Galaxian (Namco set 1) — stories left

Many machines were installed inside and outside Japan, but in 2010-2 what is taken to be the last cabinet still in commercial operation in Japan — running in the arcade "Mu Tairiku" inside the "Oshiro Town Shao" shopping centre in Nishio, Aichi — was removed because it had broken down.

Attack of the ZOLGEAR was also the last game released on the SYSTEM 21 board.

An exhibition of development material for the game was also held, the only one in the country, showing many rare sculpted models, rough sketches and design documents.

Toyama's supervisor instructed him and rest of the development team to pour all of their energy into the project, even if it meant other projects had to be postponed — as such, Namco only produced a small number of games in 1990.

The soundtrack was composed jointly by Shinji Hosoe and Ayako Saso, being among their first projects for Namco and both of whom also provided minor assistance on the game itself.

It was shown off alongside an attraction based on another Namco game, The Tower of Druaga, being the only two video game-related machines presented.

It was the 2nd gun shooter among Namco's arcade games using 3D CG, after Star Blade (the 3rd was this game's sequel, Galaxian3: Attack of the Zolgear, described below, and the 4th was Time Crisis, which began operation in 1996).

Only this 6-player version of the large arcade cabinet also had sequels released for swapping the software or the hardware.

A PlayStation port of the 6-player version PROJECT DRAGOON; with a multitap, up to 4 people can play at once.

The PlayStation version scored 70, 65, 55 and 60, for 250 points, in the Dengeki PlayStation D.P.S. software review.

At Cosmo in Kamata, Tokyo, the sequel scenario Attack of the Zolgear was released and the shop took it in, but because they also wanted to keep the earlier scenario Project Dragoon, a switching device was designed and wired in so the 2 titles could be changed over quickly: flipping a switch and swapping the laserdisc was enough to change scenario.

The goal of the project was to create the "greatest game in the world", and to make an arcade game so massive that other companies couldn't imitate it, an idea believed to stem from Namco's bitter rivalry with Sega.

Namco chose to show it at Expo '90 as a way to present the game to an international audience, billing it as an "active simulator" and "hyper entertainment machine" in various pieces of promotional material.

Retrospectively in 1998, Allgame was impressed with the game's scenery, presentation and immersive experience, writing that it is "just the ticket" for fans of the genre.

When it was moved to Namco Wonder Egg (Setagaya, Tokyo) in 1992, it was changed, like the GM-16 already running there, to a method in which the background is pre-made footage played from laserdisc, with the interactive parts, such as enemy craft and beams, composited on top.

It was originally a theme park attraction designed for the International Garden and Greenery Exposition (Expo '90) in Japan, and was later released as an arcade game in 1992.

The laserdisc player used for playback is a Pioneer commercial model, but it is out of production and past the period for keeping spare parts, so, as noted above, Bandai Namco Technica can no longer repair it.

In June 1994, GameFan magazine teased a port of Galaxian3 for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, however such a port was never released.

The arcade release was also praised for its technological features and impressiveness, while the PlayStation version saw mixed responses for its outdated gameplay and the appeal of the original having been lost.

Beginning around the early 2000s, Galaxian3 has gained a large cult following for its historical importance and for being an important game for Namco, likely driven by its popularity at the Wonder Eggs park.

The first was installed on 1991-10-1 when Plabo Sennichimae opened in Chuo-ku, Osaka, and several more followed, including outside Japan.