Kids today don’t know what they’re missing.

Sure, that’s something that every generation says as they get older, but in its own way, it’s true. And while there are new things to fill that void for younger generations, it is rare to find a true sense of overlap between the old and the new.

In this case, what the youth of today are missing out on is the arcade scene. Sure, there are places like Dave & Busters (which are relatively rare, what with only 55 establishments spread across the continent), or a themed shack at an amusement park. You might even find some old rundown and mislabeled games sitting around a bus terminal, but those aren’t the same as what many were able to experience throughout the 80s and 90s.

Once upon a time, arcades were glorious, joyous places that were as easy to find as your nearest shopping mall. In fact, it sometimes seemed as though malls were legally required to have at least one arcade in them up until the turn of the century.

Arcades were frequently darkened places, lit up primarily by the glowing marquees and flashing screens of dozens of upright video game machines featuring titles both old and new. Screens boasting the high scores of the very best the local populace had to offer would be accompanied by the booming soundtracks and effects of every game in the vicinity, all competing for your attention, and through that, your quarters.

Sure, some would host skee ball, air hockey, or other such games which added to the lights and sounds of the atmosphere, but the video games were what it was all about. Together, they produced a delightful symphony of chaotic stimulation which all seemed to come together to input one thought into a young mind: fun. It was like the then-contemporary version of being a kid in a candy store.

But as years went on and home video game consoles became more and more advanced, the arcade scene has gradually faded out- particularly in North America; Japan’s have seen better days, but they still have a better one than we do right now. What is left rarely provides anything new or exciting any more, while the classics have seen better days… days when it didn’t cost a dollar for one round at a game made in 1982.

In short, the impact just isn’t the same. Could the sensation of playing a game in an arcade ever truly return? Would it?

Fast forward to today, as Bandai Namco has set out to recreate the arcade experience at home with its Namco Generations line of titles. After years of trying to change their classic franchises to fit what seemed big at the time- just look at any of the numerous Pac-Man spin-offs- they have returned to looking at what made those games great in the first place, and gone on to enhance them in such a way as to appeal to fans both new and old.

Though the Namco Generations line would officially begin in 2010′s Pac-Man Championship Edition DX, its roots would go back to 2007′s original Pac-Man Championship Edition, which itself would be followed by the original Galaga Legions. And much as the original Pac-Man Championship Edition was further evolved into its DX sequel, so too was Galaga Legions.

Common throughout all four games is the aesthetic. While Super Mario Bros. helped break the medium away from black screens with its blue skies, Namco Generations brings them back, with graphics rendered in neon colors which simply pop and manage to evoke that same sense of vibrant glowing which filled the arcades the original titles debuted in back in the early 80s. In the case of the Galaga titles, this is further enhanced by different space-themed backgrounds which race by as you blast wave after wave of incoming insects, the eponymous Galaga.

This is accompanied by a techno-infused soundtrack which manages to pump out plenty of bass, with laser and explosion sound effects which seem to boom forth from your television. Together, these make the Namco Generations titles feel like you’re back in the arcade, only with a more modern twist. Leaderboards and Achievements help round out the sensation, as you can play to see who is not only the best in your circle of friends, but the world at large.

It’s almost surreal, in a way. Bizarre Creations, the creators of Geometry Wars, were basically doing something very similar when they released their games, but something about Galaga Legions DX and the rest of Namco Generations just feels so much more complete. Whereas Bizarre managed to create something which felt like it upheld the tradition of classic arcade shooters, Bandai Namco feels almost as though they have reinvented it, as playing one of the Generations games feels much like the first time one stepped up to a Pac-Man or Galaga arcade machine.

Speaking to this game specifically, Galaga Legions DX sacrifices a few aspects of its predecessor, but it gains so much more.

For starters, one should note that Galaga Legions itself is a significant departure from the original Galaga. Rather than firing one single shot after another at lines of space-bugs as they attempt to close in on you for the kill, Galaga Legions has you firing a rapid stream of lasers as wave after wave of bugs come on-screen, following neon trails which give you a clue of how they will be moving.

There is even an option to simply have your ship constantly fire automatically, which comes in handy. You also have two invincible “satellite” guns, which can be placed and positioned in various spots on the screen by tapping the right analog stick in one of four directions, leading to a bit of optional strategy as you determine the best way to engage the next swarm of Galaga.

Galaga Legions DX follows the same premise as its predecessor, but changes how you engage the enemy. Gone is the automatic fire, and rather than being able to position the two satellite guns around the screen, they instead operate in two configurations, which you can toggle between with a click of the shoulder button/bumpers.

