Review of Star Gladiator

Buried in the past and minds of those aware of its existence, Star Gladiator was Capcom's first foray into the realm of the three-dimensional fighting. Having a history as wild as its characters, many speculate the game was developed with the intention of being a Star Wars game. An earlier attempt at what would come to life in LucasArts' Masters of Teras Kasi? Perhaps, but true or not, the thoughts of worlds and galaxies beyond the earth would remain ingrained and became a clever, covert homage to its perceived source material. Unfortunately, as solid as the game ended up being, it would never overcome it's lack of marketing or the fact that Namco would release it own weapons-based fighter, Soul Edge, in the following year. So without further ado, let's look at what makes Star Gladiator tick.

Star Gladiator takes place in the distant future where mankind has had contact with life beyond our own solar system. While most of the contact has been of a peaceful nature, there have been conflicts that force Earth to seek a way to balance the power. They settle on the creation of a plasma weapon, a weapon that derives its power from the wielder's mind. The brilliant Dr. Edward Bilstein is placed at the helm of the project due to his family's previous research into the subject, but he is eventually tried and imprisoned for using human bodies in the creation of the weapon. Four years after his incarceration in the prison orbiting the planet Zeta, Bilstein escapes his confinement (note to self: don't give inmates power tools - ends badly) and leaves a trail of destruction as he heads towards Earth with some of his fellow cons. The Federation Army, pretty much out of ideas, enacts a plan to scour the globe looking for fighters with the abilities needed to use the very weapons Bilstein created against him, and so starts project Star Gladiator.

Okay, so it's not the most imaginative story, but you get the idea. It's a little more creative than the whole "traveling warrior seeks out strong opponents to get stronger" thing has become so we'll take it; I don't really want to stoop to that whole "no one plays fighting games for the story" thing if I can help it. Regardless, after watching the bright and shiny opening FMV we reach the title screen where the thunderous announcement that we're playing "STAR GLADIATOR!" awaits us. This screen is so cheesy it's just great. Hell, I listen to this voiceover over and over on my copy of the soundtrack all the time. After choosing from your basic array of options (arcade, vs., group battles to the options menu) we are presented with some very peculiar, very interesting characters:

Hayato Kanzaki: The main protagonist of the series, Hayato was abandoned on the streets of Neo-Tokyo by his parents at an early age. After growing up in an orphanage, he reluctantly became a bounty hunter due to the lack of jobs and to help the owner of the orphanage get out of the debt. While dealing with the inner turmoil about his profession and the criminal activity it often leads to, Hayato stumbles upon an advertisement for a project called Star Gladiator. This good-natured Luke Skywalker/Ken/Ryu-ish character sees it as his way out of a life he does not want to lead.

June Lin Milliam: A gymnast from mainland China, June and her family are forced to flee their homeland after a violent revolution breaks out. Relocating to England, the only job her father can find is in the lab of one Dr. Edward Bilstein. Unsurprisingly, her father is killed when a blast rips through the facility; her mother soon follows when she succumbs to her grief. Later, the Princess Leia-haired June discovers the incident at the lab was no accident and swears revenge on the mastermind behind it: Bilstein.

Saturn Dyer: A green skinned alien from the planet Saturn (but not our Saturn mind you!) with smile as wide as a dump truck, Saturn originally intends to turn down an assignment to observe life on Earth from afar. However, he reconsiders once he realizes it's the perfect opportunity to perfect his skill with the “intriguing” yo-yo. Through street performance he becomes so proficient with it that he can actually wield it as a weapon. In the end, he defects from his home planet and joins Star Gladiator for the potential fame.

Gamof Gohgry: Having worked as a lumberjack to support his terminally-ill mother and younger siblings since childhood, this combination of Chewbacca and Zangief turns to the life of a bounty hunter after the forests of his home planet DeRosa are devastated by an unknown Earth microbe. Having become disillusioned with the lifestyle much like his friend Hayato, he joins project Star Gladiator for the chance to change his fortunes for the better.

Franco Gerelt: Having a lot in common with Cloud City's Lando Calrissian, the Spanish Matador Franco Gerelt (will Spanish Matadors even exist in 2348? Capcom, you're crazy... simply crazy) is framed for the abduction of his family by a rival matador during an event on Zeta. During his escape from the authorities, Gerelt encounters Bilstein who cunningly convinces him the only way he'll ever see his family again is to fight for him in the Fourth Empire.

