The App: One of the most resilient game franchises of all time just hit the App Store today in Galaga Remix, with both the classic Galaga arcade game and an updated Remix version from Namco.
The Price: $6 for full version, with a free Lite version to try as well.
The Verdict: I miss arcades! Galaga Remix does a great job at bringing one of the tried-and-true game forms of our time—the shoot-shit-in-space-that's-falling-at-your-ship form—and does it up right.
The classic version is great, but I actually prefer the remix—mainly because the fundamentals of the game are completely unchanged. The remix adds power-ups, boss battles and the ability to save your game to start back up at the level you achieved when you had to quit playing before.
You've got three options for controls, which is nice: three virtual buttons you can tap to move left/right and fire, a slider that you can drag like the iPhone's default unlock slider to move your ship, or accelerometer tilting. As you might expect, the accelerometer control is a little awkward, but the other two methods are actually very intuitive.
One weird thing: the controls, and the game in general, feel much more responsive on the updated Remix version than they do in the classic one. This is a shame.
But like I said, the Remix is pretty faithful to the original—with the same great sound effects and music (which are both totally awesome throughout), so it's a fun diversion. And like several of Namco's other games which were initially released with sluggish performance, an update could fix it.
Overall, a great game.
The Price: $6 for full version, with a free Lite version to try as well.
The Verdict: I miss arcades! Galaga Remix does a great job at bringing one of the tried-and-true game forms of our time—the shoot-shit-in-space-that's-falling-at-your-ship form—and does it up right.
The classic version is great, but I actually prefer the remix—mainly because the fundamentals of the game are completely unchanged. The remix adds power-ups, boss battles and the ability to save your game to start back up at the level you achieved when you had to quit playing before.
You've got three options for controls, which is nice: three virtual buttons you can tap to move left/right and fire, a slider that you can drag like the iPhone's default unlock slider to move your ship, or accelerometer tilting. As you might expect, the accelerometer control is a little awkward, but the other two methods are actually very intuitive.
One weird thing: the controls, and the game in general, feel much more responsive on the updated Remix version than they do in the classic one. This is a shame.
But like I said, the Remix is pretty faithful to the original—with the same great sound effects and music (which are both totally awesome throughout), so it's a fun diversion. And like several of Namco's other games which were initially released with sluggish performance, an update could fix it.
Overall, a great game.
