Galaga was developed by Namco in 1981 and is the sequel to 1979's Galaxian. It's now been released on the PS4 through Namco's Arcade Game Series. The object of the game is to shoot down all the ships. Once you destroy them all, a new wave will start. There is a bonus stage every couple rounds where you get a new pattern to clear as many ships as possible. It is also possible to have one of your ships captured, so then you can recapture it and create dual fighters.

The controls in Galaga are alright. I feel like it can be difficult to make small adjustments, like the input is completely digital, even with an analog stick. I found the best method is to be jerk the stick back and forth. The shooting is responsive, and the Arcade Series emulation comes with an autofire button. Remember only 2 bullets can be shot at a time, so it doesn't make the game too easy.

The game has a variety of sprites, and a trippy background that kind of makes me dizzy sometimes. Only sound FX are played in-game, which makes the victory music all the more rewarding. The hit ratio presented at the end of each game is a nice touch. The Arcade Game Series version allows you to continue your progress with the level selector, which adds more replay as it is easier access later challenge levels that you may not be able to reach under normal circumstance, and practice them before attempting a high score run. Overall, Galaga is tough but fair shooter from the golden age of arcade games that rewards pattern recognition and reaction. B+