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Fun attempt at a difficult remake

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: November 24, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Just how do you modernise a classic which at it's heart relied on repititive, similar gameplay for minutes on end? I have to admit I never clocked Galaga. Why? Becuase the original, whilst fun and addictive, simply got boring past wave 15 and the diffculty level was managed by speeding everything up.

Hasbro appear to have been very careful in preserving those elements which made Galaga a great shooter. In my mind those were: precision shooting, predictable aliens, captured ship - and the double ship action that inevitably followed - and a persisitent wave of around 40 opponents to shoot at.

This game introduces: multiple camera angles (more later), upto four captured aliens (excellent for blasting), 15? new enemies, more weapons - via the captured aliens, a standard 'save the world' storyline backed by some nice FMV, 9 levels and a bonus techno style level for practising.

Galaga introduces regular camera changes keyed to the background. There are 3 standard views (3D - like StarFox, top down and side on and 1 special view - a tip of the hat to Tempest I guess). You can also control some of the background surface guns to shoot up at the aliens for a few seconds before flipping back to your safely parked ship - this is actually pretty cool but could have been executed better.

Throughout all the views the aliens stream in like trains executing their own complex patterns before joining a large central wave of aliens somewhere in the middle of the screen and then coming back at you in small groups of spiralling baddies. There's not many games on the PS where there are always 20 to 30 opponents on screen to shoot at and a fairly detailed background moving along at around 30 frames per second.

3D is a new view, like Star Fox as I said, and the gameplay is a little difficult here primarily becuase it's hard to stay on target when following the incoming aliens amongst the *sometimes* excellent but often cluttered background graphics. It's even harder once they've formed the wave and begun their attack patterns. It must have been diffcult when designing this view as, unlike StarFox, Galaga IS a wave based shooter. This version places that wave in the complexity of a 3D world and moves through it forcing the player to avoid obstacles and background elements whilst still expecting him to track and aim at up to 30 aliens moving and swirling around. Yet, it is strangley satisfy to kill an entire stream of aliens and be awared a bonus for doing it...

Top down is the classic Galaga view and here the gameplay is very similar to the original with very few obstacles in your way. Side on is basically like top down but scrolling left to right in stead up top to bottom. Both these views are the easiest to master.

On the whole I found the game enjoyable. The new features serve to enhance the core of the game, which is blasting aliens after all. The graphics are good and actually the sound is, for once, not bad either. Gameplay is limited but then so was the original but this has, at least, been substantially varied by the new views, gun control bits and extra 'capturing' ability of your new ship and new aliens. The game has been packaged fairly well with FMV and a decent back story.

For the price, I recommend it especially for nostalgics and casual gamers alike.

Not what I expected... But ok

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: November 19, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I was so excited to see Galaga for the Sony Playstation after years of hunting it down when I was at a pool hall or arcade. I was very disappointed that only the first level stays true to the original arcade game.

It does have great graphics and seems like it could have the potential to be a great game but my expectations were shattered when I discovered it wasn't "the galaga" I was looking for.

Good attempt at modernising reptitive and limited game play

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: November 21, 2000
Author: Amazon User

It was hard to see how a modern shooter could be made from the limited and repititive game play in the original Galaga. Galag 88 improved on this by introducing more elements and pickups or a sort.

This version of Galaga provides a feeling of the original (spiralling aliens, precise shooting of streams and the usual Galaga 2-shot action and double ship capturing). It goes further by providing additional camera angles, aliens, weapons, missions and environments loosely tied together with the standard 'Save the World' storyline. Side, top and 3D behind view are all present, and even an tip of the hat to Tempest in some sequences.

The difficulty is that the transition has clearly not been easy. In the 3D view it's quite diffuclt to aim. If you remember the original all you had to do was line up. However in 3D is more difficult to stay on target. A bit like Starfox without the draw distance of the N64. I guess keeping the background and lots of aliens on screen at the same time must be quite difficult for an aging Playstation.

