Star Soldier PSP – GIANT SPACE BRAINS RETURNS
Star Soldier Portable goes down in history as one of the better Vertical Shooter games out there. It is definitely the best PlayStation Portable shooter out there and one that every shoot ’em up fan needs in their collection.
Star Soldier just had it’s 30th Anniversary a few years ago and for some reason, oddly enough no one hyped that up with a re-release or anything.
The franchise started on the Famicom/NES and then eventually moved on to the TurboGrafx-16 and after that, it took years before it was revived again.
OK, yes there was a Nintendo 64 version indeed, but the less we speak about that the better right?
Star Soldier came back in the early 2000’s for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube format and this is where this PlayStation Portable version originates from, ported and enhanced but based on them.
Hudson went into liquidation back in 2012. How such a strong name managed to do that is beyond my understanding, but then again, most old-school companies just can’t stay afloat in today’s market, sadly.
Bomberman, Adventure Island, Bonk/BC/PC Kid, and the instant Amiga hit Yo! Joe! – Beat The Ghosts – is just a few of their classics. The quality they showed over the last 30 or so years means that Hudson will be remembered by both name and game for sure, may they R.I.P.
In January 2011, Hudson Soft Co., Ltd. was acquired by and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Konami.
On January 12, 2012, it was announced that on March 1, 2012, Hudson Soft Co., Ltd. would officially cease to exist as it would be absorbed into Konami Digital Entertainment, with its music business being absorbed into Konami Music Entertainment.”
Thanks, Konami… FFS!
The first thing that you see in Star Soldier on the PSP will most likely be this screen, yes, it’s actually a warning that you have to turn the handheld into “TATE” / vertical mode.
The word TATE might not be the most used word around here, but it’s basically the Japanese word (tah-tay) for Vertical screen mode.
Yes, Star Soldier is one of those few PSP games that indeed use this mode; others that support this mode are some Pinball games from System3/Farsight Studios.
Playing while holding the PSP vertically does feel weird at first, for sure, but it won’t take you long before you forget it, and that’s when the fun starts.
Star Soldier comes with a lot of options and game modes, Auto fire being the most pleasant one due to it being a handheld game, and all that said, it can be switched off for those of you who want it more brutal.
The difficulty settings certainly help the n00bs out there and for first timers of the game, it is recommended to start at easy just to get into the gameplay mechanics.
Once you complete the game (10 stages), the fun starts. You unlock new game modes and a new game+ mode too, you will find a proper challenge here for sure.
There was also a leaderboard website on the internet where you could input a randomly generated code that was acquired when completing the game.
If this website/service is still operational is unknown for now (can’t find anything on Google sadly).
There are 3 ships to chose from which means that there’s something for everyone here, the middle one (ENIGMA) is the most brutal one, the game will get too easy once you fully upgrade that one, that said I always prefer the first one (A.CAESAR) anyways as it moves faster and its just more fun to play with.
As with all shooters, there’s always one ship that I suck at… Yup, you guessed it…
Oh, and yes, you can unlock a bonus ship, although that can be hard without some idea how to do it, I’ll give you a hint (thanks Mosaic / GameFaq!):
Attack the level-8 crab boss until it transforms into its ship form. Do not destroy the boss. Instead, avoid its bullets until it leaves the screen. You’ll unlock the fourth ship for your trouble. Using stage select to warp directly to level 8 is OK.
This remake trades in the classic sprites and 2D visuals for full 3D polygon graphicsâand surprisingly, it doesnât take away from the fun at all. In fact, it still feels true to the original spirit, just with a modern twist. As with most games from Studio Siesta, the pace can be fast. Maybe a bit too fast for some at firstâbut once you adjust, you wonât want it any other way.
Enemy waves are thoughtfully designed and strategically placed, offering a solid challenge without veering into bullet-hell territory. This is more of a classic âblast-everything-that-movesâ type of game, rather than the âdodge, shoot, dodge, dodge, dodge, shootâ rhythm shmup veterans might expect.
The upgrade system can be a bit brutalânot in finding the upgrades, but in actually grabbing them. They tend to fly off-screen before you can react, making timing and positioning just as important as aim.
Performance-wise, I havenât encountered a single slowdown, which is impressive considering how much chaos unfolds on-screen. Dozens of enemies, projectiles, and effects, all scrolling smoothly at 60 FPSâitâs a technical triumph for a handheld.
Visually, the graphics look fantastic on the PSP. The TATE mode, combined with the wide screen, makes this arguably the best version of the game out there.
And the music? Pure retro goodness. A strong, energetic soundtrack that fits the action perfectly and might just keep you coming back for one more go.
Boss battles are one of the things that Star Soldier does best, humongous bosses that throw thousands of bullets at you and the only way you manage to stay alive is due to the brilliant battle music which manages to zone you out of the real world and into the game, you will become one with the game in a heartbeat.
Everything just “sits” perfectly!.
I have included a pretty damn good video of the game here but let me suggest that you try the game yourself instead of watching this playthrough as this is one of those games that YOU just have to play and enjoy to get the maximum effect out of.
Like many other excellent Shoot ‘Em Up games Star Soldier Portable never came to the west, the only version available is this Japanese version but thankfully the PSP is region free so getting the game to work ain’t a problem either, oh and one more thing, there ain’t much text in the game either, all important stuff like menus is in English.
Star Soldier Portable goes down in history as one of the better Vertical Shooter games out there. It is definitely the best PlayStation Portable shooter out there and one that every shoot ’em up fan needs in their collection. An instant classic, finally a remake that beats the living hell out of the original. The game ain’t a technical achievement, nor is it full of special effects to use as a showcase title for the hardware; the only reason to hype this game up is for the exceptionally good gameplay mechanics and how well everything is put together to make it one of the best out there. TATE Mode FTW!
Can you port it to VITA please? đ Hehehe.. đ
Doh!. Stop with them excuses to fire up your PSP! đ
Can you kill any horses in this one?
No, haha .. those are Sacred ones:p