Galaga

Added July 27th, 2006 by Sallizar

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.

Konami was kind enough to bless us with some new graphics for Frogger, but Namco has kept Galaga looking the same way it did in the 80s. I was kind of surprised considering that there is a graphically enhanced version of Galaga on Namco’s PSP retro collection. The graphics are pretty good for the era but I’ve already pumped my share of cash into arcade machines and retro collections. I’d at least like to have the option to pretty it up a bit.



Gameplay hasn’t changed any. Bug-like aliens fly on the screen and you shoot them. The controls however are a bit clunky on the 360. I alternated between the analog stick and the d-pad, but neither felt as responsive as the old arcade joystick. The only real plus is another two hundred achievement points to aim for. Unlike the Popcap games on XBLA the Galaga achievements are a piece of cake. One could easily get them all in one marathon session of alien blasting.

Summary:

There’s not anything particularly wrong with Galaga on Xbox Live Arcade, it’s just not really worth five clams. The port seems to be fairly close to arcade perfect, but the controls are just a tad sluggish. You’re better off saving those Microsoft Points for the new original content planned for XBLA later this year instead of this tired retro retread.