Take 2 on an all-time classic

This week's Arcade Archives entry sees us take a look at one of the very earliest instances of a remaster in the gaming sphere �As publisher Hamster offers up Namco's Galaga '88 on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.

Released to Japanese arcades in 1987, before making its way west at the start of the new year, Galaga '88 is a revamped edition of the legendary Galaxian spin-off, released at the dawn of the golden age of arcade gaming. Galaga '88, operating as both a remaster of the original Galaga and a sequel to 1984's Gaplus, players take control of the iconic Blast Fighter vessel for more space-based warfare against the forces of the titular enemy. As one would expect, Galaga '88 features much-improved audio/visu?al elements, ??including more detailed character sprites and a variety of background images.

Check out the action in the video below, courtesy of YouTuber World of Longplays.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=62h9LUt3OQg&ab_channel=WorldofLongplay??s

Despite receiving much acclaim from critics and Japanese arcade goers, Galaga '88 would receive slight home ports, appearing via the PC Engine as the confusingly renamed Galaga '90, as well as on the Sharp X68000 home computer. In later years, the shmup would find itself packaged as part of numerous Namco compendiums, while also appearing on the Wii Virtual Cons??ole and even Japanese mobile platforms.

Galaga '88 is ava?ilab??le to download now on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, priced at around $8.

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It also has Super Puzzle Fighter II: Turbo

There are two big shows each year you can depend on Arcade1Up bringing its A-game to. The first is CES, where earlier this year, the company announced its Killer Instinct cabinet. The second is E3. In the past, Arcade1Up has used the event to reveal some incredible units, like when it announced the Pole Position Atari Star Wars cabinet, complete with an X-Wing controller. This year's show is a bit more subdued. After announcing The Simpsons earlier this week, Arcade1Up is pulling back the curtain on a trio of new units, including its third Street Fighter II arcade cabinet.

Dubbed "Big Blue," this latest SFII cabinet will feature 12 games in total, including three versions of the classic one vs. one fighter. It'll also include three games from the Darkstalkers series, making it one of the better fighting game cabinet??s Arcade1UP has released.

Previously, the company released a Street Fighter II arcade cabinet with 12 games and a black livery. The line-up of games is different here, however, there are a few repeating titles. Speaking of repeating titles, Arcade1Up is also announcing new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and Ms. Pac-Man cabinets. The full list of cabinets and included ga??mes are be?low.

• Street Fighter II "Big Blue"
  • Street Fighter II Champion Edition
  • Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting
  • Super Street Fighter II: Turbo
  • Super Puzzle Fighter II: Turbo
  • Darkstalkers
  • Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge
  • Darkstalkers 3
  • Saturday Night Slam Masters
  • Knights of the Round
  • Eco Fighters
  • Capcom Sports Club
  • Muscle Bomber Duo
• Turtles in Time 4-Player Cabinet
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time
• Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga "Class of '81"
  • Ms. Pac-Man
  • Galaga
  • Dig Dug
  • Mappy
  • Rally X
  • Galaxian
  • Rolling Thunder
  • Rompers
  • Tower of Druaga
  • King and Balloon
  • Dig Dug II
  • Galaga '88

All three units will feature wi-fi, which was missing from the first TMNT cabinet. Pre-orders for Big Blue and Turtles in Time being on July 1, while the Cl??ass of '?81 cabinet will go on pre-order starting in August.

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'I'll catch this bird for you, but it ain't gonna be easy...'

See that beastie in the picture above? That's a newly-discovered species of shark paleontologists believe existed almost 70 million years ago. The sea creature was discovered after its teeth were found embedded in sedimentary rock, left over from the dig that uncovered?? the famous Tyrannosaurus Rex "SUE," now on display in Chicago's Field Museum.

But what does this have to do with video games? Well, it appears that these tiny shark molars look pretty similar to the brave little ship in Namco's 1981 arcade Galaga. Thus, it was decided that the p??rehistoric shark would be named "Galagadon." Though that's quite a monstrous name, the shark is suspected to have only been about 18 inches in length.

