
Star Wars Arcade
Released: 1994
Systems: Arcade, Sega 32X
The Basics
Box cover.
Originally a short-lived arcade game, Star Wars Arcade was translated for play on the short-lived add-on to the Sega Genesis, the 32X. The 32X version of the game contains two modes: an arcade mode that follows the level structure of the arcade version, and 32X mode, which contains new levels not found in the arcade version.
The Details
Controlling the X-wing.
Like many Star Wars games before and after it, Star Wars Arcade puts you in the cockpit of an X-wing starfighter and pits you against waves of TIE fighters and other imperial ships. The only goal is to blast them before they blast you. The controls are simple: The A button slows your ship down, the B button speeds you up, the C button fires your laser cannon, and the B and C buttons together fire proton torpedoes.
Your mission is to make your way to the Death Star and destroy it.
The Verdict
In the Death Star trench.
Star Wars Arcade pales in comparison to the elegance of Rogue Squadron and the simplicity of Atari's Star Wars. The action never really heats up, and the gameplay is repetitive point-and-shoot. Still, Star Wars Arcade is satisfying on a certain level. Maybe that's because, unlike the Super Star Wars series for the SNES, you don't have to fight your way through side-scrolling levels just to get to the X-wing flying sequences. The defunct 32X allowed for nice sound and fairly complex polygon graphics (at least at the time), so the visual and auditory effects are also up to par.
Continue?
Sega's next try at a Star Wars arcade game would come four years later with the amazing Star Wars Trilogy.
|