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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...

Based on the Lucasfilm move trilogy, of course - and also a replica of Sega's Virtua Star Wars coin-op.

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.

The coin-op was programmed using Sega's Model 1 CG board, which can produce 180,000 polygons per second, and retails for around £6,000 for the stand-up version.

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.

Even more surprises, unrelated to the coin-op, await those who are skilful enough to progress deep into this extremely challenging game.

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.

2. TIE Bomber More heavily armed than its fighter cousin, the TIE bomber is also slower and less responsive, making it an easier target. It is distinguished by its double-cockpit.

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.

In common with the arcade version, Star Wars 32X offers a choice between one or two-player simultaneous play options. Flying alone, you take the rebel's main assault craft, the four-laser X-wing fighter. As a team, 'Pilot and Gunner' puts you in command of the less celebrated Y-wing craft. In previous Star Wars tradition, this is a slower craft with different strategic employments, but in this game there is no appreciable difference in handling.

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.

Like the other Sega VR games, you have multiple viewing options, each suiting different stages. The main view is from within the cockpit, in the first-person perspective, with all the game info on the surrounding panels. The other view is a 'chase' camera behind the craft, which gives a wider range of vision. The computer will alert you when enemies are on your tail with a warning message. From the cockpit you are aware are:

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.

1. Asteroid Field An initial quota of 15 TIE Fighters to be wheedled out of a field of cartwheeling rock chunks. These are fully interactive scenery.

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.

4. Death Star Multiple missions for the climax to the Arcade game, with TIE Fighter dogfights, surface targets and of course a trip down the trench to fire those torpedoes into that letterbox of an exhaust port.

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.

The Star Wars coin-op was a visual feast but was too short and easy for its own good. This 32X version combats this by ading more stages which - whilst generally involving blasting TIE Fighters - ensures the game will last longer than its coin-op cousin.

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.

The icing on the cake, though, is the two-player dual control mode which is ace. The perfect 32X debut.

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.

This is a fully fledged polygon game, and the graphics are not only detailed and convincing, but they move at incredible speed. TIE Fighters really do screech out the screen at you, and the Death Star looms in all its menacing glory. The sound also sets new standard for Sega owners, who couldn't ask for better samples, although the in-game music is weedy compared to the title track.

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.

Graphics 95%
P. Thousands of polygons go together to produce a moving masterpiece that is a tribute both to the film and the arcade game.

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.

Lastability 84%
P. Very, very difficult, and it's the epitome of the game you come back to again and again for a quick spin.
N. Not many stages in the arcade version of the game.

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.