Star Gladiator

The best weapons-based fighting game is Star Gladiator, at least in terms of what the 32-bit era had to offer. Don't be persuaded by Soul Blade just because it’s the precursor to the magisterial Soul Calibur; Capcom's Star Gladiator is the superior game. Star Gladiator Episode I: Final Crusade, as the game’s title somewhat oxymoronically runs in full, has the distinction of being the first polygonal fighting game developed by Capcom in-house, and in 1996, we were fortunate enough to be graced by a PS1 port.

Space Sasquatch vs. Pseudo-Ryu

Set in a far-future fantasy, Star Gladiator Episode I is a one-on-one fighter etched out of what is evidently a larger space opera backdrop. As the title and subtitle would suggest, the game none too subtly emulates the Star Wars aesthetic. This was to be expected, though, as a well-circulated rumor has it that Capcom was originally supposed to be the developer of an official Star Wars versus fighter around the same time in the mid-nineties, until LucasArts eventually decided to attempt such a game themselves. Despite the lack of license, George Lucas’ virtuosic vision of staggering genius heavily shows through in Star Gladiator. Perhaps the most blatant arrogation is the character Gamof, a Wookie-like space-sasquatch who brays like Chewie at the moment of victory and defeat. The game's cover-boy Hayato, who readers may be familiar with given his appearance in Marvel vs. Capcom 2, is the confluence of Ryu and Luke Skywalker. From the former he bears the headband; from the latter he bears a light saber (or "plasma sword", as per the title of the eventual Dreamcast-based sequel). There are a few original characters too, among them Rimgal, the space dinosaur, Zelkin, a space blue jay, and Saturn, a grinning, green-skinned cone-head. Perhaps most puzzling is the proto-boss Gore, a levitating, warbling, macro-brained humanoid with curl-toed shoes who is billed from "Indonesia", for some reason.

This multi-specific cast of characters does 3D battle on a variety of richly drawn (if not polygonal) planets, matching a variety of light-saber surrogates against one another—plasma axes, plasma rapiers, and even plasma yo-yos. A little bit of leisurely button-mashing and you'll have braved the playable characters, setting you up for a showdown against Bilstein, the final boss. He'll use up more than a few of your continues, what with his imposing frame, all-black outfit, and phallic grill-mouthed helmet/mask combo. As you have already figured out, Bilstein is a thinly-veiled stand-in for Darth Vader. Is this degree of appropriation problematic? Not in the least, considering how appallingly executed and clunky the eventual licensed Star Wars fighting game (weapons-based, no less) Masters of Teras Kasi turned out to be. Beating Bilstein actually feels more satisfying than downing Darth Vader in Teras Kasi, not only because the LucasArts game is pure feculence, but also because you have to beat it on “Jedi” (that is, “impossible”) difficulty to unlock Anakin Skywalker gone bad. Don't waste your time with Teras Kasi; buy the unapologetic knock-off instead.

In short, Star Gladiator does Star Wars far better than Teras Kasi ever could. In view of the exemplary gameplay and the barefaced but ultimately workable plagiarism from the greatest marketing force of all time, Star Gladiator is a must-find.