Star Luster

Star Luster[lower-alpha 1] is a first-person shooter and space combat simulator video game developed and published by Namco in 1985 in Japan. It is an arcade-style, combat-dedicated, science fiction flight simulator that was released for the Family Computer.[1][2] That same year, Namco adapted the title for play in the arcade as part of the Nintendo VS. System.[3] A sequel game, titled Star Ixiom, was released for the PlayStation in 1999 and featured several selectable fighters and an expanded story.[4]

Star Luster
Developer(s)Namco
Publisher(s)Namco
Designer(s)Shigeki Toyama
Composer(s)Hiroyuki Kawada
SeriesStar Luster
Platform(s)Family Computer, Nintendo VS. System, X68000, Mobile phone
Release
  • JP: December 6, 1985
Genre(s)Space combat simulator
Mode(s)Single-player

Description
The player, controlling their ship from a first-person perspective, attacking an enemy.

The game features free-roaming open space exploration, a cockpit view where the cockpit controls could be seen (and where the cockpit bobs up and down), bases where the player can be refueled, a map and radar displaying the locations of enemies and bases, a warp ability that allows the player to be warped to anywhere on the map, and a date system keeping track of the current date which can change when warping long distances.[1][2] The game also introduced the concept of a regenerating shield mechanic.[5]

Ports

An enhanced version of Star Luster was ported to the X68000 in August 1994. In 1998, the game was also included on a compilation made for the PlayStation known as Namco Anthology 1 where, like all of the Famicom games presented on the disc, an enhanced arrange mode was provided alongside the unaltered original game. The Famicom version was later included in the Japanese version of Nintendo and Namco's Star Fox Assault, and was ported to the Wii's Virtual Console in Japan on March 4, 2008.

Reception
Reception
Review score
PublicationScore
Family Computer Magazine16.98/20[6]

Family Computer Magazine greatly applauded the game's usage of a first-person perspective for helping to show off the console's technical capabilities, as well as its usage of a radar system.[6]

The game was a significant inspiration for director Katsuya Eguchi when he was working on Star Fox 2.[7] Castlevania series producer Koji Igarashi has listed Star Luster as his second-favorite NES game.[8]

Sequel
Main article: Star Ixiom

A sequel title, Star Ixiom,[lower-alpha 2] was released for the PlayStation in 1999 for Japan and Europe. The game is very similar to that of its predecessor and features seven selectable ships; the Gaia Σ, Spartacus, Tycoon, Ogre-Header, Dragoon J2 (connected to Dragoon, from Galaxian 3), the GeoSword from Starblade, and the Galaxip from Galaxian.

Notes
  1. Japanese: スターラスター Hepburn: Sutā Rasutā
  2. Japanese: スターイクシオン

References
  1. "Star Luster". Virtual Console. Nintendo. Retrieved 2011-05-08. (Translation)
  2. Ray Barnholt (August 6, 2008). "Star Luster: To boldly go". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved 2011-05-08.
  3. Star Luster at the Killer List of Videogames
  4. "Star Ixiom".
  5. "Top 7 Games you didn't know did it first".
  6. "5月10日号特別付録 ファミコンロムカセット オールカタログ」" (Vol. 7, No. 9). Tokuma Shoten. Family Computer Magazine. 10 May 1991. p. 204.
  7. Reeves, Ben. "The Inside Story On The Star Fox Sequel That Took 22 Years To Release". Game Informer.
  8. Hoffman, Chris (October 2005). "Nintendo Entertainment System 20th Anniversary" (46). Play. pp. 84–87. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.