Vector: A soulless killing machine created by Bilstein in order to conquer Earth and aid his escape from Zeta, Vector enters the fray as a final test of its battle capabilities (which is odd considering “Vectors” didn't seem to have any problem doing their “job” in the opening video, did they?). While Vector and his storyline have more in common with Killer Instinct's Fulgore than that of CP3-O and R2-D2 of Star Wars fame, this contorting robot wields a mean plasma rifle fueled by an internal plasma generator.

Rimgal: An experiment of Bilstein's, Rimgal is a combination of dinosaur DNA and that of Michael Milliam, June's father. Unfortunately, while the human side of Rimgal is supposedly self-aware, it fights a constant battle against its primal urges and the bio-control chip that was implanted in its brain after the accident at the British lab. Its worst fear is that it will eventually give in and destroy its own flesh and blood.

Zelkin Fiskekrogen: Before the events of Star Gladiator, Earth had clashed in battle with the bird-like people of the planet Klondike. In an attempt to bring the long battle to an end, Zelkin surrendered himself in exchange for the release of POWs. While the exchange was honored, the rumor that he passed way while imprisoned on Zeta allowed the Federation Army to keep him confined indefinitely. Freed by Bilstein during his escape, Zelkin joins the Fourth Empire in order to repay his debt. He is also an acquaintance of Hayato's as well although how this is so is never explained.

Gore Gajah: Born in Bali, Indonesia to a large family, Gore grew up performing mind tricks and magic for his younger brothers and sisters. Such black magic was linked to the family name before this however. That said, Gore had higher ambitions for his powers than simple amusement. While rising to fame on his own before the conflict, he sides with Bilstein's Fourth Empire in order to learn more about plasma power.

Bilstein: The madman that has spearheaded the events of the game with his goals of planetary conquest, Bilstein is an imposing Darth Vader figure that wields an enormous plasma sword in battle. Who knew a nerdy, Nobel Prize-winning physicist could cause so much trouble? Bilstein can be unlocked through the use of a code.

Beyond the initial 10 characters the player will encounter battling through arcade mode, there are a few additional fighters that can be unlocked and push the already peculiar boundaries of characterization. Seriously, just wait until you see the profile photo used for the one character and some of the hidden Easter eggs in the game. Unfortunately, the last of these hidden fighters, an alternate version of Bilstein, is only accessible through the assistance of a GameShark.

Getting down to the nitty-gritty of battle, Star Gladiator plays out like most 3D fighters that came before and after it. Two fighters start out in the middle of an elevated ring and can either exhaust their opponent's stamina or knock them out of bounds to take the round. Characters can execute vertical weapon attacks with the square button, horizontal weapon attacks with triangle and kicks with circle. Attacks can be blocked with the guard button (X) or evaded through sidestepping. Combos can be executed by chaining the three attack buttons together in a preset order much like a late era, 2D Mortal Kombat or Namco fighter. Pretty standard stuff.

So where does Star Gladiator start to differentiate itself from the crowd? First and foremost is the Plasma Strike, a once per round special that does massive damage. While similar to Soul Blade's "Critical Edge" attack it adds a bit of strategy to fights. Do you use it right off the bat to get ahead of the game or do you save it in case you are in need of a desperation attack? As powerful as the move is, the short wind up that is needed to prepare it gives your opponent a chance to attack and cancel it. Usually, having the move interrupted uses up your one and only attempt, but it all really depends on when you're interrupted. If knocked out the animation early enough, you can still retain your charge and make another attempt later. Still, word to the wise, don't count on it.

Next up is the Plasma Reflect, a somewhat risky reversal technique. One of the Plasma Reflect commands repels horizontal strikes and the other vertical strikes. Upon execution, your character will flicker and, depending if your opponent is unlucky enough to attack with the corresponding attack (vertical vs. vertical or horizontal vs. horizontal) the characters weapons will collide with one another. The defending character will now have a slight advantage in recovery time compared to the attacker, creating an opening for an attack. Obviously, some will question to proposition of opening themselves up for an attack just to create an opening when a well timed sidestep can do the same thing , but if the opponent keeps coming at you with the same combo (thus opening with the same strike) you can start to see how the Plasma Reflect can hold it's own.

