Software:Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

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Short description: 1994 video game
Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
North American SNES box art
Developer(s)LucasArts (SNES)
Sculptured Software (SNES)
Realtime Associates (GB/GG)
Publisher(s)JVC Musical Industries (SNES)
Victor Entertainment (Super Famicom)
THQ[lower-alpha 1](GB/GG/NA SNES Re-release)
LucasArts (Virtual Console)
Director(s)Kalani Streicher
Producer(s)Kalani Streicher
Designer(s)Kalani Streicher
Programmer(s)Peter Ward
Artist(s)Harrison Fong
Jon Knoles
Composer(s)Paul Webb[1]
SeriesSuper Star Wars
Platform(s)Super NES, Game Boy, Game Gear
ReleaseSuper NES
  • NA: November 1, 1994[2][3]
  • EU: March 30, 1995
  • JP: June 23, 1995
Game Gear
Game Boy
  • NA: November 1995
  • EU: 1995
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player

Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, also known as Super Return of the Jedi, is a 1994 action video game developed by Lucas Arts and Sculptured Software and published by JVC Musical Industries for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is a sequel to Super Star Wars (1992) and Software:Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1993) and is based on the 1983 film Return of the Jedi. Ports to the Game Boy and Game Gear were developed by Realtime Associates and published by THQ in 1995. The game was re-released on the Wii Virtual Console in North America on September 7, 2009, and in PAL regions on October 16, 2009, alongside the other games in the Super Star Wars series.[4]

Plot and gameplay

Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi follows closely the standard set by the previous two Super Star Wars games, with the return of selectable characters (on specific levels), multiple playable characters and Mode 7 quasi-3D vehicle sequences. The controls are identical to the second game, and this installment also includes its predecessor's password save option. It loosely follows the plot of Return of the Jedi, with some added scenes, such as Luke Skywalker having to fight through the Death Star to get to The Emperor. In addition to the standards Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Chewbacca, Princess Leia and Wicket appear as playable characters.[5]

Bosses include Jabba the Hutt, the Rancor beast, Darth Vader and The Emperor. Vehicle sequences include the Endor speeder bike chase, and a cruise in the Millennium Falcon. Luke Skywalker no longer has nine Force powers to work with but five and it is easier for him to "recharge" his abilities. He also cannot use any variation of the blaster in this game. Princess Leia is unique in that her appearance and playstyle changes in accordance with the plot. She uses a staff as the bounty hunter Boushh when approaching Jabba's palace, fights with a broken chain as Jabba's escaped slave on his sail barge, and wields a blaster when fighting on Endor as a Rebel leader.

Release

LucasArts released the game simultaneously with their other SNES title Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures.

In 1996 THQ announced that they would re-release Software:Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in February 1997 in order to coincide with the "Special Edition" of those films appearing in theaters.[6] The re-release is identical to the original version.[7]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings83% (SNES)[8]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame4/5 (GG)[9]
3/5 (GB)[10]
EGM9/10, 7/10, 7/10, 9/10, 8/10 (SNES)[11]
Famitsu6/10, 5/10, 6/10, 6/10 (SNES)[12]
Power Unlimited74% (GB)[13]

On release, GamePro gave the Super NES version a mostly negative review. Though they praised the musical score, they criticized the game for frustrating controls, overly easy bosses, and particularly the level designs, which they said are repetitious and mostly feel like retreads of level designs from the two previous games in the series.[14] In contrast, Electronic Gaming Monthly praised it for the "excellent" graphics and the need to move carefully through the levels.[11]

GamePro found some flaws in the Game Boy version, such as the rudimentary backgrounds, but rated it "one of the year's most fun and challenging handheld games", particularly due to the diverse gameplay offered by the five playable characters.[5] GamePro gave the Game Gear similar praise, and said the graphics are nearly as good as the SNES version's.[15] Power Unlimited gave the Game Boy version a score of 74% writing: "Quality game with long and difficult levels, although the overview on the small screen is sometimes lost. Also a challenge for the experienced platform player."[13]

