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Space Invaders

Space Invaders - Japanese Title

Space Invaders - marquee

Name: Space Invaders
Manufacturer: Midway Manufacturing Co.
Year: 1978
Type: Videogame

Class: Wide Release
Genre: Space
Monitor:

  • Orientation: Vertical
  • Type: Raster: Standard Resolution
  • CRT: Black and White with a Color Overlay
Conversion Class: unique
Game Specific: Space Invaders Pinout
Settings: Space Invaders Dipswitch Settings

Number of Simultaneous Players: 1
Maximum number of Players: 2
Gameplay: Alternating
Control Panel Layout: Single Player
Controls:

  • Joystick: 2-way (left, right) [Left/Right button on the Bally/Midway North American Version]
  • Buttons: 1 [Fire]

Sound: Amplified Mono (one channel)

Cabinet Styles:

  • Upright/Standard
  • Cocktail
  • Cabaret/Mini
Space Invaders


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Space Invaders 3-D Model (QuickTime (TM))

Space Invaders Bezel Image
Space Invaders Control Panel Image
Space Invaders Instruction Card Image

Space Invaders Description

Space Invaders was produced by Midway Manufacturing Co. in 1978.

Midway Manufacturing Co. released 132 different machines in our database under this trade name, starting in 1959.

Other machines made by Midway Manufacturing Co. during the time period Space Invaders was produced include Clowns, Rotation VIII, Dog Patch, Space Invaders Galactica, Blue Shark, Guided Missile, Checkmate, Laguna Racer, Road Runner, and Desert Gun.

The original space alien vertical shooter. Move your tank back and forth along the bottom of the screen and shoot endless waves of aliens marching towards earth. Shoot the flying saucer for extra points.

Space Invaders - KLOV/IAM 5 Point User Score: 3.71 (22 votes)

 Personal Impressions Score: 3.52

     Overall 'Like': 3.64
     Fun (Social): 2.91
     Fun (Solo): 3.55
     Collector Desire: 3.77 
Technical Impressions Score: 3.89

     Gameplay: 3.82
     Graphics: 3.64
     Originality: 4.55
     Sound/Music: 3.41

Personal Impressions and Technical Impressions each account for half of the total score. Within the Personal Impressions category, "Like" carries a little more weight than the other factors.

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Cabinet Information

The Taito version of the game features a large, rectangular cabinet with blue and white sideart, and uses a joystick versus the button set-up on the Midway version. The marquee is also slightly different in terms of colour and prominently displays the "Taitronics" logo. The overall quality of the machine is arguably superior to the Midway version since its cabinet graphics are much more detailed.

Cabinet Style Weights and Measures

Type
Upright/Standard
Cocktail
Cabaret/Mini

Cheats, Tricks, Bugs, and Easter Eggs

Popularized right after the release of the game, the "FURRER" trick allows you to get 300 points per mystery ship every time. It has to do with the way the random number generator works - at the beginning of every board count 22 shots whether you hit an invader or not. Wait for the mystery ship. Shoot once to hit it to earn 300 pts. Now count 14 shots. Wait again for the mystery ship. Shoot once at it for another 300 pts. count 14 shots and repeat for the rest of the level. once on the new level, start again at 22 and repeat to 14. This trick was invented by Eric Furrer who to this day holds the Stratford Record for non-stop Space Invaders play -- 38 hours and 37 minutes and an accumulation of 1,114,000 points 111 roll overs, averaging three rolls an hour.

Mystery Ship Shot Deflection: On the fifth wave of invaders, the second mystery ship will deflect your shot with the rarely heard "deflection shot" a shot played backwards.

Game Play

Move your base left or right to shoot the endless waves of aliens marching towards earth. There are four buildings shields that you can hide behind, but eventually they will be destroyed either by enemy missiles or by the enemies themselves. The aliens' descent quickens as you eliminate them. Shoot the flying saucer for extra points. See the "FURRER" trick for information on receiving 300pts every time you hit the saucer.

Hacks

  • Galaxian Invaders - Uses Space Invaders graphics in a Galaxian game.
  • Oaty Invaders - Lets you play as an oat bowl.

Miscellaneous

LICENSOR: Taito

VAPS Arcade/Coin-Op Space Invaders Census

There are 11,505 members of the Video Arcade Preservation Society / Vintage Arcade Preservation Society, 9,119 whom participate in our arcade census project of games owned, wanted, or for sale. Census data currently includes 152,567 machines (6,538 unique titles).

Very Common - There are 726 known instances of this machine owned by Space Invaders collectors who are active members. Of these, 670 of them are original dedicated machines, 5 of them are conversions in which game circuit boards (and possibly cabinet graphics) have been placed in (and on) another game cabinet, and 50 of them are only circuit boards which a collector could put into a generic case if desired.

For Sale - There are 41 active VAPS members with Space Invaders machines for sale. There are 4 active VAPS members with extra Space Invaders circuit boards for sale.

Wanted - Very Popular - There are 30 active VAPS members currently looking for Space Invaders. There are 2 active VAPS members looking for Space Invaders board sets.

