Software:Geometry Wars: Galaxies

Short description: 2007 video game

Geometry Wars: Galaxies
Developer(s)	Bizarre Creations Kuju Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Vivendi Games
Designer(s)	Stephen Cakebread
Series	Geometry Wars
Platform(s)	Nintendo DS, Wii
Release	NA: November 20, 2007 (Wii) NA: November 27, 2007 (DS) EU: January 18, 2008 AU: February 7, 2008
Genre(s)	Multidirectional shooter, Third Person Shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Geometry Wars: Galaxies is a multidirectional shooter video game developed by Bizarre Creations and Kuju Entertainment, and published by Vivendi Games for the Wii and Nintendo DS in 2007. As the first Geometry Wars game to be released on non-Microsoft platforms, Galaxies is a spin-off of Geometry Wars, which was originally included as a bonus game within Project Gotham Racing 2 on Microsoft's Xbox console. This updated version includes a single-player campaign mode, several multiplayer modes, Software:Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved (previously released on the Xbox Live Arcade online service), and support for online leaderboards. The Wii version supports widescreen and 480p progressive scan display.

The soundtrack was composed by Chris Chudley from Audioantics who created the music for all of the Geometry Wars series.

Gameplay

The object of Geometry Wars: Galaxies is to survive as long as possible and score as many points as possible by destroying a constant, generally increasing swarm of enemies. The game takes place in a closed, two-dimensional playfield, and the game ends when the player loses his/her last life. The player controls a claw-shaped "ship" that can move and fire simultaneously in any direction, with movement and firing being controlled independently via the Wii and DS' unique motion controls. A limited supply of screen-clearing bombs are available at the press of a button to instantly eliminate all enemies and missiles in an emergency. The Wii version utilizes the Wii Remote pointer and buttons to aim and fire, while assigning movement and bombs to the Nunchuk's analog stick and buttons respectively. An alternate control scheme based on the Classic Controller is available, mimicking the original twin-stick control of the original Geometry Wars, in which bombs are deployed with shoulder buttons. The DS version allows players to use the directional pad, face buttons and/or the touchscreen to move and aim, while using shoulder buttons to deploy bombs.

In addition to the updated control schemes, Galaxies introduces new enemies, multiplayer support, and several changes to the scoring system.

Galaxies mode

Galaxies is the game's main mode, which presents the player with a series of ten solar systems, each with a number of different planets featuring different challenges or styles of play. All of the enemies from Retro Evolved appear in Galaxies, along with some new enemies with a variety of different behaviours.

Some planets play very similarly to Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, while others introduce moving obstacles, narrow tunnels, enemy carriers that split into smaller enemies when destroyed, and other gameplay mechanics. Most levels start the player with three lives and three bombs, but some require the player to play with only one life and/or no bombs, and the player may not be able to earn extra lives or bombs in those levels. Each planet sets a Bronze, Silver and Gold score level, challenging the player to reach those scores before running out of lives. Bonus Geoms are awarded for earning each medal for the first time.

Most enemies in Galaxies mode will drop one or more yellow items when destroyed. Each of these items represents a quantity of Geoms, which are dropped in amounts of 10, 25, 50, and 100. Geoms serve a variety of purposes to the player: In the game, collecting a Geom container increases the score multiplier by one, up to a maximum of 150. The player is also awarded extra lives and bombs (except in certain levels) for collecting set quantities of Geoms. Once a game ends, the collected Geoms are added to the player's total, and can then be used to unlock drone behaviors and to unlock new galaxies and the planets within them.

An automated drone follows the player around each level, executing one of eight behaviors that the player can select from before starting the level. These behaviors include "Attack", which causes the drone to fire in the same direction as the player, "Defend", in which the drone fires opposite the player, "Collect", in which the drone zips around to collect Geoms as they are dropped, and "Bait", where the drone lures enemies away from the player. Each behavior aside from the default "Attack" must be unlocked by spending Geoms, and each behavior also "levels up" over time as the player uses it, increasing the drone's speed, power and/or accuracy.

The game keeps a table of high scores for each planet, as well as a cumulative high score per galaxy and across the game as a whole. Players can also upload their scores to a global online leaderboard via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service.

Other modes

Galaxies offers several modes of multiplayer play. In Cooperative mode, two players each control their own ship but share the same score, multiplier, bombs and lives. Simultaneous mode plays similarly, except that each player has their own score and lives, and the players compete to achieve the higher score. The DS version includes an extra Versus mode, in which one player controls the ship and the other player spawns enemies to try to destroy it. In all multiplayer modes the support drone is not available, and if the players move toward opposite ends of the screen, the camera zooms out to keep them both in the frame.

The Nintendo DS and Wii editions of Galaxies can connect to one another wirelessly, allowing players to unlock an additional Galaxy to play in both versions. Both editions of the game can also transfer a version of Galaxies to a Nintendo DS via its Download Play feature. Retro Evolved is included in both editions of the game, allowing the player to play the game as it was released on Xbox Live Arcade (minus Achievements and Retro mode). Retro Evolved also supports an online leaderboard feature.

History

Geometry Wars: Galaxies was announced in the July 2007 edition of Nintendo Power. Developed by Kuju Entertainment, the game was released in North America in November 2007. Both Wii and DS versions were released in Europe on January 18, 2008, and in Australia on February 7, 2008.

Reception

Reception
Review scores Publication Score DS Wii Destructoid N/A 8.5/10 Edge N/A 7/10 EGM N/A 8/10 Eurogamer 8/10 8/10 Game Informer N/A 9/10 GamePro GameRevolution N/A B GameSpot 7/10 7.5/10 GameSpy GameZone 7.8/10 9/10 IGN 7.8/10 (UK) 8.2/10 (US) 8/10 (AU) 7.9/10 Nintendo Power N/A 8/10 Pocket Gamer N/A Aggregate score Metacritic 79/100 80/100

Geometry Wars: Galaxies received "generally favorable reviews" on both platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.

GameSpot's Alex Navarro noted that both versions of the game had the same content in terms of gameplay, levels, and multiplayer while praising those elements at the same time. However, he cited the DS version as having worse graphics and performance than the Wii version, necessitating the lower score. Mark Bozon of IGN praised both versions of the game for the gameplay, the amount of content, and the visual effects, but pointed out how the DS version had no analog controls compared to the Wii version and framerate issues during intense moments as reasons for the slightly lower score. He ultimately concluded that the Wii version's Classic Controller setup is the best way to play Galaxies.

External links

• MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms. Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers". This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months. The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing. A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school. Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information. In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount. This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign. A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art). Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel, and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million. The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager. Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface. This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue. Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.

See also

• IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

External links

sv:Geometry Wars#Geometry Wars: Galaxies