"It amazes me that we can find microscopic shark teeth sitting right beside the bones of the largest predators of all time," said Terry Gates, lecturer at North Carolina State University. "These teeth are the size of a sand grain. Without a microscope you'd just throw them away." Gates, who was responsible for authoring Galagadon's paper in the Journal of Paleontology,? credits the name to school teacher Nate Bourne, whom he w?orked alongside.

Ancient shark discovere??d with ??"spaceship-shaped" teeth [NC State University]

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That's Galactic Dancin'!

Namco really does have quite the selection of classics in its library. That would probably explain why it has released far too many "collections"?? over the years. This newest one hits the Switch, whic??h already gives it the added benefit of being portable. It can be hard to turn down classics on-the-go, even if you've played them hundreds of times before.

Namco Museum also comes with Pac-Man Vs., a game that originally required the GBA link cable for GameCube. Considering that no one ever used that, this may be the first opportunity for many to play the asynchronous multiplayer title. As for whether or not that makes Museum worth a purchase?, well, that depends on how much you like the other in??cluded classics.

Namco Museum (Switch)
Developer: Bandai Namco Studios Inc.
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.
Released: July 28, 2017
MSRP: $29.99

It is hard for me to say if you will enjoy Namco Museum. Basically, you need to look at the included games and ask yourself this: Do I like most of these games? Can I see myself playing them from time to time for whatever reason? I can assist you in getting to the answers of those questions, though. There is more to Namco Museum than just "here, play these games you might like!" There is a bevy of game-specific?? options, online leaderboards, and each gam?e includes a "Challenge Mode" to try and spice things up for those who may have already played these to death.

First, let's take a look at the included games.

• Pac-Man
• Pac-Man Vs.
• Dig Dug
• Galaga
• Galaga '88
• Rolling Thunder
• Rolling Thunder 2
• Sky Kid
• Splatterhouse
• Tank Force
• The Tower of Druaga

Not a bad selection, really. It is a very odd decision to include both Galaga and Rolling Thunder when better versions exist in the same package. I guess if you really like the first Rolling Thunder, it's there, but I can't imagine myself playing it over the superior sequel at all. At least Galaga is an all-time classic with its sprites and sound effects, but again, I'd rarely ever choose it over Galaga '88. None of these games are bad; they're all classics. Bu??t those two selections in particular just come off as redundant. 

Pac-Man and Dig Dug are absolute classics and I quickly found myself getting sucked in to Dig Dug's allure. Splatterhouse is a personal favorite of mine; I love the aesthetic and branching paths that it offers while still being a really tough game. Games like Sky Kid and The Tower of Druaga were new to me, the latter of?? which I spent a lot of? time exploring and enjoying.

Again, your mileage may vary given the selection. The biggest draw for me was Pac-Man Vs. since I never got to play the GameCube original but have always been intrigued by its premise. Up to three players control ghosts while a fourth controls Pac-Man himself. The ghosts hunt the Pac with limited vision, while the iconic Pac-Man does the opposite. This requires two Switches to play the way it was intended, but only one copy of the game is needed; the second Switch can downl??oad a free application to join the fun.

It's also playable on a single Switch console, but the game is quite different. Here, no one controls Pac-Man and the ghosts compete for catching him the most. It's a strange affair, as ideally, the ghosts want to communicate ("he's in the top right!") but doing so might give your opponents the points and bring them closer to a win. This was a novel game in 2003, but since then so many asynchronous multiplayer games have released that make Pac-Man Vs. feel a bit underwhelming.

There are plenty of great options included for each game that allow players to customize their experience. It is possible to rotate the game 90 degrees and hold the Switch sideways, which became my preferred way to play. There's no traditional way to keep the Switch standing up tall, so I just kept it on my folded legs as I relaxed on the couch and blasted aliens in Galaga '88. It's a pretty comforting experience. Many game?s also include multiplayer, but in general, it is of the "I died, it's your turn now" hot-seat vari??ety, which I always found lame.

