Super Star Wars
a game by | Sculptured Software, and LucasArts |
Genre: | Action |
Platform: | SNES |
Editor Rating: | 8.3/10, based on 9 reviews, 10 reviews are shown |
User Rating: | 5.5/10 - 4 votes |
Rate this game: | |
See also: | All Star Wars Games |
A long, long time ago (about 15 years), Luke Skywalker and company made movie history and catapulted science fiction into the mainstream of American culture. It seems that Star Wars is celebrating its "sweet 16" a year early this fall with the release of Super Star Wars, the first game from JVC/LucasArts for the SNES. Super Star Wars is a stellar game, even if you're part of that two percent of the world's population who have never seen the movie.
Better Than the Movie?
The game follows the plot of the movie for the most part, but some creatures and situations have been added or changed for the fun of it. For example, at the end of Stage Eight's Cantina Fight, you battle one of the creatures from the movie's holographic chess game. Super Star Wars takes scenes from the movie and expands them to create an action- packed game interwoven with a classic good versus evil story line.
ProTip: In Stage One, shoot all of the scorpions that appear in the very first screen and you'll receive a second blaster power-up!
Full Force
Super Star Wars has 14 stages of incredible interaction, including three different perspectives and three types of play. There are captivating side-scrolling action sequences, thrilling behind-the-vehicle shooting stages, and one white- knuckled in-the-cockpit stage.
The majority of the stages are of the side-scrolling run-and-shoot variety. But they're not your typical shoot'n'scoot fare. Your surroundings are rich 3-D worlds with graphically detailed sprites of a quality that is usually reserved for backgrounds only. In these cosmic microcosms, you control Luke with lightning fast responses. You can run, jump, somersault, and execute a slide to get through small openings. You can also use the L and R levers to survey the action above or below you. With each new character you meet (Chewbacca and Han Solo), you'll be able to assume their role and give Luke a break.
In Stage Two's Tatooine I and Stage Six's Tatooine II, you're at the wheel of Luke's Landspeeder in a breathtaking Mode 7 extravaganza a la F-Zero. Full 3- D rotation and near-photographic quality landscapes highlight these levels.
Stage 13's Death Star Attack features a similar perspective and game play, but this time you're in an X-Wing fighter shooting up a wave of TIE fighters. Here again, the detailed graphics are beyond belief, right down to the jets on the X-Wing and the nooks and crannies of the Death Star.
- The Jawas are sneaky little enemies. To avoid getting tail-gunned on Stages Two and Six, keep your Landspeeder in one spot and shoot the Jawas as they zoom towards you until the message "Head Towards Sandcrawler" or "Head Towards Mos Eisley" appears on the screen. Then, to avoid the remaining Jawas, point your 'Speeder toward your destination and floor it Keep your 'Speeder' at the top of the screen by pushing Down.
- When you're at the top of the Sandcrawler, don't waste your time shooting the gun turrets. Just run right and jump over enemy shells.
The famous Death Star trench battle sets the scene for the third type of exhilarating gameplay. In Stage 14's Trench Battle, you're in the cockpit of your X- Wing fighter, complete with a cleverly detailed dashboard and a first-person perspective. You can use the L and R levers to shoot Proton Torpedoes, but some of the controls are a bit ambiguous. Pushing your directional pad moves the gun sights around the screen, but it also slightly moves your ship around within the Death Star's trench. However, cool scaling graphics of the TIE fighters doing 360's in your face and the crescendoing sound more than make up for this control oversight.
To kill the Banthas, use the Force and your Lightsaber to fry 'em with a few swings!
Cinema Varite
Impressive visual effects don't stop at the game play level. Star Wars has many eye-popping, between-stage scenes that incorporate letter-boxed, movie-like graphics and sound, along with dialogue that scrolls across the bottom of the screen. Although most of these pictorials aren't animated, the "camera" scrolls left and right to include the character who is currently talking. These scenes add depth and help explain any discrepancies between the game's plot and the movie.
- To defeat the Mutant Womprat, jump and swing Luke's Lightsaber.
- On Stages with lots of Stormtroopers or Sandpeople, shoot the enemies and collect Health Swords and hearts until your Health Bar is maxed out!
Did You Hear Something?
