Galaga
| Galaga | |
|---|---|
Japanese arcade flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Director(s) | Shigeru Yokoyama |
| Programmer(s) | Toru (Tetsu) Ogawa |
| Artist(s) | Hiroshi Ono[8] |
| Composer(s) | Nobuyuki Ohnogi |
| Series | Galaxian |
| Platform(s) |
|
| Release | September 1981 |
| Genre(s) | Fixed shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Arcade system | Namco Galaga[9] |
Galaga[a] is a 1981 fixed shooter video game developed and published by Namco for Japanese and European arcades; in North America, it was distributed by Midway Manufacturing. It is the sequel to Galaxian (1979), Namco's first major video game hit in arcades. Controlling a starship, the player is tasked with destroying the Galaga forces in each stage while avoiding enemies and projectiles. Some enemies can capture a player's ship via a tractor beam, which can be rescued by another ship to give the player a "dual fighter" with additional firepower.
Shigeru Yokoyama led development with a small team. Initial planning took about two months to finish. Originally developed for the Namco Galaxian arcade board, it was instead shifted to a new system as suggested by Namco's Research and Development division. Inspiration for the dual fighter mechanic was taken from a film that Yokoyama had seen prior to development, where a ship was captured using a large circular beam. The project became immensely popular around the company, with Namco's president Masaya Nakamura even taking interest.
Although early location tests were unsuccessful, Galaga went on to become one of the most successful titles of the golden age of arcade video games, routinely appearing on Japanese and American arcade charts through 1987. It was acclaimed by critics for its gameplay, innovation, addictive nature and improvements made over its predecessor, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest video games of all time. Several home ports were released for a multitude of platforms, including the MSX, Atari 7800, and NES, alongside releases on digital distribution platforms such as Xbox Live Arcade and appearances in many Namco compilations. It was followed by Gaplus in 1984.
- ^ Akagi, Masumi (October 13, 2006). アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005) [Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. p. 52. ISBN 978-4990251215.
- ^ a b "Video Game Flyers: Galaga, Namco (Germany)". The Arcade Flyer Archive. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ "Home Video Games - 専用ゲームカートリッジ". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 239. Amusement Press, Inc. July 15, 1985. pp. 15–16.
- ^ "NES Games" (PDF). Nintendo of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 11, 2014.
- ^ "All Famicom games sorted from the latest release to the earliest". Famitsu. Archived from the original on October 15, 2023.
- ^ "Availability Update" (PDF). Computer Entertainer. Vol. 5, no. 6. September 1986. p. 13.
- ^ "Game Boy (original) Games" (PDF). Nintendo of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2016.
- ^ Kiya, Andrew (October 17, 2021). "Former Namco Pixel Artist Hiroshi 'Mr. Dotman' Ono Has Died". Siliconera. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ "Galaga - Videogame by Namco". Killer List of Videogames. Archived from the original on July 13, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
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