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After a combination of a thread in Arcade Alley where the awesome 32X version of Space Harrier was discussed and the fact that I still can't make heads or tails out of how I feel about the new Star Wars movie overall, I decided to play the 32X Star Wars Arcade for awhile tonight. I don't think I've ever played this arcade game on a cabinet, so I can't really compare them. The US and Japanese 32X games are basically identical, and like most 32X games, either version will boot up in the language of the console's region, so there's no real need for comparison there.

There are two modes, the 32X mode or arcade mode. The game claims to be more difficult in 32X mode, but I'd beg to differ. Although there are some extra stages in this mode, their clear requirements tend to be lower than Arcade mode, such as shooting down 15 TIE Fighters instead of 20 in the time limit. Either way, there are only a handful of stages, and they appear in random order. These include shooting down TIEs in an asteroid field, shooting down TIEs in a space battle surrounded by Star Destroyers, shooting down TIEs around the Death Star... there are a couple of varied missions such as blowing up the engine of a Super Star Destroyer or making an assault run on the Death Star, but most of what you do here is shoot down TIE Bombers, Fighters, and Interceptors.

Aside from a lack of variety, there is one other kind of downer in this one, and that's the restricted vertical movement. You can only move up or down slightly, and your speed is largely prohibitive, as you'll find it easier to slow down and shoot down rivals as they pass than swoop in from behind like you're playing X-Wing or TIE Fighter. No barrel rolls, no loops... just slowly drifting left, right, up, and down. It's not a satisfying flight game sim in the least.

Now, the positives. The polygon graphics look pretty good for the time, and the animation, while far from modern 3D scrolling, isn't so choppy as to make it difficult to play. It actually looks pretty great, both from the cockpit view and the behind the ship view. The digitized sound is pretty great as well, and the blaster sound effects and music really are true to classic Star Wars. The difficulty is pretty fair once you wrap your hands around how to play it right, and the 2 player mode where a second player plays along as your gunner with their own blaster cursor is actually pretty fun to play.

Star Wars Arcade is one of the most common 32X games, but has a similar charm to me as the Atari arcade vector game. The piloting is kinda lackluster, but the presentation is really strong, and the two player mode is a lot of fun. I think most fans of the classic Star Wars trilogy would find a lot to like, even if it's only one they break out every few years. It's simple arcade fun, and it works on that level.

Have you blown up about 500 TIE Fighters made of textureless polygons lately?