Super Star Wars Virtual Console Review
Ask any gamer over the age of 25 what the most difficult game they ever played was. Internet Top 10 lists have sprung up over this very subject on various sites and there are two common titles: Battletoads for the original NES and Super Star Wars for the SNES. The latter also being in the upper echelon of excellence in video game design and development. Not only does SSW prove itself as a solid and fun platformer, but it single-handedly proved (at the time) that good games could be based on movies.
That was 1992 though and standards have changed tremendously since then. So when Nintendo published the title through their Virtual Console application on the Wii, old schoolers might be disappointed at how dated, not to mention frustrating, the title turns out to be.
If you’ve never played, Super Star Wars is an action-platformer in the truest sense that roughly follows the events of Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope. Mind you, this was before the movie had an official episode number and subtitle. Anyway, the story is slightly modified to better explain the level design and end goals. Players don the roles of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo or Chewbacca in 14 levels of jumping and shooting, intercut with a few vehicle levels. Each character can roll or slide, fire a blaster and high jump. Only Luke can wield a lightsaber after completing the 5th stage, but frankly, the blaster is more effective and doesn’t require dangerously close proximity to do damage.
The game is fun, I’ll grant that. The midi music-stylings of John Williams’ score plays behind familiar sound effects, like the scream of a Jawa, Ben Kenobi’s sage advice to “Use the Force, Luke” and your X-Wing squad leader reminding you to “Stay on target”. Star Wars fans, young and old, are bound to want a crack at experiencing one of the first great Star Wars games. Be forewarned however. Super Star Wars is probably one of the most difficult titles you’ll ever play.
Mostly, the difficulty comes from the sad fact that progress is not saved. Maybe we 21st century gamers are spoiled, but I know very few people that have the time, or patience, to play a game from start to finish in one sitting, and this requires it. Later titles (Super Empire and Super Jedi) introduced code-based level return, but you’ll need to dedicate about 6 hours to get through this one…on easy.
The remainder of the hair pulling stems from 3 lives, extremely limited extra lives, one halfway resume point per level and 5 total continues. Some may remember the invincible cheat code, but don’t expect to pull it off unless you’re using the Wii Classic Controller, because the GameCube controls don’t have a Select button required to enter it. Others might remember the secret cave with the 99 lives trick. Rejoice, for that is still available, and probably the only way to actually reach the final credits.
I find it hard to score this release. It’s an old game, that was once very, very good, but lacks certain nuances expected of any new game, particularly platformers. I’ll say for a measly 800 Wii points (8 bucks American), it’s a nice trip down memory lane, cheaper than seeing a first run movie and lasts 3 times longer. However, even for a fan like myself, the title just has zero replay value. I’m certainly not gonna try to tackle harder difficulty settings and once you’ve played through once, you’ve seen what you’re gonna see. Good value, great retro gaming, but it just doesn’t hold up.
