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Galaga Legions DX Review for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

Galaga Legions DX Review for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

Galaga Over and Over Again

Galaga is one of those series that seems to know its niche. New iterations are almost always the same, yet each still somehow manages to be a winner. In this tradition, Galaga Legions DX features the same dual-stick shooter-style gameplay that players have always enjoyed. Does it exceed expectations? Not really. But if all you want for your $10 is more Galaga levels, then you’ll be happy with your purchase.

As for me, I would have liked a little bit more than just ten new levels. Even though I would never want or expect Galaga to change its DNA, Legions just doesn’t feel like it has enough content to be its own title. There is a single game mode with ten levels to play and replay, as well as leaderboards you can try to climb. There are subtle differences that make Legions different from its counterparts, but there’s nothing really mind-blowing or groundbreaking here.

Galaga Legions DX Screenshot

You start off with your spaceship and your two trusty satellites. You can use the left stick to aim them, and can switch between aiming them together or as mirror opposites. Once you start the game, a timer starts counting down and you’ll rack up points by blasting through as many enemies as you can before the clock hits zero. Each stage is made up of five levels, and you’ll have your point distributions graphed out for you after each level ends.

In this way, it’s easy to keep track of your score while trying to improve it in specific areas of each level. Galaga Legions DX is a very strategic game, and there are tons of ways you can destroy enemies to maximize your points. There’s a fairly deep chain system that rewards you for cutting through waves of enemies and setting off bombs or destroying mid-level boss baddies. Killing the right enemy at the right time will let players rack up huge points and bonuses, and doing so quickly will allow you to move on through stages faster and get even more points. The game also includes a new Focus Fire system that increases your ship’s rate of fire the closer you are to enemies. Though you aren’t likely to notice this feature right off the bat, it does help quite a bit when you’re in a pinch.

Galaga Legions DX Screenshot

Though this all sounds good in theory, the real problem is that Galaga doesn’t really entice you to replay levels. There isn’t really any challenge mode, and while climbing the leaderboard may be a lofty goal for the upper echelon of players, once you beat the game’s ten stages there just isn’t much to go back for.

And while playing through ten stages of Galaga is certainly a great way to waste away an afternoon, it doesn’t necessarily make for ten dollars well spent. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the game would have been a lot more enjoyable if they didn’t charge so much for an experience most of us could get down at the arcade for mere pocket change (and some serious skill).

Galaga Legions DX Screenshot

One thing that Galaga Legions DX has that an old arcade cabinet can’t compare to, though, is its visual appeal. The game features six different skins you can use, which include both highly-detailed pixel-based graphics and full 3D model visuals. Personally, I liked the pixel-based options, as blasting through enemies produced block-based fireworks that were beautiful to behold. However, the 3D model visuals also looked great, and cycling through the different skins certainly made this feel like a “new” Galaga experience (even though the gameplay didn’t really back this up).

Galaga Legions DX Screenshot

The only thing I can think of that could make this game worth ten dollars is a feature I haven’t even been able to try yet: tournaments. On the menu, there is an option to partake in future tournaments with players online. There were none available to play, so I wasn’t able to test drive it, but I couldn’t help but wonder why there weren’t any competitive online multiplayer modes outside of the tournament mode. Adding an additional multiplayer mode would have really boosted this title in the play value department.

If you’re a huge Galaga fan, chances are you already have plans to pick this one up. But if you are a more casual player, I would give this one a bit of thought before downloading it. It’s plenty of fun, and I can’t diminish the intrinsic value of spending an afternoon blasting away at enemies, but once you’ve beaten the game’s ten levels, there really isn’t much else to do. If it was maybe a bit less expensive, I don’t think it would be that much of an issue, but paying what amounts to a dollar a level for a game that you won’t need two hours to completely demolish just doesn’t seem like a great deal to me.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.6 Graphics
HD graphics and different visual styles look great. 4.2 Control
Twitch-based controls are easy to learn, but have plenty of depth. 3.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Music and sound are about typical. 2.5 Play Value
You’ll blast through the ten levels in less than two hours, and improving your score doesn’t have the pull you’d expect. 3.6 Overall Rating – Good
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 – 1.9 = Avoid 2.5 – 2.9 = Average 3.5 – 3.9 = Good 4.5 – 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 – 2.4 = Poor 3.0 – 3.4 = Fair 4.0 – 4.4 = Great 5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

  • Galaga Legions DX refines the classic space shooter gameplay loved by millions, turning it into the most action-packed entry in the series’ 30 year history.
  • Players will face thousands of Galaga aliens as they blast their way through ten Areas, each with its own unique stages and Galaga formations. Galaga Legions DX also lets players customize their game by choosing from a selection of Galaga skins, including the classic original.
  • Players will have plenty of offensive and defensive options at their disposal. Focus Fire allows the space ship’s rate of fire to increase the closer they are to the enemy, enabling players drill through the heart of an approaching Galaga swarm.

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