Game-specific options allow the player to customize their experiences to make everything more approachable. For example, I'm shit at Galaga '88. Instead of just throwing my face against the wall and replaying the first handful of levels over and over again, I can turn on the level select mode or continues and not have to worry about it again. Similarly, it is possible to turn off the round 256 bug in Pac-Man or get hints while playing The Tower of Druaga. These options increa?se the accessibility for each title, allowing even the worst player to make it through the difficulty associated w?ith the games of yore.

You can also challenge yourself by rotating the view on the TV to be upside down and going for a high score. Or, I guess, you could try out the included challenges for each game, though most of them feel uninspired. For example, the challenge for both Rolling Thunder games is identical: get as far a??s you can in the final stage and take as little damage a?s possible within three minutes. While I appreciate the "Nick Arcade" feeling these instill, they're all samey and not very interesting.

Leaderboards provide an extra incentive to do your best and prove to the world that yes, you are the best Splatterhouse player in the world. Unfortunately, many games are plagued with cheater/exploiters that will never be caught unless they are completely removed. Then again, maybe the user PussMagnet really did achieve a score of 99,999,990 on Sky Kid, I'm no expert.

Again, whether or not Namco Museum is worth your money depends on two things. The first is whether or not you like these games in th??e first place. The second is whether you legitimately see yourself spending enough time with these classics to justify the $30 price tag. Despite a couple odd inclusions, there was a lot of care given to making these experiences authentic, while at the same time giving players a lot of options that allow them to ruin that authenticity in favor of having a more ??enjoyable experience.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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It's Ga-Lar-Ga, though Ga-Lag-Ah is acceptable.

Namco Bandai are teaming up with Swedish-US company The Nuttery Entertainment to produce an animated show based on the classic 1981 shmup, Galaga.

Galaga Chronicles will feature new characters and adventures based around the classic arcade game, and will lead a host of new and upcoming Galaga-themed projects.

"We are incredibly honored to be able to work on such an amazing legacy property," says Nuttery founder Magnus Jansson. "Our team is excited make sure the next chapter in the Galaga ?saga is equ??ally impressive and inspiring as its humble 8-bit beginnings."

I have no idea wh??at made them decide 2017 was the time to strike whilst the iron was hot on this property, but ??it will be interesting to see what series is crafted out of the beloved space-shooter.

Galaga to become animated series [Variety]

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The cycle continues

Do I need to buy Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, or Dig Dug yet again? No, not really. But the chance to do so is about to present itself through new ports for PlayStation 4, Steam, and Xbox One, and I can't be held accountable for my late-night, imp?uls??e-buying ways.

Bandai Namco is individually releasing those four arcade titles on April 20, 2016. They'll support leaderboards, Trophies/Achievements, and 1080p (with cabinet-style art wraparounds). There's also the Arcade Game Series 3-in-1 Pack with Pac-Man, Galaga, and Dig Dug coming the same day at a discount.

Pricing details? Not that I've seen, but Pac-Man for Xbox 360 is $4.99 and I can't imagine Namco will push it ??much further than that, if at all, for these standalone releases.

Also, before you get any ideas while skimming the gallery, I'm not anti-Ms. Pac-Man or anything -- there just weren't screenshots in the materials sent? to press.

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Did it for the dumb Photoshop

Can two friends sleep together and still love each other in the mo?rning?

I don't know about all that, but the idea of Galaga x Tekken sounds damn fine to me. It originally entered our consciousness on April Fools' Day, but it turns out this is a real project in development for iOS and Android after all. Love when that happens. Galaga Tekken, as it's officia??lly known, will release on April 30, 2015 for free.

Famitsu has a few screenshots if you're not feeling my romcom vibes.

[Via Siliconera]

The post When Tekken met Galaga appeared first on Destructoid.

You will die a lot!

Glorkian Warrior is the latest from Pixeljam Games and it looks just wonderful. It has elements from Galaga, ??but it looks like the longer you play the more of a shoot 'em up it turns ??out to be as you take on procedurally generated invaders.

