Star Luster

Last updated
Star Luster
StarLuster boxart.png
Japanese Famicom box art
Developer(s) Namco
Publisher(s) Namco
Designer(s) Shigeki Toyama
Composer(s) Hiroyuki Kawada
SeriesStar Luster
Platform(s) Famicom, Arcade, X68000, mobile phone
Release
  • JP: December 6, 1985
Genre(s) Space combat simulator
Mode(s) Single-player
Arcade system Nintendo VS. System

Star Luster [lower-alpha 1] is a 1985 space combat simulator video game developed and published by Namco for the Family Computer in Japan. [1] and adapted for play in arcades via the Nintendo VS. System. [2] Star Luster is set in the same universe as Namco's Bosconian (1981), and the gameplay has strong similarities to Atari, Inc.'s Star Raiders from 1979.

Contents

An enhanced version of Star Luster was published for the X68000 in August 1994. [3] A sequel, Star Ixiom , was released for the PlayStation in 1999.

Star Luster was initially met with mixed reviews and poor sales. The game's reliance on obtuse level objectives and random enemy encounters have been blamed for its lack of popularity, in addition to the Famicom's userbase being primarily children that didn't understand its design. Retrospectively, Star Luster has received more positive reviews for its 3D perspective and presentation.

Gameplay

Looking out from the ship's cockpit at an enemy. Star Luster game screenshot.png
Looking out from the ship's cockpit at an enemy.

Star Luster involves moving through open space via a first-person cockpit view and engaging enemy ships. The player's ship has limited fuel and can be refueled at bases. A map and radar show locations of enemies and bases. The player can choose a location on the map and warp to it, with the current date changing based on the warp distance. [1] The game uses a regenerating shield and may be the first game with such a mechanic. [4]

Reception

Star Luster initially received mixed reviews and struggled to gain sales. [6] [7] The game's lack of popularity has been blamed on its complex design, which relies heavily on random encounters and obtuse level objectives that, at the time, were seen as too confusing and esoteric for a console game. [6] Critics also believed producing the game for the Famicom, a game console targeted primarily towards children, was a factor in Star Luster's poor commercial reception. [6] A reviewer for Family Computer Magazine highlighted the game's usage of a radar and 3D perspective. They believed the radar was difficult to understand at first, but overtime the player would become used to it. [5]

Retrospective reviews of Star Luster have labeled it a masterpiece. [7] [8] Yuge believed the first-person viewpoint was impressive for the time, and highlighted the game's sense of tension and Star Wars-esque presentation. The magazine believes the game's first-person perspective was what led to the game's initial mixed reception, as it was considered too advanced for the time. [7] Continue writer Zenji Ishii considers Star Luster important and influential for the space combat simulator genre, with a high level of action and strategy. [8]

Legacy

In 1998, the game was 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 , [9] and was released for the Wii Virtual Console in Japan on March 4, 2008. [10]

A sequel, Star Ixiom , was released for the PlayStation in 1999 for Japan and Europe. The game is similar to that of its predecessor and adds 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 .

The game was a significant inspiration for director Katsuya Eguchi when he was working on Star Fox 2 . [11] Castlevania series producer Koji Igarashi has listed Star Luster as his second-favorite NES game. [12]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: スターラスター, Hepburn: Sutā Rasutā

Related Research Articles

<i>Radar Scope</i> 1980 shooter arcade game

Radar Scope is a 1980 shoot 'em up arcade game developed by Nintendo R&D2 and published by Nintendo. The player assumes the role of the Sonic Spaceport starship and must wipe out formations of an enemy race known as the Gamma Raiders before they destroy the player's space station. Gameplay is similar to Space Invaders and Galaxian, but viewed from a three-dimensional third-person perspective.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Namco</span> Japanese video game developer and publisher

Namco Limited was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Namco Taiwan in Kaohsiung, and Shanghai Namco in mainland China.

<i>Galaxian</i> 1979 video game

Galaxian is a 1979 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco. The player assumes control of the Galaxip starfighter in its mission to protect Earth from waves of aliens. Gameplay involves destroying each formation of aliens, who dive down towards the player in an attempt to hit them.

