Gunstar Heroes is unquestionably one of the greatest games ever to grace Sega's 16-bit Mega Drive / Genesis system. It was also the first title from Treasure, a studio formed by former Konami employees that would find greater fame producing the likes of Radiant Silvergun, Ikaruga and Sin & Punishment.
It's such an iconic title, so what better way to launch a new YouTube series than by focusing on this amazing run-and-gun blaster? Our friends over at The Sega Channel have done just that, and you can watch the first episode of Sega Scan - devoted to the 1993 classic - below.
In the video, host Tyler Esposito runs through what makes the title so compelling, along with assistance from Game Sack's Joe Redifer. One of the more interesting bits of trivia - and something we weren't previously aware of - is that Gunstar Heroes shipped with a Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-Up sweet in the packaging.
In recent years we've seen Sega - with the help of M2 - update some of the Mega Drive's best games as 3D Classics on the 3DS. Who wants to bet that Gunstar Heroes is part of the next wave of releases?
And to think, western players almost didn't get the game.
Comments 36
Ask not whether a dude still has the original fruit roll up sealed with the game, but instead ask, "Is he still willing to eat it?"
I can still remember buying this in Dixons day one and firing it on for the first time.I was so hyped for its release after staring at little images of it in SEGA mags and reading previews for it over and over again for what felt like years but in the end it never really lived up to that hype for me.I did enjoy it but not as much as it seems everyone else did.Too many boss fights for my liking.If I was to make a top 15 Megadrive games this probably wouldn't feature.
I had no idea this was their first game. What a debut they made then.
Tough game, but lots of fun in co op.
Laser + that green autotracking arrow or 2 green trackers for the autolocking stars ^_^ Hold down fire and run!
Then it just became a game of dodgeball, trying to stay alive while you waited for all your enemies to die off. No aiming required.
Wouldn't mind picking up a remake of this.
Still my favourite Megadrive game to this day. And now even more delicious!
Oh yes please
This NEEDS to be a 3D classic. C'mon, M2!
When I read fruit roll-up I thought you meant some kind of cigarette. Googled it anyway - people eat that?!
@C-Olimar Okay, so not all American food necessarily looks like food. But eastern/western people will often say that about each other's food.
I love all their games they made so far, even the more obscure ones like McDs and Tiny Toons:
Love this game. Have it on my old Wii. I also have the GBA sequel.
Gunstar Heroes isn't a SEGA owned property as far as I'm aware, it was made by Treasure, so I don't see any chance of this coming to the 3D Classics range. Unless I'm missing something here...
I know I'd seen that on a video somewhere about retro collections.
One of the best games I've ever played.
I get the feeling that Treasure would prefer to do the 3D Classics version themselves.
They are usually good about that.
Wow I just had one a little while ago.
@Kirk Treasure developed it but Sega is the publisher, and I assume they own the publishing rights to the series. They published Gunstar Super Heroes on the GBA and republished the original game on the Wii Virtual Console.
Great game!!! Too bad Sega continues to ignore the wii u vc/eshop!! Don't understand that at all with the mountain of classics they're sitting on!! CMON SEGA!!!!
I want somebody that still have a unopened box of Gunstar Heroes to eat the fruit roll up inside of it and see what it taste like.
@C-Olimar
Trust me, they're good.
Now I want to start a go-fund-me to buy a sealed copy of Gunstar Heroes and eat that fruit roll-up cuz I'd totally do that. I once drank a fruit juice I found still wrapped in the box in my parents garage that had to be at least 12 years old.
For those curious, it was very black and very nasty.
@TossedLlama
I waited til I got home and started playing to eat mine! I remember earning a game for being good all summer, so my mom showed me a shopping catalog full of games, and I picked out this one because it looked the most interesting. I thought it would be a cowboy-themed shooter like Sunset Riders, so I went with it. Waiting to get to the store at the end of day was the longest day of my life!
I was initially disappointed that it wasn't just like Sunset Riders, but little did I know that it would go on to be my favorite 16-bit game ever and one of my top 10 games of all time.
I got my copy of Gunstar Heroes for my 14th (I was able to pick a couple games, got this and Rocket Knight) birthday in Jan 1994 and yes, it did have a Rollup in it. Not the first game I got that got a random goodie inside of it. Got a free fish taco couple (Wahoos, lol, get it?) in my copy of Klonoa for the Wii. lol
@burninmylight Honestly, the Genesis version of Sunset Riders was better than the arcade/SNES version IMO. You did good!
@Damo Well it would be awesome if it did come to the 3D Classics range but from what I've seen so far it's been all first party developed games that have been given this treatment so I still don't have any expectations for something like Gunstar Heroes to come to the range, although it would indeed be awesome if it did.
@Kirk Ecco the Dolphin was technically a third-party release.
@Damo Didn't know that. Then maybe there is hope, for a whole bunch of games I didn't previously think would be included...
@OorWullie That is...surprising. It is one of the best games I've ever played. Oh well, horses for courses.
@TurboTEF Disagreed. The Genesis version is a letdown compared to the arcade/SNES one.
Man this guy has bad taste- Fruit Roll-Ups taste great!
This reminds me of how Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2) Arcade Edition for the NES was originally sold with a coupon for Pizza Hut! Play the full arcade edition at home with one of your buddies, while ordering out free pizza for the night... The 90's certainly had interesting methods of advertisement!
Just the other day, I was reminiscing about how the copy of Toejam & Earl: Panic on Funkotron that I got for Christmas in '93 came with a Fruit Roll-Up.
@SparkOfSpirit I like that its a different game than the arcade game and that its better because of that fact. I hated the super brite dayglo SNES version and the Genesis's synths made for a better soundtrack this time around.
I really don't like his new scene transitions.
@retro_player_22 Treasure bewildering brilliant. But, do anyone of us think Dragon Drive profound?
Its the only one I'm having trouble digging. And, wish I could've played Gunbeat. Sniff.
So it’s a bit late, but....My Gunstar Story: I bought the game day 1 because Gamefan. Rush home with a fevered excitement, across town on the bus. Get home, open the game.....and there’s a FRUIT ROLL UP in the box.
I’m pissed. Obviously what happened is someone bought that copy earlier in the day and returned it, and thought it would be funny to put food in the box....and they didn’t even check at the store before restocking the item!
I call the store, barely containing my anger. They’re confused, but of course I can exchange the box for another copy. I go the way across town on the freaking bus again, and make the exchange. As I’m walking through the mall, I open the new box. Another fruit roll-up. This time I read the wrapper: “promotional snack included with this game”
I do not return to the store to tell them I am a freaking idiot.
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