LoginRegisterContact

Space Invaders [Model 739]

Export Arcade Video game published 46 years ago by Midway Mfg. Co.

Listed in MAME

Space Invaders © 1978 Midway Mfg. Co.

Export version manufactured by Midway under license from Taito. For more information about the game itself, please see the original Taito upright model entry; "Space Invaders".

Goodies for Space Invaders [Model 739]
Click to enlarge
(members only)
TECHNICAL/MACHINE PICT.
12

Game ID : 739
[Upright model]

Buttons : 3 (LEFT, RIGHT, FIRE)
(The US upright model had no joystick)

TRIVIA

Space Invaders was released by Midway Manufacturing, under license by Taito, in October 1978 in the USA.

The Space Invaders phenomenon stunned many conservative adults of the time who were convinced that video-games soured the minds of their youngsters. Residents of Mesquite, Texas, pushed the issue all the way to the Supreme Court in their efforts to ban the illicit machines from their Bible-belt community. A number of reported incidents of juvenile crime began to surface shortly after the game's release, adding to its 'controversy'. A girl was caught stealing $5,000 from her parents and gangs of youths were reported to have robbed grocery stores just so they would have money to play the game.

Of the reported 350,000 units produced world wide, about 65,000 units were produced in the U.S. alone.

Technology journalist Jason Whittaker credited the game's success to ending the video game crash of 1977, which had earlier been caused by Pong clones flooding the market, and beginning the golden age of video arcade games. According to The Observer, the home console versions were popular and encouraged users to learn programming; many who later became industry leaders.

Space Invaders inspired a catchy hit song by 'Uncle Vic' called 'Space Invaders' released over the spring to summer-time period of 1980. The Pretenders also released an instrumental song called 'Space Invaders' on their debut album in 1980.

A Space Invaders unit appears in the 1980 movie 'Midnight Madness', in the 1982 movie 'Jekyll & Hyde... Together Again', in the 1982 movie 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High', in the 1983 movie 'Joysticks', in the 1984 movie 'The Iceman', in the 1991 movie 'Terminator 2 - Judgment Day', and in the 1998 sitcom 'That 70's Show'; Season 4, Episode 8 (Donna's Story).

An upright unit of the Midway release of Space Invaders appears in the ZZ Top music video, 'Legs'.

Goodies for Space Invaders [Model 739]
Click to see more
(members only)
SERIES

1. Space Invaders (1978, ARC)
2. Space Invaders Deluxe (1979, ARC)
3. Space Invaders II (1980, ARC)
4. Return of the Invaders (1985, ARC)
5. Super Space Invaders '91 (1990, ARC)
6. Space Invaders DX (1994, ARC)
7. Space Invaders '95 - Attack of the Lunar Loonies (1995, ARC)
8. Space Invaders (1999, PS)
9. Space Invaders 25th Silver Anniversary (2003, ARC)
10. Space Invaders Revolution (2005, DS)
11. Space Invaders Evolution (2005, PSP)
12. Space Invaders Extreme (2008, DS/PSP)
13. Space Invaders Extreme 2 (2009, DS)
14. Space Invaders Frenzy (2017, ARC)

PORTS

NOTE: For ports released in Japan, please see the Taito upright model entry.

CONSOLES:
usa Atari 2600 (1980) "Space Invaders [Model CX2632]"
usa Atari 5200 (1982) "Space Invaders [Model CX5204]"
Atari XEGS
brazil DynaVision (198?)
usa ColecoVision (aug.9, 2003) "Space Invaders Collection"
europe Sony PS2 (oct.14, 2005) "Taito Legends [Model SLES-53438]"
europe Microsoft XBOX (oct.14, 2005) "Taito Legends"
usa Sony PS2 (oct.25, 2005) "Taito Legends [Model SLUS-21122]"
usa Microsoft XBOX (oct.25, 2005) "Taito Legends"
korea Sony PS2 (jul.18, 2006) "Taito Legends [Model SLKA-15056]"

HANDHELDS:
australia Nintendo Game Boy (1994) "Space Invaders [Model DMG-SP-AUS]"
europe Nintendo Game Boy (1994) "Space Invaders [Model DMG-SP-NOE]"
uk Nintendo Game Boy (1994) "Space Invaders [Model DMG-SP-UKV]"
usa Nintendo Game Boy (oct.1994) "Space Invaders [Model DMG-SP-USA]"
europe Sony PSP (oct.6, 2006) "Taito Legends Power-Up [Model ULES-00473]"
usa Sony PSP (may.17, 2007) "Taito Legends Power-Up [Model ULUS-10208]"

COMPUTERS:
europe Exidy Sorcerer (1978) "Invaders"
europe Microtan 65 (1980) "Space Invasion"
usa TI99/4a (1981) "TI Invaders [Model PHM 3053]" by Texas Instruments
usa Tandy Color Computer (1981) "Space Assault"
usa Tandy Color Computer (1981) "Color Space Invaders"
usa Commodore Vic 20 "Avenger"
usa Commodore C64 (1982) "Avenger [Model C-64 621]"
europe Commodore C64 (1982) "Avenger"
europe BBC B (1982) "Super Invaders" by Acornsoft
europe Sinclair ZX-Spectrum (1982) "Spectral Invaders" by Bug-Byte
europe Sinclair ZX-Spectrum (1982) "Space Raiders" by Sinclair Research
europe Sinclair ZX-Spectrum (1982) "Invaders" by Artic Computing (UK)
europe Oric (1983) "Oric Invaders" by Arcadia Software
usa Tandy Color Computer (1985) "Super Vaders"
europe usa Commodore C64 (1987) "Arcade Classics"
usa Tandy Color Computer 3 (1988) "Space Intruders" : wave 9 is similar to wave 5 of "Phoenix".
europe Commodore Amiga (1988) "Amoeba Invaders" : included in the cover disk that came with the ST/Amiga Format Magazine (nov.1988, Issue number 5).
europe Atari ST (1989)
europe Sinclair ZX-Spectrum (1993) "Invaders" by Design Design Software (UK) : published exclusively on magazine covertape, appeared on side A of covertape "Your Sinclair issue 85: Christmas Collection 2".
PC [MS-DOS] (1997) "Champ Invaders" - CHAMProgramming
australia VTech Laser-VZ "Vz Invaders"
usa Apple II "Apple Invader"
europe PC [MS Windows] (oct.14, 2005) "Taito Legends"
usa PC [MS Windows] (nov.10, 2005) "Taito Legends"

OTHERS:
usa LED handheld game (1980) black version by Entex
usa LED handheld game (1981) grey version by Entex
usa LCD handheld game (1982) by Tiger Electronics
usa LCD handheld game with calculator (1982) by Tiger Electronics
usa LCD handheld game (1984) by Tiger Electronics with larger display
europe LCD handheld game (1999) by Systema
usa Arcade Legends : Space Invaders TV Game (2004) by Radica Games
usa Mobile Phones (2007) "3D Space Invaders"
usa Mobile Phones (2007) "Space Invaders Trilogy"
usa Atari Flashback 4 (nov.13, 2012) by AtGames
usa Atari Flashback 5 (oct.1, 2014) by AtGames
usa Atari Flashback 6 (sept.15, 2015) by AtGames
usa Atari Flashback 7 (oct.1, 2016) by AtGames
usa Atari Flashback 8 (sept.22, 2017) by AtGames
usa Atari Flashback 8 Gold Edition (sept.22, 2017) by AtGames

SOURCES

Game's picture.