<i>Xevious</i> Vertical scrolling shooter arcade game released in 1983

Xevious is a vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco in 1982. It was released in Japan by Namco and in North America by Atari, Inc. Controlling the Solvalou starship, the player attacks Xevious forces before they destroy all of mankind. The Solvalou has two weapons at its disposal: a zapper to destroy flying craft, and a blaster to bomb ground installations and enemies. It runs on the Namco Galaga arcade system.

<i>Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei</i> 1987 action RPG and dungeon crawler

Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei refers to two distinct role-playing video games based on a trilogy of science fantasy novels by Japanese author Aya Nishitani. One version was developed by Atlus and published by Namco in 1987 for the Famicom—Atlus would go on to create further games in the Megami Tensei franchise. A separate version for personal computers was developed and published by Telenet Japan with assistance from Atlus during the same year.

<i>The Tower of Druaga</i> 1984 video game

The Tower of Druaga is a 1984 arcade action role-playing maze game developed and published in Japan by Namco. Controlling the golden-armored knight Gilgamesh, the player is tasked with scaling 60 floors of the titular tower in an effort to rescue the maiden Ki from Druaga, a demon with eight arms and four legs, who plans to use an artifact known as the Blue Crystal Rod to enslave all of mankind. It ran on the Namco Super Pac-Man arcade hardware, modified with a horizontal-scrolling video system used in Mappy.

Namco Museum is a series of video game compilations developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for home video game consoles. The first title in the series, Namco Museum Vol. 1, was released for the PlayStation in 1995. Entries in the series have been released for multiple platforms, including the Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS and Xbox 360. the latest being Namco Museum Archives Vol. 2, released in 2020.

<i>Dig Dug II</i> 1985 video game

Dig Dug II is an action arcade video game developed and published in Japan by Namco in 1985. It is a sequel to 1982's Dig Dug. Pookas and fire-breathing Fygars return as the enemies, but the side view tunneling of the original is replaced with an overhead view of an island maze.

<i>City Connection</i> 1985 video game

City Connection is a 1985 platform game developed and published as an arcade video game by Jaleco. It was released in North America by Kitkorp as Cruisin'. The player controls Clarice in her Honda City hatchback and must drive over elevated roads to paint them. Clarice is pursued by police cars, which she can stun by hitting them with oil cans. The design was inspired by maze chase games like Pac-Man (1980) and Make Trax (1981).

<i>Famicom Wars</i> 1988 video game

Famicom Wars is a wargame developed by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Family Computer. It was released on August 12, 1988, in Japan. It was later re-released on Virtual Console. It is the first game in the Wars series.

<i>Mobile Suit Z Gundam: Hot Scramble</i> 1986 video game

Kidō Senshi Z Gundam: Hot Scramble, also known as Mobile Suit Z Gundam: Hot Scramble, is a 1986 rail shooter video game developed by Game Studio and published by Bandai for the Family Computer. It is based on the anime Mobile Suit Z Gundam, and is one of the first Gundam video games.

<i>Family Stadium</i> Video game series

Family Stadium, also known as Pro Yakyū: Family Stadium and Famista, is a series of baseball sports video games initially developed and released by Namco in Japan, and later developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The first entry in the series, Pro Baseball: Family Stadium, was released for the Nintendo Family Computer in 1986 and later in North America as R.B.I. Baseball, with the series being released on numerous home consoles, the latest being Pro Yakyuu Famista 2020 in 2020 for the Nintendo Switch. The series is considered a precursor to Namco's own World Stadium series of baseball games, released for arcades, PlayStation, and GameCube. The series has been a commercial success since, with over 15 million copies being sold as of 2016.

<i>Super Xevious: GAMP no Nazo</i> 1987 scrolling shooter game

Super Xevious: GAMP no Nazo is a 1986 vertically scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Namco for the Family Computer in Japan. It is the sequel to Xevious, a popular arcade game released in late 1982, and the fourth installment in the Xevious franchise overall. The player controls a spaceship named the Solvalou in its mission to destroy a powerful supercomputer named GAMP, which took over Earth during an ice age. GAMP no Nazo features a heavy focus on puzzle-solving, with each of the game's 21 levels posing a puzzle that must be solved to progress.

