Welcome to a new edition of Retro Corner and to wrap up this three-part Star Wars series review I'll be checking out the Arcade game based on the Original Trilogy. The Star Wars Trilogy came out in 1998 and got developed by Sega as an arcade cabinet that showcased impressive visuals. The game released on the heels of the Special Edition films in 1997 as the core gameplay followed the movies. SWT is what's called a Light Gun game, a gameplay style that's set on a path the player automatically follows without controlling the movement. Meaning, all the player does is aim and shoot as the computer moves them on a railing system through the levels. I'm not much of fan of Light Gun games since they always felt like a fun novelty that I would play around for an hour before moving on. It surprising that LucasArts wasn't the studio to develop this title considering their experience with game design by that point. It's presumed that LucasArts asked Sega to produce an Light Gun style arcade when you consider their experience in the genre. SWT released at a time that's considered the golden age for light gun games as it was quite a popular genre during the 90s. Gameplay As mentioned already, the gameplay is on an automatic set path that has the game move the player across many paths. The player can only control the aim as their objective is to shoot as many enemies they can to rack up points. The game has three divided sections based on the important moments of the Trilogy. The developers obviously watched the films (who hasn't) and I feel they captured those moments easily. Each section has two parts and I loved how they would change from flight sim to ground-based levels. There also two lightsaber parts with defecting lasers from Boba Fett and a duel against Darth Vader from Return of the Jedi. I will admit that at the time this was kind of cool as I'm sure many of you always dreamed of using a lightsaber in a game. The gameplay in these parts is a little tricky to learn as you must time and place the lightsaber in the right spot to hit an attack. As for my favorite parts, it was the Battle of Hoth and Endor from their respected films. I love how cinematic the gameplay felt as if I was in the middle of the galactic war itself. There isn't much for me to criticize, and it's because Sega did a fantastic job. SWT is among the best Light Gun games I have played even beating out House of the Dead in light years (no pun intended). It had a great balance between difficulty and two styles of shooting with flight sim and ground levels. If there are some things to criticize is the lightsaber portions as the controls came off difficult when you had to move the sword at an angle. For some reason, I could never nail the angled movements down when the game prompts me to do so. It really doesn't matter whether you defeat Boba Fett or Darth Vader since you still progress to the next area. There also was a slight annoyance for the enemy placement as sometimes they would bombard the player out of nowhere. It's usually the Storm Troopers in Escape from Echo Base and the Tie Interceptors from the Battle of Endor where this problem comes up. That really is the only flaws I found but regardless, Sega produced one of the best light gun games under their name. Rating: 8.5/10 Graphics/Presentation In the late 90s, SWT looked impressive and more so compared to the most advanced PC games. It's certainly aged well which is a surprise considering most Fifth Gen titles never look good years later. The game runs on the Sega Model 3 system, the same program that made Virtua Fighter 3. Starting with the environments, the detail is truly beautiful as it looked like a good replicate compared to previous Star Wars games. From the Trenches of the Death Star to the Snowfields of Hoth and then to Endor and the Death Star II, they were a near perfect emulation. The character models are considerably smoother which again, was above the best looking PC games. Sure they might come off very bland today but in the Fifth Gen most characters were always polygonic. However, the best characters models were obviously the vehicles from the starfighters and space cruisers and the Imperial war machines like the AT-ST and AT-AT Walkers. They were the best designed 3D models at the time since they didn't have a polygonic appearance. The sound and music had outstanding effects as it engaged me many times. The soundtrack uses MP3 quality files, a huge step up compared to the shortened versions running on a loop from the console games. As mentioned the game has aged well considering the era it comes from and once again there isn't that much to criticize. If anything I guess talking about some of the detail and where it has aged might be a good idea. The skybox is noticeable to me now as I can see where the edges stop at a still image. In the space levels, these skyboxes were completely invisible as Sega did a good job making it feel like a large empty expanse. In places like Hoth and Tatoorie, the design is hard to ignore and it might be from my experience working in Unreal and Unity that has me notice them. I also can tell there were no environmental effects like the wind blowing, an element most uncommon in the Fifth Gen. It might look bland today by many gamers but during the time it showcased impressive visuals that came close to the films. Rating: 9.0/10 Features/Content As usual for any arcade game, they were never known for its content regardless what era they have originated. An arcade game was always for its short play session where you would spend anywhere from five to fifteen minutes before moving on to the next one. SWT will take an average player about fifteen minutes to complete. Now I know what some of you are thinking that a game this short would be a letdown. For anyone complaining about this, you need to remember the Arcades are not consoles or PC gaming. It's a completely different market, and the Arcades were known for either their short play sessions or the two-player co-op. Back then when you went to these places it was only made to engage you for a short time. SWT does that in spades and it was great to just blast things in a mindless fun. Even though I played each part in accordance with the Trilogy's order, but choosing any episode adds to the replay value. For a game costing fifty cents to play, it did the job of entertaining me even if the SWT takes 15 minutes to beat. Rating: 7.8/10 Final Rating Its worth mention again that the Light Gun genre were my least favorite arcade games. It was usually the brawlers, action 2D, or fighting games that were my go-to genres at the Arcades. Nevertheless, SWT was among the best Light Gun games released in that era. It was easy for casual players to jump in and use the stick to simulate a gun or a ship's firing. The Sega Model 3 system helped produce some of the best graphics and sound at the time. It truly was way above what most PC and console games could produce and showing how much effort Sega put into the game. As I already mentioned, the content might have seemed low, however, the Arcades are not known for their lengthy play sessions. Back then when you went to the Arcades, you were there to play a couple or several games in a short time. Like I said, it's a completely different market compared to what today's gamers usual see from PC and console gaming. SWT certainly surpassed its predecessor in many areas of design. It was also at a time when Sega was still a gaming giant, years before faulting into a third party status. Gameplay: 8.5/10 Graphics/Presentation: 9.0/10 Features/Content: 7.8/10 Final Rating: 8.6/10 Great
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Retro Gamer has over 25 years of gaming experience and played many classics since the Golden Age. She has been an avid fan since the day the NES graced her life and changed it forever.
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