Galaga World Record Falls

Galaga’s tournament-setting world record fell again, reclaimed on New Year’s Day by the previous record holder, Andrew Laidlaw of Washington state.

Laidlaw’s 4,525,150 was certified on Friday by Twin Galaxies, the world sanctioning authority for video game high scores. Laidlaw set the mark on the tournament setting, which allows for five lives total on the hardest difficulty setting.

Laidlaw took the record back from Phil Day, whose 3,275,720 took it from him in November 2009.

“The first time was magical in a way, this time it’s a huge relief,” Laidlaw told The Examiner. He and Day have become friends through their rivalry, swapping protips and videos of their performance. Day said he’s happy Laidlaw came through with another record-breaker, but he won’t be challenging it. He has retired from Galaga competition.

Laidlaw says he’s interested in tackling Galaga’s marathon record – a whopping 15,999,990 set by Steve Krogman in 1989.

Galaga Arcade World Record Changes Hands [The Examiner, image via Examiner]