The gaming industry can be a cruel beast. The fast paced nature of tight release schedules, gamers always looking at the next big thing, and even the gaming press constant battle to always feature the newest games and news sometimes means that certain games get buried underneath the crushing weight of the industry.

I aim to change that with my new column. 'Forgotten Gems' will take a look at games that had quiet releases and low sales, but were absolutely amazing games that deserve your time and attention. I inaugurate the column with the genre smash-up, The Red Star.

The Red Star was a PS2 beat-em-up/shooter hybrid from Acclaim Studios Austin. It is based on the graphic novel of the same name, which provides an alternate history of the world powers. Russia is a nation of high technology and sorcery named the 'United Republics of the Red Star', and are at war with neighboring nation Al'lstaan. The universe that The Red Star exists in is very steampunk oriented, with giant metal blimps and a fusion of technology with mystical powers. It's all very interesting and fun to read, so I suggest you give the comic a look if you are interested in the steampunk genre.
 

The game, which follows the comics storyline, feels like a game that shouldn't exist. The game is a mash up of beat-em-ups and shooters with some RPG elements thrown in for good measure. You can get up close and assault your enemy with hand to hand combos, or you can stay back and fire your guns, laying waste to all that stand in your way. While this may sound to0 polarizing to some, it was the levels were designed to accommodate these styles of play. Some levels had a beat-em-up philosophy; just go to the right or left and mess fools up while others would change it up and thrust shmup style obstacles and gameplay mechanics at you like surviving bullet hell obstacles or firing upon waves of enemies.

If that wasn't enough, the game threw RPG elements in the mix as well. Depending on how well you did in the level, you gain points which can be used to allocate towards your attributes. River City Ransom's influence is being felt far into gaming.
 

The graphics were impressive for a PS2 game and the visual effects and enemies were all nicely detailed. The level backgrounds were a bit bland, but they were always changing as you progressed through the level. The comic book's style was also retained and fits perfectly in a video game. Everything is stylized but not too kiddy or over the top.

So if the game was so great and was practically hardcore gamer catnip, what happened? Acclaim's bankruptcy happened. The game entered production in 2002 and was slated for release on in Fall 2004. There were even demos in Official Playstation Magazine and Official Xbox Magazine. As Acclaim started hemorrhaging money though, they canned the Xbox version and focused solely on the PS2 version. Acclaim's financial situation kept the game delayed until they finally went out of business. The game was presumed dead and hung in limbo until XS Games and Jack of All Games stepped in to finish and publish the game.

This wasn't enough to save it and get it in front of as many eyeballs as it could. The game was released on April 23rd 2007, almost a year and a half into the Xbox 360's life span and 5 months after the Wii and PS3. By this time, gamers were marveling at the power of next-gen systems and the games they produced. The Red Star didn't have a chance and was quickly swept under the rug.

I highly recommend giving this game a shot if you can. It's genre bending smash up that is very unique and fun to play. You can pick up the game for around 8 bucks on Amazon and it's well worth that and more. It's unfortunate that the game was given the treatment it was and began its life for a company that was headed towards bankruptcy. The Red Star is truly a forgotten gem.
 

The gaming industry can be a cruel beast. The fast paced nature of tight release schedules, gamers always looking at the next big thing, and even the gaming press constant battle to always feature the newest games and news sometimes means that certain games get buried underneath the crushing weight of the industry.

I aim to change that with my new column. 'Forgotten Gems' will take a look at games that had quiet releases and low sales, but were absolutely amazing games that deserve your time and attention. I inaugurate the column with the genre smash-up, The Red Star.

The Red Star was a PS2 beat-em-up/shooter hybrid from Acclaim Studios Austin. It is based on the graphic novel of the same name, which provides an alternate history of the world powers. Russia is a nation of high technology and sorcery named the 'United Republics of the Red Star', and are at war with neighboring nation Al'lstaan. The universe that The Red Star exists in is very steampunk oriented, with giant metal blimps and a fusion of technology with mystical powers. It's all very interesting and fun to read, so I suggest you give the comic a look if you are interested in the steampunk genre.
 

The game, which follows the comics storyline, feels like a game that shouldn't exist. The game is a mash up of beat-em-ups and shooters with some RPG elements thrown in for good measure. You can get up close and assault your enemy with hand to hand combos, or you can stay back and fire your guns, laying waste to all that stand in your way. While this may sound to0 polarizing to some, it was the levels were designed to accommodate these styles of play. Some levels had a beat-em-up philosophy; just go to the right or left and mess fools up while others would change it up and thrust shmup style obstacles and gameplay mechanics at you like surviving bullet hell obstacles or firing upon waves of enemies.

If that wasn't enough, the game threw RPG elements in the mix as well. Depending on how well you did in the level, you gain points which can be used to allocate towards your attributes. River City Ransom's influence is being felt far into gaming.
 

The graphics were impressive for a PS2 game and the visual effects and enemies were all nicely detailed. The level backgrounds were a bit bland, but they were always changing as you progressed through the level. The comic book's style was also retained and fits perfectly in a video game. Everything is stylized but not too kiddy or over the top.

So if the game was so great and was practically hardcore gamer catnip, what happened? Acclaim's bankruptcy happened. The game entered production in 2002 and was slated for release on in Fall 2004. There were even demos in Official Playstation Magazine and Official Xbox Magazine. As Acclaim started hemorrhaging money though, they canned the Xbox version and focused solely on the PS2 version. Acclaim's financial situation kept the game delayed until they finally went out of business. The game was presumed dead and hung in limbo until XS Games and Jack of All Games stepped in to finish and publish the game.

This wasn't enough to save it and get it in front of as many eyeballs as it could. The game was released on April 23rd 2007, almost a year and a half into the Xbox 360's life span and 5 months after the Wii and PS3. By this time, gamers were marveling at the power of next-gen systems and the games they produced. The Red Star didn't have a chance and was quickly swept under the rug.

I highly recommend giving this game a shot if you can. It's genre bending smash up that is very unique and fun to play. You can pick up the game for around 8 bucks on Amazon and it's well worth that and more. It's unfortunate that the game was given the treatment it was and began its life for a company that was headed towards bankruptcy. The Red Star is truly a forgotten gem.