Star Ixiom (PS) (1999)
Developer: Namco

Review by Faididi and Co.

"Star Luster 2"

Story: Average

The invading forces of the Battura are back, and this time they've brought along a lot of fellow villains. Roy, a pilot of the United Galactic Space Force (UGSF), gets to use various starfighters to save the day.

Gameplay: Above Average

Namco's Star Ixiom is the long-awaited sequel to Star Luster, a starfighter simulator released one and a half decades earlier. Like before, tactical planning is as important as reflexes. Roy's mission is to prevent the enemies from destroying all the planetary colonies in the sector, but while he engages a group of bad guys at one place, the other enemy forces will continue their advance. This game definitely shouldn't be confused for Ace Combat with an outer space makeover, because the real thrill here lies in rushing back and forth across the sector, choosing which invaders to stop first and which colonies to risk leaving open to attack.

Of course, Star Ixiom boasts a lot of new features, primarily the starbase interior scenes and the vastly expanded equipment available for use. Roy can now visit any starbase to not only receive free repairs but to change vehicles, switch support items, and even talk with the friendly radio operators and technicians for advice. The events in the entire sector are paused while Roy is aboard a starbase, so he can take his time to adjust his equipment, rest up, or simply walk around the place.

There are 5 different ships for Roy to pilot, all drawn from Namco's past games and cementing their place together within the same universe. The well-balanced Gaia starfighter from Star Luster is the default choice, but Roy can eventually switch over to its more famous counterparts. For example, the Geosword from Star Blade is a light, nimble striker whose badass rapid-fire blasters can hit enemies much more easily. By contrast, the Dragoon from Galaxian^3 is a hulking slugger that handles like a tank but enjoys accordingly thicker shields.

Providing further choice are the support items. Every ship may carry one of several secondary weapons, which range from the mundane missile launchers and plasma guns to the exotic charge-up cannons and homing laser blasters. Every ship can also equip an accessory-like special component that modifies its performance with various trade-offs. For instance, the bulky fuel pod impacts the ship's handling but lets Roy operate for longer periods in between refueling stops. Or, the stealth chip places an increased demand on energy usage but helps the ship better avoid enemy fire. Mixing and matching the vehicles, secondary weapons, and special components allows for an interesting range of customization, and the hero can always return to any starbase to change equipment.

However, there are still parts of Star Ixiom that need improvement. Besides including more kinds of bad guys, such as the Galaga and Zolgear forces from the Galaxian series, the level and enemy designs feature massive bosses at certain points. Unfortunately, the secondary weapons are inexplicably disabled during the boss scenes, ruining some of the fun there.

All three game modes remain single-Player, too. The training mode consists of a short exercise, while the command mode is the main offering that puts Roy through 30 missions. Then, in the conquest mode (originally called the adventure mode in Star Luster), our hero tries to hold off for as long as possible against infinite enemies in an endless stage. Star Ixiom makes its conquest mode more complex by adding research stations and power plants that must be protected to allow Roy access to the new equipment, and it also features computer-controlled wingmates. Having 2-Player support in at least one of these modes would have been more exciting, as being able to play together with a friend would've allowed for greater tactical maneuvering.

Instead, Roy's sole companionship outside the starbases comes in the form of the useless and utterly stupid wingmates, only one of whom our hero can take at a time. He can't issue commands to these computer-controlled allies, and they are idiotic to the point of charging directly into enemies, sometimes ramming repeatedly into bad guys and killing themselves within seconds after the beginning of a fight.

Controls: Above Average

Except for the lack of command over the wingmates, the highly customizable controls are perfect. The starfighters handle responsively, and the menus are easy to navigate.

Graphics: Excellent

Whatever can be said about Star Ixiom, graphical limitations certainly aren't among its shortcomings. Thanks to the fantastic draw distance, spotting enemies and other objects from afar is no longer a problem, even when the scanners are damaged. Such a simple-seeming fix of that past problem makes all the difference, yet countless other advances come together to push the console's visual processing powers to their limit. From the painstakingly detailed ships to the asteroid-sized bosses, and from the dazzling warp drive effects to the polished starbase interior scenery, the game looks gorgeous. The battles where Roy engages enemies in the vast stretches of space between a giant planet and its massive rings are perhaps the most eye-catching parts of Star Ixiom, and the game does all of that while maintaining a smooth framerate.

Audio: Above Average

The audio work is impressive enough, thanks to the thundering combat noises, the unique engine sounds of every ship, and the soft swishing of doors opening in the starbases. Although the music isn't the best, the way the tunes change depending on which types of enemies are present is a nice touch.

Overall: Above Average

More than just redeeming the interesting but seriously flawed Star Luster, Star Ixiom is a fantastic-looking starfighter simulator with appreciably deeper gameplay than the Ace Combat series. It's also a curious crossover that celebrates Namco's storied history of space battle-themed games. Had it featured 2-Player support as well or at least better computer-controlled wingmates, it would've delivered a truly awesome experience.