Galaxian[a] is a shoot'em up video game franchise developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, formerly Namco. Some entries were outsourced to other developers, such as Hasbro Interactive, Bandai and Paladin Studios. The series first began in 1979 with the arcade game Galaxian, which was Namco's first major hit in the video game industry, seeing ports for multiple home consoles, handheld systems and mobile phones. Most games in the series have been fixed shooters, although some have delved into other genres such as rail shooters and twin-stick shooters. Entries in the franchise have been ported to several home consoles and included in many Namco video game compilations for multiple platforms. Galaxian is one of the most successful arcade games of its time, selling over 50,000 arcade cabinets in North America alone.
Galaxian | |
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Genre(s) | Shoot'em up |
Developer(s) | Namco Bandai Namco Studios |
Publisher(s) | Namco Bandai Namco Entertainment |
Creator(s) | Kazunori Sawano |
Platform(s) | List
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First release | Galaxian November 1979 |
Latest release | Galaga Revenge January 2019 |
Galaxian and its sequel Galaga are cited as some of the most influential games of the genre, the latter being called one of the greatest video games ever made by many publications. Later entries in the series have been met with a more mixed reception — some, such as Galaga Legions and its DX update, have been praised for expanding upon the gameplay in earlier titles, while others, such as Galaga: Destination Earth, were criticized for being poor updates of the original. The success of the series has lend itself to other forms of media, including soundtrack CDs, apparel, garage kits and literature. Including re-releases, the Galaxian franchise has sold over 12 million copies, making it one of Bandai Namco's best-selling franchises of all time.[g 1]
Arcade games
editTitle | Details |
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Original release date(s):[4][5] |
Release years by system: 1979 – Arcade (Namco Galaxian) 1982 – Atari 8-bit, tabletop LCD game[6] 1983 – Atari 2600,[7] Atari 5200,[8] VIC-20[9] 1984 – Family Computer,[10] MSX[11] 1990 – Famicom Disk System[10] 1995 – Game Boy (Galaga & Galaxian)[12] 1997 – LCD pocket game 2001 – Mobile phone[13] 2009 – Wii Virtual Console[14] |
Notes:
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Original release date(s):[19][20] |
Release years by system: 1981 – Arcade (Namco Galaga) 1984 – Family Computer,[10] MSX[11] 1987 – Nintendo Entertainment System,[21] Atari 7800[22] 1990 – Famicom Disk System[10] 1995 – Game Boy (Galaga & Galaxian)[12] 2007 – Xbox 360[23] 2009 – Wii Virtual Console[24] 2011 – Roku[25] 2013 – 3DS Virtual Console, Wii U Virtual Console[26] 2016 – PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC[27] |
Notes:
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Original release date(s):[36] |
Release years by system: 1984 – Arcade (Namco Phozon) 1987 – Commodore 64[37] 2007 – Mobile phone[38] 2009 – Wii Virtual Console[39] 2020 – Nintendo Entertainment System |
Notes:
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Original release date(s):[36] |
Release years by system: 1987 – Arcade (Namco System 1) 1988 – PC-Engine[37] 1990 – TurboGrafx-16, Sharp X68000[37] 1991 – Game Gear[37] 2008 – Mobile phone[40] 2009 – Wii Virtual Console[41] 2011 – PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita |
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Original release date(s):
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Release years by system: 1990 – Attraction 1992 – Arcade (Namco Theater 6) 1996 – PlayStation 2013 – PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita |
Notes:
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Original release date(s):[44]
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Release years by system: 1994 – Arcade (Namco Theater 6) |
Notes:
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Original release date(s):[36] |
Release years by system: 1995 – Arcade (Namco ND-1) |
Notes:
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Original release date(s):[46]
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Release years by system: 2000 – Arcade |
Notes:
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Mass Destruction VR Shooting: Galaga Fever Original release date(s):[47]
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Release years by system: 2018 – Arcade |
Notes: |
Home console and handheld games
editTitle | Details |
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Galaga & Galaxian Original release date(s):[48][12] |
Release years by system: 1995 – Game Boy |
Notes:
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The Rising of Gourb Original release date(s):[48] |
Release years by system: 1996 – PlayStation |
Notes: | |
SD Gundam: Over Galaxian Original release date(s):[48]
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Release years by system: 1996 – PlayStation |
Notes: | |
Original release date(s):[49]
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Release years by system: 2000 – PlayStation, PC, Game Boy Color |
Notes:
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Original release date(s):[48] |
Release years by system: 2005 – PlayStation Portable |
Notes: | |
Original release date(s):[52]
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Release years by system: 2008 – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 |
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Original release date(s):
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Release years by system: 2011 – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 2012 – Windows Phone[55] |
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Mobile games
editTitle | Details |
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Galaxian Mini Original release date(s):[37]
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Release years by system: 2000 – Mobile phone |
Notes:
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Original release date(s):[58]
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Release years by system: 2009 – iOS |
Notes: | |
Original release date(s):[61]
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Release years by system: 2011 – iOS |
Notes: | |
Galaga Kai Original release date(s):[62]
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Release years by system: 2011 – Mobile phone |
Notes: | |
Galaga: Special Edition Original release date(s):
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Release years by system: 2012 – Android |
Notes:
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Original release date(s):[63][64] |
Release years by system: 2014 – iOS |
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Galaga Wars Original release date(s):[65]
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Release years by system: 2016 – iOS |
Notes: |
Other titles
editTitle | Details |
---|---|
Original release date(s):[68] |
Release years by system: 1981 – Arcade (Bally Astrocade) 1982 – Atari 2600, VIC-20 1983 – Atari 5200[69] |
Notes:
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Original release date(s):
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Release years by system: 1981 – Handheld game |
Notes:
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Original release date(s):[36] |
Release years by system: 1992 – Arcade (Namco System 2), Super Famicom 2009 – Wii Virtual Console[41] |
Notes: | |
Galaxian Heroes Original release date(s):
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Release years by system: |
Notes:
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Notes
editReferences
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- Galaxian3 sales: 66,770 units (JP)[1]
- SD Gundam: Over Galaxian sales: 27,905 (JP)[1]
- Namco Museum Vol. 1 sales: 1.65 million units (US),[2] 167,786 units (JP)[1]
- Namco Museum Vol. 3 sales: 2.24 million units (US),[2] 148,758 units (JP)[1]
- Namco Museum 64 sales: 1.04 million units[2]
- Namco Museum (GBA) sales: 2.96 million units[2]
- Namco Museum (PS2) sales: ≈1.80 million units[2]
- Namco Museum Battle Collection sales: 79,527 units (JP)[1]
- Namco Museum Vol. 2 (PSP) sales: 24,934 units (JP)[1]
- Namco Museum DS sales: 33,393 units (JP)[1]
- Namco Museum Virtual Arcade sales: 5,912 units (JP)[1]
- Namco Arcade downloads: 2 million[3]
- Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions sales: 10,785 units (JP)[1]
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