Galerians: Ash

"A return to a good game"

Galerians:Ash is a game I have been anticipating for a while now. The first game was fun to play through. It had some original content, like the AP system (Addiction Points). The story is, the mother computer Dorothy basically wants to become a god because her creator taught her about how god created all living things on the world and she wanted something she could call her own. So she created the Galerians.
GamePlay: 8
The game play in this game is nice. The menu itself is composed well, even though sometimes it tends to be a hassle because you try to get to one part of the menu and you end up in the other side. The controls are very nicely done. You have 5 preset configurations that you can choose from. The controls are very responsive.
Graphics: 9
The graphics in this game are very well done. I like the whole dreamy like state that the intro part of the game is done. Makes it feel eerie which all adds to the game. The music in the game also adds to the eerie mood of the game, all like the first one had. The voiceovers could have been done better but that’s just one little part I found wrong and it is easily overlooked.
Playtime:6
How long this game lasts is really up to the player. The story itself will take about 10 hours or so to complete. Replayability so far, to me, seems dependent on the player. There are two different difficulty settings and if you play through on easy, you can easily turn around and do it on the normal setting. You can also watch all the in game videos in the movie gallery, which is a nice addition in my opinion.
Story: 7
The story is a decent one. It could have been better. I do like the whole mother computer creating a species she can call her own. I like the fact that it also tries to incorporate the whole “Minority Report” type future where every thing will be controlled by one central location and crime will be no more and people can live in harmony.
Overall: 8
In conclusion, if you liked the very first Galerians, this is defiantly a must buy because it plays the same as it and the graphic/sound/story improvements make it a great pick up. For those who never got to play the first one, I would recommend that you rent it first.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/04/03, Updated 02/04/03