Granny Vinnie Reviews

7800 Rank: 23rd Genre Rank: (Classic Arcade) 9th Awards: None Boy, This Screenshot Sucks Pros: Galaga is one of the best games of all time Cons: Game gets a little jittery at level 10/ Missing some nice touches in the graphic department Man, This One Does Too. The Game Looks Better Than This, Folks

Overview: Galaga is one of those arcade classics that still logs a respectable amount of playing time from bar, pool hall, and arcade patrons. It's a really fun game. Your mission is to waste alien buttocks with your groovy ship, and accumulate as many points as you can as the various waves and levels fly by. The 7800 is known for great classic arcade conversions, and Galaga could have easily been an another one if it wasn't for the game being demonically possessed at level 10 and beyond.

Graphics: There is something about the graphics that has always bothered me. I don't know if it's because the ships are too blocky, or the color scheme is too bland, but something is not right. The arcade visuals are way sharper. Although not perfect, the graphics of Galaga are pretty darn good anyway. As far as I know, every ship is included in this app, even the red and blue bug things on the higher levels. The arcade's cool level badges are also replaced by basic, boring numbers. Although this works, it's not nearly as cool as earning level badges.

Sound: The 7800 sound is dead on with the arcade version, although a little "tinny" or "shrill". The game delivers the same bonus round tunes and sound effects that make Galaga great. Just make sure you turn up the bass on your TV, or you will be annoyed by the high pitch of everything coming through your speakers.

Gameplay: Gameplay is great....until level 10. Until then, you can expect a smooooooooth ride. The ship is easy to control, firing is a snap, and the alien ships behave like the arcade version. All bonus stages are included, and the game features several different flight patterns of the bad guys depending on the wave. The famous, "Capture Your Ship" move is intact, as well. This is where an alien ship can "capture" your ship in a tractor beam, forcing you to use a reserve ship. Then, with your next ship you can destroy the alien that has your ship hostage, and the two ships will reunite for a massive double barrel machine of destruction. I always loved this part of the game, and I'm glad it's included. What doesn't make me happy is the annoying slow down/jittering that happens on level 10 and beyond. When the game speeds up, the alien ships start to jitter when they appear in formation at the start of the wave. It's very annoying. I read on a message board where someone summed this up perfectly: "The game just goes to hell."

Interpretation: Except for the game slow down and the slight oddities in the graphics, this "IS" Galaga. Bonus waves are included, the aliens vary their flight patterns, the "Ship Capture" feature is perfect, and the game features wave upon wave of space shootin' action. Also, when the game is over, it will tally your Accuracy percentage for you! Some things you just don't want to know...

Value: Galaga is a VERY fun game, and is one of the few Arcade apps that I play occasionally to this day. In fact, when I started playing my 7800 again earlier in the year, this was the first game I went for. I think the reason this game appeals to so many is that the first 5 or 6 waves offer little challenge to the player. You just get to flat out annihilate the first few alien formations. You feel like a space age of Rambo. The bonus stages are fun, and the game gets increasingly tougher as you play. It's addictive!

Overall: It's a classic. The unfortunate thing is that the slow down could really affect how classic gamers feel about this version. If this bug (pardon the pun) was fixed, Galaga could have easily been a contender for the best Arcade app on the system. But, that is a title that Ms. Pac Man, Centipede and Xevious can fight for.



Other Reviews:
Video Game Critic: B
Jose Q's Emuviews: 7.4 out of 10
The Atari Times: 7 out of 10
CV's Atari 7800 Panoramic Froo-Froo: 3.5 out of 5.0 (Good)


Additional Info: I would like to take this time to thank Mitch Orman, owner of The Atari 7800 Page for allowing the use of his screenshots for this review.

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