Galaga

One distinctive feature of the game is the double-shot power-up, which was really the first of its kind. In order to obtain it, you must first allow one of your ships to be captured. It's a risky proposition, but rescuing that ship effectively doubles your firepower, allowing you to breeze through the "challenge" stages and earn crazy bonuses. This game is noticeably easier than the arcade version, so Galaga veterans are likely to tally some big scores. Holding down the fire button will allows for continuous shooting (and less wear on your thumb), but you'll fire twice as fast by tapping it. If you have a Nintendo Advantage joystick, this is an ideal game to use it with.

The classic can still be found in countless pizza shops, bars, and even Laundromats right here in Lawrence, and it plays great on the Xbox 360 as well. It seems like there's a very small delay when firing, but it doesn't hurt the gameplay.

Back in the early 80’s, when I was 10 or 11 years old, the videogame industry was in it’s infancy and really starting to catch on in the world, especially with me. This local corner store, called the “Red and White” was one of the first places that I remember where I could get a steady dose of videogame excitement. My Dad used to toss me a couple bucks from time to time and I’d take the long walk to the store so I could slide my precious quarters into beautiful, electronic cabinets.

The aliens look a bit washed out, and the boss aliens aren't any larger than the others. At least the distinctive Galaga melodies and sound effects are included. To be fair, this game was actually written in 1984, although it sat on the shelf until 1987 (nice going Atari)! The gameplay is still fast and furious, but ONLY on the expert mode (forget about the others). In a way, I like the fact that this version is unique, because I've already played the original one to death. Be sure to use a good arcade-style 2600 joystick instead of the standard 7800 controller for this one.

No discussion: Galaga is one of the best space shooters the golden arcade age ever produced. There's almost no need to review it now that it's on Xbox Live Arcade, right? Instant classic plus reissue equals massive score? Not so fast. There's something missing that makes this oldie a little less of a goodie.

Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday release campaign continues with Galaga, the latest title to hit the Xbox 360's virtual shelves. It's Namco Bandai's second such release on the Live Arcade this summer, the first being Frogger two weeks ago. In terms of how Galaga fares on the XBLA, it's not the best port to be released. It misses out on some opportunities for expanded gameplay by omitting alternating co-operative play offline and on. Still, it remains entertaining.

Galaga hit arcades in 1981 and it was the superpowered sequel to Namco's previous spaceship shooting game, Galaxian. Featuring great additions to the Galaxian gameplay, solid 1981-era graphics, and very memorable sound effects and jingles, it quickly became a classic arcade game. Sequels would follow, but Galaga always stood tall. It's definitely one of the greatest games of all time, and now it's available for 400 points ($5) on Xbox Live Arcade.

Pegando o vácuo deixado pelo furacão "Space Invaders", "Galaga" foi um dos poucos títulos de sua geração que conseguiu elevar a ação do gênero para um novo patamar. Mas apesar desse aspecto histórico, a ausência de novos atrativos, lista de conquistas sem grandes desafios e um defeito que pode irritar jogadores mais competitivos fazem com que essa reedição para Xbox 360 seja somente para saudosistas ou para quem tem curiosidade de conhecer um grande sucesso da década de 80.

If you're like a lot of console owning gamers, Galaga is probably on your shelf somewhere. Actually, it's there multiple times most likely. The $5 is a far price compared to other Live Arcade games, but not the countless Namco compilations. It needed a few extras for success.

Twenty five years ago, the gaming scene was a lot different than it was today. People had to pile in to arcades to play their favorite video games, and the only home play they got was with the Atari 2600. It was during this era that Namco launched their shooting game Galaga, a sequel to their flagship title Galaxian. In the game, players take control of a spaceship as they shoot flying aliens out of the sky, while using tactics to their advantage in stayling alive. The game remains a classic experience today, and Namco Bandai Games just released it for the Xbox Live Arcade service.

Você está no comando de uma avançada nave espacial, e deve impedir que a frota inimiga invada seu planeta.

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.

Astonishing fact of the day: Tom had never played Galaga until it popped up on Live Arcade this morning, which is the gaming equivalent of never having seen, I dunno, Blade Runner. After a while you just assume everyone must have come across certain cultural icons, but today's confession just goes to show how wrong you can be.

My first reaction to the Galaga release on Xbox Live Arcade was “Again?” I’ve played Galaga on several systems since my arcade days because Namco seems to bundle it into every retro compilation they put together. The XBLA release of Frogger had some new tricks up its sleeve a few weeks ago, so I figured I’d buy some more of Microsoft’s virtual quarters and give Galaga a shot.

Galaga hat seinen Platz in den Videogame-Annalen sicherlich zu recht und ist auch heute noch für ein paar Runden gut, NES-Titel wie das erste Zelda, Kirby’s Adventure oder Gradius bieten aber deutlich mehr Spaß pro Cent.

Galaga is one of gaming's greatest trailblazers and still gets its fair share of quarters at the local arcade. The opening song is memorized by a generation older than most gamers. It is the generation that made the arcade popular during the late 70's and early 80's. Just ask your mom or dad about Galaga. I'd be willing to bet they have at least one story to tell about the most classic arcade game next to Pac-Man.

I can remember the early 80s like it was yesterday. There I was, a mere lad of only 10 or 11, fresh off a Little League game playing for Celestino’s Pizza of Warwick, RI. Despite our 2-16 record that year, I still have fond memories of playing Galaga at the local DG’s arcade. I pumped token after token into that game.