This week's Arcade Archives release is... Cosmo Gang the Video (Namco, 1992)
This rerelease comes with the Japanese and English versions of the game, the difference being the language of the voice clips used.
As the name suggests, this is a video game adaptation, of sorts, of the redemption game Cosmo Gang (sometimes called Cosmo Gangs such as on this Data East flyer where you can see both Cosmo Gang on the marquee and Cosmo Gangs on the sideart, make up your mind!) but really, it's a secret Galaga '88 sequel! Shoot the adorable Cosmo Gang baddies as they swarm the screen, and shoot the boss to upgrade to a twin shot. Grab any power-ups you find and take down this intergalactic bunch of clowns!
There's actually quite a few additions to the Galaga formula here- power-ups that slow the enemy down and scare them into standing still can show up, there's different enemy types like heavily-armoured guys who fire huge lasers (and yell "I'm sorry!" once you break their armour), a score multiplier system where you get bonus points for shooting enemies quickly that gets multiplied when you grab point items. There's even bonus stages that play just like the original redemption game, having you protect the energy from the advancing Cosmo Gang! It's very cute and the presentation is excellent, with scaling effects, great animation and lots of voice clips to go with the action. This is an easy recommendation if you're a fan of Galaga-style games!
Oh, and here's the original redemption game as seen in a British arcade many moons ago. It's a pretty fun game although quite tough! The closest you'll get to a home version is as the final stage of the Theme Park Mode in Point Blank 2 on the PS1 or as a bonus game in Point Blank DS.
