Galaga 90 review!

Gameplay:

The gameplay of this game is rather simple, all you do is blow up an arrangement of alien ships that will appear on the screen in sequence. The cool thing about this version as well as the 88 version is that at the very beginning of the game, you can choose to have 1 or 2 ships as a unit. I always go with 2 because it is much easier to eliminate the alien ships very quickly despite being a double sized target than you would normally be. If you think having a double ship already sounds cool you haven't seen anything yet. For the first time ever in this game, you have the ability to get a triple ship by letting the lead alien ship swoop down and take your double ship and it will reduce you to just one, but if you defeat that ship you get the double back, thus all 3 are combined to form a super triple ship! Pretty cool right. And aside from that, you still have the mission paths that were introduced in galaga 88' with a few new paths added. Overall the objective is still the same, and the bonus stages are now called galactic dancin' stages where you basically have to blow up the ships as they enter and exit the screen, and you have to try to get as many as you can with 40 ships being a perfect score. That is basically it as far as gameplay goes, now on to the review!

Graphics: 8

I will say that the graphics have really come a long way for galaga, in this version especially, all the alien ships and the sprites all look impeccable and have really improved when compared to the original galaga game, the explosions and the blasts that are fired when you are targeting the ships are all phenomenally detailed. The backgrounds are also very vibrant and realistic looking and they really do resemble space a lot more, plus there is actually space ships and satellites in the background rather than just a black page with a few stars on it like in the original. Nevertheless, it is still a huge step up from what it was in prior games and because of the major improvements, I scored it an 8 out of 10, nonetheless they just look really clear and crisp and realistic.

Sound: 8

The sound in this game is also improved from the original where all you really here is the fire blast from the ship and the explosion of the alien ship after attacking, in this game you have a catchy little tune from where you take off and also in each of the stages. In one of the stages where you have to collect the little capsule to move on to the other dimension, the music is very mystical and mesmerizing. Plus the actual sounds in the game are a lot better and they don't sound fuzzy like they did before. So because of the much better sound and the catchy music, I scored the overall sound of this game an 8 out of 10, considering when this game came out, you wouldn't really expect the music and sound in this game to be so crisp and clear and realistic, but whether you want to believe it or not, this game follows through on all of those things!

Addictiveness: 6

I'll admit that I was pretty addicted to this game mainly because of how much it had to offer. There are a lot of alternate dimensions you can travel to by collecting the 2 capsules and then go through each of the several stages in each one before moving on, and after realizing how much this game had to offer, I was pretty hooked. Compared to most of the classic arcade games, I felt that this one had a lot more to offer, such as better graphics, clearer sound and also more stuff to do in the game. While you still may only be laying for a high score, there is still a lot more to this game than you would expect, most arcade games are repetitive and they are basically the same thing over and over again, not to say this game is completely different from that, but there are a few unique dimensions and stages to go to which really sets it apart from what you would normally find in your average arcade game. So because of it's many great, unique features I scored the addictiveness of this game a 6 out of 10 which may not seem all that high, but don't be discouraged, this is pretty amazing considering it is just an arcade game.

Story: N/A

As far as a storyline goes for this game, I don't really think there is one because immediately at the start of the game you are a starfighter ship ad you take off to go blast some alien ships in a different dimension. The only real sense of plot that I can draw from this game is that you travel through the different dimensions in this game because there are a few, but other than that, there really isn't a reason why you are even blowing up these ships, so there is just a simple objective to take the place of a storyline in this game and personally I think that it should stay that way because if there was a complicated story than it might not make a lot of sense and you wouldn't get the classic arcade feel from it, so it is best left simple.

Depth: 7

This game does offer quite a bit in comparison to other arcade games, there are different places you can travel to and there is just a lot more to it. This game is a lot more complex than the original because you don't do the same thing over and over again, rather in this game you travel in between and then face off against different sets of alien ships in each of the alternate dimensions which I think is a nice and much needed break from blasting the same ships over and over again. Overall this game just offers a lot more than you would expect in any arcade game, plus you can play multiplayer in this game and go against a buddy and see who can get the higher score which only adds on to the depth. Because of the improvement from prior games I scored it a 7 out of 10 for depth because this game will keep you busy for a good amount of time if you play all the way through it.

Difficulty: 5

This game is like any other arcade game in the sense that it gets harder with each passing level and the ships take a lot better shots and they also move faster and they will fire longer streams of bullets at you which only makes it harder for you to doge, so if you have played this game before, you already know what to expect from it. It may get increasingly difficult, but in my opinion that is what makes the game more fun and interesting right? It wouldn't be any fun if it was super easy or extremely hard because it wouldn't be fun and it would discourage you from playing it anymore, so the difficulty for this game is just right. Overall I scored the difficulty a 5 out of 10. Anyone can ;earn and pick up on this game and it the controls are extremely simple, just press the buttons you have set for left and right and that is about as easy as it gets for controls. Most of the difficulty comes from the challenges you face in the later levels, but if you keep playing this game or are experienced with galaga games, then you know what to expect and it shouldn't be any different for you, and if not, it is still easy to pick up on and if you aren't familiar, practice makes perfect.

