Galaxian (NES)

Introduction Being staggeringly old by the standards of most of the internet generation (which is to say, over 21) I can actually remember Galaxian when it was a fixture in amusement arcades everywhere. Come to that, I can remember when amusement arcades themselves – rather than the sad, gambling-centric excuses for them we have today – were considered a (reasonably) wholesome place for children to spend away their pocket money. They've hung on in seaside resorts to some extent, but even there games of Galaxian's vintage (1979) have mostly passed into memory. The NES port That being so, most ... more

*Review primarily focuses on the single-player experience.* A port of the 1979 fixed space shooter (I've never played the arcade original) where the player's ship shoots at (same) swarm after swarm of attacking alien armies. Visual - basic background (since stars are scrolling at same speed) and aliens but there's no mistaking them and the action stays smooth. Audio - there's no music to speak of but with the sound effects you'll know whether the alien army is alive or not. Control - only one player shot appears on screen at any time so players need be precise with their shooting. As movement ... more