Live Ware: Galaga Legions, Castle Crashers and more

9/15/2008 6:56 PM | 0 Comments | Page 1 of 3

Galaga Legions
Developer: Namco Bandai Games Inc.
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games Inc.
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Originally Appeared On: N/A

RECOMMENDATION:
Buy It

A little over a year ago, Namco Bandai released Pac-Man: Championship Edition on Xbox Live Arcade. With its neon makeover and emphasis on high score competitions, the game gave us a great reason to once again lead our little yellow friend through his maze-filled world. When it was announced that the Pac-Man: CE team would also be updating Namco's classic arcade game, Galaga, there was good reason to be excited. Galaga is, after all, one of the rare arcade classics that's as much fun to play today as it was back when it was first released.

Galaga Legions isn't quite as good as Pac-Man: CE, but it's still pretty darn great. Unlike in the original Galaga, your ship can now move freely all over the screen, instead of being limited to moving left and right along the bottom. Although you can still only shoot straight up, you can deploy and assign two satellites to fire up, down, left or right. The key to earning high scores is to strategically place your satellites so that they blast the invading aliens as they swarm onto the screen. In an evolution of the original game's mechanics, you'll occasionally have the opportunity to capture enemy fighters and add their firepower to your own.

With no multiplayer mode, you competitive types will have to rely on your leaderboard ranking to keep coming back for more. Luckily, Galaga Legions is pretty challenging despite its short length. Even though Legions tends to stray from the rules of its inspiration more than Pac-Man: CE did, it's still a fantastic shooter and yet another high point in Namco's retro revival.

Castle Crashers
Developer: The Behemoth
Publisher: The Behemoth
Price: 1,200 Microsoft Points
Originally Appeared On: N/A

RECOMMENDATION:
Buy It

Alien Hominid, The Behemoth's previous title, looked fantastic but didn't play nearly as well as the games it tried to emulate (Metal Slug, Contra). As such, it wasn't unreasonable to be skeptical of the follow-up, Castle Crashers. After all, the inspiration behind this title (old-school beat-'em-ups like Konami's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game) aren't even terribly fun to play anymore. How good could a great-looking but uninspired clone be?

As it turns out, we didn't have to worry at all. Not only does Castle Crashers play great, it also adds a bit more depth to its tired genre. You and up to three friends climb into the multicolored armor of the lead characters and battle through levels filled with hordes of humorously animated enemies. As you fight, the game's experience system levels up your character, granting new combos and points that can be distributed to improve different attributes. Stat-enhancing weapons can be found or purchased with gold collected from fallen foes. These light role-playing game elements allow for a bit of customization and keep things interesting.

Castle Crashers is chock full of personality and provides a good challenge for those looking for a fight. The online multiplayer is a bit spotty at the moment, with ample connection issues, but The Behemoth is promising a patch. We hope it comes soon, because this is a great game that's clearly meant to be played with friends.