Galaga Legions

By Gus Mastrapa | September 2, 2008 | 3:51pm

Games Reviews Games

Like the inextricable pull
of a tractor beam, Galaga Legions captures the spirit of a 27-year-old arcade
classic. This download doesn't enjoy the single-minded focus of the brilliant Pac-Man
Championship Edition,
but it too manages to zero in on the moments of gameplay that made the original
an enduring classic. The focus here is on the swooping attack formations of
insectoid aliens. Before every onslaught, you get a brief sneak preview of the
approaching enemies. Simple white lines sweep and curl across the screen,
tracing out the planned paths of incoming targets. Armed with this half-second
of recon, you have to find the best position for your spacecraft and its two detachable
satellite guns. Then it's just a matter of surviving the waves of space nasties
to come.

The biggest shortcoming of
the arcade throwback Geometry Wars is the way a great score requires a massive,
bleary-eyed time investment. Galaga Legions chops its experience into
five missions, rewarding smart chaining of score combos over marathon-length
longevity. Instead
of the long game, Galaga Legions focuses on moments. But in one case, where the
game refers to a gambit
from the original, it misses the point. The coin-op shooter let you double your
firepower by allowing a fighter to be captured by the enemy, then regaining it
later. Now, black holes suck up whole swaths of buggy bad guys, adding them to
your arsenal. This massive power-up offers massive reward for minimal risk.