Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Last updated
Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Super Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back Coverart.png
North American box art
Developer(s) Sculptured Software
LucasArts
Publisher(s) JVC Musical Industries
Director(s) Kalani Streicher
Producer(s) Kalani Streicher
Designer(s) Kalani Streicher
Programmer(s) Peter Ward
Ryan Ridges
Artist(s) Harrison Fong
Jon Knoles
Composer(s) Paul Webb [1]
Platform(s) Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Release
  • NA: November 12, 1993 [2] [3]
  • JP: December 17, 1993
  • EU: February 18, 1994 [4]
Genre(s) Action
Mode(s) Single player

Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, also known as Super Empire Strikes Back, is a 1993 action video game developed by LucasArts and Sculptured Software and published by JVC Musical Industries for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is based on the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back and is the sequel to Super Star Wars . The game was followed by a sequel, Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in 1994. Unlike its predecessor, Nintendo wasn’t involved in its publishing. The game was re-released on the Wii's Virtual Console in North America on August 24, 2009 [5] and in the PAL regions on October 2, 2009, alongside the other games in the Super Star Wars series.

Contents

Gameplay

Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back follows closely the standard set by its predecessor, with multiple playable characters and Mode 7 quasi-3D vehicle sequences. The controls are very similar to the first game, but feature a double-jump. Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Chewbacca return as playable characters although the character-select option was removed. [6]

Unlike the original game, this installment allows each character the use of a primary and secondary weapon. Following one of the swamp planet Dagobah missions, Luke Skywalker can also collect Force Powers for use in later levels. Luke can now block incoming attacks using his lightsaber, allowing him to deflect blaster fire. Han Solo can now throw grenades and Chewbacca has a new power up: a spinning attack. Sith Lord Darth Vader appears as the final boss in the video game.

Development

An "asteroid chase" stage using Mode 7 effects was cut from the game due to lack of cartridge space. [7] In late 1992 a contest was launched exclusively in Electronic Gaming Monthly , [8] which required the contestants to answer six multi-choice questions, and for which the "Grand Prize" was to have the person's likeness appear in this forthcoming game. The winner was Jeff Crosno, for whom the developers placed his appearance on a Rebel soldier in an Ice Fields of Hoth cut-scene, replacing the already existing facial graphics. [9]

Cast

Release

In 1996 THQ announced that they would re-release Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in February 1997 in order to coincide with the "Special Edition" of those films appearing in theaters. [10] The re-release is identical to the original version. [6]

Reception

In the United Kingdom, it was the top-selling SNES game in February 1994. [17]

The game was met with positive reviews. IGN gave the game a 7.5/10 rating, praising the games enhanced Mode 7 graphics. [14] Electronic Gaming Monthly gave The Empire Strikes Back positive reviews, noting the game's graphics and sound; the reviewers praised the gameplay following the theme of the source material and having excellent cinematic displays, although there was criticism on the controls, hard difficulty and the large number of enemies that appear on screen. [13] AllGame gave a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, praising the game's soundtrack, voice effects, graphics and action scenarios for being faithful to the film and giving praise to the password feature making the game less frustrating, and giving criticism to the game's blind jumps and cheap hits from enemies off screen concluding "but this doesn't spoil the overall greatness of the game." [12] Super Gamer magazine gave the game a review score of 85% stating "Super Star Wars is reworked with new graphics. A bigger, harder and marginally, better game. The Mode 7 AT-AT attack is absolutely stunning." [15] Power Unlimited gave a review score of 92% and noted the game is identical to its predecessor and citing the challenging difficulty and fun gameplay. [16]

Nintendo Power staff rated the game as the fourth best SNES game of 1993. [18] GamePro named it the best SNES game of 1993. [19] IGN placed the game 91st in their Top 100 SNES Games of All Time. [20] In 2018, Complex ranked the game #20 on their "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time." They praised the game as the best Star Wars game on the Super NES although they felt the game was the most difficult of the three games. [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Killer Instinct</i> (1994 video game) 1994 video game

Killer Instinct is a 2.5D fighting game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo. It was originally released for arcades by Midway in October 1994, and ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and the Game Boy the following year. The game's plot involves an all-powerful corporation organizing a fighting tournament. The story was adapted in a limited comic book series published under the short-lived Acclaim Comics imprint.

<i>Yoshis Safari</i> 1993 video game

Yoshi's Safari is a 1993 light gun shooter developed and published by Nintendo for its Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is the only Mario franchise game to feature first-person shooter gameplay and requires the SNES's Super Scope light gun. As Mario and his pet dinosaur Yoshi, the player embarks on a quest to save the kingdom of Jewelry Land from Bowser and his Koopalings, who have kidnapped its rulers and stolen 12 gems. The game features 12 levels in which the player shoots enemies like Goombas and Koopas, and collects power-ups and coins. At the end of each level, the player engages in a boss fight with an enemy, a Koopaling, or Bowser. Nintendo commissioned its R&D1 department to develop Yoshi's Safari in response to the waning popularity of the Super Scope. Yoshi's Safari was the first Super Scope title to use the SNES's Mode 7 graphics mode, and the future of the peripheral depended on the game's performance.