Graphics and SFX are good quality and frame rate seems standard at 30FPS. Options are limited but then so is my time.

For the price it's a good bit of fun.

I liked the old arcade game better

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 18, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I was expecting to have whistling insect-like ships hurtling out of the sky at me and bonus rounds like in the original arcade version. Instead, they programmers have made the game 3D to make it more realistic, and your ship is much more maneuverable. The game isn't BAD, but I was expecting retro. Oh well. Guess one can't live in the past.

Buy this game if you like flying spaceships through obstacles and shooting enemies. Don't buy it if you expect to play the arcade version on your Playstation. It ain't gonna happen.

A disappointed 35-year-old galaxian/galaga/gaplus junkie!

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: November 04, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I've been anticipating this release for several months, but I think this will be a letdown for many like myself who spent hours in the arcade in high school and college playing galaxian, galaga and gaplus. I just purchased it tonight, and after 45 minutes or so testing it out, I'm sorry I did. The biggest disappointment for me is the 3D aspect. I don't know if I'm just stuck in a 2D mindset or what, but your own darn ship is in the way to where it's very difficult to aim at what's in front of you. There's virtually none of the precision firing and flight control left from the '81 version. If you are a graphics-based gamer, you may enjoy this a lot more, but I'm in it for the fast-pace and good old-fashioned fun of the old galaga. In the old games of galaga and galaxian, the action was fast and clearly focused in front(above) of you. Although there are alternating screens here, some of which resemble the old style, the pace is much slower, and the 3D shots make it very hard to zone in on anything. I'm sticking with Namco Museum Volumes 1-3. The arcade-perfects are still the most fun.

Old School Done Right

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: October 31, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Wow Imagine my surprize to find out my favorite classic shooter had been redone. First off I'd hoped this would be a better update than Asteroids. Thankfully it is a great game that retains the charm of the original. The developers keep the same fast paced shooting action that you love but add amazing new intro movies and great 3D graphics. The thing I love about this game is the different type of shooters in package some are over the top shooters, Some are more classic side scrolling, and some are First person, and all of these modes blend seemlessly in the game. If you think games have got a little to full of themselves ( Fear effect anyone) and remeber when they were fun and addictive this is right up your alley. Highly recommend ...!

A [bad], shoot 'em up game

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: May 24, 2002
Author: Amazon User

What's wrong with Galaga: DE? The music is great, but the game is not. The stage begins with a classic angle, followed by a side angle and end it with a pilot angle that is hard to shoot from, but easy to kill a swarm. There's no way you can save the game in progress after you turn it off, why?, because you can use up all 3 lives to continue the game. The classic Galaga is better!

It ain't what you think

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 17, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I like others was hoping for the original arcade game simply available on the PS2.
Alas this was not to be.
I guess it is an ok game, but they really should have given it other name.
JMHO

NOT a classic version!

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User

...I immediately started playing but then realized this is a joke of a video game. I was looking for a replica of the arcade version from the 1980s but this game had nothing of that sort. I mean, they could at least put in some classic arcade version if they beat the game(if you ever do)! Plus, some of the silly little mode things are totally impossible to hit the dang aliens. The only reason I didn't give this game a big fat 1 is the bonus stages can sometimes be sort of fun and after you get off the first world thing, the second place has an interesting background. Hasbro Interactive should be ashamed of this poor attempt to take a classic video game and turn it into a fun game. This is not worth the money. If you see any good reviews about this game, I suggest you pretend they aren't even there because this game just plain STINKS!!!

Galaga

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 05, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game as a gift for my spouse. WE used to play it for hours in the 70's when we were dating. Of course, then it was a true arcade game. I think I actually meant to purchase Galaxar! This game is O.K., but I am still searching for the tried and true game of our youth. This game is a bit tedious because you cannot save at all. No matter how far you get in each stage, if you don't accomplish the mission, you lose valuable acquisitions.

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