<i>Namco Museum DS</i> 2007 video game

Namco Museum DS is a 2007 video game compilation developed by M2 and published by Namco Bandai Games. The game features 7 arcade games previously published by Namco along with a Nintendo DS version of the Nintendo-developed title Pac-Man Vs.

<i>Valkyrie no Bōken</i> 1986 video game

Valkyrie no Bōken: Toki no Kagi Densetsu is a video game developed and published by Namco. It was released in Japan for the Family Computer on August 1, 1986. It was also released for the Virtual Console of multiple Nintendo consoles, for the Wii on March 20, 2007, for the Nintendo 3DS on September 4, 2013 and for the Wii U on February 4, 2015.

<i>Famicom Detective Club</i> Adventure game duology

Famicom Detective Club is an adventure game duology developed and published by Nintendo for the Family Computer Disk System. The first entry, The Missing Heir, was released in 1988, followed by a prequel released the next year titled The Girl Who Stands Behind. In both games, the player takes on the role of a young man solving murder mysteries in the Japanese countryside.

<i>Family Circuit</i> 1988 racing video game

Family Circuit is a top-down racing video game released for the Family Computer in 1988 by Namco in Japan only. The game was developed by Masanobu Endō, who previously developed Xevious and The Tower of Druaga, and his company Game Studio.

<i>Pro Baseball: Family Stadium</i> 1986 baseball video game

Pro Baseball: Family Stadium, released as Pro Yakyū: Family Stadium in Japan and R.B.I. Baseball in North America, is a 1986 baseball video game developed and published by Namco for the Nintendo Entertainment System. In North America, it was published by Tengen as R.B.I. Baseball. It was also released in arcades through the Nintendo VS. System. It is the first game in the Family Stadium and R.B.I. Baseball franchises. The game was a critical and commercial success in Japan and North America.

<i>Namcot Collection</i> 2020 video game

Namcot Collection, also known as Namco Museum Archives, is a 2020 video game compilation published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Originally released in Japan for the Nintendo Switch, it was localized for international territories as two separate collections, Namco Museum Archives Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, for the Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows. Namcot Collection includes a wide array of video games published by Namco for the Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System, with save states, achievements, and homebrew ports of Pac-Man Championship Edition and Gaplus.

References

  1. 1 2 Barnholt, Ray (August 16, 2008). "25 Sorta Significant Famicom Games: #24 - Star Luster: To Boldly Go". 1UP.com . IGN. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Star Luster - Videogame by Namco". Killer List of Videogames . International Arcade Museum. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  3. ↑ "レトロンバーガーOrder 41：「ナムコットコレクション」がFCタイトルだけだったので，FC以外から俺セレクションをクーソーする編" [Retron Burger Order 41: "Namcot Collection" was only an FC title, so I'm fantasizing about my selection from other than FC]. 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Aetas. July 4, 2020. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  4. ↑ Sullivan, Lucas (March 10, 2014). "Top 7 Games you didn't know did it first". GamesRadar+ . Future plc. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  5. 1 2 "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.
  6. 1 2 3 死ぬ前にクリアしたい200の無理ゲー ファミコン&スーファミ[200 impossible games that you want to clear before you die — Famicom & Super Famicom]. My Way Publishing. October 10, 2018. p. 9. ISBN   9784865119855.
  7. 1 2 3 Endo, Akihiro (June 1, 2003). ユーゲーが贈るファミコン名作ソフト100選 アクション部門[100 Selection of Famicom Masterpiece Software Presented by Yuge] (in Japanese) (Number 7 ed.). Yuge. pp. 14–19.
  8. 1 2 Ishii, Zenji (December 18, 2003). 20th Anniversary 僕たちの好きなファミコン100[20th Anniversary: Our Favorite Famicom 100] (in Japanese). Ohta Publishing. pp. 9–59. ISBN   9784872338225.
  9. ↑ GameSpot Staff (January 15, 2005). "New details, dates emerge on upcoming Nintendo titles for Japan". GameSpot . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  10. ↑ "スターラスター (FC)". Famitsu (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  11. ↑ Reeves, Ben. "The Inside Story On The Star Fox Sequel That Took 22 Years To Release". Game Informer. Archived from the original on August 17, 2019.
  12. ↑ Hoffman, Chris (October 2005). "Nintendo Entertainment System 20th Anniversary". No. 46. Play. pp. 84–87. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.