TOP 17 SEGA MEGADRIVE / GENESIS | GUNSTAR HEROES (TREASURE, 1993)

Gunstar Heroes (ガンスターヒーローズ Gansutā Hīrōzu?) is a run & gun shooter video game developed by Treasure and published by Sega. Treasure's debut game was originally released on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in late 1993, and later on, ported to the Game Gear by M2. On February 23, 2006, Gunstar Heroes was released as part of the Gunstar Heroes: Treasure Box Collection for the PlayStation 2. It is also available on the Wii's Virtual Console. In 2009, it was released on June 10 for Xbox Live Arcade and June 11 for PlayStation Network. In 2015, a 3D Classics version was released on the Nintendo 3DS eShop. It has been listed among the best video games of all time by various publications.

Gunstar Heroes is a side scrolling shooter. The player has four weapons to choose from, and these four can be combined in pairs to create an additional 10 weapons, for a total of 14. In addition to the weapons, the player can engage enemies in close quarters combat. It is possible to grab and toss enemies, perform sliding and jumping attacks and a long-range skid.

Unlike most games in the genre, the player has a life total calculated in numbers. Death to a player requires multiple hits but just one death will issue the option to continue from the start of the level or to end the game. Players have unlimited continues. The main highlight of the game are its boss encounters, which often feature large enemies made up of multiple sprites allowing for fluid movement.

Gunstar Heroes features four basic weapon types: Force, a powerful shot that fires rapidly; Lightning, a straight shot that goes through enemies; Chaser, which homes in on enemies; and Flame, a shot that is very effective at close range. By combining two weapons, a new weapon can be formed. For example, combining Lightning and Chaser gives a homing lightning beam attack.

The Western version of the game storyline is different from the Japanese version. In both storylines, there is a God-like but evil robot, Golden Silver, that has the potential to cause extreme ruin. Through the efforts of the Gunstar family (twin brothers Red and Blue, sister Yellow, and older brother Green), the four gems that were Golden Silver's power source were taken and hidden. However, the vicious dictator Colonel Red (called "General Gray" in the Japanese storyline) used a mind control machine to enslave Gunstar Green and make him obey Red's orders. From this, Colonel Red has amassed all four gems again and hopes to reactivate Golden Silver, who Red falsely believes to be a bringer of utopia. The player controls Gunstar Red or Blue (or both in a two-player game) through several different environments to recover all four gems, fighting lots of small enemies and bosses along the way, as well as facing three of Red's lieutenants and the mind controlled Green, who fails to kill his brothers but escapes after they defeat his powerful, shapeshifting robot, the Seven Force.

Afterwards, the player finds out that Colonel Red kidnapped Gunstar Yellow and Gunstar Red and Blue set off to save her, but after finding Yellow, the player is forced to give them gems to Colonel Red for her life, whereupon the Colonel sets off in a large spacecraft for the moon Gunstar 9 (G-9) where Golden Silver is located. Yellow is freed and the player pilots a small but fast spacecraft through space, once again dealing with enemies and bosses. After Gunstar Red and Blue arrive on G-9 and fight several previous boss characters, the gems turn against Colonel Red and Golden Silver is activated. The player must destroy the gems. If this is done successfully, Colonel Red will attempt to stop Golden Silver, only to get himself destroyed in the process. The Gunstar family becomes concerned about the threat posed by Golden Silver, but Gunstar Green, no longer under enemy control, makes amends for the trouble he caused by attempting to sacrifice himself to finally destroy Golden Silver, though it is revealed that his brothers managed to save him at the last second.

Gunstar Red & Gunstar Blue: Red is Player 1 with Free Shot as default, and Blue is Player 2 with Fixed Shot as default. They are the active Gunstars who protect the planet.
Green: Formerly Gunstar Green, he is the amnesiac older brother of Red, Blue, and Yellow, who is now controlled by the Empire. He integrates with a shape-shifting mech known as Seven Force, which later appeared in Alien Soldier.
Gunstar Yellow: The sole female member who assists the good doctor and befriends the miniature natives conquered by the Empire. She is later kidnapped by the Empire as a bargaining chip for the gems.
Dr. Brown: This kind old man trusts the remaining Gunstars' claims that Golden Silver is actually a destructive force, so he renounced the Empire and supports the Gunstars. He also appeared in Advance Guardian Heroes.
Colonel Red: The leader of the Empire. He believes in the legend of the creator of the new world. As a result, he desires to collect the gems and reawaken his God at any cost.
Smash Daisaku: The Empire's second-in-command. He appears throughout the game to oppose the Gunstars.
Pink, G.I. Orange, and Black: High-ranking Empire commanders who appear as stage bosses. Pink has followers in Kain and Kotar, Orange prefers brute strength, and Black is a gambler.
Golden Silver: While it is revered as a harbinger of hope, this "God" is actually an android who once brought the Earth to ruin. It currently sleeps on the moon, waiting for the four gems to return to it. It also appeared in Guardian Heroes.