AUTHOR: SEGA / LucasArts RELEASE: 1994 TYP: 3D Action SPIELER: 2 LEVEL: 8 SPRACHE: Eng WERT: ~14€

Verfolgen Sie Darth Vader durch acht Level voller atemberaubender Weltraum-Action. Steuern Sie Ihren X-wing-Jäger allein, oder erleben Sie zusammen mit einem Freund als Kanonier die unglaubliche Herausforderung für zwei Spieler! Möge die Macht mit Ihnen sein… Zwei Flugperspektiven, fantastische 3D-Grafik und digitalisierter Sound.

SEGA Magazin Ausgabe 1/1995: ^{[Grafik: 80% Sound: 89% Gesamt: 80%]}
Auf den ersten Blick sieht Star Wars nicht nach dem großen Kracher aus, hat man sich jedoch erst einmal bis auf den Planeten vorgekämpft, weiß man die tolle Atmosphäre und das fesselnde Gameplay zu schätzen. Lobenswert sind die spezielle 32X-Variante und der unterhaltsame Zwei-Spieler-Modus.
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For the longest time, it's been an unwritten rule that virtually anything bearing the Star Wars label will sell like hotcakes. Some titles have fared better than others, but there have been relatively few stinkers in the line up. Just about every console has benefited from this golden touch of licensing, and the 32X was no exception, actually playing a major part in Sega's fortunes during the 1994 holiday season. Having almost nothing with which to counter the sales juggernaut that was Donkey Kong Country, Sega's decision to make Star Wars Arcade a 32X launch title helped soften the blow. As former Sega producer Eric Quakenbush put it, „Star Wars [Arcade] really saved their bacon that Christmas.“ Pretty powerful stuff, huh? I'd say it would take a pretty great game to have that effect on consumers, wouldn't you? Then again, it could have been that prospective 32X buyers were looking for something…anything to really entice them into dropping $160 on the mushroom. After all, few people are willing to buy something that isn't even a new console unless there's a really good reason to do so. An arcade shmup set in George Lucas' famous universe is practically a no-brainer under those circumstances. That might be all well and good, as what we see on store shelves often has a magical effect on us, much like how the aroma of a thick steak drags us to the kitchen at dinner time. Sure, it may smell great, but how does it taste? The majority of video games are better sales pitches than they are enjoyable products, and a name means little if there's no substance to back it up. Surely a game set in the classic trilogy of the movies would live up to the hype? Sadly in this regard, Star Wars Arcade is hit-and-miss. What it does well, it does extremely well, and where it falls short, it does so with a dull thud. On the upside, the essence of the arcade original has been retained and the smooth, flat-shaded polygonal graphics show off the power the 32X had to offer at the time. I'm sure many people out there are simply cringing at the visuals now, but back in late 1994/early 1995, this was as good as it got on a console. When it dawned on you that you were playing a Model 1 game on your Genesis, it put things in perspective. LucasArts did an excellent job of bringing the experience home intact, even audio-wise. The voice overs are abundant and clear, and the much-maligned sound chip does a surprisingly good job with the audio overall. (I was surprised to find that the Genesis handles the opening theme, not the 32X. Leave only the stock Genesis connected to the TV and you'll see!) More importantly, the controls have adapted quite competently to the Genesis six-button controller. Though it puts on a good show, the dark side still manages to rear its ugly head. Most of the problems in Star Wars Arcade stem from the actual set up of the gameplay, which can't be wholly blamed on the 32X. This is an arcade port, which means it was originally designed to swallow quarters with reckless abandon and not be played for extended periods. Obviously, such a tactic doesn't work as well at home, and the „die before you realize you've even started“ mentality's shortcomings are readily apparent. […] What you basically have here is a solid conversion of a title originally released on Sega's powerful Model 1 board. Even the mighty Saturn had trouble doing the legendary arcade hardware justice, which makes this 32X release even more impressive. Though not 100% spot-on, Star Wars Arcade is close enough to the source material to do it justice and give hungry 32X owners another much-needed title for their libraries. Between this, Space Harrier, Afterburner II, and Shadow Squadron, you're basically covered with shmups on the 32X. Yes, Rogue Leader does the whole X-Wing shtick much better, but that's only natural, given that it's on far superior hardware and released much later on. This is the only Star Wars game there is for Genesis owners, and it's not a bad one at that. If you have a 32X, then there's no reason not to pick this one up, just don't expect a mind-blowing experience. http://www.SEGA-16.com

Star Wars Arcade is a 3D shoot 'em-up set in Episodes 4, 5, and 6 of the Star Wars saga. You take control of either an X-Wing or Y-Wing, and are put right in the middle of the space combat. In some levels, you have to shoot down a specific number of TIE fighters before time runs out. In other levels, your goal is to simply to make it to the end without getting blasted out of the sky. Some of the missions take place in deep space, around asteroids, or near Star Destroyers. Other missions take place on the surface of the Death Star and re-create the Luke Skywalker's famous trench run to destroy it. www.Mobygames.com

Few video games excite gamers more than those set in the Star Wars universe. Indeed, almost any product with a Star Wars license attached to it can expect instant fans and impressive sales, and the 32x version of the little-known Star Wars Arcade game is no exception. The most popular and best-selling of all the 32x games, Star Wars Arcade was the launch title that created the most excitement. Oddly enough, especially considering the inherent strength of the Star Wars license, Sega never ported this game over to the Saturn, making the 32x home to the only version ever available for a home console. […] Graphically, Star Wars Arcade is an impressive demonstration of what the 32x is capable of in the hands of a talented programming team and is the one of the best 32x games in terms of 3-D graphics. Unfortunately, the home version lacks all the beautiful texture mapping of the its arcade parent, but features most of its impressive polygonal imagery, with zero slowdown and no draw-in whatsoever. The Death Star sports an impressive range of physical features, including structures of all shapes and sizes, weapon installations of varied firepower, layered walls, and all sorts of gullies and alleys. The enemy vessels themselves (particularly the Tie-Fighters) are rendered very cleanly and smoothly, and are the space sequence’s most visually impressive features. The sight of a Tie-Fighter coming into view from behind you is a truly inspiring and beautiful sight to behold. On the negative side, Star Wars Arcade occasionally (and painfully) illustrates what must have been Sega’s rushed attempt to have this game ready for launch. Collision detection, particularly during the Death Star sequences, is distracting and occasionally ridiculous. You’ll watch in amazement as Tie-Fighters pass through solid bulkheads unscathed, a trick you’d better not try if you value your shield strength. Fortunately, your proton torpedoes have no difficulty tracking and destroying the enemy ships right through those pesky bulkheads, either. The explosions are a bit on the weak side as well, especially those that result from the destruction of large targets. Those of you expecting an incredible display of explosive distruction upon the termination of the Death Star are in for a disappointment. For a system not renowned for its sound capabilities, the 32x sounds mighty good when Star Wars Arcade is up and running. Perhaps the most impressive aspects of the game, the musical score and sound effects (particularly the warp jump and weapons fire) come straight from the movie and go a long way towards providing an immersive Star Wars experience. One sour note- Admiral Ackbar sounds exactly like the smelly Brooklyn cab driver that chauffeured us around New York the last time we visited. Who the hell did that voice? Did we miss that in the movie? Darth Vader sounds great, heavy bass breathing and all. We're not sure what happened to the Admiral. www.the32xmemorial.com