refused to include Bayonetta in Project X Zone 2.*
________________________________________________________________

Pac-Man and Space Invaders
Pair by year (78-80), style with pixels & sprites, birth on arcade, video game pillars.
• Couldn't break: Galaga · Tetris · another Bamco rep (Gil and Heihachi are good indicators that there wont' be Digimon, Souls or Tales).

 

[Ornl]

[Interview] The future of Space Invaders
The only game that offers controlling aliens is Space Invaders: Get Even, a Wiiware exclusive. The Wiiware having closed and Invincible Collection having no port, this game can't be found legally today. Get Even is lost to time. This problem could therefore be fixed with a new port.

Last December, Yuichi Toyama, game director at Taito, said:*
We've already seen calls for Space Invaders: Infinity Gene from fans, and we are considering other titles as well, alongside how best to release them. So yes, there is a possibility of future releases. (...) There have also been numerous ports released for consoles in various forms, so it's impossible to include them all. Though we have considered including some of the more popular ones.

(about Get Even) This is another game we've considered and if we see enough demand, we'd love to be able to release it. (...) Or maybe a game in which players become Invaders and invade the earth could be designed differently. For example, how about a game where 55 players come together in formation and invade the earth?*
*There are no plans to release this at the moment!

Of course, the key to reviving a game is how strong a fan base it has, so if there is a game or character from Taito that you would like to see revived, please let us (@TaitoCorp) know, and if we hear enough demand, we will do our best to make it happen!

 

[Geno Boost]

Very interesting concept I like it

 

[Ornl]

[Invasion project] Countering
Capcom's domination

New Capcom content... again
With the inclusion of the Monster Hunter and Ghosts' n Goblins Costumes, Capcom has just regained its domination, which was already the case in Sm4sh: the company is the most represented company since Sm4sh. Morever, Capcom will probably also get a new Spirit Board events with Monster Hunter Rise.

Spoiler: Comparison

Companies​	Fighters​	AT/Boss + Boss Galaga​	Mii Costumes​	Spirit Board events​	Total​	Owned series (without musics and movesets)​	other: Spirits ​
Konami​	3​	4​	2​	1​	10​	4​	55​
Sega​	3	4​	8​	0​	15​	4​	56​
Capcom​	3​	5​	8​	2​	18​	5​	69​
Bandai Namco​	1​	2​	2​	0​	5​	4​	6​
Square Enix​	3​	0​	9​	3​	15​	6​	46​
Microsoft​	2​	0​	4​	0​	6​	3​	22​
SNK​	1​	0​	3​	0​	4​	6​	12​
Koei Tecmo​	0​	1​	0​	1​	2​	1​	6​
Marvelous​	0​	0​	1​	1​	2​	2​	4​
Ubisoft​	0​	0​	2​	0​	2​	3​	4​

Motives for the attack
While it can be considered unfair that other companies are underrepresented, it can be considered unfair that Capcom still has a monopoly of 3rd-party representation. A secret mission could therefore have been programmed to extinguish this persistent domination. If Space Invaders comes with a Bub Costume and 1 other Squenix Costume, the balance will finally be shared by two companies.
What justifies taking dominance are the preferences by Famitsu readers:

Spoiler: Squenix dominates Famitsu polls

• Top 20 favorite developers, 2016*
1st Nintendo
2nd Square Enix
3rd Capcom
• Top 1 third-party publishers on each console, 2016*
1st Square Enix (9)
2nd Capcom (4)
3rd Namco (3)
• Publishers of the top 100 best games of all time, 2017*
1st Sega (20%)
2nd Square Enix (17%)
3rd Konami (12%)
8th Capcom (4%)
• Publishers of the top 20 best games of the Heisei era, 2019*
1st Square Enix (10)
2nd Nintendo (6)
3rd Capcom (3)
3rd Konami (3)

Of course, it's never about Space Invaders when Square Enix is mentioned; that's why no one is prepared for an invaders raid. But Space Invaders would be the best original/unique/different/surprising/unexpected pick from Squenix. He could deliver the final blow as an ultimate weapon against Capcom.