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Chapter VII: A New Hope

The days of the evil Empire seem to be coming to an end. Once they had the galaxy in their icy grasp with Sturn[koopa]troopers and squadrons of deadly NES Fighters. But free gaming has survived the onslaught, and from their secret bases, the Sega rebellion have unleashed an incredible new weapon which will strike at the very heart of those wobbly cape-wearers: the 32X-Wing Fighter. With its high-end polygon processing and superior sound and graphics, it's set to vanquish to the Mario dynasty and secure the eternal liberty of gaming.

Precious plans of the unit are entrusted to Prince Yob and the crew of the Corellian Corvette 'Mean Machines', but as it speeds to rebel HQ on Emapia, it is intercepted by a mushroom class Star Destroyer. Quickly, Princess Liza inserts the crucial review data in a microchip fitted to Commander Merrett's underpants, which can only be revealed by opening the pages of the magazine...

Penetrate imperial defences to destroy the Super Star Destroyer and Death Star, by destroying quotas of TIE fighters.

Star Wars 32X plays in two distinct game modes. Most people will tackle the conversion of Star Wars arcade first, which replicates the action of the Virtua Star Wars coin-op, released earlier this year.

Although the 32X cannot match these figures, the conversion is exact in terms of stages and bears a remarkable resemblance in appearance and play. The Arcade mode has both the 'Rebel Attack' and 'Training option' which offers a brief mission on the surface of a mock-up Death Star, giving you a chance to acquaint yourself with the controls.

The main thrust of the game is the 32X-enhanced game, which rejigs the levels, adds asteroid fields and poses almost impossible quotas of fighters to be destroyed before progress is made to the Death Star.

The best of Imperial hardware has assembled in the war zone, making your mission in a lone X-wing fighter one of near lunacy. You will encounter in full polygon detail:

1. TIE Fighter The standard Imperial single-manned fighter. The TIE is marked by its high manoeuvrability and rapid-firing lasers, which means letting one get behind you puts you in a particularly hazardous position. However, it is a plainly Imperial characteristic to put all the TIE's power into offence - there is no shield protection for the pilot, and a single hit is enough to destroy it.

3. Star Destroyer The mainstay of the Imperial fleet, these monstrous ships carry thousands of troops and firepower equivalent to a small sun. Flying at close range is not a clever idea, as Star Destroyers are capable of firing laser streams in all directions. However, these streams follow ray patterns which may be anticipated. Star Destroyers travel in packs at sub-light speeds.

4. Death Star Devised by the Emperor as the ultimate weapon of terror, the Death Star has been quantified as possessing the power of a thousand combined Star Destroyers, and demonstrations of its power include the destruction of Alderaan, a planet of the rebel federation. That particular Death Star was destroyed by Rebel Commander Skywalker. Blueprints for future Death Stars survived, but s did the knowledge of its single weakness.

Player one controls the central sight, and also steers the Y-Wing, while player two has a roving sight. Although both score separately, they share the common mission goal. The game compensates for the extra firepower with higher target totals and increased enemy ferocity. It is not an easy option, but it's darned good fun.

Both X and Y wings have two weapons systems. Lasers are limitless, quick-firing and wholly under your control. The alternative Proton torpedoes, which look like green globes, are auto-targetting. To successfully hit their target, you must wait until the computer tracks the enemy craft, denoted by an audible warning and a super-imposed box. Your craft has a full complement of five proton torpedoes, but once discharged, these will slowly replenish.

1. Speed 2. Remaining targets 3. Sheilds remaining 4. Enemy scanner 5. Torpedo power

Each stage presents a different mission goal, with the backdrop of a time limit. After your ship is lost, your progress is shown pictorially, with a percentage of completion of the overall task.

2. Star Destroyer More TIEs, in a dogfight wheeling in and out of a pack of huge Star Destroyers, ho take part in the action.

3. Star Destroyer Reactor A spectacular, and rock hard flight into the heart of the star destroyer, depicted as a huge sloping tunnel of girders and laser defences. At its heart is the reactor target.

Each mission is preceded with a brief broadcast by Admiral Ackbar, Commander-in-chief of Rebel Forces. As you swirl through the beautiful patterns of hyperspace, a rotating wire-frame image is transmitted, briefing you on the mission goal.

Star Wars 32X has music like you have never heard on the Megadrive. The celebrated main theme scored by John Williams plays at the beginning, but the showstopper is the FX gamut, capturing the spirit of movies, with screeching TIE Fighters, screaming lasers and the fabulous noise of R2-D2 howling when you take some serious damage.

Fans of the arcade game will be well made up with this conversion as all the features of the original are there.

The update may be a little jerkier and the action often a little confusing, but this is a tunning game to look at and a frenetic blast to boot.

It was only a couple of months ago that Steve and I were invited to view the first Virtua Star Wars in the arcade, and here it is on the Megadrive, bold as brass and a fraction of the price.

I will not pretend the coin-op is my favourite game of all time; in fact, I would see it as the least successful of the Virtua games, but the achievement of this conversion surpasses the leap that the Virtua Racing cart made from previous Megadrive games.

My main concern in anticipating the game was longevity. Steve and I finished the coin-op within a single slush puppy. But be clear that even the arcade mode is *rock hard*, for one or both players, and the extended version is too difficult if anything. It's extremely taxing getting to grips with sections like the Star Destroyer tunnel, though progress is slowly made.

The biggest surprise is just how much more fun it is with a co-pilot: unmissable. It's amazing to think this is the first real Star Wars game after five years of the Megadrive, but it's arrived with a bang.

Sound 93%
P. Samples and title music of clarity that Megadrive owners will never have experienced. Incredibly atmospheric.
N. The in-game music is thinly textured.

Playability 92%
P. Impulsive, compulsive, utterly reflex-based and constantly demanding. The ultimate trigger experience.

Value For Money 89%
P. A £6,000 arcade cabinet transformed into a £50 cart, and this is the first Star Wars title for the Megadrive.

Overall 90%
A stunning debut for the 32X, with a great feel and atmosphere. A whopper with extra relish for those who like their action-to-go.