This has been one hell of a summer for downloadable games, hasn’t it? It seems like every week I’m saying, “This could be the best game on Xbox Live Arcade” or “This could be the best game on the PlayStation Network.” And what’s amazing is that every week I mean it, despite how “Best Game EVAR” it sounds.
I’ve been a big fan of Galaga since the mid-80s. I think it was our local Pizza Hut that introduced me to the game, but that’s not the fondest memory of it that I have. No, my fondest memory of Galaga came from a Gwar concert. Excuse me, I mean GWAR!!! concert. My friend Scotty and I received free tickets to see GWAR at the legendary First Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, and I’ll see just about anything for free. And hell, GWAR’s always been a curiosity for me. Why not?
It's...GWAR!
But once we got there, I was distracted from the spectacle on the stage by a Galaga machine I saw standing in a dark corner upstairs. Soon, not even someone shooting blood out of a giant, metal, spear-shaped penis could distract me from the old-school greatness that is Galaga.
Galaga’s one of those games that I can zone out to; completely shutting out the world around me. And as fake blood, vomit, piss, and whatever else rained down from the stage, I stood in the corner racking up points. By the time I lost my last ship, GWAR was almost done…uh…performing. I may have missed the show, but I hit 1st place on the scoreboard. It seemed like a fair trade to me.
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