Super Star Wars has the best sound effects of any SNES game to date. Digitized voices add realism. You even get to hear Obi Wan murmur "Use the Force,Luke". The sounds effect of the shots and explosions will send your neighbors running for cover. The musical score takes full advantages of the crisp stereo capabilities by pounding out Kette Drums and blasting flourish of heroic wind instruments. Although the music loops, it takes quite a while and it changes from stage to stage.
In Stage Five's Land of the Sandpeople, have faith in yourself and the Force. You just might FALL into some extra lives.
The Circle Is Now Complete
Stunningly impressive cinematic scenes, equally incredible action sequences, and three skill levels make this game the one to own if you only own one. Rumor has it that work has already begun on The Empire Strikes Back for the SNES. But, as we all know, it takes patience to become a Jedi.
Download Super Star Wars
System requirements:
- PC compatible
- Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
- Pentium II (or equivalent) 266MHz (500MHz recommended), RAM: 64MB (128MB recommended), DirectX v8.0a or later must be installed
Game Reviews
- Lucas Arts / Super NES
One of the most popular science-fiction movies of all time has found a new home within the Super NES! Luke Skywalker has his work cut out for him. Darth Vader is attempting to take over the galaxy and only Luke and the rest of the rebellion can put a stop to him. Along the way, Luke must locate Han Solo at Mos lasley Bar and get a lift to the rebellion base, but many other adventures seem to take place along the way!
"Jake one Corellian smuggler, a kidnapped princess, a clod-kicker from Tatooine and the last of the Jedi Knights and you have the Empire's worst nightmare - a new hope for freedom. Join Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Chewbacca on the greatest adventure the galaxy has to offer - Super Star Wars.
Blast your way through Jawa territory and into a bar room brawl at Mos Eisley Spaceport. Evade lethal storm troopers tenacious alien forms, and challenge the Lord of the Dark Side himself, Darth Vader.
All this, plus the incredibly intense 3-D graphics, music and sound effects that you would expect on the Super NES and demand from the people who brought you this classic movie saga. So grab your blaster, strap on your light saber and take on the Evil Empire in your quest for galactic freedom!
- Difficulty: Average
- Available: 4th Qtr. 1992
- Theme: Action
"Use the Force, Luke"
Fifteen years ago (yes, fifteen!) we watched the adventures of Luke Sky-walker, who, after receiving a distress call from a beautiful princess, was catapulted into an adventure of almost mythic proportions.
After more than a decade, we are still enthralled with the Star Wars saga. LucasArts1 Super Star Wars mirrors the fascination that is still present whenever we see the movies. This is a game that plays like a movie!
Super Star Wars makes abundant use of the SNES's Mode 7 capabilities, with plenty of scaling and rotation - the effects of which will definitely make you dizzy!
The game play is flawless. Luke can use a variety of moves such as jumps, flips and various fighting attacks. You can use Luke's blaster to get him out of some sticky situations. Of course, he can also use his light saber!
Luke encounters many strange creatures in his quest to rid the galaxy of the evil Empire. In addition, there are bosses at the end of each level that are guaranteed to reduce your life expectancy!
Look for Super Star Wars by LucasArts Games. Fight hard, and "may the Force be with you!"
This method will get you an incredible 99 lives to help you complete the game. In the Land of the Sand People, you will go through many caverns and cliffs. Get to the first major cliff and jump across it by way of the floating rocks. At the end of the second major cliff, you will see another set of floating rocks. This is the area in which the trick will take place. You can make sure that this is the right place if you look at the pictures on the top right-hand side.
Sand people will also be chasing you from the left side of the screen. Once you are at this point, fall off the cliff and push LEFT on the control pad. Instead of falling to your death, you will catch the edge of a cliff near the bottom of the screen. There will be an opening to the left. This is a dangerous place, because rocks will be falling constantly.
Once you enter the small cavern, shoot all around the cave. Tons of 1-Ups will appear near the top part of this section.
Jump up on the small platform in the middle of the cavern to collect the extra lives that appear. When you can't collect any more lives, run to the right and fall off the edge of the cliff. When you start again, repeat this for up to 99 lives.
