Starwinder the Ultimate Space Race
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(Playstation - US, Racing)
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Developed_By:
Mindscape
Published_By:
Mindscape
Released On:
01 Jan 1997
Imagine a world where space travel has become a popular spectator sport. The universe is abuzz with excitement as top racing pilots from across the globe compete in the most prestigious event of them all: the Ultimate Space Race.
At the heart of this intergalactic phenomenon is Starwinder , a charismatic and fearless pilot who has captured the hearts of fans everywhere. With his trusty spacecraft, the Starwinder ship, he's ready to take on all comers in a quest for glory.
The gameplay revolves around high-speed racing through stunning asteroid fields, treacherous planetary surfaces, and even space stations. Players must master the art of navigation, fuel management, and strategic pit stops to outmaneuver their opponents and emerge victorious.
UPC-A:
5028661001711 (Germany)
Part #:
SLES-00090 (Germany)
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Manual
Game Guide
Extracted from the original game manual
This is a sci-fi racing game where players take on the role of Earth's top pilot, Connor Rhodes. You must compete in a galaxy-wide space race across unique "Rails" to prove humanity's worth and win the mysterious Starsphere. The game involves time trials and competitive races against alien pilots and drones across 41 tracks.
Story
The Ultimate Space Race
Ready for the ride of your life? Strap on your brain, hold on to your stomach, and don't swallow your tongue. This is STARWINDER - THE ULTIMATE SPACE RACE.
You, Connor Rhodes, are Earth's first emissary to the biggest race the other side of Pluto. A tradition for over a millennium, the 43 known civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy race the elimination heats.
As the new guys' (Earth's) finest pilot, you are invited to race the seven best pilots in the galaxy for a chance to win the ultimate prize - the Starsphere.
First Contact
Sometime 34 years in the past of the distant future, Earth's deep space program made first contact with alien civilizations inhabiting the Milky Way galaxy. These 43 civilizations discovered each other long before Earth made contact.
They found that located near each civilization is a Rail. Finding no other purpose for the existence of these Rails, they put them to good use: racing.
Many in the galaxy believe that a large asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter is Earth's destroyed Rail. Because of this, you have been invited to test your wits against the best of the best. Do you have the right stuff to keep from getting blown into star stuff?
Ride the Rail
Found only near intelligent life, the Rails are thousands of miles long. No one knows who built them, or why. But they found that each of these Rails has a peculiar property - the nearer a ship ventures to the Rail, the faster it flies.
With a need for speed like our own, the civilizations transformed the Rails into mammoth racetracks, creating an invitational tournament for the top eight Rail riders in the galaxy. This is for galaxy-wide bragging rights, Rookie. Are you ready?
The Tournament
Each of the 44 Rails in the galaxy is used in the race to Epsilon Indi. The Rails are divided into 10 Quadrants. Each Quadrant contains four Rails.
Game starts after 3 Rails (time trials) have already been completed. You, Connor Rhodes, only have to race 40 Rails, plus the 41st race at Epsilon Indi.
In the first 2 Quadrants, you race against the clock. This is where your test begins. Are you fast enough to hang with the big guns?
In Quadrants 3 through 9, the real competition begins. Here you race 3 other competitors plus drone ships. To advance, you need to win at least two races in each Quadrant. No time to fool around.
In Quadrant 10, if you get that far, you race against the four top pilots for the right to go head-to-head on the final Rail – Epsilon Indi.
Epsilon Indi
Discovered 500 years ago near a burned-out solar system, the 44th Rail in the galaxy is Epsilon Indi. Why no civilization is located near this Rail is a mystery.
Regarded by the best pilots as the most challenging Rail in the galaxy, it is the ultimate test for any pilot. And you've got a lot of work to do to get there, Rookie.
The Prize
The prize you fight for is the Starsphere. Assembled from 44 interlocking gems found embedded in the Rails of the galaxy, it is a nearly perfect globe. Only one piece is missing.
When the Rail at Epsilon Indi was discovered, many thought the final gem would be found to complete the Starsphere. It wasn't. The purpose of the Starsphere is as unknown as the location of the missing gem, but it'd look mighty nice on your mantle.
How to Play
STARTING UP
MEMORY CARD SLOT 1
MEMORY CARD SLOT 2
CONTROLLER PORT 1
CONTROLLER PORT 2
RESET BUTTON
SONY PlayStation
POWER BUTTON
POWER INDICATOR
CONTROLLER PORT
DISC COVER
OPEN BUTTON
Set up your PlayStation™ game console according to the instructions in its Instruction Manual. Make sure the power is OFF before inserting or removing a compact disc.
•
Insert the Starwinder™ disc and close the CD door.
•
Insert game controllers and turn on the PlayStation game console.
•
Follow on-screen instructions to start a game.
Starting a Game
•
If you want to save and load games, be sure to insert at least one memory card. See your PlayStation owner's manual for setup instructions.
•
Press the Open button and insert the Starwinder disc, then close the CD door.
•
Press the Power button to turn the game console ON.
•
You have three choices. Watch the opening animations until the title screen appears. Press X to skip animations one at a time. Press Start to skip right to the title screen.
•
Press X to begin.
FLYING START
If you are evolved enough to need speed, you may be ready for STARWINDER. Take these basic training steps:
•
Start up Starwinder and go to the title screen, which is also the main menu.
•
The menu defaults to Start. Press X to begin. (You can also press Up or Down to select Options or Race, then press X to choose that command.)
•
You see descriptions of the Quadrant and its tracks as you travel through space/time to that domain. Your journey includes an update from our host. Press Start or X to skip to the Quadrant screen.
