| Gunstar Heroes |
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| | Developer(s) | Treasure Co. Ltd | | Publisher(s) | Sega | | Designer(s) | Yoshiyuki Matsumoto, Hideyuki Suganami | | Platform(s) | Sega Mega Drive
Game Gear
PlayStation 2
Virtual Console | | Release date | NA September 9, 1993
JPN September 10, 1993
EU 1993 | | Genre(s) | Run and gun | | Mode(s) | Single player, Cooperative | | Rating(s) | VRC: GA
ESRB: Everyone 10+
OFLC: PG
PEGI: 3+ | | Media | 8-megabit cartridge |
Gunstar Heroes (ガンスターヒーãƒãƒ¼ã‚º, GansutÄ HÄ«rÅzu?) is a run and gun video game developed by Treasure Co. Ltd and published by Sega. The game was released September 9, 1993 in North America and the following day in Japan for the Sega Mega Drive, with a release also following in Europe in the same year. A Game Gear version was released only in Japan in 1995. On February 23, 2006, it was released as part of the Gunstar Heroes: Treasure Box Collection for the PlayStation 2. It is also available on the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console. The game was originally to be called "Lunatic Gunstar" but at the behest of Sega of America, who did not approve of the word "Lunatic", it was changed.
GameplayGunstar Heroes plays as a sidescrolling shooter similar to Contra. The player has four weapons to choose from, and they can be combined in various pairs to create a total of 14 unique weapons. In addition to the weapons, the player can engage enemies in close quarters combat. It is possible to grab and toss enemies, perform a sliding and jumping attacks and a long-range skid. Unlike most games in the genre, the player has a life total calculated in numbers. Therefore, death to a player requires multiple hits but just one death will issue the option to continue or to end the game. The main highlight of the game are its boss encounters, which often feature large enemies made up of multiple sprites allowing for fluid movement.
PlotAmerican Story: The Gunstar family has been the protector of the planet Gunstar 9 (G-9) for generations. In his youth, Dr. Brown defeated Golden Silver, a destructive android that traveled millions of miles to suck G-9 dry of all its resources. Dr. Brown was able to extract the four famous Mystical Gems, the robot's power source, and imprisoned it on one of G-9's moons. Years later, a new menace rises. Smash Daisaku, a vicious dictator found out that the Gunstars knew the location of the Mystical Gems. One day, Smash Daisaku kidnapped the Gunstar twins' older brother Green and used a mind control machine to make Green obey his orders. With Green's help, Smash Daisaku amassed all four Mystical Gems, has turned Gunstar 9's peaceful worker droids into deadly menaces, and is now preparing to leave for Gunstar 9's moon to reactivate Golden Silver. Note: The Japanese story - which takes place on Earth - is considered the proper storyline that sets up the sequel, Gunstar Super Heroes.
Characters- Gunstars Red and Blue. The playable characters. Twin brothers who protect Gunstar 9.
- Gunstar Yellow. Navigator and sister of the Gunstars, she gives them short briefings on the levels.
- Professor White Gunstar. Also known as Dr. Brown, he deactivated Golden Silver in the past, but is too old to do so again, Instead, he becomes Red and Blue's mentor.
- Pink. A well-known bounty hunter hired to stop the progress of the Gunstars. She is joined by Kain and Kotaro.
- G.I. Orange. Head of a huge warship, Orange loves melee combat, and attacks with his incredible fighting skills and strength and bright blue plumes of energy.
- Dr. Black. A gambling fanatic, he awaits the Gunstars at his fortress, filled with traps and treasures.
- Gunstar Green. Brainwashed by the Empire, now he is working to collect the Gems that can reawaken Golden Silver. He also has possession of the giant mech, the "Seven Force," which can transform into seven different forms. He is also the brother of Yellow, Red and Blue.
- Smash Daisaku. A villain who aspires to reawaken Golden Silver. He is eager to face the Gunstars. He is also the second-in-command in the empire, and appears numerous times during the game.
- General Gray Leader of the Empire. Introduced in Stage 5.
- Golden Silver. A 1000-year-old robot, programmed to go across the universe and suck the energy out of planets.
Versions and rereleasesShortly after its original release, Gunstar Heroes made its way to Sega's handheld machine, Game Gear. The port was handled not by Treasure, but by development house M2. As the console's power could not be matched to that of the Mega Drive, the game was significantly scaled down, stripping its multiplayer mode, Black's Dice Maze, and several graphic effects. It does, however, add in a few new features such as a jetpack level and the chance to drive one of the walker robots from later in the 16-bit version. On October 6, 2005, Treasure and Sega released Gunstar Super Heroes, a Gunstar sequel for the Game Boy Advance. The game makes few changes to the gameplay, such as having a fixed weapon selection and the addition of overpowered attacks controlled by the trigger. On February 23, 2006, Sega released a Treasure-oriented entry in their Sega Ages series for PlayStation 2. Named "Treasure Box" (トレジャーボックス, toreja bokkusu?), it contained Gunstar Heroes prominently (to the extent of it being on the front cover), along with Dynamite Headdy and Alien Soldier. "Treasure Box" also contains the various versions of these titles (such as Game Gear versions, or versions from different countries), as well as digital manuals and other bonus materials. Gunstar Heroes was released December 11, 2006 in North America on the Wii Virtual Console and December 15, 2006 in Europe.
See also- Gunstar Heroes (Soundtrack)
- Gunstar Heroes: Sound Collection
External links- Official Treasure Co. Ltd Webpage
- Gunstar Heroes at MobyGames
- GameFAQs: Gunstar Heroes
- Sega of Japan Official Sega Ages Vol.25 "Treasure Box" Webpage
- Gunstar Heroes Mega Drive review from Mean Machines Archive
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