1979's Galaxian was Namco's answer to Taito's Space Invaders, but would later evolve into something a little more unique.
1990's Galaxian 3: Project Dragoon used Laserdisc technology to present players with an immersive 3D environment inside an impressive circular cabinet installation, delivering a rail-shooter experience quite unlike any seen in arcades up to this point. It was designed as a theme park attraction for 1990's International Garden and Greenery Exposition in Japan, but was also released in a more modest form for regular arcades in 1992 and would be ported to PS1 in 1996.
Project Dragoon was followed by Galaxian 3: Attack Of The Zolgear in 1994, which again used Laserdisc footage to create the impression of 3D action.
Housed inside a room-like cab and supporting up to six players, it's a relic of a bygone era and finding one in the wild is tricky—but, thanks to the efforts of enthusiasts like Phil Bennett, it's now possible to experience it again, assuming you can find your way to Fun World, Nashua, New Hampshire.
"The Galaxian 3: Attack of the Zolgear at Fun World, Nashua, NH is up and running again with all six players," says Bennett, who was part of the team which restored it. "This is the only known working installation in the US. I’m very proud to have been part of the repair effort."
The series returned to arcades in 2018 via Mass Destruction VR Shooting: Galaga Fever, which uses Bandai Namco's VR tech.