<i>Super Street Fighter II</i> 1993 video game

Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers is a 1993 competitive fighting game produced by Capcom and originally released as an arcade game. It is the fourth game in the Street Fighter II sub-series of Street Fighter games, following Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting (1992). It refines and balances the existing character roster from the previous versions, and introduces four new characters, including Cammy and Dee Jay. It is the first game on Capcom's CP System II hardware, with more sophisticated graphics and audio over the original CP System hardware used in previous versions of Street Fighter II.

<i>Battletoads/Double Dragon</i> 1993 video game

Battletoads/Double Dragon is a 1993 beat 'em up developed by Rare and published by Tradewest. It was originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System and later ported to the Mega Drive/Genesis, Super NES, and Game Boy. The SNES version was released on Nintendo Switch Online in September 2024; it was the game's first re-release as it was not released on the Rare Replay collection.

<i>Kirbys Dream Course</i> 1994 video game

Kirby's Dream Course is a 1994 miniature golf video game developed by HAL Laboratory and Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). A spin-off of the Kirby series and the first released for the SNES, players control the pink spherical character Kirby through a series of courses by launching him towards the goal hole at the end. Kirby can hit enemies to collect power-ups that grant him unique abilities, such as those that allow him to destroy certain obstacles or fly around the level.

<i>Shaq Fu</i> 1994 video game

Shaq Fu is a 2D fighting game published by Electronic Arts for the Sega Genesis and Super NES on October 28, 1994. It was developed by Delphine Software International. Versions for the Game Gear, Game Boy, and Amiga followed in 1995. Former professional basketball player Shaquille O'Neal is the player character.

<i>Super Star Wars</i> 1992 video game

Super Star Wars is a 1992 action video game developed by LucasArts and Sculptured Software for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is based on the 1977 film Star Wars. It was released by JVC Musical Industries in Japan and North America in 1992 and Europe in 1993. The game was followed by two sequels based on the subsequent Star Wars films, Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1993) and Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1994). The game was re-released in November 1996 as part of Nintendo's Player's Choice series. It was released on the Wii’s Virtual Console by LucasArts in 2009.

<i>Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi</i> 1994 video game

Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, also known as Super Return of the Jedi, is a 1994 action video game developed by LucasArts and Sculptured Software and published by JVC Musical Industries for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is a sequel to Super Star Wars (1992) and Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1993) and is based on the 1983 film Return of the Jedi. It was ported to the Game Boy and Game Gear by Realtime Associates, which were published by THQ in 1995. The game was re-released on the Wii Virtual Console in North America on September 7, 2009 and in PAL regions on October 16, 2009, alongside the other games in the Super Star Wars series.

<i>Fatal Fury 2</i> 1992 video game

Fatal Fury 2, known as Garō Densetsu 2: Aratanaru Tatakai in Japan, is a 1992 fighting video game developed by SNK as the sequel to Fatal Fury: King of Fighters (1991), and the second game in the Fatal Fury franchise. Originally released by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms, it was later ported to several other home systems, including Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis by Takara. Its updated version, Fatal Fury Special, was released in 1993.

<i>Fatal Fury Special</i> 1993 video game

Fatal Fury Special, known as Garō Densetsu Special in Japan, is a 1993 fighting game developed and published by SNK and originally released for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. It is an updated version of 1992's Fatal Fury 2, introducing several changes to the gameplay system while expanding the available character roster.

<i>Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire</i> (video game) 1996 video game

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is a third-person shooter video game developed by LucasArts and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. A port for Windows was released by LucasArts in 1997. It is primarily a third-person shooter, with multiple types of vehicular combat sequences.

<i>Side Pocket</i> 1986 video game

Side Pocket is a pocket billiards simulation released as an arcade video game by Data East in 1986. It was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy, while an enhanced remake was later released on the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Game Gear. The game spawned two sequels, as well as arcade spin-off series titled Pocket Gal.

<i>Sink or Swim</i> (video game) 1993 video game

Sink or Swim is a puzzle video game that was released in 1993 for MS-DOS Developed by Zeppelin Games. It is similar in style to Lemmings. The game was ported to the Amiga and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Sega Genesis and Game Gear versions were renamed to S.S. Lucifer: Man Overboard!.

<i>Young Merlin</i> 1993 video game

Young Merlin is a video game released for the Super NES in 1993. The game follows a young Merlin as he enlists the help of the Lady of the Lake to help him defeat the evil Shadow King.

<i>Indiana Jones Greatest Adventures</i> 1994 video game

Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures is a 1994 platform video game released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is a video game adaptation of the Indiana Jones films Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). The game was developed by Factor 5 and published by JVC Musical Industries. The story is told through cutscenes and text and is mostly faithful to the movies. Its release coincided with that of Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, also released by JVC and LucasArts and in the same platform style as the Super Star Wars trilogy.

