REVIEW! Cosmo Gang The Video

Developer: Namco(t)
Platform: Arcade/SNES
Year: 1991/1992



After recently purchasing Space Invaders Extreme 2 (AWESOME game btw, demolish it) I felt an itch that only shmups can scratch. That whole sentence was pretty stupid, but this review is just starting and I think I have plenty of time to top myself.

Blanket statement, just about everyone is familiar with Galaga, right? And that they have made lots of different ports and variations of it, right? Well I can assure you this is different from any Galaga game you have ever played. This is based on some characters from a prize game or something like that. Googling Cosmo Gang rendered me with very little info that isn't about this game, and its companion Cosmo Gang The Puzzle- which is a variant of Pac-Attack.
This game is based on Galaga '88, I haven't played the version on the PCE but the arcade version is a lot of fun. Easily my favorite version of Galaga.

Story:
The boss of the Cosmo Gang, Don Cosmo, wants energy. That's all I could really gather from the arcade version.



Gameplay:
It's Galaga. Shoot patterns of enemies and dodge bullets. I think this game is made better by two important things. It's sense of humor and TWO PLAYER. I have never played a Galaga game with the option of multiplayer before. Power-ups are issued in this version by shooting boss enemies. You can grab a shield, a spider-web to slow down enemies, a ship upgrade to double your firepower (no more getting your ship captured!), a black hole to suck up enemies, slow moving bombs, and my personal favorite- a giant clown face that paralyzes the enemy with fear! There are little intermissions with cute animations. I totally DESPISE the bonus stages which derail the game and make me want to quit playing.

Two player mode is fun and competitive. Stealing power-ups is great but I always wonder why add an emphasis on teamwork when being a tool and stealing items is so much more fun.



Graphics:
I love the graphical style of this game, take away the futuristic ship and ugly space bugs and replace them with chunky SD style....alien guys. Everything is bright and colorful, I approve.



Sound:
Simple yet satisfying. Upbeat music and clear voice samples, arcade version is in english.

Overall:
I really enjoy this game and I think it actually surpasses Galaga '88. Buy it, NOT download it, play it with a friend! I hate those bonus stages!
8.5/10 Kirk kicks!!