We were just about to leave the incredible Galloping Ghost when I saw this cabinet right next to the wall and a window near the front of the arcade. The sit-down two player game that is often overlooked due to the prevalence of Atari’s own Star Wars arcade game. But man, was I excited to try this one out!
The similarities to Atari’s own Star Wars game are numerous: you still pilot an X-Wing, you’re still battling TIE Fighters, and your still probably going to die a lot. However, Sega’s game has much improved visuals over Atari’s classic vector style visuals. Also, this game allows for two cooperative players. One can take the role of pilot and steer the ship as best they can, while the other becomes the gunner, shooting at incoming enemies. With the pilot role you have more freedom of movement, where the aforementioned Atari version was relatively on-rails.
This cabinet was in perfect condition when I saw it. The screen, artwork, stickers, controllers, seats, and overall cabinet were seemingly flawless. While this is impressive for a game released in the early 90s, it’s even more astounding when you factor in the relatively obscurity of the cabinet. There are apparently less that a couple dozen of these outside of Japan, so seeing one in the wild is almost mind boggling.
Sometimes I like to play arcade games to enjoy the nostalgic feel a video game brings me. Other times I like to enjoy the vision and world that has been created to immerse the player. But with this game, I felt privileged to just be in it’s presence, let alone play it! While the game was ported to the 32X, there hasn’t been another home console to date. And honestly, who had a 32X and this game?
Played at Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfiled, IL 2019
