Geometry Wars: Galaxies review

Nov 20, 2007

At its core, Geometry Wars: Galaxies is pretty much the same as Retro Evolved on the 360, and that's a good thing. You still pilot the same old claw-shaped ship and must survive never-ending waves of hostile shapes that attack you from every angle for as long as possible. Dodging death by mere pixels, while blasting your way through swarms of enemies amidst the colorful chaos is still mesmerizing on the Wii, but does Galaxies have enough meat to warrant the price of a full game? After all, part of what made Retro Evolved so sweet on the 360 was that it was a steal, costing only $5.00/£3.40 on Xbox LIVE.

Above: The sperm snakes that drove you batty two years ago return to crush you once again

Fortunately, developer Kuju Entertainment has fattened up Galaxies significantly, with extra treats and smart tweaks that makes for a Geometry Wars experience that's less frustrating, more engaging and really, really, hard.

The long list of new maps helps Galaxies break free from the one-level world of Retro Evolved. These new areas add loads of replay value with lots of unusual twists that change things up enough to keep the game fresh with warp points, Pac-Man-esque mazes, moving walls, or (our favorite) a black hole that spins objects on the screen like a washing machine. Flying with - and then against - the invisible current as it pushes and pulls you around while enemies swirl past you haphazardly feels great and looks awesome.