Gaplus
Encyclopedia
, far more commonly known as Galaga 3 (although the game was released under both titles in North America), is a fixed shooter arcade game
that was released by Namco
in 1984. It runs on Namco Phozon
hardware and was only known as Gaplus in Japan. A modification kit was distributed later that changed the title screen to to increase recognition among fans of the Galaga
series and boost sales.
Finding this game for home video game consoles is very difficult. It appears on some multi-game cartridges, which were released long after its arcade release. The reason it didn't have a home conversion for so long is due to the Video Game Crash of 1983
. It was released on the PlayStation
in 1996 as one of the games featured in Namco Museum Volume 2, using its original name "Gaplus." It was released on mobile phones with its "Galaga 3" title. It is part of Namco Museum Remix
for the Wii
, which was released in 2007. The original version was re-released under its original name, for the Wii
Virtual Console
Arcade on March 25, 2009, at a cost of 500 Wii Points
.
Along with Galaxian
, Galaga
, and Galaga '88
, Galpus was "redesigned and modernized" for an iPhone app compilation called the Galaga 30th Anniversary Collection
, released in commemoration of the event by Namco Bandai
.
and has similar gameplay. However, it has a much steeper learning curve and much deeper gameplay in later levels. The player controls a spaceship, that can now move vertically (limited to halfway up the screen) as well as horizontally, and shoots at swarms of incoming insect-like aliens which fly in formation above it and swoop down to bomb it in a kamikaze
-like dive. In this sequel, the level starts over if the player is killed before all the enemies have come in. When all enemies are destroyed, the player moves on to the next level. By obtaining certain power-ups, it is possible to shoot 60 bullets per screen, the most any Galaga related game has.
The game differs from its predecessor in several ways:
Gaplus can be played by a single player or by two players alternating turns. The factory settings start the player out with three lives, a bonus life at 30,000 points, 70,000 points, and every 70,000 thereafter on the easiest level of play. These settings can be changed via DIP switch
es on the game's motherboard
.
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
that was released by Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
in 1984. It runs on Namco Phozon
Namco Phozon
The Namco 8-bit Phozon is an arcade game system board. It was first used by Namco in 1983.-List of Namco Phozon arcade games:*Phozon *Gaplus...
hardware and was only known as Gaplus in Japan. A modification kit was distributed later that changed the title screen to to increase recognition among fans of the Galaga
Galaga
is a fixed shooter arcade game developed and published by Namco in Japan and published by Midway in North America in 1981. It is the sequel to Galaxian, released in 1979. The gameplay of Galaga puts the player in control of a space ship which is situated on the bottom of the screen...
series and boost sales.
Finding this game for home video game consoles is very difficult. It appears on some multi-game cartridges, which were released long after its arcade release. The reason it didn't have a home conversion for so long is due to the Video Game Crash of 1983
Video game crash of 1983
The North American video game crash was a serious event that brought an abrupt end to what is considered the second generation of console video gaming in North America. Beginning in 1983, the crash almost destroyed the then-fledgling industry and led to the bankruptcy of several companies producing...
. It was released on the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
in 1996 as one of the games featured in Namco Museum Volume 2, using its original name "Gaplus." It was released on mobile phones with its "Galaga 3" title. It is part of Namco Museum Remix
Namco Museum Remix
Namco Museum Remix is a video game compilation for the Wii, featuring a wide array of classic and updated Namco arcade games. Featured in the compilation are the original arcade versions of Cutie Q, Dig Dug, Galaxian, Gaplus, Mappy, Pac & Pal, Pac-Mania, Super Pac-Man and Xevious...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, which was released in 2007. The original version was re-released under its original name, for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
Arcade on March 25, 2009, at a cost of 500 Wii Points
Wii Points
Nintendo Points are a currency that Nintendo uses for its Wii and Nintendo DSi systems through the Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi Shop respectively...
.
Along with Galaxian
Galaxian
is an arcade game developed by Namco in 1979. It was published by Namco in Japan and was imported to North America by Midway in 1980. A fixed shooter-style game in which the player controls a spaceship at the bottom of the screen and shoots enemies descending in various directions, it was designed...
, Galaga
Galaga
is a fixed shooter arcade game developed and published by Namco in Japan and published by Midway in North America in 1981. It is the sequel to Galaxian, released in 1979. The gameplay of Galaga puts the player in control of a space ship which is situated on the bottom of the screen...
, and Galaga '88
Galaga '88
is a 1987 fixed shooter arcade game by Namco. It is the third sequel of Galaxian . It features significantly improved graphics over the previous games in the series, including detailed backgrounds, larger enemies and more ship details. Although it was well received, fewer units of this game were...
