Genre: Shoot-'Em-Up
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Developer: Namco Bandai Games
Release Date: August 20, 2008

The Xbox Live Arcade has certainly provided gamers with a gateway to brands of video games that you just don't find on solid retail shelves anymore. However, there's always been the issue of relevance, that is, if a once-popular game like Galaga can still hold up in the contemporary world of gaming today. Created by the folks who brought us Pac-Man Championship Edition, Galaga Legions sports an updated core design that both Galaga and shooter fans will froth over, become challenged by, and still return to begging for more. The only problem is that Legions offers little else outside the pure Galaga experience, which might make the asking price of 800 Microsoft points sound a little too high when compared to other modern incarnations of arcade titles that can be found on the service.

Legions offers two modes, Adventure and Championship. Adventure mode puts players up against five different stages of enemy onslaughts, challenging them to get to the end without expending all their lives. Championship mode lets you select any individual stage and compete for high scores based solely on that level. It's a nice mode to have for players like myself, who might otherwise never see the final stage of the game. Those are actually the only two modes you're going to get, and although the gameplay described next is indeed fun, it would have been nice to see Namco Bandai take a few more steps to support it.

Although the two modes may sound quite vanilla, the actual gameplay is anything but. Namco Bandai has added a few tweaks that alter the original Galaga experience, without disgracing it. The left thumbstick controls your ship in the usual fashion, and a constant auto-fire mode can be enabled rather than having to pull the right trigger (trust me, there's enough to concentrate on), but the new functionality comes with the right thumbstick.

Your ship can now dispatch two satellite turrets that can be pointed in any direction with the right thumbstick. The satellites cannot take damage, and their fire rate increases when in close proximity to enemies, so feel free to get creative when using them to flank enemy ships. Legions makes this new function no gimmick by bringing in throngs of enemies from all sides, forcing you to position your satellites in line with the orange markers that give you a brief warning where the next wave of ships will come from.

It's a new element that will change the way you think about Galaga, but it still feels like a natural fit for the series. The game presents the sometimes brutally difficult challenge with an almost never-ending amount of enemies; it's always satisfyingly addictive, even though at times it may overwhelm by taking up the entire screen and forming a kind of maze which you must shoot your way out of. Thankfully, some assistance is provided after destroying an orb that enables you to capture enemy ships, who then form a swarming protective barrier around you that can (like the satellites) be aligned on whichever side of the craft you choose.

Legions offers a major graphical update to the series, with new enemy and player models that contain much more detail than the sprites of old. The Galaga themselves were always designed to somewhat resemble insects, but they now carry the appearance of a very lively metallic arachnid horde. The long green glowing chains of the critters are animated in such a way that they look alive, and no matter how many of them appear on-screen, the frame rate never staggers. Even though their appearance has been altered, the Galaga still employ the same formations and attacks as in the older games, so nothing feels too different, or too similar.

Your ship now has visibly individual parts and fires off bright lasers that trigger some very satisfying HD explosions, making Legions one of the finer-looking titles on the arcade. The HUD also has a plethora of colorful indications for your status and score, but I sometimes felt it to be a little obstructive when I was busy trying to take out some Galaga scum. If all of these fancy new polygons make you long for a more old school Galaga, fear not. The game provides "vintage" and "ancient" skins that contain the look of older iterations in the series, but with the same bright colors and fluid animations found in the latest version.

With all these improvements, Legions wasn't going to stick with the beeps and boops from games of yore; it's replaced those sounds with beefy explosions, satisfying laser blasts, and a techno score that suits the sci-fi setting. Despite all of those upgrades, it still manages to sound like an arcade title, and that's what Legions does spot-on the entire time — keep the arcade feel alive. With its space-age menus and guiding AI voice, the presentation of Legions is top-notch and should impress longtime fans, as well as younger gamers expecting to see something flashy.

Of course, Legions doesn't want to be recognized as just a remake, but rather the next chapter in the Galaga legacy, and this is where it comes up short. It does stay true to the series, but a few more liberties could have been taken to truly make it a modern shooter. Beyond the two available gameplay modes and online leaderboards, there really isn't much else. A replay feature is present to record your entire previous session, but it can't be shared online or permanently saved. There are 12 achievements to be had, and although they may be pretty basic, conquering Legions' arduous campaign mode is a priceless accomplishment of which any gamer can be proud.

Would the inclusion of multiplayer have been a sin? I think not, given that it's appeared in the franchise before, and there's no doubt the developers have the know-how to properly integrate it without butchering the core gameplay. Galaga Legions aspires to be a Galaga for a modern age, and in some ways, it is. But by excluding so many surrounding enhancements, such as more single- or multiplayer modes, arcade shoppers of today might be a little miffed at getting what would have been a complete package back in the quarter-pumping days. Legions still manages to create a Galaga title that respectfully amplifies the nature of the series, and fans who want things kept that way will love it, but those who want more bang for their buck may be left unfulfilled.

Score: 7.8/10