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We've had quite an inspired run of updated classics lately. After years of simple cash-ins we saw the likes of Pac-Man Championship Edition and Space Invaders Extreme challenge our perception of what an "update" could really be. Hell, when Pac-Man Champ first hit XBLA I looked right past it as another in a long line of nostalgia cash grabs. But the game seriously kicks-ass. So can Galaga Legions keep up the streak of updated classics? Or does the game stray too far from it's roots to deserve the Galaga name?
If I had to explain Galaga in one sentence I'd say "it's like Space Invaders but the invaders fly in and take turns diving at you." Of course it's a little more nuanced than that but that's pretty much the gist of it. So that's what the starting point of the remake/update Galaga Legions should be (for me at least).
Now we've seen what Space Invaders Extreme did with the formula, and while peppering up the excitement they kept the formula pretty much the same. Galaga Legions on the other hand pretty much took the Galaga gameplay and transformed it into a shmup. Not there's anything wrong with a shmup, but this is more Ikaruga and less Galaga.
I feel like a fan of Pac-Man or Space Invaders could find a toehold in their respective updates, some familiar aspect to the gameplay. Galaga Legions makes some references to the classic game, but seems to do so only in passing. A certain formation here, the look of an enemy there. But with the exception of the old-school skins, there's nothing here that screams Galaga.
Now you're probably thinking I didn't like the game, but that's actually pretty far from the truth. Truth is I really dig it, a lot. But I feel like the Galaga moniker doesn't really apply here, that's all. So let's do ourselves a favor and not grade it as a Galaga game, but rather something separate.
As a shmup it's actually a helluva lot more accessible than something like Ikaruga, and for my XBLA dollar is the better purchase. Ikaruga punishes the player from the get-go, the learning curve is going to turn a lot of people off. Galaga Legions has a much smoother progression and doesn't become frustrating so quickly. It's actually quite nice to dispatch so many enemies so quickly, there's a rush in seeing the entire screen filled with enemies only to kill them all.
You thankfully get some help taking down enemies through the use of two "satellites." They normally ride shotgun and fire towards the top of the screen, but with a flick of the right analog stick can be places anywhere on the screen and fire in any direction to help you out. Flying over them picks them back up again. It feels awkward at first but once you get good at it is actually quite elegant.
As is typical of shmups you will run into cases where memorizing the waves of enemies is the only way to survive. That's sadly where I start to lose interest, while I don't mind practicing and getting better at games, the feeling of memorizing being the only viable option kinda feels weird to me. The game becomes less about skill since all you need to do is replay it enough till you know it by heart. I dunno, I'm sure a lot of people like that... I'm just not one of them.
During the much publicized XBLA "Summer of Arcade" is easy to see why Galaga Legions will get lost in the fray, which kinda sucks cause it's definitely not worthy of being forgotten. But between Braid, Bionic Commando and Castle Crashers that's exactly what's happened. Granted the $10 price tag didn't help, it's just a bit more than seems worthy. This game occupies one of those weird spots where $5 is too little but $10 is going to turn a lot of people off. I'm not sorry I dropped the cash on Galaga Legions, but I feel like I'd be hard-pressed to convince other people to join in. And I can't say I blame them.
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