Galaga
Posted July 26, 2006
Developed by Namco in 1981, Galaga quickly became one of the most popular video games found at the local coin-op arcade. The addicting nature of Galaga drew crowds of anxious gamers lined up behind the massive arcade machine waiting for a chance to blast some alien scum. While I enjoy seeing these arcade classics revamped and improved for Xbox Live Arcade, Galaga only offers the same experience from the eighties. Namco's lack of features compared to other old-school Xbox Live Arcade adaptations greatly hampers an otherwise solid title. 
Gameplay:
For those still in diapers when Galaga was released, the object of the game is to eliminate a group of ships on each level of play. Your attack fighter can move horizontally, left and right, at the bottom of the game board. Additionally, you have rapid firing missiles at your disposal, which can be fired two at a time. At the start of each level, the enemy ships will fly in around your ship, fire in your direction, and dive bomb the bottom of the screen. Additionally, there are chances when you can increase your firepower by becoming a double fighter. This will allow for rapid destruction on the game board and increased score totals.
Anyone that's new to the Galaga series may find the speed of the attack fighter and its firing capabilities to be sluggish. This intentional pacing of the game increases difficulty dramatically. As you play though the numerous levels, accuracy and enemy ship movement becomes easier to predict. Essentially, the level structure repeats itself every five levels, but adds more enemy firepower each repetition.
The achievements are broken into 12 tasks, and I use that term loosely, for 200 gamerscore points. Apparently, Namco went to the EA Sports / 2K Sports School of Achievement Assignment when laying out their points. All 200 points can be snatched up in 45 minutes to an hour of play. Hopelessly simple, Namco obliterated the replay value of Galaga with achievements that are awarded for basically moving through the levels. You don't have to reach high scores, shoot particular enemies, or even stay alive. If you die, the game stupidly allows for restarting the exact same level, which makes the "Reach Level 30" achievement moronically asinine. Namco horrifically butchered the quality of their achievements with effortless goals and sloppy structure.
Beyond achievements, the only Xbox Live feature included is the leaderboard. There are no multiplayer features included like the versus mode or co-op play found in Frogger. Ranking up on the leaderboard can only be accomplished by leaving the game on default settings. In the options menu, the settings can increase the starting number of lives or adjust point totals for rewards.
Graphics:
While I appreciate paying homage to the video games of the past, Galaga could have used a higher quality face lift before entering the high definition era. The most artistic portion of the screen is actually the background surrounding the game board. The developers used a backdrop of alien crafts as seen on an old 1950's movie poster for the space invaders movie at the local drive-in. The artwork in the opening menu is particularly eyecatching as well.
Unfortunately, the actual game board is nearly identical its 25 year old predecessor. Similar to Frogger, the default setting only takes up a little more than a third of the screen. Pixilated, blocky ships cover the screen in a mish-mosh of poor textures and blinking dots. Why can't developers like Namco can't put time into updating their graphics is beyond me. They really need to take a page from Bizarre Creations and their updated version of Geometry Wars.
Audio:
While the sound effects haven't changed a bit, I can't fault the developers for sticking with the classic noises. The music is addictive, causing a heightened level of tension, and the sound effects are perfect for each little blast. Namco did an excellent job in porting over the same auditory qualities that made the original so endearing.
Conclusion:
Where is the replay value? Without multiplayer or even slightly tough achievements, the only incentive to continue playing is to compete for the high score on the Xbox Live leaderboard. Of course, nobody will know you are top dog on the leaderboard unless they purchase the game. Galaga is a solid, but repetitive, single player experience that quickly becomes tiresome and pointless after a couple hours of play.
Sadly, Namco seems fit to charge for the experience of reliving your childhood rather than for any new features. Galaga certainly isn't worth the 400 Markeplace points it would cost to purchase it. In fact, I see no reason to purchase Galaga unless the cost is reduced by half or possibly more. The only gamers that should pick this up are achievement whores while the rest of the Xbox Live gaming population should save their points for something worthwhile.
Gameplay:
For those still in diapers when Galaga was released, the object of the game is to eliminate a group of ships on each level of play. Your attack fighter can move horizontally, left and right, at the bottom of the game board. Additionally, you have rapid firing missiles at your disposal, which can be fired two at a time. At the start of each level, the enemy ships will fly in around your ship, fire in your direction, and dive bomb the bottom of the screen. Additionally, there are chances when you can increase your firepower by becoming a double fighter. This will allow for rapid destruction on the game board and increased score totals.
Anyone that's new to the Galaga series may find the speed of the attack fighter and its firing capabilities to be sluggish. This intentional pacing of the game increases difficulty dramatically. As you play though the numerous levels, accuracy and enemy ship movement becomes easier to predict. Essentially, the level structure repeats itself every five levels, but adds more enemy firepower each repetition.
The achievements are broken into 12 tasks, and I use that term loosely, for 200 gamerscore points. Apparently, Namco went to the EA Sports / 2K Sports School of Achievement Assignment when laying out their points. All 200 points can be snatched up in 45 minutes to an hour of play. Hopelessly simple, Namco obliterated the replay value of Galaga with achievements that are awarded for basically moving through the levels. You don't have to reach high scores, shoot particular enemies, or even stay alive. If you die, the game stupidly allows for restarting the exact same level, which makes the "Reach Level 30" achievement moronically asinine. Namco horrifically butchered the quality of their achievements with effortless goals and sloppy structure.
Beyond achievements, the only Xbox Live feature included is the leaderboard. There are no multiplayer features included like the versus mode or co-op play found in Frogger. Ranking up on the leaderboard can only be accomplished by leaving the game on default settings. In the options menu, the settings can increase the starting number of lives or adjust point totals for rewards.
Graphics:
While I appreciate paying homage to the video games of the past, Galaga could have used a higher quality face lift before entering the high definition era. The most artistic portion of the screen is actually the background surrounding the game board. The developers used a backdrop of alien crafts as seen on an old 1950's movie poster for the space invaders movie at the local drive-in. The artwork in the opening menu is particularly eyecatching as well.
Unfortunately, the actual game board is nearly identical its 25 year old predecessor. Similar to Frogger, the default setting only takes up a little more than a third of the screen. Pixilated, blocky ships cover the screen in a mish-mosh of poor textures and blinking dots. Why can't developers like Namco can't put time into updating their graphics is beyond me. They really need to take a page from Bizarre Creations and their updated version of Geometry Wars.
Audio:
While the sound effects haven't changed a bit, I can't fault the developers for sticking with the classic noises. The music is addictive, causing a heightened level of tension, and the sound effects are perfect for each little blast. Namco did an excellent job in porting over the same auditory qualities that made the original so endearing.
Conclusion:
Where is the replay value? Without multiplayer or even slightly tough achievements, the only incentive to continue playing is to compete for the high score on the Xbox Live leaderboard. Of course, nobody will know you are top dog on the leaderboard unless they purchase the game. Galaga is a solid, but repetitive, single player experience that quickly becomes tiresome and pointless after a couple hours of play.
Sadly, Namco seems fit to charge for the experience of reliving your childhood rather than for any new features. Galaga certainly isn't worth the 400 Markeplace points it would cost to purchase it. In fact, I see no reason to purchase Galaga unless the cost is reduced by half or possibly more. The only gamers that should pick this up are achievement whores while the rest of the Xbox Live gaming population should save their points for something worthwhile.