Galaga

Today when you go to arcade arenas, you may find an old box shaped machine in the corner of the room. In this box is a screen with an outer space setting, featuring a space ship at the bottom of the screen and aliens flying above it. This machine is the arcade of Galaga.

This was huge back in the 80's. For today's standards, the graphics are simple and there isn't a whole lot that you have to do. That's what makes it fun. While strategy games are difficult and often realistic, it's more fun to play older, simpler games where you can escape reality and play as a little figure on a screen. In this game, you must fight off the galagans in order to defend your planet. This game is very similar to Space Invaders, which is another excellent game. In this game, the Galagans can fly in circular patterns, making it difficult to destroy them, and certain ones can beam you up in order to capture you.

This game may not be real advanced for today's standards, but it's addicting and fun. Out of all the games I've played at an arcade arena, I've never had so much fun as I've had playing this. If you haven't played this yet, find it at an arcade center. While you're at it, try to find Asteroids and Space Invaders at the same time.

Have fun playing. Go to the arcade center and save your world, destroy the galagans before they take over.

This is another one of my favorite video games of all time as well as one of my favorite shooters. This game is one of the granddaddy's of the shooter genre to video games and it's still one of the best, this is a game you can easily find just about everywhere you go, from arcade cabinets to the consoles like any classic movie it's timeless and here to stay.

Not much in plot, your pretty much a space fighter that must save the universe from evil flying aliens. That's it in a nutshell really, like most video games of yesteryear it was never much about story it was about the action which I like because with games like this you just simply press start and get into the action much like simply jumping into a swimming pool and just swimming. I mainly loved this game from the fact I love sci-fi, but it was a game where it's pretty much one against the universe, the odds in the game are totally against you but you can fight though those odds.

This game just has so much going for it, I really like the designs of the aliens as each of the squadrons that make up an armada are unique in design they mainly are insect like, from giant alien bees, alien dragon flies, though the ones behind them are these giant crabs or at least I think they are as well as other strange but cool nasties. I really like the line up of the aliens sort of like with a shooting gallery where the obvious targets are in front and the harder ones are behind. Really like their flight formations and attack patterns which look and feel fluid but also there is a slight sense of unpredictability as we see when you get further the pattern and formations change, let alone the aliens get just a bit faster and even more aggressive than before.

Objective is simple as you simply have to nail them before they nail you, you have a ship that can only go left and right and that shoots out a great deal of laser bolts or missiles at them. It's really cool to see the blown away affect of the aliens as it looks almost like fireworks.

However, one highlight and unique thing about the game is that you can use two ships at the same time to do a double whammy. That was always cool as it leveled the odds quicker, but there is a catch to doing thing which is where the risk and reward factor comes to play. You must allow one of the lead Crab Aliens to capture your ship which means you'll be down a life. And you'll really be down a life if you even accidently hit the ship instead of the alien to recapture it. But if you do hit the alien then you'll be rewarded your ship back. Though you can also lose that second ship in battle which once again makes you down a life. So, as I said it's a risk and reward factor the choice is yours, though on a side note I only do this when I have a great amount of lives but that's me.

Another thing I like is the bonus game where if you hit all the aliens in perfect succession then your rewarded a life or even just extra point to earn one. The bonus games are easy if you remember the formations and position your ship in the right spot.

I even like that the game has a ranking system as you get further, there are medals on the bottom right corner; let alone when you lose all your lives and the game is over there is a status screen. I really like this feature because it really helps in setting records and give the game a competitiveness where you can challenge your friends and see how well you do against them or vice versa.

Even like that theme music in the game, which even though it's a small tune it's a really cool tune which perfect fits the game, knowing your in for galactic action.

Galaga is a blast.

Rating: 4 stars

For all those out there, GALAGA (1980) is THE GREATEST GAME OF ALL TIME without question. The graphics and game-play for it's time are phenomenal and were so far advanced than other games it received praise beyond belief. Buy this game on any console and you won't be disappointed! It was a new generation of the all time 'classic' "Space-Invaders", and in it's own right, earned it's own 'classic game' title. - I give this game an 11/10 because it is just outright the best game i have ever played and will keep ANYBODY hooked for hours on end. GAME DESCRIPTION: "You're under attack! The Galagans are reclaiming planets they lost during a centuries-old interstellar war -- and now they want yours! And you're ready to fight to the bitter end to protect it!

So you join the Intergalactic Warrior Fleet. Without training, you're assigned to your first combat mission -- and on-the-job is the only way to learn. Shaking in your boots, you accept the assignment and board your Intergalactic Command Ship."

Galaga was released as a sequel to Galaxian in 1980 by the Bally/Midway corporation. This game featured many things that Galaxian did not- the enemies flew in from out of the screen, and the most memorable thing of all was the ship that came down and could capture your ship with it's tractor beam. The dual ships that ensued after you reclaimed your captured ship was a never before seen feat. Seems like nothing these days, but back in the 80s Galaga was a huge hit, and even gets recognition today. It was a huge breakthrough and allowed tons of base for shareware games of the 1990s. Look for it in arcades, on Midway Classic Series of Games, or on the re-releases of Atari Classics.