This year marks the 45th anniversary of Space Invaders, the landmark Taito coin-op that conquered the world and remains one of gaming's most recognisable visual icons. Google clearly employs some big fans of Space Invaders, because the tech behemoth has gone all-in on celebrating this anniversary and, in collaboration with Taito, has both made a new game and created a small but beautifully presented history of the series.
The big shock is that Space Invaders: World Defense is an AR game that actually looks like the business. We've probably all played Pokemon Go but, beyond that, AR games felt like a bit of a fad (though admittedly I'm not the most informed about mobile gaming). Don't get me wrong you won't be mainlining this thing for weeks, but something about using your phone and seeing those giant invader shapes floating around the houses and buildings fits absolutely perfectly, and the moment you see it you'll smile.