Overall: 8.3:

Personally, I think this is the best galaga game in the series, there are a ton of different changes from the original and it has really come a long way in many aspects, the graphics of this game are the best in the series and the sound couldn't be any more realistic and crisp. If you are a fan of classic arcade games, and you have played and are familiar with galaga games, then this is the game for you! Even if you aren't, it is still worth your time to play this game and enjoy how far this game has come! I had a great time with this game and I hope you can come to enjoy it just as much!

So what did you think of my review? As always, I am open to comments and constructive feedback/ criticism so I can be motivated to become a better reviewer and write more reviews. I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading!

  Graphics 8   Sound 8   Addictive 6   Depth 7   Difficulty 5

Galaga '90 is a port of the arcade game Galaga '88.

Galaga '90 takes the basic gameplay of Galaga and adds nicer graphics, triple ship abilities, parsec progression, power-ups, asteroids, bosses and other enhancements.

Periodically the player encounters Challenging Stages, which are set to music and feature "dancing" enemies. The objective is to shoot all 40 enemies before they disappear, for a bonus of at least 10,000 points.

There are a total of 29 stages. You can begin with 1 ship with 2 in reserve or start right out with a dual ship (but only one in reserve).

Some enemies now have the ability to combine into a much larger single enemy that takes multiple shots to destroy. Some enemies explode in a brilliant shower of fireworks when destroyed, and occasionally these enemies drop a small formation of much smaller enemies that "wiggle" their way down the screen. Some enemies arrive in spherical "eggs" and emit a loud, high-pitched noise when hit. These creatures take multiple hits to destroy in flight (just one hit in formation), and their main attack pattern is to move about halfway down the screen, stop, fire multiple shots at once, and then fly straight down off the bottom of the screen. Another type of enemy takes at least five hits to destroy, and it grows larger with each consecutive hit, making it both a larger target and allowing it to act as a shield to other enemies.

Later in the game some enemies are equipped with armor that renders them invincible while in formation. When one of these enemies starts its dive, it will flip over and expose its vulnerable side, then flip over again and become invincible while it moves back up the screen, then flip one more time and finish its dive. While vulnerable, this enemy can be destroyed in one hit, scoring bonus points.

In addition, many different kinds of obstacles appear throughout the game, including blue crystals, boulders and green blobs.

Overall 8.8    Graphics 8.5    Sound 8    Addictive 8    Depth 7.5    Difficulty 6.5

Galaga 90 review!   SacredShadow
Hey guys, it is Razor-987 here with another classic game review, today I will be reviewing galaga 90...
  Graphics 8   Sound 8   Addictive 6   Depth 7   Difficulty 5
      Review Rating: 3.7/5     Submitted: 02-13-14     Updated: 02-14-14     Review Replies: 2

Galactic bonus

Just stand still (don't move) and don't shoot in the bonus stage.

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DisBULLits4U 06-12-15 - 11:15 AM
 The last boss was the hardest thing in the game, it keeps shooting out those metal bugs
Mohammedroxx3 03-17-14 - 10:17 PM
 Dang. I remember playing this years ago on my ps2 in some awesome namco collection thing. (forgot whats it called) Awesome game, but somewhat lags for me in this emulator. :P
thephantombrain 02-18-14 - 08:54 PM
 I suck just as bad at this as I do at the original! lol
Diamond982 12-08-13 - 11:54 AM
 Damn, that last boss killed me.
galaga2 11-13-13 - 08:14 PM
 Make it so you don't need a plugin please!!
Davideo7 01-10-13 - 03:31 PM
 Great game, I remember playing this when I was very young.
RetroGameNinja 08-21-12 - 09:58 AM
 The capsule_ Well... There was no capsule.
sonicthehedgeho.. 04-05-12 - 03:42 PM
 shut up. its your fault for not getting it.
RetroGameNinja 03-21-12 - 06:41 PM
 Ha Ha your name is spam, sonic the hedgehog 352. Also the capsule turned red but i didn't get the capsule at the end.
galaga2 02-05-12 - 11:35 AM
 awesome! i got 10000000000000000000
CarBitGTSaxen 12-28-11 - 10:35 AM
 I love Galaga, this one is awesome! Galaga Rules!
pipoboy2000 08-20-11 - 12:27 PM
 This game is hard.
killkenny500 07-06-11 - 05:48 PM
 the sound effect doesnt sound as good as arcade but still fun
Clayton 2 06-26-11 - 05:27 PM
 This is a good version!
varg 06-02-11 - 07:01 PM
 Cool!!!
GoldenAgeKing 05-29-11 - 09:45 PM
 so only some games have leaderboards? I got 875,000 on a Real galaga arcade machine, not some terrible port that this website eats up like hotcakes
sonicthehedgeho.. 02-12-11 - 01:26 PM
 i know a cheat. at the first menu press up+enter and at the end of the first stage a red power up will come out of the last enemy u killed. get it and your ship will upgrade without take away any extra lives.
hadoken92 01-07-10 - 09:25 AM
 no wait... this is a port of '88 oh well it is still awesome
hadoken92 01-07-10 - 09:22 AM
 IT IS AWESOME that it is here!!!
Davideo7 01-04-10 - 10:55 AM
 Best Galaga game ever made.
bradybledsoe 11-09-09 - 08:48 PM
 this game is sick