On Reflection

Let’s be serious now; Galaga really should be stripped of its 8/10 credentials. In the face of far better titles that have appeared since, such as the brilliant and original Every Extend Extra Extreme, Galaga really doesn’t cut the mustard any more.

The Score

If football is a game of two halves, retro gaming is a hobby with two categories. Games that age well and games that don’t. Pac-Man belongs to the latter group yet somehow, some way, Galaga has crept through the back door into the former. Why? Only the Retro Gods know for sure. There’s no ‘awesome gameplay + rubbish graphics = this ages well’ formula that allows anyone to work out why Galaga remains an engaging shooter. It’s just happened. Accept it. For those who don’t know, Galaga is a simple enough space shooter that grew up in the shadow of Space Invaders, but added enough tweaks and tricks to ensure it remains playable today. Waves of enemies attack you in formations, à la every retro game ever, and you have to shoot them. This sounds like every other retro space shooter ever but Galaga has varied enemies, a cute double ship trick, as well as tough bonus stages that are nearly impossible to get perfect for (Hello Achievements!).

There’s absolutely no graphical flair that suggests Galaga has now taken root in modern gaming rather than 1981. There’s absolutely no music apart from a cheesy little riff between stages, which sounds like a bearded man hitting a cheap Casio keyboard for a few seconds. In fact, there’s absolutely nothing to it, yet Galaga does manage to preserve the spirit of the high score chase perfectly as you always feel you can do one better than before. With Galaga, there’s always room for improvement, always room for sharpening skill, always room to grow. And for that, there will always be room for Galaga in gaming of any era and so it makes for a fantastic addition to Xbox Live Arcade’s line-up.

8 out of 10