Video Game Review - Gunstar Heroes (1993 - Sega Genesis)

I've had many people say that I have the speech mannerisms of a psychologist. With that in mind, I'm going to do some word association with myself. Here we go.

Day. ...night.

Ham. ...burger.

Surf. ...er dude.

Car. ...wheel

Gun. ...star Heroes.

When all the associations were made, one conclusion was clear: Gunstar Heroes is the greatest game out there for the Sega Genesis.

On the planet Gunstar 9, home of the family Gunstar, trouble was afoot. Some crazy-ass space monster was menacing the planet! White Gunstar, patriarch of the Gunstar clan, sent out fighters to deal with the incoming threat. The twin brothers Red and Blue Gunstar headed to the disturbance on foot, while the older Green traveled to the site in his transforming platform, Seven Force. The mission went wrong somehow and not only did Green become evil, but several other members of the Gunstar family have gone rogue under the command of Commander Crimson (he looks like M. Bison from Street Fighter) Crimson's using the robot armies of Gunstar 9 to wipe the Gunstar clan off the planet and take the space monster's power for himself! The fuck is a nigga supposed to do?

One thing left TO do: buck shots.

Gunstar Heroes is what I like to call "Contra on crack." The game moves at a fast pace, with tons of baddies to shoot and bosses that don't hold back. They fight you with style and force. No cheating-ass tactics, these guys. The music's great and and you can combine two separate special weapons to create a better special weapon. What makes the game even better is the fact that when you choose a specific character (either Gunstar Red or Gunstar Blue) that each player has a deficiency in their game play. One guy has better hand-to-hand techniques, but he can only shoot while standing still and the other can shoot on the run but only do minimal hand-to-hand damage. These little design flaws are what make a 2-player game better than a 1-player deal: you HAVE to work together to win. To bring it to the present, such a tactic is employed in the GameCube RPG Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. But who wants to carry around a jug of water when you can save the galaxy!

There are many people who have not played Gunstar Heroes, and it shows when you mention the game. Their eyes are dull when the words finish and still they choose to be lost in supers, specials and combos. For the legion of people whose eyes flare with a gem-like flame when mention of the Gunstar family makes it into a conversation, you can agree with me when I give Gunstar Heroes for the Sega Genesis very high marks.

RATING: 10/10