<s>
Soulstar	B-Application
is	O
a	O
hybrid	O
rail	O
shooter/third	O
-person	O
shooter	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
originally	O
published	O
by	O
Core	O
Design	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
in	O
Europe	O
in	O
April	O
1994	O
,	O
then	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
by	O
Time	O
Warner	O
Interactive	O
in	O
September	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
in	O
Japan	O
by	O
Victor	O
Entertainment	O
on	O
December	O
22	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
penultimate	O
title	O
developed	O
by	O
Core	O
Design	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
,	O
Soulstar	B-Application
features	O
heavy	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
scaling	O
and	O
rotation	O
capabilities	O
of	O
the	O
add-on	O
,	O
similar	O
with	O
other	O
titles	O
on	O
the	O
system	O
created	O
by	O
the	O
same	O
developer	O
such	O
as	O
Thunderhawk	B-Application
and	O
Battlecorps	B-Application
,	O
which	O
featured	O
the	O
same	O
pseudo-3D	O
graphical	O
style	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
inspired	O
by	O
Sega	O
's	O
1988	O
arcade	O
game	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Force	I-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
release	O
,	O
Soulstar	B-Application
received	O
praise	O
from	O
critics	O
for	O
its	O
technical	O
achievement	O
on	O
the	O
hardware	O
,	O
soundtrack	O
and	O
multiple	O
playstyles	O
,	O
though	O
it	O
received	O
criticism	O
for	O
the	O
repetitive	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nevertheless	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
named	O
"	O
Best	O
Shooter	O
"	O
on	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
by	O
GameFan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ports	O
for	O
the	O
32X	B-Device
,	O
Atari	B-Device
Jaguar	I-Device
CD	I-Device
and	O
PC	B-Device
were	O
in	O
development	O
by	O
Core	O
Design	O
,	O
but	O
they	O
were	O
never	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soulstar	B-Application
is	O
a	O
shooter	O
game	O
that	O
is	O
primarily	O
played	O
in	O
a	O
third-person	O
perspective	B-Architecture
behind	O
the	O
ship	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Force	I-Application
II	I-Application
and	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
,	O
where	O
players	O
take	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
Bryk	O
Hammelt	O
from	O
the	O
Cryo-Commandos	O
in	O
a	O
mission	O
to	O
exterminate	O
the	O
alien	O
race	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Myrkoids	O
,	O
who	O
have	O
arrived	O
on	O
the	O
titular	O
Soulstar	B-Application
system	O
to	O
invade	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
mode	O
is	O
an	O
on	O
rails	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
up	O
akin	O
to	O
Space	B-Application
Harrier	I-Application
,	O
where	O
it	O
involves	O
flying	O
the	O
Sub-light	O
Strike	O
Craft	O
through	O
space	O
towards	O
huge	O
scaling	O
sprites	O
of	O
a	O
planet	O
or	O
space	O
station	O
and	O
flying	O
across	O
a	O
texture	O
mapped	O
planetscape	O
,	O
while	O
shooting	O
upcoming	O
enemies	O
from	O
either	O
the	O
front	O
or	O
behind	O
and	O
collecting	O
power-ups	O
along	O
the	O
way	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
destruction	O
of	O
his	O
home	O
system	O
,	O
Bryk	O
Hammelt	O
,	O
the	O
last	O
from	O
a	O
noble	O
warrior	O
race	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Cryo-Commandos	O
,	O
sets	O
out	O
in	O
his	O
morphing	O
starship	O
,	O
the	O
Aggressor	O
,	O
to	O
hunt	O
down	O
and	O
eradicate	O
the	O
Myrkoids	O
from	O
existence	O
,	O
who	O
have	O
arrived	O
at	O
the	O
Soulstar	B-Application
system	O
to	O
repeat	O
their	O
same	O
process	O
of	O
planetary	O
extermination	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soulstar	B-Application
was	O
conceived	O
by	O
Sarah	O
Jane	O
Avory	O
after	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
port	O
of	O
Thunderhawk	B-Application
was	O
completed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avory	O
had	O
the	O
desire	O
to	O
develop	O
a	O
project	O
similar	O
to	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Force	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
as	O
it	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
her	O
favorite	O
titles	O
in	O
arcades	O
,	O
but	O
