Astra Super Stars

Post by **Ack** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 11:36 pm

Of all the games to end up extremely expensive, I discovered Astra Super Stars. The minimum I've seen it go on eBay is $188.00, though it seems to average about $250.00. Having never played it, I can't surmise to the quality of the game, but I have to ask...is it actually that good of a fighter, or was it just an extremely limited release? Seriously, I have to know.

Post by **Doctor Fugue** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 3:00 am

I don't think I've ever played it, certainly not the Saturn version. Have you tried to MAME the arcade version? ST-V boards are difficult to emulate, but perhaps this one works well. I guess I could give it a go if no one else wants to.

EDIT: I can't seem to get it going. I've never been able to get the ST-V bios games working.

Anyway, I watched some videos and it looks a bit like Waku Waku 7. It looks decent at least, and it is probably a pretty good game. That price for the Saturn version might just be one of those things where people think it is more rare than it actually is.

EDIT 2: Now you've got me thinking about this game. I've read a bit more about it and it seems quite interesting. I found a place selling it for around 75 pounds (~150 dollars) used and 110 pounds new/sealed. Grrrr....must...not...spend....money.

Post by **Bootaaay** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 5:09 am

I'm a big fan of Astra Superstars, it's definetly one of the best fighters on the Saturn and certainly one of the most overlooked fighters of all time. In terms of playability, Astra Superstars is light-years ahead of Waku Waku imo. The high prices stem more from the fact that it's a highly regarded cult fighting game and alot of people seem to want to keep hold of their copies - keep looking though, you should eventually find it for a bit cheaper, I got mine for about £55 if I remmember rightly.

Post by **racketboy** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 7:00 am

It's actually one of my favorites on the system -- it has a lot of originality with the floating in the air/jumping up and down aspect and the graphics could pass for a 2D Dreamcast game.

However, most of that price is just because of the collectability.

Post by **Doctor Fugue** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 7:58 am

*sigh* I appear to be the only one who hasn't played it.

I learn about something every day!

Post by **General Chaos** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 8:04 am

I haven't played it either, but it's definitely on my list of games to buy (eventually). I think it's the most expensive game on the list, followed by D&D Collection, Princess Crown, WInning Post and Bulk Slash. Of course, then there's those Twin Sticks. Saturn collecting is an expensive hobby.

Post by **d123456** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 8:59 am

The game is very different. there's no standing and jumping, but you're in the air, all the time.
Very unique, nothing bad about it.

Post by **nateup2** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 9:41 am

I own it but havent really dove into it yet. I played a couple rounds and it seems to be pretty unique. Like was said above, you are floating in the sky and can fly upward or dip downward, which adds a whole new dimension of gameplay. No other game out there like it that I know of.

Graphics are very colorful as well. If I remember correctly there are some 3d effects going on in addition to the beautiful 2d sprites.

Damn, I think Im going to have at this one tonight!

Post by **Ack** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 9:48 am

Sad thing is, I have heard of that before on a Super Famicom game. The Cho Aniki fighter involved the player flying around, though I don't think I would recommend it to many people due to the nature of the series.

How expensive is Bulk Slash? I was interested in checking its price, but I never found a copy. Does it run for a lot?

In the meantime, thanks for the info. I'll keep an eye open, though I don't know if I'll ever be able to pay that much for a single title.

Post by **Gamerforlife** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 8:12 pm

I've played it, and no it is nowhere even remotely close to being worth its high price on ebay. That being said, I actually like the game. Its art style is gorgeous, the gameplay is fun and easy to pick up even for someone who isn't skilled at 2-d fighters. The aerial combat is also not something I'm used to seeing in a 2-d fighter(though it does feature in Psychic Force which is a Taito Playstation figher that is sort of 3-d). So Astra Super Stars gets points for originality.

Thing is though, it's sort of shallow for a fighter. Not as deep as some of the more highly regarded 2-d fighters. You'll play it, have fun, but then you'll wonder why you paid so much for it.

Of course, as a collector I certainly wouldn't mind having a copy, don't get me wrong. I just don't think the high price is totally justifiable.