Gaplus

The only thing I really don’t like about this game is its name. It’s hard to say and doesn’t resemble the other games in the series. Is it really only the “Ga” that signifies the series? I’m just glad they didn’t call the fourth game in the series something like Gasuper. It’s no wonder that it has often been renamed Galaga 3. Even this is weird because there is no Galaga 2. The name is kind of dumb, but the game itself is fun.

So what is the third game in the Ga series like? Well it’s like Galaga but even more difficult and frantic. It’s hard for me to even survive the initial formations. The first level (called parsecs, which are everyone’s favorite measures of distance and not time) is okay because I can stay in the middle and the diving space bugs miss me, but in the second level they start shooting sooner and I just don’t know what to do. While I was playing it for this blog I only got past the second level once. In spite of this I kept playing. I always felt like I could do better even if I never really could. That’s good design for an arcade game. I would’ve spent rolls of quarters on this one back in the day.

Also new in this one is a ridiculous power up. In this game the captured becomes the captor. If you get the power up you shoot out a beam to capture enemy ships. You then get to keep every ship you capture. I’ve never been able to get more than four, but I am going to keep trying to get a whole row of ships. It wouldn’t last long, but it sure would be exciting. What’s not so exciting is the added ability to move up on the screen. I haven’t found a good use for not staying on the bottom of the screen. That just seems like a good way to get killed faster. Still I appreciate that they tried to add a new element, and maybe it’s just that I am no good. I always think it’s my fault when something in a game doesn’t work right.

For being the sequel to one of the most important games of all times Gaplus is surprisingly forgotten. It’s been rarely ported over the years and has two weird and rotating names. The Namco Museum Volume 2 port is still the easiest way to play it. This is a shame because it’s a very good game. Sure it’s difficult, but it’s the kind of difficulty that I still feel like I could overcome if I kept trying. Its connection to the earlier games makes it feel like an old friend, but its high level of difficulty keeps me on the edge of my seat. I’m actually going to rank it high on my list. It’s going above Dragon Spirit because it has more replay value but below Metro-Cross because it is less unique. I haven’t gotten to most of the true classics in the Namco Museum series, but I think it will always rank pretty high.

1. Galaga

2. Pac-Mania

3. Metro-Cross

4. Gaplus

5. Dragon Spirit

6. Baraduke

7. The Legend of “Valkyrie”

8. Galaxian

9. Gyruss (2600)

Next time: I know the secret to getting more views. I am going to write about some Game Boy Color racing games!