Like most every other gamer past the age of 30, I spent many an hour in the videogame arcade.

Arcades used to be a staple of every shopping mall, every other strip mall and even a few standalone places to kill some quarters. There are still a few such places sprinkled around but they’re pale shadows of what arcades used to be. even Disney’s Penny Arcade has but a few games of yesteryear.

Square Enix has decided that it’s time to make one of the most amazing technological advances a bit more retro-chic, with the iPad release of Space Invaders HD. For $4.99 you can replicate the classic arcade cabinet experience. It looks practically identical to the original game, right down to the on-screen joystick and shot button.

Adding to the experience is the fact that the two player multiplayer is played the exact same it was when the game originally appeared in arcades…

There are quite a few games I’m eager to try out on the iPad and I’m going to list off ten of them over two articles. The five here are games I’ve already played on my iPhone. Later this week I’ll round up five I haven’t yet played, either because they haven’t been released or I just didn’t think the iPhone would do them justice. I have no guarantee that iPad optimized versions of any of these games will be released but I think that most are a safe bet, starting with…

No witty banter this week, I’m busy hanging out with Simon the Sorcerer. But, if adventure games aren’t your thing, maybe one of these many other apps are…

Hands down, this week’s top pick is Space Invaders Infinity Gene. Imagine, Space Invaders and Rez having a love child and that’s pretty much what you can expect. But if Space Invaders isn’t your kind of thing, there are plenty of other games to keep you entertained…

Have you ever wondered where the aliens go after you shoot them in Space Invaders? Is that little tank or ship’s gun so powerful, that the bullet hits the alien, it disappears? Perhaps. Or, perhaps the aliens really plummet lifeless to the ground, like in Nekogames’ Yoshio Ishii’s Physics Invader, and we just don’t see it happen.

Physics Invaders is a free, browser-based flash game that could be considered Space Invaders with consequences. When you shoot aliens or UFOs out of the sky, they come right back at you. In fact, so do your bullets. If you move your tank left or right, you’ll end up sweeping the remains off of your platform. It’s neat.

As endearing as Physics Invader is, it is also incredibly easy…

Ok, so, here’s the unhappy truth. The economy is in the toilet, lots of folks are tightening their proverbial belts, and gamers can be a pretty expensive bunch to buy gifts for. But here’s the good news – with a little resourcefulness, you can make your gamer (or yourself) a very happy camper without blowing the holiday budget. In our handy guide to gifting gamers on the cheap, we’ve compiled some of the best under-$30 goodies for players.

Space Invaders Extreme (DS or PSP, $20 or less) – this little retro fantastic gem was budget priced at $20 the day it came out, so finding this one for even cheaper shouldn’t be a problem.

I recently saw an American Express Business card print ad in the September 2008 issue of Wired magazine (pp. 46-47) that is a bit derogatory towards gamers.

The two-page ad has, on one page, the image of a credit card with Galaxian/Space Invaders style imagery on it with the words “I own the high score” in all caps above it. The name on the credit card is Erin Ehnerd of Double E Bakery. On the facing page is the image of a gold American Express Business card for Ellin Lavar of Lavar Hair Designs that reads “I own my own business” above it. Under the card image is a paragraph that begins, “If you own your business, own the card that says so.”

The implication here is, of course, that letting people know you play videogames is a sure way to lose business (especially if you own a bakery?). Also notice that AmEx also included…

During the 2008 Leipzig Games Convention, which ran from August 20-24, 2008, an artist named Douglas Stanley chose to create an artistic installation called Invaders!. It was to be part of a Space Invaders: Die Jubiläumsshow! exhibit at Berlin’s Computer Spiele Museum, in honor of Space Invader’s 30th anniversary. Stanley’s Invaders! involved Space Invader aliens destroying New York’s World Trade Center Twin Towers, from the 9/11 terrorist attack, with people able to interact with the exhibit by destroying the aliens and protecting the towers.

The game caused quite an outcry from Americans, especially those directly affected by 9/11, and Taito, the creators of Space Invaders. Upon hearing of Stanley’s Invaders! exhibit, which Taito was not informed of, Taito immediately stated that it was going to end the installation and its unauthorized use of Space Invaders content. The company also stated that it would be willing to take legal action against Stanlet and the Leipzig Games Convention exhibitor which allowed the “Invaders!” exhibit to run…

Title: Space Invaders ExtremePrice: $19.99System(s): DS (PSP)Release Date: June 17, 2008Publisher (Developer): Taito/Square EnixESRB Rating: “Everyone”Pros: Chaotic graphics, frantically fun soundtrack and all-round innovative take on an arcade classic. Nice multiplayer features including a simple yet fun online mode. Rumble pack compatible.Cons: Some boss levels overly difficult, compounded by two-screen split.Overall Score: Two thumbs up; 97/100; A; * * * * 1/2 out of five.

I’ve become a bit jaded by supposedly revamped classic games with an exciting word tacked at the end of the name. In most cases, such as the “Deluxe” line Xbox Live games, it means they simply took an old ROM, juiced up the graphics, added a new soundtrack, created a leaderboard and dialed up the speed to 11. It’s not so much “Deluxe” as the same ol’ game in a pixelated tux.

Space Invaders Extreme, however, is so much more than it’s arcade and early console predecessors that it actually deserves its “Extreme” moniker…