The earth managed to hold off the alien invaders back in 1978, but, the invaders knew the earthlings were being undermined by the very governments that controlled them, which had for some time been partially run by the invaders themselves..

Reviewed by P-Man!
http://www.andys-arcade.net/

Certain political figures were inhabitants of our planet, only because the aliens put them there.... So, after the removal of the final hurdle (Ronald Reagan, the outspoken Alien opposer, and leader of the most powerful nation on earth), the invaders decided it was time to return. However, over the years that had passed, the earthlings had developed new tactics and new super weapons, giving them the ability to repel any alien invasion
that cared to rear its head.....

The invaders returned in 1991...
This time it was more powerful and deadly,
this time, there had to be an undeniable victor..

After all, who was going to stop the slaughter
of all those innocent cows???

A Brief History of Time:

Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump, Pssshhhhh, Pssshhhhh, Wowowowowowowo..
Yes, Taito had come a long way since their arcade smash hit Space Invaders which is a turning point in social history, where arcade video games were no longer confined to the dark recesses of a dimly lit arcade. Space Invaders was the first video game to really make an appearance in just about every location imaginable, cafe's, bars, pool halls etc... People got hooked on the new format, soon, there were games companies springing up here, there and everywhere, and the only thing on the kid's Christmas list was the latest games console.

So, not being a company to sit back on it's haunches, Taito raced ahead with their new gem, Super Space Invaders '91 (referred to hereafter as SSI 91). The real emphasis this time, due to the technology available, was able to bring a new dimension to a (by this time) flagging theme. Space Invaders spawned a million vertical shoot 'em ups, so they had some way to go, in order to match the intensity and excitement of all that came before, while still being able to capture the gameplay that so hooked the masses back when kids spent their lunch money and went hungry instead, just so they could play Space Invaders.

Now, most sequels are usually boom or bust. This time round Taito didn't really manage to capture the worlds' attention for too long. The game was poorly distributed, and badly marketed. If you wanted a household name, why call the game by a different name in a different country?? Well, SSI '91 was in fact called 'Majestic-12' in the States (hereafter referred to as MJ12). The theory behind this wasn't totally clear, maybe because around that time the conspiracy theorists had gotten hold of the press and there were lots of rumours abound, describing a shady buch of American government officials who were working in conjunction with Aliens in running the country. With the majority of cattle mutilations taking place in the United States, and the heavy theme of the game, it is assumed that this was a good move for the company.
(It was called Majestic 12 in Japan too.. Mike)

The game in its physical form

However, with the advent of JAMMA (a universal 'plug-in' system for arcade operators which made things a lot easier when changing the game in an arcade cabinet - Mike), and the total lack of funds that Taito were willing to pump into this new project, they produced the game in 'kit' form, as many other companies at that time were doing anyway. There were no full cabinets with a striking shape, or with even more elaborate artwork to boot. Instead, it was up to the operator to do his best with the board and perhaps a token bit of artwork for the control panel and possibly monitor bezel. I have not found, or even seen, or can even confirm that either of the afformentioned items exist, I'm assuming that at least a marquue was shipped with it.

Arcade flyers for Majestic 12. Click for bigguns :)

Gameplay

The game has you battling the evil invaders thru 20 rounds, with the popular end of level boss, and mid-stage 'Cattle Mutilation' rounds.. Offering a possible explanation of the countless and random cases that happen in the US each year... This stage was a sort of Space Invaders-meets-Defender.. and trying to shoot the aliens instead of the cows was hard work as they zipped all over the screen. Of course, all this supposes you were not actually trying not to hit the cows :) Firepower was a bit better this time around (you could actually shoot more than one bullet at a time.. woop woop) and there were extra pickups like shields and smart bombs to spice things up a bit. Taito also added a simultaneous two player mode for the first time in a SI game.

P-Man http://www.andys-arcade.net/

Probably my favourite Space Invaders game. God knows there were enough of them.. Attractive graphics, lots of stuff to pick up and blatt space aliens with, and you get to shoot cows. Er, I mean save em of course. :)

MikeB