1996 · Crystal Dynamics · Science · Shoot 'em up

Solar Eclipse

Timed Sega exclusive

Solar Eclipse is a 3D shooter that takes place on and near the many moons of Saturn. You are a hot-shot pilot with a troubled past. You've been re-assigned to a new squadron aboard a Tomlinson-class carrier. There's trouble on a mining colony on the moon Janus. Your squadron is sent in to investigate, and uncover a lot more than they went looking for.

Released: 19 April 1996
Platforms: PlayStation Sega Saturn
Genres: Science Shoot 'em up Shooter Simulation
Developers: Crystal Dynamics
Publishers: Crystal Dynamics
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: First person Third person
Themes: Action Science fiction
Country: United States
Age ratings: ESRB T ACB G USK 0
Languages: English, German, Japanese

About

Solar Eclipse is a 1995 space flight simulation video game developed and published by Crystal Dynamics, released initially for the Sega Saturn in North America, Europe and Japan.

Solar Eclipse was developed under the title Titan, but the American marketing team decided it would sell better if published as a sequel to the 1995 video game Total Eclipse, especially as the two featured similar gameplay and graphical style. In Japan and Europe, it was released as Titan Wars.

Keywords

rail shooter
space simulation
futuristic
full motion video
fmv

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Solar Eclipse is a hybrid of rail shooter and space combat simulation; the general direction of the ship's flight is locked in, but the player may maneuver a substantial area, and can at certain points choose from multiple routes.

Reception

The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Saturn version a 7.75 out of 10 average. They praised the intense gameplay, the considerable strategy required to elude enemy fire, and the solid graphics. GamePro's Captain Squideo had a more mixed reaction, criticizing the partially on-rails flight and saying the landscapes and enemies become repetitious. He concluded that the game is nonetheless fun to play and "eclipses most other shooters", but that these problems would discourage repeat plays.