Galaga Director Interview

Galaga was released in the arcades back in 1981 and became an instant classic. Its trademarks were the innovative fighter combination system and the varied enemy attack patterns. With the release of the game on Xbox Live® Arcade, we spent a few minutes with Tohru Takahashi, a game director at Namco Bandai Games Inc. He talked about bringing this classic coin-op game into the world of Xbox 360™.

Xbox.com: Although it's a classic and more than twenty-five years old, there are many new players out there on Xbox Live who have never played this game. How would you describe it to someone who had never played it?

Tohru Takahashi: Galaga is a classic shooting game that has been enjoyed by players all over the world. It features all the fun elements of a traditional shooting game where players have to focus not only on aiming and shooting enemies, but also on evading various enemy attack patterns.

There is also a unique feature in Galaga, which allows players to combine their fighter with another fighter to form a Dual Fighter. A Dual Fighter possesses twice the firepower of a regular fighter. If you haven't played Galaga before, get ready to experience the game on Xbox 360™.

Dive into another arcade classic from the eighties.

Xbox.com: How do the new elements you've added enhance the game? For example, what about the double-shot button?

Takahashi: The achievements are one of the biggest additional features. As the players progress through the stages, they will encounter new enemies. We included some Achievements where players have to find these new enemies. Players who have played Galaga and those who haven't will be able to enjoy this exclusive new feature on the Xbox 360 version. In addition to the achievements, a continue option has also been included in the game.

We have included achievements in Galaga that will make players see the game from a different perspective.

In the arcade version of Galaga, players had to restart the game from scratch once the game was over. We felt that this was too harsh on beginners, so we decided to include a continue option in the Xbox 360 version. This option allows players to restart from any of the levels they have completed, making it possible for anyone to proceed to the later stages. However, continuing will reset the player's score.

Double-shot is a feature which allows players to fire in succession. This is especially effective against close range enemies.

Xbox.com: Can you explain what happens when you choose to begin at a later stage rather than at the beginning?

Takahashi: The player's score will reset to zero, but the achievements obtained will remain unlocked. To gain a high score, players will need to play through the game without using continues.

Xbox.com: How many levels does the game have? How does that compare to the original arcade game?

Takahashi: In total, there are 255 stages, which is the same number of stages as the original arcade version.

Xbox.com: What do you think it is about Galaga that makes it such an enduring favorite among fans?

Takahashi: Galaga has all the features of a classic shooting game. It has a unique power up system, good graphics, balanced gameplay, and is just great fun to play. These features are what make Galaga such a timeless classic amongst beginner and expert players of the game.

Xbox.com: How have the graphics been enhanced for Xbox 360?

Takahashi: Menu screens have been redesigned for Xbox 360. The game also features new wallpaper to give the game a new look.

Xbox.com: What are the music and sounds like? Have they changed?

Takahashi: The background music and sounds in the game are exactly the same as the original, which is what makes it so special. The archive data stored away within the company has been adopted.

There are a dozen achievements in the game.

Xbox.com: What kinds of achievements did you include in the game?

Takahashi: We have included achievements in Galaga that will make players see the game from a different perspective. These achievements include "Form a Dual-Fighter" and "Shoot down all enemies in a Challenging Stage!" As mentioned before, there is also an achievement whereby players have to find certain enemies that appear on specific stages.

Xbox.com: How many gamer points can you earn in all?

Takahashi: In total, 200 points will be made available.

Xbox.com: Do you plan to release any materials for the game on Xbox Live Marketplace, such as gamer icons or themes?

Takahashi: If possible, we would like to include these materials in the near future.

Xbox.com: The game sounds like a lot of fun. We can't wait to check it out! Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions.