10 Video Game Reboots That Buried Franchises ENTIRELY

Space Invaders is an arcade classic and is one of the most influential video games out there. The premise is simple: it is a top-down shooter where you shoot down aliens on a 2D plane. But in a misguided attempt at modernizing the franchise for a contemporary audience, 2002's Space Raiders was released.

First of all, Space Raiders is presented in a realistic third-person perspective because that's what you think of when you think of Space Invaders. But beyond the baffling design choices, the game does not innovate the gameplay loop at all. Sure, the title has modern graphics but underneath its contemporary presentation, Space Raiders has nothing new to offer.

And if that's not bad enough, the graphics are poor even for its time while its audio is even worse, turning the game into a tedious button masher that assaults the senses in every way possible.

The franchise would thankfully receive better revivals later on with Space Invaders: Extreme and Space Invaders: Infinity Gene. Space Raiders, on the other hand, has been thankfully forgotten by time.