Gunstar Heroes
Gunstar Heroes is a video game released in 1993 by Treasure Co. Ltd for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. In many aspects, Gunstar Heroes is considred innovative. It combined a linear, side-scrolling shooter with plot elements, a combo-based weapon system, a dice game, recurring bosses, and combat strategy. It remains one of the most popular games of the 16-bit console, and it is often found being traded for relatively high prices (around 10 times the price of a common cart). In the console later years it was re-packed in Sega's Classic Pack along other greats such as Alex Kidd, Altered Beast and Flickies.
Weapons
The weapon system functions as follows:
Each player has space for two weapon shots. He or she can combine any two simple shots to form a combo shot.
Basic Shots:
- Force Shot - A ball of energy. Medium-powered.
- Lightning Shot - A rapid laser blast of blue lightning.
- Chaser Shot - A rapid fire, target-seeking gun that shoots stars; it is the weakest single shot.
- Flame Shot - A fairly short-ranged but powerful and continuous flamethrower.
Combo Shots:
- Force+Force - A strong, rapid-fire gun that can shoot in all directions.
- Force+Lightning - Slightly less strong than Force+Force, this is a rapid-fire laser gun that travels through its targets.
- Force+Chaser - Stronger than the single Force shot, this gun has some limited Chaser power.
- Force+Flame - A rapid-fire Force gun that fires explosive shots.
- Lightning+Lightning - Continuos Lightning Shot. Heavy damage.
- Lightning+Chaser - A Lightning gun with excellent Chaser capability. The only drawback is it sometimes remains homed in on a target.
- Lightning+Flame - A very strong but short-range lightning sword.
- Chaser+Chaser - A moderately-strong gun that homes in on multiple-targets.
- Chaser+Flame - A Flame gun that fires shots you can control toward a target. Difficult to use but effective if mastered.
- Flame+Flame - A very strong Flame gun with twice the range of the single Flame shot.