Score
Gameplay:	7
Graphics:	8
Sound:	7
FunFactor:	8
PlasmaFactor:	7
Overall:	7.4

Galaga Legions Review
August 28, 2008 by Jereme Puik

Galaga Legions is probably the only real re-imagining of a coin-op classic that can be added with Namco Bandai’s previous effort being, the original Soul Calibur and Pac-Man Championship Edition. When I say complete re-imagining, I mean an overhaul from the ground up while keeping the core gameplay mechanics alive and well. Its simple nature will make it difficult for the core gamer crowd to stay away and will also be a draw for the casual crowd. While you may be hooked with the latest Geometry Wars sequel or the classic remake of Bionic Commando, Galaga Legions will, unfortunately, be the game that waits in the background fiddling with its thumbs waiting for its turn to take to the stage.

It’s just a Remake

To say Galaga Legions is just a remake is quite accurate, although there are a few tweaks here and there, there isn’t much to classify it as a complete re-imagining as I mentioned earlier. Now, you might’ve just noticed how I contradicted myself there, let me explain. The gameplay within Legions leads you to believe there is something to work for, which there isn’t. You are simply heading back to the same formula you originally met in its older brother that is just about as old as I am and I’m from those classic arcade days, mind you. The couple of tweaks I mentioned makes the gameplay a little easier for new comers, but is still a challenge for oldies like me.

Before you enter the game, one the things that really baffled me and made me chuckle was the option to choose “Automatic Fire” or “Manual Fire”. It made me chuckle because, if you were to choose Automatic Fire, that would more than likely take the challenge completely out of the experience of what Galaga is. I really appreciated the Galaga of the past mostly because you had control over what you were doing and the mistakes you make are your fault. Turning automatic fire on reduces your mistakes to kamikaze-like suicide into the enemies surrounding you.

There is nothing that keeps Galaga Legions from being a true next-generation jump of an old classic; the only thing that holds it back is its lack of content. There are two modes that will keep you busy. Adventure mode pits players through 5 increasingly difficult stages that have enemies swarming you from every corner of the screen. To help you keep up with everything before enemies appear, there are blue stripes that glide across the screen so you can predict what route the baddies will fly through. Each group of enemies has a  large ball attached to it which, once its hit, will make the entire line disappear, so make sure you catch up to those balls and get them out of the way. Last, you are given Championship mode, which will allow you to play those same 5 stages from Arcade mode to try and earn a higher score.

What Galaga Legions needs is something to keep players like me busy for more then just 5 stages of enemies swarming from behind and trying to jump me. With this month’s ‘Summer of the Arcade’ already kicked off with the likes of Geometry Wars 2 and Bionic Commando, you would think that something like Galaga Legions would give us even more depth to our Arcade goodness.

Out of the titles released thus far for the event, Legions just might be that one disappointing and lacking title that we expected just a bit more out of.  Galaga Legions is not necessarily a bad game; it just lacks content to make it even worth its 800 point price tag. Yes, there is that sense of nostalgia and wonderment. However, what we are left with is a bare bones sequel to a coin-op classic of the past.

Graphics

Wow, if you ever have the chance to experience Galaga Legions on an HDTV, I’d say do it! It looks gorgeous and can easily bring you back to the good old days. The brightly colored designs make for an entertaining play session and will more or less blind you if you’re not careful. In several sessions, I’ve managed to see spots in my vision after a couple hours of playing time getting through each stage. Then again, that was on an HDTV, so it might be a bit toned down for standard definition. Either way, its quite interesting to see how Namco Bandai was able to bring Galaga to its next-gen jump while still keeping its nostalgic feel all at the same time.

Sound

Everything is still there when blasting through the realms of space and time of Galaga. Fire blasts and enemy sound effects are sharp and give the game its techno feel. There isn’t really a soundtrack attached to it that will make it memorable, unless you like remembering constantly repeating themes that can easily get stuck in your head all day and pop up out of nowhere.

Plasma Factor

It’s hard to pin down something that isn’t there. I mean the plasma factor would have to stem from the key word of the day, nostalgia. That’s probably the only reason I could really see anyone purchasing Galaga Legions. It isn’t this bad when looking at the grand scheme of things as it could easily turn into a good time with friends. I’m looking at Galaga Legions from the critical point of view though and I’m going to say that there isn’t enough content in Galaga Legions to really even call it a ‘Summer of the Arcade’ title. Namco Bandai just seems to want to rack up the money drawing from its releases.

Conclusion

As I said before, the key word here is nostalgia. I may have mentioned this more then a few times in my reviews, but it makes sense. Some of these games just attack that nostalgic feeling for older gamers like me and going for the younger generation with its updated technical achievements. The achievements are there and will give you a bit of a challenge to go for, considering there is only about 10 of them or so. It is recommended you download the trial version of the game which is free to make your final decision. If only Galaga Legions was given a bit more meat to it, it could certainly be called a classic for the Summer of the Arcade.