Great Shot Kid!
Written: Jan 28 '05 (Updated May 28 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Gameplay,Gameplay,Gameplay
Cons: No real story,graphics primitive nowadays
The Bottom Line: Anyone who likes Space shooters wants this game, it's the best example of the genre I can think of,based purely on the gameplay
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| flash-hammer's Full Review: Star Wars Arcade for 32X |
Im doubtful that any movie series besides Star Wars has recieved anywhere near as many videogame spin-offs, and the thing about Star Wars games is that they tend to either be epic, or a complete disaster.
The same could be said about Sega consoles, where sadly the company have had more bad luck than good in terms of the commercial success of their consoles. Ironic then, that the 32X, Sega's biggest flop, was the console that gave life to the only home port of one of the best Star Wars games ever.
Released in the arcades in a sit-in cockpit style cabinet, Star Wars Arcade proved immensely popular, and was a natural choice to port to the 32X to attempt to have some quality exclusive titles for the machine. So Sega ported the game themselves, and even made additions to give the title more life beyond it's simple arcade value.
As I mentioned in a prior Star Wars game review, one of the things that make Star Wars, the movies, what it is, is the fact that it is really two types of action/adventure story rolled into one. On the one hand, we have the mystical, lightsabre based close proximity, almost martial-arts-esque element of the Force part of the story, but on the other hand, the movies are also filled with futuristic wars fought out via Spacecraft dogfights. Most videogames have to choose one element or the other to focus on, and Star Wars Arcade definitely puts it's focus on the latter, with no characters from the movie via your leader Admiral Ackbar, and the game over message from Darth Vader are even made mention of in the game, with the player simply assuming the role of a nameless X-Wing pilot in the attack on the Death Star.
While the lack of story may put off some, where this game really put itself into the history books was the gameplay. The game is a space-shooter, where the player can either view the action from the cockpit, or in a third-person view behind the ship. The goal is simple, to destroy all of the enemy targets in each of the stages, keeping your ship away from enemy fire and taking down as many Imperial TIE-fighters as possible.
There are two modes of play in the game, Arcade and 32X. Arcade mode is, as you would expect, a version of the arcade game ported perfectly to the 32X, with all of it's 4 stages of TIE's,Star Destroyers and Death Star trench assaults replicated in a wonderful fashion. However, to boost the game's life up a bit, Sega were also kind enough to slide in 32X mode, which is Arcade mode, plus another 4 exclusive stages, which are on the same high standard as the arcade mode stages, and not just an afterthought.
Also in there to add value is the two-player Co-Op mode, where you pilot a Y-Wing fighter instead of an X-Wing, and one player controls the steering of the ship and the other handles the guns. This is an innovative and cool feature that is rarely mentioned or thought about with the game, and personally I think it was a note of sheer genius on Sega's part including it.
But none of this would be worth anything if the actual gameplay itself was poor, something which Im glad to report could not be further from the truth. Star Wars Arcade brilliantly captures all the atmosphere of the movie's dogfights, controls wonderfully, and is overall a joy to play. This is the type of game that lack of story honestly doesn't affect in the least, you will play the game solely for the gameplay.
There are a select few games that never get stacked with my other games, these are the games I can just sit and play,and play,and play, usually when I get a new CD, I hit the mute button on the TV and use the games as a manner of passing time and taking in the songs better, to attain this status, a game needs to be timeless, and just fun, Star Wars Arcade is such a game. While I may complete it every now and again, this isn't a game you play with beating it in mind, you play it with playing it in mind. I could spend hours,with adequate resources around me, possibly even days, just playing this game. It's format of stay alive and shoot down fighters may be very primitive, but it makes for an experience so enjoyable, that no amount of fannying around with complexities and difficult controls could ever hope to achieve.
Graphically, the game may not exactly be cutting edge, but it's a nice looking title, and probably the best 32X title on the eyes in my admittedly humble collection. The polygons used aren't many, but the ships all look good enough to please me, and to be honest, the simplistic polygon work here is a lot easier on the eyes than some PlayStation titles from latter in the console's life, when developers tried to do impossible things with the graphics.
The sound is also up to scratch, if not spectacular, we have Admiral Ackbar telling you your mission in muffled voice, lots of fun laser and explosion noises and a fairly well reproduced version of John William's classic score for a soundtrack. As I say, I usually play the game muted with a CD on, but the sonic aspects of the cart are fine on their own.
Controls basically require a 6-Button controller, and are simple enough, one of laser,one for torpedo, one for a speed boost,one for a speed decrease and two to toggle between the two camera views. The response of them is perfect, and if you have a 6-button pad, you shouldn't find any layout issues either.
To be honest, there isn't much more one can say about Star Wars Arcade. It's a simple, yet magnificent game that is not 'good for the 32X', but in fact a great game in general, and one that any fans of Star Wars,shooting games and retro games should really be doing their best to try and track down. It basically justifies the money I paid for my 32X, is one of my most played games, despite the fact I only recently acquired it, and is just, to cut a long story short, bloody brilliant.
If you are a 32X owner looking for a pure-gameplay experience, and a shooter fits your bill, then this game is more than recommended, it's a necessity.
There are very few games I have been as sure and confident about slapping a full marks score on than Star Wars Arcade, while the lack of story or any surface replay value may put people off, once you pick up the controller and start duking it out in the Death Star trenches, you realise that any story or more modes would simply be a distraction from this wonderful game.
Star Wars Related Reviews
Star Wars:Rebel Assault for Sega CD
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for XBox
Recommended:
Yes
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flash-hammer
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