This sound test screen is a cool trick; not only is it a sound test screen, it is also a way to find different codes in the game. After choosing the Start Game option from the title screen, go into the first level. Now press and hold Y, B, X, A simultaneously.
While holding these, press the START button. You will access the sound test screen. Change the music to what you like. Press START to go back to the level. Go back into the sound test again by doing the trick, and you will see that the words under the SOUND TEST have changed. Repeat the trick for different messages. After doing this several times, the messages will reveal two codes. The first one will tell you to press X, B, B, A, Y for 5 continues. The second one will tell you to press Y, Y, X, X, A, B, X, A for the Light Saber. To work these codes, turn your Super NES off and then on again. Do the code of your choice at the title screen when the "Start Game" and "Option Menu" choice comes up. You will hear the Jawa yell if the trick has worked correctly. If you reset the game and try these tricks, they will not work. You must turn the power off and on again for the tricks to work properly. With these, you should be able to get through the game easier.
When Super Star Wars was released on the Super NES in November 1992, the game was instantly heralded as an action/adventure landmark. Exactly four years later, that classic was re-released in Nintendo's Player's Choice series, and this past February the two SNES sequels, Super Empire Strikes Back and Super Return of the Jedi, were also reprised. For SNES gamers who haven't used the Force for a while, here's a fresh look at one of the greatest series in video game history.
Most Impressive
Taken together, the three games parallel the story told in George Lucas's movie trilogy. To squeeze in everything, the games compress some lengthy sequences shown in the films, such as the scenes of Luke's upbringing on Tatooine. Conversely, some of the characters trivialized in the movies are enlarged in the games: Super Star Wars' Cantina Fight boss appeared only briefly in Star Wars as a holographic chess piece. Eye-popping cinematic cut scenes between stages keep the games' plot in line with the films.
Created by Lucas-Arts, the trilogy maintains a consistently high quality. In four ratings categories (Graphics, Sound, Control, and Fun Factor), the three games have averaged a remarkable 4.8 score, and Sound has never scored less than a perfect 5.0!
ProTip: As you race Super Return's Speeder Bike through the Endor forest, you can bump enemies into the trees.
Stellar Ratings
Despite their similar stories, characters, and settings, the three games have key differences. The first game is the shortest and, at only 8 megs, the one that suffers the most slowdown during gameplay. Still, Super Star Wars was considered state-of-the-art for 1992, and it introduced the varied gameplay that became the trilogy's hallmark. Gamers can choose between three main heroes, and gameplay includes run-n-gun action, behind-the-Landspeeder flying, and first-person shooting inside an X-Wing.
Super Empire Strikes Back takes a quantum leap over its predecessor in terms of gameplay. Han gets a new 360-degree roll move, and Luke gets an array of Force Powers that enables him to throw his light saber, use mind control, levitate, and heal himself, among other skills. This game is more limiting than the first one, though, in that you can't choose your hero for each stage (the designers did this for plot reasons- it wouldn't have made sense to have Chewie learn the ways of the Force from Yoda, for example). It's also a harder game and will send rookies scurrying back to base.
Super Return keeps the series from getting stale by adding two new heroes to play as (Leia and Wicket the Ewok) and showdowns with the galaxy's three biggest villains (Jabba, Darth, and the Emperor). However, much of the gameplay is identical to that in the prequels, the battles with the bosses get repetitious, and the immense size of the bosses leads to increased slowdown. This game sports the trilogy's most detailed graphics, but by the time Super Return came out, Donkey Kong Country was already resetting the graphics bar to new heights.
The Force Is With You
If you already have the three Super Star Wars games, skip the re-releases because they're all identical to their original versions. Newcomers, however, shouldn't miss this chance to snag three of the greatest 16-bit games ever. Enjoying these games is as easy as bagging Womp Rats in Beggar's Canyon.
As the smallest, most vulnerable hero, Wicket must keep jumping to avoid the many enemies in Super Return's Ewok Village stage.
The year was 1977, and the lines of eager Americans stretched block after city block. They were about to embark on a journey to "a galaxy far, far away" and begin a movie-going tradition that would last well into the next decade.
This year JVC/LucasArts will bring that "Chewy" feeling home in their first game for the SNES, Super Star Wars! This action/adventure adaptation will feature two types of game play: side-view, horizontally-scrolling, fighting sequences and first-person flying and shooting.