, Galpus was "redesigned and modernized" for an iPhone app compilation called the Galaga 30th Anniversary Collection
Galaga 30th Collection
Galaga 30th Collection is an iOS application by Namco Bandai made to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Galaga arcade game. The application allows you to play remakes of the games in the Galaga series. The application is downloaded for free and comes with Galaga's prequel Galaxian...
, released in commemoration of the event by Namco Bandai
Namco Bandai
, also known as the Bandai Namco Group, is a Japanese holding company formed from the merger of Namco and Bandai. It has interests in toys, video games and arcades, anime, and amusement parks. The new entity was founded on September 29, 2005...
.
Gameplay
Gaplus is a sequel to GalagaGalaga
is a fixed shooter arcade game developed and published by Namco in Japan and published by Midway in North America in 1981. It is the sequel to Galaxian, released in 1979. The gameplay of Galaga puts the player in control of a space ship which is situated on the bottom of the screen...
and has similar gameplay. However, it has a much steeper learning curve and much deeper gameplay in later levels. The player controls a spaceship, that can now move vertically (limited to halfway up the screen) as well as horizontally, and shoots at swarms of incoming insect-like aliens which fly in formation above it and swoop down to bomb it in a kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
-like dive. In this sequel, the level starts over if the player is killed before all the enemies have come in. When all enemies are destroyed, the player moves on to the next level. By obtaining certain power-ups, it is possible to shoot 60 bullets per screen, the most any Galaga related game has.
The game differs from its predecessor in several ways:
- By shooting at a shooting starShooting StarShooting star is a common name for the visible path of a meteoroid as it enters the atmosphere to become a meteor.Shooting star may also refer to:* Shooting Star Children's Hospice, a UK children's charity* The Shooting Star, a 1942 Tintin adventure...
that occasionally appears, the player can get a ship with new graphics that can have three shots on screen instead of two. After this, shooting the star will make a special flag appear from the Namco game Rally-XRally-XRally-X is a maze driving arcade game that was released by Namco in 1980. It runs on Namco Pac-Man hardware, and was the first Namco game to feature "Special Flags", which would become a recurring object in later games .It was the first game to ever feature a "bonus round." The object is to...
that awards an extra life when collected. - On certain levels (referred to as parsecs in the game), the motion of the starfield reverses. This is accompanied by and enemies attacking in waves, leaving the playfield if not shot. After this, a small force appears in formation as in a normal stage.
- The challenging stages are very different from those in GalagaGalagais a fixed shooter arcade game developed and published by Namco in Japan and published by Midway in North America in 1981. It is the sequel to Galaxian, released in 1979. The gameplay of Galaga puts the player in control of a space ship which is situated on the bottom of the screen...
. Enemies are juggled by shooting them, each hit slowly spelling out (in order as the game progresses) "Bonus", "Gaplus", "Double", "Triple", "Good!!", "Lucky", "Bye Bye", and "Extend"; shots that hit enemies after the word has been spelled out each award an extra 200 points. It is most effective to use the red and blue powerups to repeatedly hit them. - Some challenging stages have an additional bonus awarded after the word has been spelled and the bonus calculated. For example, on a challenging stage where 'Gaplus' is spelled out, the player is instructed to press the fire button for an additional bonus; the award is between 10,000 and 50,000 points in multiples of 10,000. On the level where 'Lucky" is spelled, another bonus ship piece is awarded; on the 'Bye Bye' level, a bonus ship piece is taken away.
- The Queen Gaplus sometimes drops one of several types of powerups when destroyed. She is the most colorful of the aliens and flies to the top of the alien formation. The red powerup captures enemies with a tractor beam where each one provides another shot. The blue powerup gives wider and faster shots. The green powerup captures enemies in a tractor beam that can then be shot for bonus points. The purple powerup changes the screen to a vertical orientation. All of these powerups may be stacked on top of one another, greatly increasing the player's maximum firepower, compared to the dual ship configuration of GalagaGalagais a fixed shooter arcade game developed and published by Namco in Japan and published by Midway in North America in 1981. It is the sequel to Galaxian, released in 1979. The gameplay of Galaga puts the player in control of a space ship which is situated on the bottom of the screen...
, which is absent in this game. Also, it may also carry a third of a ship that will be kept track of at the lower-right of the screen between games. An extra life is awarded when all three are collected.
Gaplus can be played by a single player or by two players alternating turns. The factory settings start the player out with three lives, a bonus life at 30,000 points, 70,000 points, and every 70,000 thereafter on the easiest level of play. These settings can be changed via DIP switch
DIP switch
DIP switches are manual electric switches that are packaged in a group in a standard dual in-line package...
es on the game's motherboard
Motherboard
In personal computers, a motherboard is the central printed circuit board in many modern computers and holds many of the crucial components of the system, providing connectors for other peripherals. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, or, on Apple...
.