The game has been in development for quite a while now, and after many experiments and iterations, Glorkian Warrior is now available on the Apple App Store for $2.99. And to quote the PR, "No IAP, no complicated ??leveling-up systems, just good old fashioned entertainment like your great grandpa used to enjoy?." Awesome.

The post Pixeljam’s Glorkian Warrior looks like Galaga on crack appeared first on Destructoid.

Contra, Mario, Angry Birds, and more all get covered

I've listened to plenty of videogame musical covers in the seven years I've worked at Destructoid. Yet, this is the first time I've heard of a musical cover montage with a Middle-Eastern twist to them. There's even some games covered here I'd never expect, like Alley Cat.

[Via The Awesomer]

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This is your month, frugal gamers. Coming up on PlayStation Network is a deal regarding some still fairly recent, notable t??itles. Tomorrow through November 29, you can save 30 percent (or 50 percent, if you're a PS Plus member) on the following:

• Limbo (Sale price: $10.49; PS Plus price: $7.34)
• Might & Magic Clash Of Heroes (Sale price: $10.49; PS Plus price: $7.34)
• Outland (Sale price: $6.99; PS Plus price: $4.89)
• Gatling Gears (Sale price: $6.99; PS Plus price: $4.89)
• Galaga Legions DX (Sale price: $6.99; PS Plus price: $4.89)
• The Fancy Pants Adventures (Sale price: $6.99; PS Plus price: $4.89)
• Section 8: Prejudice (Sale price: $10.49; PS Plus price: $7.34)
• Section 8: Prejudice – Blitz Pack (Sale price: $1.99; PS Plus price: $1.39)
• Section 8: Prejudice – Frontier Colonies Map Pack (Sale price: $2.99; PS Plus price: $2.09)
• Section 8: Prejudice – Overdrive Map Pack (Sale price: $2.99; PS Plus price: $2.09)
• Akimi Village (Sale price: $6.99; PS Plus price: $4.89)
• Dungeon Hunter Alliance (Sale price: $8.99; PS Plus price: $6.29)
• PlayStation Move Ape Escape (Sale price: $13.99; PS Plus price: $9.79)

Clash of Heroes and Galaga Legions DX are the ones that stand out to me, though I'm sure you could make a s?olid case for anything on the list given the reduced prices.

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Hey guys, today we're giving a wrap up of EVO2K news, including Capcom's next plans for the 3DS, and two new characters for Street Fighter X Tekken. There's suddenly a bunch of crazy news about Diablo III, like the addition of an online auction house. I'm officially stoked on Lollipop Chainsaw, and I'm glad to hear it's coming stateside. Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions has permanent save files, like Resident Evil: The Mercenaries did. Boo.

Today, through the magic of space-wizardry, we had a very special appearance from Destructoid news editor, Conrad Zimmerman, to give us his thoughts on Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet. Jim Sterling?'s gave the game a six, so we ??find out what Conrad thought.

Also, have you seen these shirts? Or these shirts? So many shirts with bears! Bears are great. Go b??uy some bear shirts.

Finally, starting this Friday, every Friday episode of The Destructoid Show will be LIVE, at 3:30 PM ?Pacific time. That's 6:30 Eastern. We'll be done before Mash Tactics, we promise. We're going to have so much fun.

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With sad predictability, it would appear that another publisher has cottoned onto the "one save file" scheme experimented with in Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D. Namco Bandai is the unsurprising felon, with word that Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions cannot have its saved scores and unloc??ked content deleted.

Dimensions has no scoring table, as reported by Wired. Your high score is all that's recorded, and it cannot be reset -- which naturally puts a dampener on its value as a secondhand title. This also means that once you've unlocked all the Achievement-like awards on offer,? there's no chance to start over from scratch. 

I previously argued that The Mercenaries could begin a new, unwelcome trend and Namco Bandai has all but confirmed it. It seems publishers are trying to use the "It's only a score-attack game" excuse, regardless of the fact that used customers might not want to c?ompete against a stranger's score, and that new customers might want to start from scratch. What Capcom started is on its way to becoming a "thing", and I think that's sad.

So yeah, that's another 3DS game I was planning ?to buy but will now ignore. Cool.

