Geometry Wars: Galaxies

[Nester the Lark]

Well, most of you probably know by now that I love retro gaming, so I've been somewhat interested in Geometry Wars. It's gotten pretty good reviews so far, and it's sounding more and more enticing, but I think I'll wait a few months for the price to come down.

For those of you who don't know what it is, I'll tell you right off the bat that it is not a math game or some spin on brain training. It's a classic-style shooter modeled after dual joystick games like Robotron and Smash TV. It even has vector-style wire frame graphics. (The ship looks like a staple remover, just like in the old game Tempest!)

It started as an unlockable in the X-Box game Project Gotham Racing 2. It was poplar enough to be enhanced and released as a launch title for X-Box Live Arcade where it was called Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. (I assume that's a play on Halo's subtitle, "Combat Evolved.")

GW: Galaxies has just been released in the US on the Wii and DS, and it looks like a blast. It's been seriously upgraded and includes 64 levels (Retro Evolved had only one), a "drone" character that can be upgraded, competitive and cooperative multi-player, online scoreboards, the full Retro Evolved version, and it's the first Wii game to support Wii-DS connectivity. You can send a copy of "Retro Evolved" to a DS (or other DS's if you have the DS version).

Reviews indicate that the game, while already worthwhile, will be a real steal when it comes down in price. Until then, check out some single- and multi-player game footage.

[Fryguy64]

It's one of those games I keep hearing about. I've been waiting for a version to appear on Nintendo consoles. Now I just have to work out whether I'd prefer the Wii or DS version. Something tells me it might get more love on the DS.

WAAAH! Can't buy any more games! Still got so many I haven't played, let alone completed!

[Nester the Lark]

I, too, was originally leaning towards the DS version for probably the same reason. It does seem like the kind of game that would be perfect for a portable. However, since you can download Retro Evolved to the DS from the Wii version, it might be the best of both worlds.

[Nester the Lark]

Just thought I'd toss this in because I thought it was an interesting read: IGN has posted a Geometry Wars Retrospective.

It started at Bizarre Creations as a program to test the controller for the original X-Box. It got popular among the staff and escalated from there. Galaxies on the Wii and DS was actually developed by Kuju, which also developed the Battalion Wars games.

I had the chance to play the Wii version last week. It was really quite an addictive game! You'd think that 64 levels of the same Robotron-style gameplay wouldn't have much variety, but they found a lot of ways to add new gimmicks. The controls were also really good with both the Remote+Nunchuck and Classic Controller, altho, each one requires a slightly different strategy.

I also tried downloading Retro Evolved to my DS to see how it played on that system. Having only an 8-way control pad felt slightly limiting compared to the 360 degree freedom of an analogue stick, but overall, it translated OK.

If the game were available for only $20, it'd be one of the best (if not the best) budget titles on the system.