Geometry Wars: Galaxies

The control scheme has its quirks, but this is still an intense and enjoyable shooter.

Just like the Wii version, Geometry Wars Galaxies comes down to “price vs. payoff” in the end. The game is amazingly hardcore, meant for the Contra 4 and Konami Arcade Classics fan base rather than the general DS audience, but for those that live for high scores, and consider the traditional, extremely challenging arcade designs to be the root of their gaming core, Geometry Wars won’t disappoint. There are over 60 planets to play through, each with their own online leaderboard, download/multi-card co-op and vs. play, the original Retro Evolved game found on Wii and Xbox Live Arcade, and game sharing for your lazy, unemployed friends. Leaderboards and game sharing is extremely fast as well, with rankings updates taking under ten seconds to update at any time; vital to the game’s community. The overall package still has some issues, including a choppy framerate once the action gets extremely intense, as well as a lack of analog control in the hardware, making for a control scheme that embraces the “DS-itis” that games like Metroid so kindly introduced us to, but as a pocket version of an undeniably addictive arcade game Galaxies is perfect for on-the-go gaming.

"A solid, proven shooter, Galaxies is an excellent way to kill time, as well as one of the DS's better shooters, unlike, say, Metroid Prime: Hunters, which tended to feel a bit clunky at times. It's perfect for any time you've got a spare five minutes, and it's almost a bit too addictive."