The Plasma Revenge, the automatic-response version of the Plasma Reflect, works in much the same way, only that your character immediately counter attacks the opponent after a strike. Unfortunately, as impressive and satisfying as these moves can be to pull off, anyone who has ever been the victim of one will probably tell you they do feel a little overpowered when the shoe is on the other foot. Wrapping up the array of plasma powers available to the player are Plasma Finals. For the lack of a better description, Plasma Finals are basically combos that end with a bit more fireworks than your typical combo and can be defended against easier because of the time needed for their execution, which offsets their offensive power. For most characters, there isn't any one way to execute a Plasma Final as there are usually a few chains in their combo tree that will get them to the same result.

In another twist, the characters in Star Gladiator can be divided into groups depending on which “combo tree” they employ. For example, a Type A character like Hayato can link the same buttons together as another type A character like Gerelt, so, technically, if one is proficient as playing as Hayato, picking up and playing as Gerelt shouldn't be much of a problem. While this may initially seem to rob the characters of some of their individuality, a character's weaponry along with timing and physics (if a hit knocks or pops up an opponent) can drastically make the same combo very different.

As well as the above comes together, there a few things that hold the combat in Star Gladiator back. While some will be quick to point out the characters can feel somewhat unbalanced, it's simply that some moves cause too much damage. The Plasma Revenge falls into this category as well as Gamof's spinning pile driver which is capable of robbing any poor sap of half their stamina. Still, when it comes to looking for a full-blown problem, nothing beats the issue characters seem to have facing their attackers at times. Certain moves and situations can leave a character's backside turned to their opponent for what seems like an eternity and, as frustrating as it can be, there isn't anything one can do about it except let the game's engine realize the problem and correct it. It's hardly a deal breaker but I'm sure more than a few heated matches have been unjustly lost because of it.

Regardless of the problems the above can create, there are many other aspects of Star Gladiator that help make up for it. Graphically, the game brings the goods for the era it was released in, much better than what Plasma Sword was able to do in its day. This is mainly due to the fact the ZN-1 board the arcade original employed is similar in architecture to the hardware within the PS1. Ironically, some of the fighters look better here than they do in the sequel! This also applies to the backgrounds, which have depth and personality to them. It's this personality and how it correlates to their related characters that helps bring the game's world alive. Still, the fighting environments don't do this alone; a lot of the credit goes to composers Isao Abe and Yuko Takehara (Breath of Fire II, Mega Man 6) for crafting such a solid score. Can anyone else imagine anything other than classic Capcom rock blasting in the background when battling Zelkin on top of an aircraft carrier or the death tinged darkness heard while tying to outwit Gore? A underrated element of the game for sure (actually, just about anything Takehara composes for ends up being underrated) it's made even better considering these tunes where remastered from their arcade originals to take advantage of the PlayStation's sound capabilities. These tunes can also be enjoyed outside the game in a standard CD player to boot! Praise for the audio doesn't stop there however. While all the whacks and thuds of battle are on point, it's the voice acting that deserves real praise. As simple as such an idea would seem, making extraterrestrial characters sound extraterrestrial and goofy adds to the genuine feel of the characters. Additionally, hearing a pound and respected fighters like Zelkin and Hayato speak in Japanese just feels right, something than an English dub would probably flub.

Unfortunately, when it comes to putting the finishing touches on the characters it presents, Star Gladiator tends to be a bit stingy. Despite what some people erroneously believe, the game does indeed include actual endings to each character's scenario. The problem is you have to be really, really good – and really fast - at the game to even see them. Viewing a character's ending is based on clearing arcade mode in a given amount of time based on the number of rounds and, well, it's far from easy. In fact, while continuing doesn't automatically give you the bad ending, continuing even once will probably add enough time to put you over the limit. As if that weren't bad enough, you only have one chance to defeat the special adversary that appears if you do manage to make it. Fail in doing that and you'll see the second bad ending. Making people work for something is one thing, making pursue a rather unrealistic goal is another.

Anyway, that is Star Gladiator. While it's fairly obvious why the series never caught on and became mainstream, it's a solid game that deserves attention from fans of the genre. Perhaps the best way to put it is its a few steps higher than a Battle Arena Toshinden and only about one down from Soul Blade and is worth the ten to fifteen dollars you'd spend to acquire it.