The Blue Satellite “power” configuration is called “Focus Fire,” and true to its name, focuses all of your firepower in a single direction, which you can move in 360 degrees around your ship with the right analog stick. The Red Satellite is known as “Diffuse Fire,” and is considered the “skill” configuration; your satellites move independently around the ship, with a central laser always firing upward. With Diffuse Fire, you can fire in three different directions at once, which is handy as Galaga begin to swarm in from both sides. No matter which you prefer, it is best to master using both, as there will be times when not switching to the right configuration can spell death.

There is only one power-up in the game, which tends to come at the last level of an area, or throughout a Championship mode match. Some earlier titles in the series contained a feature where one of the Galaga would swoop in and “capture” one of your ships; by defeating the bug with your next ship, you could free the original, and the two would unite side-by-side, giving you two shots at once.

In Galaga Legions/DX, blasting away at a black hole-like orb on the screen won’t get you an extra ship, but instead somehow convert a whole swarm of Galaga to your side, where they will move according to the formation of your satellites, unleashing a barrage of blasts upon the enemy. Of course, these guys aren’t invincible, and can easily be worn down by the opposing Galaga if one isn’t careful. Even so, the rush of having that much firepower on your side is exhilarating.

It may go without saying, but the game does not really have much of a story, though some of the neat effects and sound bytes could easily lead one to believe otherwise. Galaga Legions DX is about getting the highest score you can, and doing that is a little trickier than one might think. Rather than simply blasting as many bugs as you can, your goal is to try to wipe them out as quickly as you can. This is accomplished by finding and taking out certain Galaga, whose destruction can eliminate large masses of the enemy swarm.

Beyond those gameplay differences, the biggest changes to Galaga Legions DX are that it is bigger, has more options, and is ultimately… more forgiving, truth be told.

Whereas the original Galaga Legions had five areas to complete, DX features nine. The original game had two modes, Adventure and Championship, with the former allowing you to clear one area after the next, and Championship allowing you to try for the best score in any one of those five you wish.

Unfortunately, DX forgoes the Adventure Mode, which makes the computer voice announcing that you’re “moving on to the next area” seem a little out of place, as actually moving on to the next area requires you to back up a couple of screens to select a different one to take on. Even so, you are presented with nine areas to take on, a Championship mode, and even a Time Trial Mode, in which you can race to clear the Galaga from any single stage of any area, including Championship, in the best possible time.

A more recent, but temporary, addition is the “Championship Score Attack Tournament,” which takes place from November 11th to November 22nd, 2011.

Galaga Legions DX goes beyond the original in other aspects, too. One which should be familiar to fans of Pac-Man Championship Edition DX is the “slowdown” feature, which basically slows everything on the screen down when danger is immediately imminent. In addition, you have three levels of difficulty to choose from for each area, and while the Easy mode tones things down a bit from the original Galaga Legions‘ sole difficulty level, it still has its challenging moments, especially as you ascend to higher-numbered areas. And if that wasn’t enough, you can also destroy shots fired by the enemy here, too.

Together, these two features make Galaga Legions DX a more ideal introductory game than the original. In fact, combined with the new weapons layout, it can make playing the original Galaga Legions seem even more challenging when you return to it.

The last big addition is an aesthetic one: While the original Galaga Legions featured three different skins to choose from (including one modern and two retro-themed), DX has a whopping seven, with the modern style, five representing various games from the series’ history, and a recently-added “Namco” skin. This is a particularly fun one, as your spaceship is replaced by a laser-shooting Pac-Man, with two smaller Pac-Men acting as his satellites as you blast away at legions of ghosts.

Better still is that the further you go with this skin, the more you see characters from other classic Namco titles pop up, each with the same neon glow as the other characters seen in the Namco Generations titles. In fact, it leaves us wondering when Bandai Namco plans to give Dig Dug the same treatment Pac-Man and Galaga have received.

In the end, Galaga Legion DX is a terrific throwback to when arcades ruled, and provides an addictive gotta-shoot-em-all experience to boot. You’ll find yourself drawn in as you constantly blast away at an enemy who never seems to end, looking for that weak link which will completely ruin their attack.

It’s also worth noting that much like Pac-Man Championship Edition and Pac-Man Championship Edition DX, Galaga Legions and Galaga Legions DX provide fairly different experiences built around the same premise. If you’re new to the series and have to choose one, DX is the way to go, but once you’ve mastered that, the original Legions may make a worthwhile additional investment.

Finally, on a personal note: If you have never been a fan of the original Galaga, even after playing it, don’t be too quick to write this game off. I was never a very big fan of Galaga either, but I fell in love with Legions, and DX is even better still. At the very least, it’s worth downloading and trying the free demo.

This review is based on the Xbox LIVE Arcade version of Galaga Legions DX provided to the reviewer by Bandai Namco.

Tags: arcade games, Bandai Namco, Galaga, Galaga Legions, Galaga Legions DX

This entry was posted on Monday, November 7th, 2011 at 8:41 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.