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Space bees are the worst. They think they're so cool, but they're really not. Fortunately, games like Galaga exist to take them down a peg or two, and Galaga Legions DX exists to take them down in the? coolest way possible. 

Stupid space bees.

Galaga Legions DX (PSN, XBLA [reviewed])
Developer: Namco Bandai
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Release date: June 29, 2011
MSRP: 800 Microsoft Points, $10

Namco Bandai does a pretty good job of updating its arcade classics, with Pac-Man: Championship Edition and Pac-Man: Championship Edition DX proving to be unbelievably excellent games. Very much like the last "DX" game, Galaga Legions DX is an updated follow-up to an older game, with 2008's Galaga Legions getting a fresh lick of paint and new features.&nb?sp;

Galaga Legions takes only the most core feature of the classic Galaga -- top-down shooting -- and turns it into something m?agical. With free movement around the map, players must tackle wave after wave of space-faring invertebrates, firing a path through the peons to eliminate the boss creatures and set off a chain reaction that will eliminate a whole squad. 

There's almost a puzzle element to t?he game, as the key to victory lies not so much in avoiding and returning fire, but making use of the space and switching between focused and directional firing patterns in order to destroy a squad in the most efficient way possible. Points are earned through the swift extermination of entire squads rather than attempting to shoot as many ?enemies as possible, and so your goal is to find the shortest way to access a squad leader and take it out. 

The squads move in set patterns, and players must tune their movements to match the enemy in order to make an effective strike. They must also make use of floating Galaga Bombs to rip large chunks out of the enemy. There's a unique and rather beautiful flow to Galaga Legions DX, one that can prove quite mesmerizing. 

The game features a Championship mode and nine separate levels consisting of five enemy waves, as well as one tutorial level and a time attack mode. Each level can be cleared fairly quickly, and you'll be able to beat everything in an afternoon?? without?? any hassle. However, like most score-attack games, the replay value extends as far as you want it to, with plenty of room for players to practice and improve.

Despite the replayablity, it would have been nice to have had an "Endless" mode included for those who just want to see how far they can get. Levels also feel a tad short, with gameplay only sustained for short bursts of time. Even Championship mode is over fairly? quickly, and I'd have preferred a few lengthier excursions to eliminate the "stop/start/stop/start"?? feeling that can sometimes occur. 

Galaga Legions DX isn't a "hard" game in the traditional sense -- most players can clear every level without dying much at all. However, getting the high scores and an acceptable ranking is a worthy challenge in and of itself. Honing one's skills, taking effective positions, and knowing when to switch between your alternative f?iring modes -- focused fire will attack singular enemies dead-on, while dual-fire will split your ship's satellites and allow you to tackle enemies approaching from multiple directions -- are all part of the learning curve, and ??it feels utterly rewarding when one nails the fundamentals and starts to wipe out huge squads within seconds.

Some of the best moments, however, come when tactical play is thrown out of the window and maximum genocide is required. At fifth wave of each level, players get to win an army of Galaga soldiers over to their side and fire as one unified army. The game will then proceed to spawn squads that can take over?? almost the entire screen, and the effect is akin to watching a windshield wiper battling heavy rainfall. There's ?a gorgeous fluidity to the visuals, and the feeling off pushing back a legion of foes with your squad of defecting space bees is something special indeed. 

There's a range of visual styles to choose, ranging from the ultra-modern to enhanced versions of classic arcade sprites. There's a decent? little soundtrack too which, while not very memorable, keeps the action subtly pumping. 

Galaga Legions DX is a terrific little game that even casual shooter fans ought to find rather addic?tive. The score-attack gameplay and the uniquely satisfying way in which enemies are swiftly dispatched combine to create a compelling experience that's hard to simply put down an??d walk away from. Although there's not a huge deal of content, the potential replayability ought to cover the ten dollar entry fee. I just wish levels could have been longer and a few more modes added. What's there is fantastic, but there was definitely room for a lot more and, as such, the title doesn't feel 100% complete. 

All told, this is another win for Namco Bandai and its arcade remake?? initiative.

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