Game:

Star Wars Arcade (1994)

Duration: 23:07

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The 32X Star Wars Arcade game which was as an exclusive for the Sega 32X's launch in 1994. From my arcade experience of this game I purchased this game right away. It's was the key reason I purchased the 32x. That and Virtua Racing Deluxe.

Ok. The 32X was a tanker -- we all know that now. But the first time screens for Star Wars Arcade zoomed across the pages of gaming rags, it was almost impossible not to be excited about the Genesis add-on. Armchair Jedi pilots could shoot down TIE fighters constructed entirely out of polygons. The Death Star was no longer a flat sprite hanging in the sky, but now the gateway to a 3D trench just like the original arcade game -- but now in full color. Even Admiral Ackbar showed up to urge you on between stages.

Star Wars Arcade was in a class of its own. The game may look dated now, especially compared to current gen technology, but there is still a solid charm to Star Wars Arcade's giant, flat polygons. This was a big, bold step into the future and it was cool to be there at the start of the ride.

In spirit, it's the successor to the old-school vector arcade game from 1983. You tear across deep space, dogfighting TIE fighters to close in on the Death Star. However, unlike the 1983 stage, there is a lot more real estate to cover, including stages with massive Star Destroyers cleaving the cosmos. Once the approach to the Death Star is complete, you strafe the surface before dipping into the famous trench run. Sure, the majority of the action is just shooting down TIE fighters. But think 1994: Not even the Mode 7 trickery of the SNES could reproduce a full scale Star Wars experience like this.

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