Super Return of the Jedi was awarded Best Movie-to-Game of 1994 by Electronic Gaming Monthly.[16] EGM and GamePro both named it Best Game Gear Game of 1995.[17][18] IGN placed the game as number 26 on their Top 100 SNES Games of All Time. They praised the game's additional gameplay variety playing up to five characters compared to its predecessors.[19] In 2018, Complex listed the game #67 on its "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time" saying the game is almost as great but not as difficult compared to its predecessors.[20]

References

  1. ↑ "Composer information for Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi". SNES Music. http://www.snesmusic.org/v2/profile.php?selected=2853&profile=set. 
  2. ↑ "Super Return of the Jedi". https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.video.nintendo/c/tTpJ08qwKAM/m/hRwnFq0VgnYJ. 
  3. ↑ "Video Source's SNES Price List". https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.video.nintendo/c/VOM8ojxp7WM/m/RaHRT5nchSQJ. 
  4. ↑ "From Faraway Galaxies to the Family Room, Start Fall on a Fun-Filled Foot". Nintendo of America. 2009-09-07. https://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/981Bra1xi5r009C5WDmn-Ktolso3-MEO. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Coach Kyle (December 1995). "ProReview: Super Return of the Jedi". GamePro (IDG) (87): 142. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_077_December_1995/page/n143/mode/2up. 
  6. ↑ "16-Bit's Final Hurrah". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (88): 22. November 1996. https://retrocdn.net/images/8/89/EGM_US_088.pdf#page=22. 
  7. ↑ "The Super Star Wars Trilogy Soars". GamePro (IDG) (103): 92. April 1997. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_103_Volume_09_Number_04_1997-04_IDG_Publishing_US/page/n95/mode/2up. 
  8. ↑ "Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi". https://www.gamerankings.com/snes/563220-super-star-wars-return-of-the-jedi/index.html. 
  9. ↑ "Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Game Gear Allgame review". http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=7669&tab=review. 
  10. ↑ "Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Game Boy Allgame review". http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=18604&tab=review. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Semrad, Ed; Carpenter, Danyon; Manuel, Al; Sushi-X; Weigand, Mike (October 1994). "Review Crew". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Sendai Publishing Group) 7 (10): 32. ISSN 1058-918X. https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/b4ec4ec7-3b7a-4530-b763-1e72b3219e8d. Retrieved December 1, 2025. 
  12. ↑ Noda, Sawadhi; Pinnu, Mizu; Nagano, Isabella; Uchizawa, Rōringu (June 30, 1995). "New Games Cross Review" (in ja). Famitsu (ASCII Corporation) (341): 30. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Power Unlimited Game Database" (in nl). November 1994. Archived from the original on October 20, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20031020134027/http://www.powerweb.nl:80/database/img/index.php?page=database&&query%5border%5d=datum&ending=ASC&query%5bstart%5d=100. Retrieved November 25, 2022. 
  14. ↑ Scary Larry (December 1994). "ProReview: Super Return of the Jedi". GamePro (IDG) (75): 122–123. https://retrocdn.net/images/b/b1/GamePro_US_065.pdf. 
  15. ↑ Quick-Draw McGraw (December 1995). "ProReview: Super Return of the Jedi". GamePro (IDG) (87): 144. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_077_December_1995/page/n145/mode/2up. 
  16. ↑ "EGM's Best of Worst of 1994". Electronic Gaming Monthly's Buyer's Guide: 22. 1995. 
  17. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly's Buyer's Guide. 1996. 
  18. ↑ "Editor's Choice Awards 1995". GamePro (IDG) (89): 26. February 1996. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_079_February_1996/page/n27/mode/2up. 
  19. ↑ (in en) Top 100 SNES Games of All Time - IGN, https://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-snes-games, retrieved 2021-01-26 
  20. ↑ Knight, Rich (April 30, 2018). "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time" (in en). https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/the-100-best-super-nintendo-games/. 
  1. ↑ Released under the Black Pearl Software brand name on Game Boy and Game Gear

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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