This game ranks a 92 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on census ownership records.

This game ranks a 51 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often wanted, 1=least common) in popularity based on census want list records.

Rarity and Popularity independently are NOT necessarily indications of value. [More Information]

Technical

CPU: 8080

Trivia

The game was so amazingly popular in Japan that it caused a coin shortage until the country's Yen supply was quadrupled. Entire arcades were opened in Japan specifically for this game.

Many incidents of juvenile crime surrounded the release of this game. A girl was caught stealing 5000 from her parents and gangs of youths were reported to have robbed grocery stores just so they would have money to play the game.

Space Invaders, along with Pac-Man and Pong, shares the notorious distinction of being one of the most duplicated, bootleged and/or hacked arcade games.





In Italy in 1979, it was licensed to the manufacturer Sidam where it was released under the name "Invasion."

Legacy

  1. Space Invaders
  2. Space Invaders Part II
  3. Space Invaders II
  4. Return Of The Invaders
  5. Super Space Invaders '91
  6. Space Invaders DX
  7. Space Invaders '95

Manuals

  1. Space Invaders Upright - Midway  23 Pages, 8.9 MB File.

Foto-Finder® (books)

  1. Arcade 1 Historical Guide to Arcade Machines Vol. 1, Bueschel (ISBN 086667-051-3): Page: 297; Black and white photo; Price guide: 1993
  2. Arcade Treasures, Kurtz (ISBN 088740619X): Page: 102; Color photo; Price guide: 1994
  3. Arcade Treasures, Kurtz (ISBN 088740619X): Page: 168; Color photo; Price guide: 1994
  4. The Encyclopedia of Arcade Video Games, Kurtz (ISBN 0764319256): Page: 68; Color photo;
  5. Arcade Fever, Sellers (ISBN 0762409371): Page: 36; Color photo; Price guide:
  6. Encyclopedia of Arcade Video Games, Kurtz (ISBN 0764319256): Page: 68; Color photo; Price guide:

Additional References
(logged in members often see more)

  1. The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Space Invaders Flyer #3887    
  2. The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Space Invaders Flyer #6333    
  3. The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Space Invaders Flyer #6052    
  4. The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Space Invaders Flyer #5738    
  5. The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Space Invaders Flyer #4379    
  6. The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Space Invaders Flyer #3569    
  7. The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Space Invaders Flyer #3306    
  8. The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Space Invaders Flyer #2636    
  9. The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Space Invaders Flyer #1032    
  10. The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Space Invaders Flyer #1031    
  11. The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Space Invaders Flyer #1030    
  12. The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Space Invaders Flyer #1029    
  13. The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Space Invaders Flyer #4842    
  14. The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Space Invaders Flyer #4387    
  15. The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Space Invaders Flyer #3496    
  16. The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Space Invaders Flyer #3522    

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eBay Listings

Click to search eBay for Space Invaders Videogame machines and related items.

Click to search eBay for machines and parts made by Midway Manufacturing Co. .

Check out the IAM/KLOV report of the hottest coin-op machine auctions, powered by Ace.com.

*TODAY'S PICKS FOR:

Space Invaders

1. Arcade 1Up - Space Invaders Arcade Cabinet - 4ft BRAND NEW Classic Arcade Game

Auction ends in: 1 week, 6 days

 FixedPrice
 
$429.99
 
2. Space Invaders Bezel - Original 1st version

Auction ends in: 2 weeks, 2 days

 StoreInventory
 
$179.95
 
3. Space Invaders Cap & Socks

Auction ends in: 3 days, 1 hour

 Auction
 
$28.00
 
4. Taito Space Invaders. Coin Operated Arcade Game.

Auction ends in: 4 weeks, 1 day

 FixedPrice
 
$2,200.00
 
5. SPACE INVADERS DELUXE GLASS BEZEL SCREEN PRINTED PA EXCLUSIVE!

Auction ends in: 1 week, 3 days

 StoreInventory
 
$225.00
 
6. Space Invaders

Auction ends in: 4 weeks, 7 hours

 FixedPrice
 
$1,200.00
 
7. Arcade1up Cabinet Riser Graphics - Space Invaders Graphic Sticker Decal Set

Auction ends in: 1 week, 1 day

 StoreInventory
 
$54.99
 
8. Space Invaders Arcade Video Game

Auction ends in: 4 days, 21 hours

 Auction
 
$199.00
 
9. SPACE INVADERS COUNTERTOP ARCADE 1UP COUNTERCADE VIDEO GAME NEW

Auction ends in: 3 weeks, 3 days

 StoreInventory
 
$199.95
 
10. Space Invaders Arcade Machine - ORIGINAL!!!

Auction ends in: 2 weeks, 6 days

 FixedPrice
 
$1,300.00
 
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Space Invaders - Cabinet Image

Space Invaders - Cabinet Image

Photo contributed by: Andre

Space Invaders - Cabinet Image

Space Invaders - Cabinet Image
Cocktail


Space Invaders - Title screen image


Space Invaders - Title screen image

Space Invaders - Title screen image

Space Invaders - Title screen image


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