Day 255, Game 255 - Galaga Legions DX

This isn't you dad's Galaga, that's for sure. As long as you know that right off the bat, then and only then can you proceed into Galaga Legions DX and the utter insanity that goes along with it. If you're not ready for it, trust me, you won't know what hit you. 

I wrote about Pac-Man Championship Edition DX several months ago, and praised the game for being unique, different and reinvigorating a franchise that needed a shot in the arm a long time ago to remain relevant in the present day landscape of gaming, instead of floundering in the realm of retro gaming. Well, apparently Pac-Man wasn't the only old school arcade game to receive a shot of adrenaline, as the classic shooter Galaga got revamped as well. Thankfully, lighting in a bottle was capture all over again. 

This new version of Galaga mashes together two different genres into one insane experience, as it could be considered both a twin-stick shooter and a bullet-hell type of game. Both genres are fun in their own right as stand-along play experiences, but together, you get something that is fast-paced, intense, nauseating and chaotic. And I love it. 

There isn't a lot of strategy, no puzzles, no story lines, dialogue or cut-scenes. From the moment you push start, it is just a flurry of remarkable space battles, a flurry of neon scattered all over the screen and a soundtrack that keeps the pace and rhythm of the game cranked up to 10 on the dial, never letting off the pedal until the game is over. It's perfect, mindless fun, combined with leaderboards and trophies, quick play sessions and non-stop pressure to make each run better than the last. 

The controls are actually very tight, and while it feels hopeless over and over again, with waves of enemies coming at you from all directions, the control of your ship is refreshingly accurate enough to maneuver out of even the toughest of spots. And just like the Pac-Man game, when you get close to running into your demise at the hands of an enemy, the game switches to slow motion mode to give you just enough precious time to quickly escape via alternate route, or blast your way through the oncoming barrage. 

PS Plus continues to deliver awesome games that otherwise would have been all but forgotten about in the PSN cavern. As much as I liked the Pac-Man game of similar accord, I didn't even realize this game existed. When it popped up in Instant Game Collection for PS+, I downloaded just out of curiosity, in hopes of the "DX" subtitle indicating something similar to what I was already fond of before hand. Of course, as fun as this game is, I can't play much it for long periods of time without starting to see neon clusters of insanity all over the place. But in the best possible way, of course. 

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