|
Previews -
Xbox360
|
|
Written by Duff
|
|
Thursday, 21 August 2008 09:29 |
|
 Xbox Live's Summer of Arcade continues this week with another stellar release on the Xbox Live Arcade: Galaga Legions. This years summer promotion has been great and each of the games that have been released over the past month have received great reception amongst gamers and the media alike; Galaga Legions is no different. I think that this is a stellar space shooter that is a whole lot of fun, but I don't think that it deserves the "Galaga" name in the title...
 Galaga Legions is a great, modern space shooter, but it is far from being a "Galaga" game. One of the things that made Pac-Man C.E. such a great sequel was the fact that the game retained all of the gameplay mechanics that made the original game a classic. The problem with Legions is that it dumps the mechanics that made its title or origin a great game. The only thing that remains constant from the original Galaga game to this one is the ability to only shoot in one direction (up), though the satellite guns give you the ability to shoot in other direction off-ship. The major change that has been brought to the game, and what ruins it for me, is ability to move all around the screen. This completely detracts from the personality of the original title.
 Don't get me wrong, I like this game a lot... but I cannot look at it and accept it as a sequel to Galaga in any sense other than the name. The addition of the sentry guns is a nice addition and the graphical upgrade is always appreciated. I also love the concept of previewing the path of of the enemy waves and the increase in their numbers. Those would have been great additions on their own but things were completely thrown off course (gameplay wise) when the player was given the ability to move more than just left and right. Some people may call it progress and an evolution of the game, but I consider it a complete smack in the face of the gameplay mechanics that made the original Galaga the game that it is / was.
Basically, in terms of Galalga Legions: try it, love it, play it to death... just don't call it Galaga. Come up with something else and don't refer to it by that blasphemous name...
|