<i>Sparkster</i> 1994 video game

Sparkster is a side-scrolling platform game developed and published by Konami for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game, the only one in the series to be released on a Nintendo console, was directed by Hideo Ueda and released in 1994 in Japan in September, in North America in October and in Europe in 1994.

<i>International Superstar Soccer</i> (video game) 1994 video game

International Superstar Soccer, known as Jikkyō World Soccer Perfect Eleven in Japan, is a football video game developed by Konami for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the first title in the International Superstar Soccer (ISS) series of sports video games. The game sold over 500,000 copies.

<i>Samurai Shodown</i> (1993 video game) 1993 video game

Samurai Shodown, known in Japan as Samurai Spirits, is a fighting game developed and published by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platform. Released in 1993, it is the first installment in the Samurai Shodown series. In contrast to other fighting games at the time, which were set in modern times and focused primarily on hand-to-hand combat, Samurai Shodown is set in feudal-era Japan and was SNK's first arcade fighting game to focus primarily on weapon-based combat.

<i>Contra III: The Alien Wars</i> 1992 video game

Contra III: The Alien Wars is a 1992 run and gun video game developed and published by Konami for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is the third home console entry in the Contra series after Contra (1988) and Super C (1990) for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). In PAL regions, it was retitled Super Probotector: Alien Rebels and the player characters were replaced with robots. The player is tasked with fighting off an alien invasion of Earth across six stages. Four stages feature side-scrolling action traditional to the series while two are presented from an overhead perspective. It is the first Contra title to have been directed by Nobuya Nakazato who later directed other games in the series. He designed Contra III to feature more comical elements, a more cinematic soundtrack, and tighter stage design than its predecessors.

<i>Super Mario All-Stars</i> 1993 game compilation

Super Mario All-Stars is a 1993 compilation of platform games for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It contains remakes of Nintendo's four Super Mario games released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and the Famicom Disk System: Super Mario Bros. (1985), Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (1986), Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988), and Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988). As in the original games, players control the Italian plumber Mario and his brother Luigi through themed worlds, collecting power-ups, avoiding obstacles, and finding secrets. The remakes feature updated graphics—including the addition of parallax scrolling—and music, modified game physics, a save feature, and bug fixes.

References

  1. ↑ "Composer information for Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back". SNES Music. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
  2. ↑ "Super Empire Strikes Back is out!!!". groups.google.com. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  3. ↑ "Grand Opening Celebration At All Locations". The Honolulu Advertiser . November 12, 1993. p. 57. Retrieved December 3, 2023. "Super Empire Strikes Back" $69.99
  4. ↑ "Screenshots". Reading Evening Post . February 4, 1994. p. 46. Retrieved December 3, 2023. Title: Super Empire Strikes Back//Format: Snes//Publisher: JVC//Price: £59.99//Available: 18 February
  5. ↑ "Jedi Battles, Marvelous Bubbles and Frantic Underground Action". Nintendo. 2009-08-24. Archived from the original on 2009-08-27. Retrieved 2022-09-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. 1 2 "The Super Star Wars Trilogy Soars". GamePro . No. 103. IDG. April 1997. p. 92.
  7. ↑ "The GameMakers: The Artists" (PDF). GamePro . No. 85. IDG. October 1995. pp. 36–38.
  8. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, December 1992, page 142, "JVC, LucasArts & EGM Want You!" Issue 41.
  9. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, October 1993, Issue 51, page 216. "EGM Contest Winner Update" A picture of 'Jeff Crosno' is seen with two screenshots from the game. The before and after images of the character's facial changes.
  10. ↑ "16-Bit's Final Hurrah" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 88. Ziff Davis. November 1996. p. 22.
  11. ↑ "Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back review score". Archived from the original on 2019-05-20.
  12. 1 2 Brett Alan Weiss. "Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on 2014-11-15. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  13. 1 2 Super Star Wars Empire Strikes Back Review. EGM media. December 1993. p. 44.
  14. 1 2 "Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back". IGN. 24 August 2009. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  15. 1 2 "Super Star Wars Empire Strikes Back Review". Super Gamer (2). United Kingdom: Paragon Publishing: 123. May 1994. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  16. 1 2 "Power Unlimited Game Database". powerweb.nl (in Dutch). November 1994. Archived from the original on September 8, 2003. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Charts" (PDF). Computer & Video Games . No. 149 (April 1994). Future plc. 15 March 1994. p. 12.
  18. ↑ The Top Titles of 1993. January 1994. p. 80.
  19. ↑ "Editor's Choice Awards". GamePro . No. 55. IDG. February 1994. p. 22.
  20. ↑ Top 100 SNES Games of All Time - IGN.com , retrieved 2021-01-26
  21. ↑ Knight, Rich (April 30, 2018). "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time". Complex. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
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.