- Release Date: 1995
- Genre: Simulation
- Style: Flight Combat Sim
Game Description
Star Fighter is an arcade-style flight combat game that takes place across an assortment of futuristic landscapes. Players will engage in 60 increasingly challenging missions that involve bombing runs, escorts, dogfights, and more. The ship is initially armed with lasers and bombs, but additional weapon power-ups can be earned by collecting colored crystals. While soaring over planet surfaces and through space, players can climb, dive, bank, barrel roll, and fire countermeasures to elude pursuing enemies. One of Star Fighter's distinguishing elements is the ability to destroy nearly every part of the 3D environment, from buildings to entire mountains.~ Shawn Sackenheim, All Game Guide
Review: Overall
Craving a little arcade/shooter action but tired of the drastically realistic Ace Combat series or the numerous PC flight simulators? Then give Star Fighter a try as it is one of the better arcade shooters of the 90s.So what makes this game so much fun? First off, you've got over 30 diverse missions that, while they revolve around blasting, all have their own feel and personality, as well as challenge. But Star Fighter doesn't limit you to the ground, or even a few thousand feet above it for that matter. In Star Fighter you can climb all the way into the stratosphere and orbit the planet! This isn't just for looks either. You'll encounter low orbit space stations and need the extra height to run from the onslaught of enemies.
The graphics may not be astounding but the diverse amout of installations and enemies more than makes up for it. The fact that you can deform the landscape simply by shooting at it also contributes to the lack of landscaping detail.
Control is a bit loose and does take a little while to get used to but it is completely acceptable, as is the button configuration. Keeping things simple, there's a fire button, a weapon cycle button, and an accelerate button. Simple controls for a game filled with non-stop action.
Music and sound effects as well are high quality featuring some great techno tunes and high quality sound effects. The only real down side to the game is that it tends to slow down on more than a few occasions. You'll definitely come to appreciate it as it will give you more time to think but seeing the outer space missions running at a silky 30 frames per second makes it hard to go back to the ground based combat.
Overall, if you've ever liked flying a plane you must check out Star Fighter as, even if you don't like the combat, you can always take a jaunt throughout the level; skimming over the landscape and blasting into the stratosphere. And for the action fan there's plenty of well thought out blasting going on as well as some impressive weapons and spot effects. Definitely a game not to be missed!
~ Shawn Sackenheim, All Game Guide
Review: Enjoyment
The shooting is astoundingly fun as is simply flying about the levels~ Shawn Sackenheim, All Game Guide
Review: Graphics
Solid but not overly detailed. A lot of diversity and nice explosion and impact effects~ Shawn Sackenheim, All Game Guide
Review: Sound
A great techno soundtrack with above average sound effects~ Shawn Sackenheim, All Game Guide
Review: Replay Value
With over 30 missions you'll be engaged in the {*Star Fighter} universe for weeks, if not months!~ Shawn Sackenheim, All Game Guide
Review: Documentation
A well designed manual with lots of info on options, story, and controls~ Shawn Sackenheim, All Game Guide
