Genre: Shooter
Developer: Krysalis
Publisher: Studio 3DO

When the 3DO does 3d visuals, high resolution textures are not a trademark trait. Other than this shortfall, Star Fighter is a wonderful example of the 3DO flexing its muscles. The engine features a good draw-in distance, steady framerates, some crisp FMV sequences, and colorful, well balanced art work.

The sound track is fairly bizarre-- new-age techno dance beats with a mix of light synth melodies and some soaring female accompanying vocals. Some of the songs fit the action, others are fairly irritating. The generic laser effects and hilariously bad voice acting in the FMV scenes do not help the cause.

Star Fighter lets you pilot a futuristic jet/space combat aircraft using some majorly watered down flight sim physics. However, for an arcade flight game, it gives you a surprising amount of freedom; each of the 60 missions gives you a huge map in which you can fly anywhere and destroy almost anything. A variety of weapons, including air-to-air/air-to-ground missiles, lasers, and bombs are available, enabling you to eliminate the many tanks, buildings, and enemy fighters that make up the mission objectives.

The flight mechanics are hardly deep, many of the missions are frustratingly difficult, and the dorky FMV sequences and goofy soundtrack are a little startling. The free-flowing missions, large maps, and variety of weapons and enemies are cool. So whether you like Star Fighter or not really depends on which set of aforementioned characteristics weigh more heavily according to your taste.