A Pilot with a Purpose
The game's story line will match the movies. Initially, you'll play Luke as he rids the Dune City of those scurvy Womp Rats. Then it will be time to shoot Jawas while jetting across the sand in your Landspeeder. Later, you'll meet up with Han Solo and Chewbacca You'll then be able to play three characters.
Luke finds C-3PO and R2-D2. R2 shows Skywalker a distressing message tram Princess Leia After consulting with Obi-Wan, Luke is off to the scum-ridden streets of Mos Eisley to find a ride to Aideraan. Eventually, Luke grabs himself an X-wing to battle Darth Vader's nasty TIE fighters and destroy the Death Star.
Anyone who saw the movie definitely remembers the Cantina scene with all the weird space creatures, including the all-alien band. In Super Star Wars, Luke starts through the Cantina fighting off bad guys, as the ward bar patrons at their tables in the foreground and the background create an amazingly realistic 3-D point-of-view.
The Lucas name promises the best in sound, and Super Star Wars delivers digitized sounds, including those of the Light Saber. Samples of John Wrlliams' famous movie score will accompany the action.
Go Get 'em Kid!
No doubt, Star Wars fans everywhere eagerly await their chance to take on the Empire. May the Force be with us.
Following the theme of the blockbuster movie, Super Star Wars is translated with great attention to detail throughout. Embracing conventional side-scrolling action themes while adding Mode 7 Land-speeder and flying sequences, the play technique is straightforward but very solid. Well drawn cinema displays motivate the storyline and help bring additional depth to the characters as you advance the movie's well-known plot. Fight off Luke's home world, meet up with Han Solo and Chewbacca, and blast to the Death Star to rescue Princess Leia. Return to take on Darth Vader and blow the space station away!
People say:
Although this game has a few problems with its control and execution, the package is presented in a near flawless manner. The graphics are absolutely incredible and complimented with strong play action and good technique. The game is simplistic in design, but the quality of the design is second to none! A winner!
This is a dream come true for Star Wars fans. The game is so well done that you can't help getting hooked. The graphics are great, the music is absolutely phenomenal and the game play is fast and action-packed from beginning to end. This is the best movie-to-game translation that I've ever seen! Encore please. E.S.B!!!
Easily one of the best games of the year! Everything that is required of a great game is there - graphics, sound and game play. While it isn't an easy game, and some players will find it frustrating, the difficulty level is set hard enough so that you can't just blow through the game in a few minutes.
Super Star Wars is destined to become a Super NES classic over the next year. With the graphically intense backdrops, interstellar sounds, and a proven story line, what else could you expect? This grandfather of epics is making the video game transformation exceptionally well! Do we thank the Force?
It seems like only yesterday we all heard these infamous words from Ben Kenobi. That was fifteen years ago, however, and now Lucas is dazzling us once again with Super Star Wars for the Super NES. This game captures all of the excitement of the movie bearing name. Super Star Wars is one of the best translations of the original movie for any system to date.
Almost every scene, from the sands of Tatooine to the final fight down the trench of the Death Star is captured in pixel-perfect detail! The music is digitized straight from the movie and incorporated into the action very well. The game also makes use of the Super NES's advanced capabilities, especially Mode 7 features highlighted in the Landspeeder and X-Wing scenes. So grab your lightsaber and join the rebellion!
Your journey to the Death Star will not be easy. You start out as Luke on his home planet, Tatooine, where you find C-3PO in his crashed escape pod. After defeating the Sarlac, you must race to the Jawa's Sand-crawler in your Landspeeder to rescue R2-D2. After completing this, you return home through the Dune Sea, home of the Sandpeople and Ben Kenobi. Ben tells you of your Jedi past and gives you your father's lightsaber. He asks you to assist gpi in finding passage to the Oeraan system, but in order to do this, you must find a ship and pjjpt at the Mgs Eisly space port. Once inside Mos Eisly, you and Ben look for candidates in the Cantina, where Han and Chewie are found! After leaving the space port, you take to the stars, but a tractor beam pulls your ship into the dreaded Death Star! This is where your final challenge awaits. The fate of the Rebellion lies in your hands!