Galaga Legions

Another solid reimage of a classic game. The simplest of ideas but with perfect execution. Will not disappoint new and old fans alike.

A brilliant reimagination of a classic that's up there with Championship Edition. [Dec 2008, p.84]

It’s another one of those high-score hypodermic needles – you get addicted on getting a higher score so you keep repeating it over and over, working out new ideas for drone placement each time. It’s like a chess game at 100 mph, challenging and twitchy, all at the same time. On that point, Galaga Legions ranks up there with the best of them.

Toppling "Geometry Wars 2" from its throne is now the goal for any stripped-down Live Arcade shooter, and Namco Bandai deserves praise for delivering a game that comes within grasping distance of this lofty aim.

If you enjoyed the original Galaga, or are a classic shooter fan, then you'll love this true sequel to one of the greatest arcade shooters of yesteryear.

Multiplayer would've been cool, but these Legions will still keep you busy.

In the end Galaga Legions provides the fast, intense and unforgiving gameplay modern shooters tend to go easy on.

It's an incredible shooter that feels like bullet hell with enemies replacing the bullets, but a little variation would have made it perfect. [Fall 2008, p.55]

Addictive, frantic and a worthy sequel. [Nov 2008, p.100]

This game screams multiplayer. But, if you are a shooter fan, single-player will be enough to satisfy your thirst.

Galaga Legions aspires to be a Galaga for a modern age, and in some ways, it is. But by excluding so many surrounding enhancements, such as more single- or multiplayer modes, arcade shoppers of today might be a little miffed at getting what would have been a complete package back in the quarter-pumping days.

Galaga Legions answers the call with some of the most frenetic and psychedelic visuals this side of Geometry Wars. While the amount of gameplay in the $10 download might leave a bit to be desired, there's no doubt that Galaga Legions is more proof that classic games can be revitalized without selling users short or deviating too greatly from the vintage design.

Galaga Legions is a fun, imaginative XBLA game that I'd recommend in a heartbeat during almost any other time of the year -- but given its lack of content and the other, much more impressive games from the Summer of Arcade, Galaga Legions might not be for everyone.

Like the inextricable pull of a tractor beam, Galaga Legions captures the spirit of a 27-year-old arcade classic.