Көшпенді Жұлдыз: Neo Geo Shoot 'em Up Сағасы

1998 shooter video game
the video game

Blazing Star is a shoot 'em up video game developed by Yumekobo and published by SNK in 1998 for the Neo Geo arcade and home systems. It is a follow up to Pulstar (1995) and features side scrolling action similar to its predecessor and different ships with varying characteristics. It was made less challenging than its predecessor, and the graphic quality was improved upon. The game was released to mixed reviews. It was commended for its graphics and boss design, and for keeping the Neo Geo shooter scene alive. It has received greater recognition in retrospective reviews when re released on smartphones and home consoles through the ACA Neo Geo series. Critics continued to praise the boss battles and graphics, but criticized the uneven stage design.

Blazing Star is a side scrolling shoot 'em up similar to its predecessor Pulstar (1995) and the classic shooter R Type (1987). Initial discussions began with the concept for a follow up to their shooter Pulstar, however they wanted their new game to maintain a degree of independence from the original. With significant changes made to the gameplay style and setting, the team treated their new game as a gaiden and did not want to use Pulstar in the title. The publisher SNK entered the dispute, saying they did not want Yumekobo's new shooter to be associated to Pulstar in the west because it received poor reception there due to its high difficulty.

Blazing Star was released on the Neo Geo arcade system (MVS) in 1998, and the home system (AES) on February 26, 1998. A Neo Geo CD release was planned but abandoned. and on the Wii via the Virtual Console in Japan on August 21 later that year. The smartphone versions include multiplayer support via Bluetooth and a practice mode that lets the player start from any stage they have cleared. As with all games released under the ACA Neo Geo brand, the game includes Hamster's additional scoring modes, screen filter options, and difficulty settings. This version later came to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One digital storefronts on February 8, 2018. A port developed by DotEmu for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux and asm. js was released by SNK Playmore as part of the Humble NEOGEO 25th Anniversary Bundle on December 15, 2015. It was also released on GOG. com on May 30, 2017.

Critics commended Blazing Star as a testament to SNK's devotion to the Neo Geo hardware and keeping classic genres such as shoot 'em ups alive. Edge wrote that side scrolling shooters were rare to find, but the game should satisfy fans of the genre. They praised the colorful backgrounds and 3D special effects. Next Level argued that the game took better advantage of the Neo Geo hardware than Pulstar with its improved background and lighting effects. The iOS and Android ports of Blazing Star were well received. Pocket Gamer agreed about the controls, writing that their finger would get in the way of action occasionally. They still thought the game was addictive and "the equivalent of the machine in the corner that the hardened veterans congregate around, dropping in coin after coin as they inch their way up the leaderboards." Reviewing the Arcade Archives release, Nintendo Life called it a "perfect port", noting that it even retained the frame rate slowdown when the screen is filled with sprites. Their biggest complaints were the game's aged pre rendered graphics and the sharp difficulty increase in the latter stages, but they felt these were minor issues. They felt Hamster Corporation's Hi Score and Caravan modes were perfect complements to Blazing Star. Nintendo World Report felt that it had an uneven level design, wishing the earlier levels had more stage hazards. They did however appreciate the game for maintaining a degree of simplicity without sacrificing gameplay depth, and called it "one of the more accessible and fun shoot em ups out there".

Retro Gamer and Harcore Gaming 101 wrote that the game is sometimes remembered for its poorly translated English text. Some articles, including one by linguist Ben Zimmer, have cited the game's game over message, “You fail it", as inspiring the popular interjection "Fail".