items can also be found, which increase the rate of the player's shots when collected. In the multiplayer mode, two other power-up items can appear — one of which swaps the positions of the players, and the other allows the player to "fill up" the other player and make them burst, shooting out a large number of projectiles towards the enemy formation. The game spans 32 stages. Later stages add in several new obstacles, including boxes that fire projectiles at the players, large coins that act as shields for the enemies, and draconic enemies that bring in reinforcements. Some stages are bonus rounds, which are recreations of the original redemption game this title is based upon — in these, the players are tasked with keeping the aliens at bay before they latch onto their cargo containers and drag them to the other side of the screen. Bonus points are awarded for each cargo container saved. The 32nd stage features the players fighting Don Cosmo, the final boss. Development and release Cosmo Gang the Video was released in arcades by Namco in March 1992 in Japan, and in North America later that April. It was designed by Kohji Kenjoh, who later worked on the Custom Robo series for Nintendo, and composed by Yoshie Arakawa. The game features characters and mechanics taken from Cosmo Gangs, an older Namco redemption game from 1990 that was later exported outside Japan by Data East. It is heavily based on the company's own Galaxian series in terms of its gameplay and design. One of the game's music tracks is a parody of the opening song for the Japanese cooking show Kyōnoryōri. The game was presented at the 1991 Amusement Machine Show (AMS) tradeshow in Japan under the working title Cosmo Galaxian, alongside Namco's own Solvalou, Tank Force and Steel Gunner 2. A home port for the Super Famicom was released in Japan on October 29, 1992, which was later made available for the Nintendo Power flash cart service on August 1, 1998. The arcade version was digitally re-released for the Japanese Wii Virtual Console on August 4, 2009. Reception Cosmo Gang the Video was widely successful in Japan, being praised for its graphics, gameplay and music. Game Machine listed it on their April 15, 1992 issue as being the sixth most-successful table arcade game of the year. Gamest awarded it both the 8th Best Shooting and