(LAST UPDATE: 7/26/09)
Publisher(s): Capcom
Developer(s): Capcom
Designer(s): Hideaki Itsuno,
Eiichiro Sasaki
Platform(s): Arcade,
Playstation
Release: October 25th 1996 (JP), October 31st 1996 (NA), December
1996 (PAL)
Characters:
Hayato,
Prince,
June,
Bilstein,
Gamof,
Gerelt,
Gore, Zelkin,
Vector
Related Games:
Plasma
Sword,
Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasa
Story: In the year
2348, humans have been exploring space for the past four centuries, and
have established contact with various alien civilizations. People now emigrate
from one planet to another, and life is generally good. In steps Edward
Bilstein. A Nobel prize-winning physicist, he uncovers the secret to humanity's
"sixth sense," and discovers how to use it as an energy source he calls,
"Plasma Power." After failed attempts to coerce other Plasma fighters to
join him in taking over Earth, Dr. Bilstein is captured by authorities
and imprisoned in a satellite orbiting planet Zeta. Six years later, Bilstein
has built himself a powerful cyborg body, and has managed to escape from
his cell, gathering a cadre of Plasma mercenaries at his side. After making
quick work of Zeta's defenses, Bilstein again sets his eyes on Earth. A
panicked Earth Federation has only one recourse: to find people who could
utilize the Plasma weapons against their own creator in a last, desperate
hope to stop the mad genius before he can invade Earth with his nascent
Fourth Empire.
.
.
.
Review: Having revolutionized an entire genre of gaming, Capcom's Street Fighter series is the benchmark by which all 2D fighting games are measured. With Star Gladiator, Capcom gave the game a futuristic theme, and took it's first try at a 3D fighting game; but the result just couldn't compete with some of the other 3D fighting games of the time. The characters in Star Gladiator seem to be Capcom's take on Star Wars characters; certainly unique and humorous in some cases, but not enough to really hold together a completely new franchise.
.
The System
11 hardware this game ran on allowed an easy home translation to the PlayStation,
and it received a better, widespread reception there. Still, Star Gladiator
was hardly the smash hit Capcom may have hoped for, and their future forays
into the 3D fighting genre (Rival Schools
series, Street Fighter EX franchise) seldom fared
much better. Eventually, the game was released for PlayStation in November
1996 and followed by the sequel, Plasma Sword:
Nightmare of Bilstein (Star Gladiator 2 in Japan) which was only ported
to the Sega Dreamcast despite much speculation of a PlayStation conversion.
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5.5 / 10 |
Closing Comment: Capcom had a lot to learn about 3D fighting games, and Star Gladiator was definitely what you'd call a warm up run. I'm sure someone out there liked Star Gladiator, but that random weirdo is not whom Capcom wanted to like their game... The die-hard fighting game fans definitely passed on this one. ~F.Yagami, Webmaster of TFG
.