When it was originally released in 1981, Galaga set the bar for top-down shooters. Having improved on Galaxian's original design, the game revolutionized the genre, found multinational success, and has since been ported to over 21 different consoles, spawning 4 sequels along the way. Galaga is one of the forefathers of modern shooters, and is arguably one of the most important games of all time.

Namco Bandai's Galaga Legions DX is the latest addition to the legacy, and despite small nostalgic touches scattered throughout the UI, the game eschews the majority of its heritage and forges a path between two strikingly different genres of contemporary shooters: "Twin-stick" and "bullet-hell." The result is, sadly, a bit of a mess.