no	O
existing	O
hardware	O
released	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
was	O
capable	O
of	O
producing	O
visuals	O
of	O
similar	O
fidelity	O
until	O
the	O
arrival	O
of	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
in	O
1991	O
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
Avory	O
and	O
one	O
of	O
her	O
co-workers	O
to	O
make	O
their	O
vision	O
a	O
reality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
project	O
began	O
development	O
in	O
March	O
1993	O
,	O
two	O
months	O
after	O
Thunderhawk	B-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
and	O
was	O
announced	O
in	O
late	O
1993	O
under	O
the	O
original	O
name	O
Aggressor	O
and	O
later	O
as	O
Soulstar	B-Application
:	O
Malice	O
of	O
The	O
Myrkoids	O
in	O
early	O
1994	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
other	O
then-upcoming	O
titles	O
for	O
the	O
add-on	O
by	O
Core	O
Design	O
such	O
as	O
Battlecorps	B-Application
,	O
Heimdall	B-Application
and	O
BC	B-Application
Racers	I-Application
(	O
then	O
titled	O
Chuck	O
Rally	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soulstar	B-Application
makes	O
intensive	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
features	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
hardware	O
for	O
its	O
visuals	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
being	O
the	O
first	O
title	O
on	O
the	O
add-on	O
that	O
displayed	O
sprites	O
at	O
64	O
colors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avory	O
and	O
her	O
team	O
planned	O
on	O
pushing	O
the	O
hardware	O
as	O
much	O
as	O
they	O
could	O
from	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
its	O
development	O
,	O
with	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
sprites	O
featured	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
being	O
built	O
on	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
WRAM	O
as	O
"	O
stamp	O
maps	O
"	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
be	O
displayed	O
on-screen	O
by	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
creating	O
a	O
display	O
list	O
to	O
showcase	O
up	O
to	O
80	O
moving	O
sprites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
Battlecorps	B-Application
and	O
Soulstar	B-Application
shared	O
the	O
same	O
game	O
engine	O
as	O
with	O
Thunderhawk	B-Application
on	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soulstar	B-Application
was	O
first	O
was	O
showcased	O
during	O
the	O
Winter	O
Consumer	O
Electronics	O
Show	O
in	O
1994	O
,	O
with	O
early	O
previews	O
showing	O
elements	O
that	O
are	O
not	O
present	O
in	O
the	O
final	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
32X	I-Device
,	O
titled	O
Soulstar	B-Application
X	O
,	O
was	O
in	O
development	O
by	O
Core	O
Design	O
and	O
announced	O
in	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
planned	O
for	O
an	O
April	O
1995	O
release	O
and	O
later	O
planned	O
to	O
be	O
launched	O
on	O
Autumn/August	O
,	O
this	O
version	O
was	O
set	O
to	O
feature	O
improved	O
gameplay	O
and	O
new	O
weapons	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
sporting	O
pre-rendered	O
graphics	O
and	O
sprites	O
at	O
256	O
colors	O
that	O
were	O
created	O
by	O
using	O
the	O
Wavefront	B-Application
graphics	B-Application
software	I-Application
program	B-Application
found	O
on	O
Silicon	O
Graphics	O
(	O
SGI	O
)	O
workstations	B-Device
,	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
hand-drawn	O
look	O
on	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
but	O
was	O
ultimately	O
never	O
released	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
commercial	O
failure	O
of	O
the	O
add-on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
20	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
a	O
ROM	B-General_Concept
image	I-General_Concept
of	O
an	O
early	O
but	O
playable	O
prototype	O
of	O
Soulstar	B-Application
X	O
for	O
the	O
32X	B-Device
was	O
leaked	O
online	O
by	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
collector	O
at	O
the	O
SEGASaturno	O
forums	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
port	O
of	O
Soulstar	B-Application
X	O
to	O
the	O
PC	B-Device
was	O
also	O
planned	O
and	O
in	O
development	O
by	O
Core	O
Design	O
,	O
but	O
never	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
port	O
of	O
Soulstar	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
