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GUNSTAR HEROES
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[Gunstar Heroes Gallery]
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| GAME STATISTICS |
| A.K.A.: |
N/A |
| Release Date: |
 September 9, 1993
 September 10, 1993
 1993 |
| Publisher: |
Sega |
| Developer: |
Treasure |
| Genre: |
Action |
| # of Players: |
1-2 |
| ESRB Rating: |
GA |
| Our Score: |
9.5 out of 10 |
| Our Reviews: |
No reviews written yet.
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| Systems: |
Genesis
Playstation 3 - PS Network
Xbox 360 - Live Arcade
Wii - Virtual Console |
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9.5 out of 10
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| Before Gunstar Heroes hit store shelves, nobody really knew who Treasure was. Being a new development studio nobody really expected much out of them when Gunstar Heroes was announced. Due to that, this game flew under the radar of a lot of people when it first launched. However, in time, word spread about the greatness that Treasure created, and Gunstar Heroes became renowned as one of the greatest games to ever be created for the Genesis console. Does it live up to this fame? Indeed, it does.
The story of Gunstar Heroes is kind of lame. It starts out in a far from unique fashion, as an evil fellow has stolen some gems and it’s up to you to retrieve them. Then there’s a not-so-surprising twist in the plot, which leads to a somewhat surprising back end of the story. The ending is also somewhat unique for its time; it’s not a happy one. So, all in all, the story is predicable and kind of lame, but it does have its moments and the ending is kind of refreshing to experience since it’s not all smiles and sunshine. Then again, who really plays games like Gunstar Heroes for the story? This game is all about action, so lets get into that. |
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Gunstar Heroes is often compared to Contra...And for good reason, the gameplay is very similar. Like in Contra, you have the ability to have different kinds of firepower. From bullets to energy to fire, there’s four different main guns. However, in Gunstar Heroes you also you have the ability to store a second kind of ammo, should you feel the need to change things up for some reason of another. If that’s not enough for you, you can combine the two types of ammo you have stored to create a completely different type of ammo, combining the attributes of the two you’ve got stored. Just experimenting with all of the ammo types is fun, and it really gives the player the opportunity to play the game with a type of ammo that suits their gameplay style the best. If you want a cakewalk, then combine both types of homing ammo for a strong homing attack that’ll attack anything on the screen. If you want more of a challenge, then try a different mixture. You also have another attack at your disposal, the ability to throw your enemies. While this ability isn’t really needed often, it’s a neat addition...Especially in two-player mode where you can throw your partner to inflict damage on your foes. That’s called teamwork.
The level design in Gunstar Heroes is nothing short of brilliant. Each level is unique. One level, you’ll be doing Contra-like, side-scrolling shooting. The next level, you’ll be in a mine cart, shooting up enemies at high speeds. After that, you may be scaling a level to climb atop an air vessel, culminating in a boss fight atop a plane. Then you’re in a...board game? The levels are all completely different from each other, which really makes it easy to play through the game in a single sitting. You’ll never have the feeling of ‘I’m doing this again?’ as you play through. On top of the variety, the levels are done Mega Man style. By Mega Man style, I mean that you’re given the option of the first four levels to choose from. After you’ve beaten all four levels, then you’re on to the grand finale levels, leading up to the final boss. This set up is good as it lets the player tackle their favorite level whenever they feel like it...Unless of course, their favorite level is one of the final stages. |
| The only downside I can really think of is the lack of a save or password system. Granted the game is relatively short (it’ll likely take a little over an hour to beat for most folks), and you do have the stage selection in the beginning, but if you wanted to play, say the spaceship stage over and over, you’d have to beat all four of the beginning levels all over again to do so. Granted, it’s not much of a chore due to how fun the levels are, but it’s still an inconvenience.
Graphically, Gunstar Heroes is bright and colorful, with some of the best graphics available on the Genesis. You’ll occasionally get some flickering and glitching in the graphics, but they’re so infrequent that most folks won’t even notice unless they’re actively looking for them. As far as audio goes, Gunstar Heroes is passable. There aren’t too many fans clamoring for Gunstar Heroes soundtracks, but there’s nobody plugging their ears when they play, either. Overall, you’ve got above average cosmetics here. |
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So, in the end, while Gunstar Heroes is often compared to Contra, I personally believe that it surpasses Contra in just about every way possible. From the varied level design to the various types of fire power, Gunstar Heroes is just done better. The only real problems I had with the game were the length and the lack of a save option...But really, when a game this short is this much fun, I can’t complain too much about not being able to save. This rookie effort by Treasure is considered by many as the greatest game on Sega’s Genesis console...I can’t help but agree. - Ape |
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