Geometry Wars: Galaxies Hands-On
We do battle with all manner of dangerous shapes as we check out both the Wii and DS versions of this insane shooter.
See the Wii version of Geometry Wars: Galaxies demoed live during On the Spot.
Earlier this week, during a meeting with Sierra Games, we had an opportunity to spend some time playing pre-alpha versions of Geometry Wars: Galaxies for both the Wii and the DS. Both games will feature a version of Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved (the Xbox Live Arcade game) that has been enhanced with multiplayer features, and both will let you share that game with DS owners who have yet to invest in their own copy of Galaxies. But we concentrated on the all-new "Galaxies" content for the most part on this occasion because that's been the unknown quantity until now.
Galaxies mode is divided up into a number of different solar systems (there are at least six or seven on the map already), and each of those contains a number of planets. The solar system that we were allowed into during our demo was composed of eight planets. To give you some idea of how much new content there's going to be, if Retro Evolved were incorporated into Galaxies, it would equate to just one planet. The number of planets and solar systems that will be included in Geometry Wars: Galaxies hasn't been finalized at the time of writing, but having checked out three very different planets during our meeting, we can report that there is unlikely to be any shortage of variety.
Before we get specific about the three planets that we played on the Wii or about the different enemies and hazards that we encountered, there's one new gameplay feature that we simply have to talk about--your drone. In Galaxies mode, you'll be accompanied by an indestructible drone at all times. The drone will follow you around like a puppy as you fly around the pulsating blue grid. You'll determine its behavior and role by choosing from a number of options before the level gets underway. You'll also unlock new behavior types and the like as you progress through the game. Although we only got to see three different ones in action on this occasion, we're told that there will be "a lot" from which to choose. The basic behaviors that we experimented with were attack, which had the drone firing on the same targets that we targeted; defend, which saw the drone firing on targets automatically regardless of which direction they were in; and collect, which tasked the drone with collecting "Geoms"--the in-game currency--that many enemies drop when you destroy them. Geoms will be used to purchase new behaviors, weapons, and other drone upgrades in the finished game. We're also told that choosing the right drone setups for the right planets will be crucial if you're hoping to achieve a gold, rather than silver or bronze, medal.
The first level that we checked out, titled Enemy Storm, was played on a square grid noticeably smaller than the rectangular one seen in previous Geometry Wars games. The enemies, on the other hand, were significantly bigger and, initially, seemed oblivious to our presence. But that all changed once we opened fire and realized that the enemies on this particular planet work in much the same way as the titular asteroids in Atari's classic arcade game. Every enemy that we shot turned into two smaller ones until they got to be about the same size as our ship. Shooting them at that point caused them to explode into a dozen or so enemies that we recognized from Retro Evolved. Needless to say, the ever-increasing number of enemies coupled with the small play area made for some hectic gameplay. We found the experience quite different from playing the Xbox Live Arcade game, as well as different from what we expected.
Next up was a more familiar-looking level called Neo Classical. The playing area was the same rectangular grid used in previous games, but in amongst the usual assortment of enemies, there were a few that we didn't recognize. For example, the vivid blue "mutator" that looks like a scribble made up of perfectly straight lines was an interesting one because while it's more or less harmless on its own, it has the ability to turn every other enemy that it touches into a new, aggressive, and unpredictable enemy type. The "generator" enemies posed a new challenge as well; they're red circles that spew out more traditional enemies in huge numbers and are only vulnerable to attack when they turn blue, which isn't very often. The other new enemy that we noticed was a UFO that, like those in Asteroids or Space Invaders, will spawn quite randomly and will be worth a large number of points if you manage to shoot it before it flies off the screen.
Geometry Wars: Galaxies Quick Links
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- Sierra Entertainment
- Kuju Entertainment
- Shoot-'Em-Up
- Release: Nov 20, 2007 »
- ESRB: Everyone
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