Jaguar	I-Device
CD	I-Device
was	O
also	O
in	O
development	O
by	O
Core	O
Design	O
and	O
announced	O
during	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
along	O
with	O
Soulstar	B-Application
X	O
for	O
the	O
32X	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
version	O
was	O
set	O
to	O
feature	O
the	O
same	O
pre-rendered	O
sprites	O
as	O
with	O
the	O
32X	B-Device
version	O
but	O
with	O
reworked	O
graphics	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
original	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
redone	O
FMV	O
sequences	O
while	O
retaining	O
the	O
same	O
gameplay	O
found	O
on	O
the	O
original	O
version	O
,	O
albeit	O
at	O
a	O
faster	O
frame	O
rate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
February	O
1995	O
interview	O
by	O
Atari	O
Explorer	O
Online	O
with	O
former	O
Core	O
Design	O
employee	O
Andrew	O
Smith	O
,	O
he	O
stated	O
that	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
port	O
was	O
almost	O
finished	O
but	O
not	O
without	O
the	O
team	O
coming	O
across	O
with	O
issues	O
found	O
within	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
multi-chip	B-Algorithm
architecture	B-Architecture
,	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
meet	O
a	O
strict	O
time	O
limit	O
for	O
completion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Andrew	O
also	O
said	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
open	O
with	O
the	O
idea	O
of	O
porting	O
the	O
title	O
to	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
Jaguar	I-Device
,	O
but	O
suggesting	O
that	O
some	O
elements	O
would	O
need	O
to	O
be	O
omitted	O
for	O
a	O
possible	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
release	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
idea	O
would	O
also	O
need	O
to	O
be	O
proven	O
viable	O
for	O
Atari	O
Corporation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soulstar	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Jaguar	B-Device
CD	I-Device
was	O
then	O
showcased	O
during	O
E3	O
1995	O
along	O
with	O
Soulstar	B-Application
X	O
,	O
and	O
now	O
planned	O
for	O
an	O
August/Q3	O
1995	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Andrew	O
Smith	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
did	O
have	O
some	O
titles	O
from	O
their	O
catalog	O
listed	O
to	O
be	O
converted	O
for	O
the	O
Jaguar	B-Device
,	O
with	O
Susan	O
Lusty	O
of	O
Core	O
Design	O
stating	O
at	O
WCES	O
'	O
95	O
that	O
both	O
Swagman	O
and	O
Tomb	B-Application
Raider	I-Application
were	O
planned	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
add-on	O
,	O
Core	O
's	O
PR	O
manager	O
Susie	O
Hamilton	O
later	O
clarified	O
in	O
1999	O
that	O
Soulstar	B-Application
was	O
their	O
only	O
title	O
in	O
development	O
for	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
ISO	B-General_Concept
image	I-General_Concept
of	O
a	O
playable	O
build	O
of	O
the	O
Jaguar	B-Device
CD	I-Device
version	O
was	O
leaked	O
sometime	O
online	O
,	O
but	O
gameplay	O
is	O
very	O
prone	O
to	O
glitches	O
and	O
game-crashing	O
bugs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
bootleg	B-General_Concept
copy	O
of	O
this	O
version	O
was	O
seen	O
running	O
at	O
the	O
fan	O
festival	O
Jaguar	B-Device
Connexion	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
recent	O
years	O
,	O
video	O
game	O
collector	O
and	O
community	O
member	O
Matt	O
Smith	O
has	O
uploaded	O
a	O
full	O
playthrough	O
from	O
an	O
almost	O
complete	O
build	O
of	O
the	O
Jaguar	B-Device
CD	I-Device
version	O
on	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
,	O
with	O
plans	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
online	O
for	O
download	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
their	O
April	O
1994	O
issue	O
,	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
gave	O
a	O
positive	O
remark	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
by	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
fans	O
of	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Force	I-Application
series	O
of	O
games	O
will	O
be	O
pleased	O
to	O
see	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
this	O
great	O
looking	O
CD	O
!	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soulstar	B-Application
got	O
mixed-to-positive	O
response	O
upon	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
