Space Raiders leaves us confused
Mastiff's American Cube exclusive 3D shoot-'em-up looks rather a lot like a game we only saw on PS2. What the fudge!
As you may have seen reported elsewhere, a US firm called Mastiff (who will be publishing La Pucelle Tactics in the States, if you're trying to place the name) has announced plans to release a 3D version of Space Invaders called "Space Raiders" exclusively on GameCube in the US this April. For just $19.99.
Not bad going, you're probably thinking. On the other hand, the screenshots left us with an uncomfortable feeling of déjà vu. Isn't that...?
Have a look at them. They're here. Now have a look at these shots of Space Invaders: Invasion Day, a game that Bigben Interactive published in Europe last September 5th for the not unreasonable asking price of £14.99. Are they not one and the same? So they are. Why then, I wonder, is Space Invaders: Invasion Day a European PS2 exclusive, while Space Raiders is an American GameCube exclusive?
Bigben had sort-of-an-answer. "Bigben UK published the game on PS2 in the UK territories only," a spokesman told us this morning. "This is the first time we've heard of a GameCube version. We're not going to be publishing it."
Strange! Why can't we have the Cube version too? And why did Mastiff go for that version with a PS2 title doing the rounds at the same time? Answers on a digital postcard to the usual address.