Developers World Championship: Match Report - Japan v Russia (Group E)

JAPAN Space Invaders Infinity Gene (Taito)

VS RUSSIA 8 in 1 Arcade Park (HeroCraft)

In today’s second Group E match, nine separate games, rather uniquely, went head-to-head for Japan and Russia in the iPhone Game Developers World Championship.

It was billed in some quarters of the media as one retro remake v eight retro remakes. And normally, when a nation is handicapped in this manner, you would expect it to come a cropper.

But this solitary, rehashed shooter from Asia, squaring off against the might of HeroCraft’s 8-in-1 Arcade Park, isn’t just any old title.

Space Invaders Infinity Gene, from Japanese gaming behemoth Taito, flies into this tournament with a long and distinguished history. Originally released in arcades in 1978, it has earned its makers a cool half a billion dollars in revenue.

While HeroCraft’s Arcade Park compilation couldn't boast similar mind-boggling stats, it did enter the fray with comfort in numbers, offering gaming classics such as Arcade Ball, Asteroids, and Rushman all for the price of a sandwich.

With no sign of a peace treaty, on lunchtime snacks or otherwise, being signed anytime soon by the two real-life governments of Japan and Russia, this grudge match had more at stake than three mere points.

Kick Off: 3pm, 14th June The critical view: Spraying its multi-award winning credentials, including a Gold Award picked up last season, all over the park like footballing confetti, Space Invaders Infinity Gene produced the fastest opening goal to a game seen at the tournament to date.

A screamer from outside the 18 yard box by the classic shoot-em-up soon followed, with its spectacular visuals and sublime soundscapes providing the assists on this occasion.

Having now established a comfortable lead, Taito’s arcade classic took the foot off the pedal somewhat, allowing the Russian outfit to compete in midfield via its Hall of Fame in-game leaderboards and customisable controls.

No further goals were registered by either side as half-time approached, though the neat touchscreen controls displayed by Space Invaders Infinity Gene’s elusive winger served to entertain the masses.

Half time: Japan 2 – 0 Russia The Fans’ 45: Not surprisingly, given the historic enmity between these two proud nations, the supporters of both teams were fully behind their boys from the get-go.

The illustrious past of Space Invaders had clearly touched a nerve with the Japanese contigent, and a third blockbuster was on the cards throughout the second period due to the plethora of votes pouring in.

As the match evolved, so too did the Taito title. Features and stages were being unlocked as rapidly as Russia's creaking defence, engineering a final flourish for Taito whose invaders simply overwhelmed HeroCraft's retro-package, and notched a third in added time to underline the most decisive result of the tournament so far.

Full time: Japan 3 – 0 Russia Latest Group Tables - Fixtures & Voting - Squads

Confused? Click here to go to the Pocket Gamer iPhone Game Developers World Championship home page.

MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSORS: The iPhone Game Developers World Championship 2010 is brought to you by Pocket Gamer in association with FlickKick Football> check it out!