Galaga '90 (Virtual Console) Review

Galaga '90

The gameplay in Galaga '90 is built upon the same premise as that of the original Galaga, but is in many ways more complex and more difficult. The game is divided into a series of worlds, each with three stages. The player's ship warps between stages and worlds, and it has the ability to warp to alternate dimensions as well.

There are six Challenging Stages in the game. Each Challenging Stage begins with the on-screen announcement "That's Galactic Dancin'", and each stage has its own music that the enemies "dance" to. The enemies and movement patterns vary depending on the stage and the current dimension. As in Galaga, the objective is to destroy all forty enemies before they leave the playfield.

By Dazza

This game started out life as Galaga ’88 in the arcades and saw a conversion to the Japanese PC Engine under the same name. Understandably in the two years it took to get released in North America the name needed incrementing so it didn't appear too out-dated but the excellent gameplay remains intact.

Sequels to classic games such as this can often be a mixed bag. How often have we seen updates to Pac Man, Space Invaders or Frogger that fail to capture the magic the original games had? Thankfully in the seven year gap between this game and the original Galaga our friends at Namco did not forget what made the original so magical and improved on the classic shoot-em-up formula by bringing it up to date but keeping it true to its roots.

Just like the original game the levels consist of space bugs swarming around in set patterns before settling into formation. Some of the enemies create a nice satisfying explosion when killed. The system of doubling your firepower by sacrificing a ship in the hopes of rescuing it later is carried over from the original game too.

In between screens is a vertically scrolling stage where asteroids, exploding balloon-like creatures and swarms of baby aliens are destroyed before the attack wave starts. The bonus screens have some great tunes for blasting away to (listen out for the souped-up Tango) and the alien movement patterns are even more complex than before.

When your game has ended you can see statistics like shots fired, number of hits, progress and your hit-miss ratio which is a nice addition.

This is a great game even though it is simple and offers nothing new. It is packed to the gills with playability, addictiveness and is easily worth the asking price of 600 Wii points. Fans of the original Galaga will feel right at home with Galaga ’90.

4/5

Average reader rating: 4.31 (32 ratings)

Please login to rate this game.

Blazing Lazers (TurboGrafx-16)
Gate of Thunder (TurboGrafx-16)
Lords of Thunder (TurboGrafx-16)
R-Type (TurboGrafx-16)
Soldier Blade (TurboGrafx-16)

Galaga '90 Screenshot

Galaga '90 Screenshot

Galaga '90 Screenshot

Galaga '90 Screenshot

Galaga '90 Screenshot

Galaga '90 Screenshot

Galaga '90 Screenshot

Galaga '90 Screenshot

Galaga '90 Screenshot

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

1. Eric42 16 Jul 2007, 23:05 GMT

I've heard so many good things about this game... As a Galaga fanatic, this is a must purchase if it ever comes out.

2. djshep1973 20 Jul 2007, 08:56 GMT

Oh yes, this is a great game!! Really hope this comes out in Europe sometime soon.

3. Don-Bon 20 Jul 2007, 18:41 GMT

If you haven't bought Galaga already, I HIGHLY recommend waiting for this one.

4. 8BITPLYR 06 Aug 2007, 15:19 GMT

I'd personally rather have the original. I don't really like the new graphics because they stray too much from the original galaga.

5. Ian Daemon 06 Aug 2007, 15:48 GMT

Classic 'Galaga'... only better, if you can believe it...

6. Eric42 07 Aug 2007, 00:38 GMT

Absolutely fabulous game. No regrets here in buying it.

7. Goose Master 07 Aug 2007, 18:15 GMT

I've been trying to track down the cabinet for years...

Now I'll be able to buy it on the Wii....

And for 1,494 Dollars cheeper no less!

8. PresidentLeever 08 Aug 2007, 00:26 GMT

Well it's not a bad game, but you might as well play a flash clone or get it on the cell phone instead.

9. romanista 10 Aug 2007, 09:10 GMT

stuart campbell declared it lovable in his galaxian retro gamer special

10. Warren L 10 Aug 2007, 11:09 GMT

Along with Devil's Crush, a PC Engine classic and favourite of mine! Off to download & play now!

11. KQ 10 Aug 2007, 11:56 GMT

a fantastic update to galaga, and a classic in its own right. old-school shooter heaven.

12. Paulymate 10 Aug 2007, 12:36 GMT

Not that there's an arcade pefect (this version isn't, quite -which is not to say that it's bad by any means; it's still excellent) version of this on the Namco Anniversary collection for the Gamecube...

13. angel m. rivera collazo 28 Aug 2007, 13:38 GMT

i just discovered that i have galaga 88 for the gamecube!! if you are a galaga fan like me,buy it!

14. Ross 08 Oct 2007, 18:19 GMT

Looks Great, how many blocks does this take up ?

15. Luigison 01 Dec 2007, 06:42 GMT

If you liked the original I highly recommend this version. It has multiple paths and enemy patterns that add to the game without losing any of the originals game play.

16. Clayfrd 29 Dec 2007, 06:00 GMT

I love this game. It has all of the Galaga playability that was loved from the original, but more importantly, it successfully adds gameplay elements to make it even more fun than the original, which is exactly what a sequel/remake should do. This game is also notable for it's arcade-like pick-up-and-play action, which many remakes take away from games with arcade roots. 5 stars is completely justified.

17. Adamant 03 Jan 2008, 02:46 GMT

"This game is also notable for it's arcade-like pick-up-and-play action, which many remakes take away from games with arcade roots. 5 stars is completely justified."

Well, the game WAS developed for arcades, it's not a console-only sequel.

But yes, amazing game. I'm not going to argue if it's actually better than the timeless classic that is Galaga or not, but both are incredibly fine static shooters - the best in their genre - and both are must downloads.

18. Nigel 07 Feb 2008, 14:51 GMT

This game is strangely addicting...

19. Jonno 07 Feb 2008, 20:30 GMT

This game is more than strangely addicting, its fantastic! Galaga has always been great. ^_

20. Manicfatty 15 Feb 2008, 18:38 GMT

Although I've played this SO many times before in many forms, I still love the core gameplay of Galaga. I gave it an extra star for doing what I would have thought nearly impossible. Expanding on the gameplay of a classic arcade game without bloating the experience, and actually making it better i many ways.

21. Tony 26 Feb 2008, 18:07 GMT

I took a chance and purchased this title over the original Galaga. Boy was I surprised! This is one of the best TG-16 games. Its great to play for a quick round of Galaga. Highly recommended

22. Jupiter Adept 01 Mar 2008, 23:40 GMT

I like playing free galaga demoes in the arcade version, I'll download this... sometime.

23. 4rainertunes 03 Apr 2008, 06:25 GMT

Better than the original, and one of my favorite games of all time. Hint: hold up as you hit start at the title screen. If done correctly, the last bug you kill on the first level will produce a red pill that gives you TRIPLE-firepower.

Please login to post a comment.