Galactic Gunner

CNET Editors' review

by: Paul Hughes on July 20, 2009

Galactic Gunner is a fun, challenging, and well-designed arcade shooter with a quirky sense of humor and excellent production values. You don't pilot a spaceship but instead play the role of a gunner--so in this shooter "on rails," the action unfolds in front of you, as you must quickly tap the screen to shoot at fast-moving targets, whether asteroids, test drones, or enemy turrets and fighters. Not having to control your ship doesn't mean Galactic Gunner isn't challenging: because you're scored on both accuracy and the number of targets destroyed, you have to time your shots precisely--and you have to reach a certain score to unlock each new level (unless you fail too many times in a row, at which point the game graciously allows you to advance the storyline anyway).

In addition to solid gameplay, what makes Galactic Gunner so much fun is its tongue-in-cheek humor and impressive soundtrack and cinematic cut scenes. In each mission, you hear radio chatter from your captain and wingmen, as well as from your comically villainous enemies, the dreaded Trepidoids. You earn medals as your total score goes up (such as the "Galactic Gold Star," which "in jealous circles of the Galactic Community...is often known as the 'Prima Donna Award' or the 'Look At Me Award'"), and the game has three separate save slots for different players. Although there is currently no online leaderboard, the ability to unlock new levels and a survival mode add some replay value. The only downside to Galactic Gunner is that its six main missions are finished too soon. We look forward to more missions--and more comic dialogue from the Trepidoids--in future versions.

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