On The Download: Galaga '90

On the Download is our weekly feature on Virtual Console, XBOX Live Arcade and Playstation Network games.

I think I've already posted a bit about my love for a good scrolling shooter, so it should surprise no one that I have a couple of these on my Wii's VC. The one I've given the most play-time, however, did surprise me!

I first stumbled across Galaga '90 when I was attending Santa Barbara City College, and a long break between classes conspired with a rainy day to force me indoors for a couple of hours. The school had a modest arcade adjacent to the cafeteria, and I wandered in to see if there was anything new (I had already spent time dumping quarters into Cabal previously). What I discovered was a remake of one of my fondest arcade classics, with the kind of addictive gameplay that keeps you coming back for more.



Galaga '90 improves upon the formula used in the older titles in several ways; there are stages that actually scroll, for one, and new enemies that bring a broad variety of challenges for another. Perhaps my favorite aspect, though, is the TRIPLE SHOT! You may remember that in the original Galaga, one could allow a certain type of foe to 'tractor beam' your ship into captivity, then if you successfully killed that enemy off, your captured ship was added to the current one to allow double-shots. This kind of ship modification was unprecedented at the time, and continued on in even more elaborate form with games like Gradius, R-Type and Raiden.

But in 1990, the simple awesomeness of redeeming a captured ship to add a THIRD shot was enough to keep me happy! Add some sweet graphical polish and sound effects, and Galaga '90 is a surefire winner for any classic sh'mup fan.