•
At the Quadrant screen, press X to Race. (You can also press Circle to select Options or Triangle to Quit. Press Square to preview other tracks.)
•
At the Ship Selection screen, press X to pick that ship. (You can also press Triangle to go back to the Quadrant screen. Press Square to preview other ships. Press L1 and R1 to zoom in and out.)
•
While the galaxy is waiting for your race, you can solve puzzles. To solve a puzzle, press X to pick up a piece, use the Directional Pad buttons to move it, then press X again to drop the piece.
•
Wait for the countdown and the explosion. Then go! Keep X depressed and use your Directional Pad. Press Circle to fire your weapon.
CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON
In Quadrant 1, you can choose one of two ships. Additional ships are available after the time trials. Each ship has various strengths and weaknesses.
During some races, top speed may be important, while in others, handling or strength may be more important. Review the properties of each of your ships on the Ship Selection screen and decide which is best for the current race.
The quickest way to slow your opponents down is to hit them with every weapon you've got. So blast away! They'll be doing the same to you. When you exhaust a weapon, the next one kicks in.
Weapons
•
Standard Missiles - Use these to blast obstacles, such as drone ships and mutant materials.
•
Stun Missiles - Stuns enemy opponent for three seconds. Fires in a straight line.
•
Heat Seekers - These bad boys lock on to the closest target's engine exhaust. Fire and forget.
•
Trench Missiles - Follows a Rail until its power runs out or it hits an obstacle, such as a hunk of mutant material.
Power Ups and Speed Bumps
•
Green Spiral - Get a boost to warp speed. You can pick this up and save it for later.
•
Mine - These nasty little surprises are scattered about - just waiting to ruin your day.
•
Blue Spiral - Wormholes. A space/time portal that can send you backward or forward on a Rail.
OPTIONS, OPTIONS, OPTIONS
Starwinder offers a variety of game options. At the title menu, press Down to select Options, then press X. At the Quadrant screen, press Circle. The Options menu appears with the default Controller Setup selected.
Press Directional Pad buttons to select the game option you want, then press X. Options are described in the following sections.
•
Controller Setup
•
Audio Setup
•
Load
•
Save
Press Triangle to exit the Options menu and return to the previous screen.
NOTE: If you change your Controller Setup or Audio Setup then Save, that configuration loads automatically the next time you want to use your PlayStation.
Load
To load a saved game, you must have the memory card with that game inserted into the Game Console. Press Up or Down to select the game you want, then press X to open the Load Game screen.
NOTE: If you have two memory cards, press Circle as needed to change from Card 1 to Card 2 and back.
Press Up or Down to select a game name, then press X to load it. Press Triangle to return to the Options menu without loading a game.
Save
To save a game, you must have a formatted memory card inserted into the Game Console.
NOTE: If you have two memory cards, press Circle as needed to change from Card 1 to Card 2 and back.
Press Up or Down to select an Empty game or an existing game name, then press X to call the Enter Filename prompt. (If you want to overwrite an existing game, a prompt appears asking if you really want to save. Select Yes or No and press X to open the Enter Filename screen.)
Controls
R1
Roll Right
R2
Select weapon: Heat Seekers, Standard Missiles, Trench Missiles, Stun Missiles
L1
Roll Left
L2
Autopilot - Returns you to a Rail when you're lost (automatic in some ships)
Start
Pause and open Pause menu. Use the Directional buttons to select a Pause menu command (Continue, Quit, Restart), then press Start or x.
Directional Pad (up)
Move ship up away from the track Rails.
Directional Pad (down)
Move ship down toward the track Rails.
Directional Pad (right)
Move ship to right side of track.
Directional Pad (left)
Move ship to left side of track.
X BUTTON
set a configuration
A BUTTON
return to the Options menu without changing your Controller configuration
Enemies & Characters
Connor Rhodes
A former asteroid prospector, Connor Rhodes is the first racer from Earth to race to Epsilon Indi. The other racers know nothing about you, so use that to your advantage and take 'em down.
KO-AXE
Half man/half machine, Ko-Axe hates everything except racing and winning. He hugs the Rail and runs over or through his competition, so if he's on your tail, you might want to step aside.
G'thul Gl'Hurg
G'thul plods along in his indestructible ship, and as a five-time champion of the Epsilon Indi, his tortoise-like style works. Don't be surprised to see him lumber past as you sit smashed up on the Rail.
Tianna Stone
Tianna races to avenge her discharge as a pilot from her planet's special forces, and she is calm, cool, and calculating. She would love to humiliate the new guy.
Dextor - The Terrible
Dextor is the returning champion who won The Race for Epsilon Indi after hosting a prerace buffet where the other competitors developed food poisoning. If you avoid the food and wait for Dextor to make a mistake, you should have no trouble.
Engon
Engon is a shape shifter who takes the form of anything, living or dead, that matches his mood, and unlike most other racers, he shows surprising regard for others. Though not feared, he does his homework and has what it takes to win.
Nuron IX
Nuron IX is a machine, the last of its kind, whose ancestors transferred their consciousness to machines for immortality. He is cautious and calculating, often underestimating the unpredictability of other competitors.
Zack Kilmer
Zack Kilmer, with an enormous ego, used to race to punish competitors but now believes he has discovered the secret of the Starsphere and will do anything to win. He drives recklessly when ahead and aggressively when behind.
Barlow Lenz
Barlow Lenz is the host of the galaxy's most popular sporting event, unflappable even during stressful interviews. He claims to be humanoid, but his delivery seems suspiciously mechanical.
Tips & Maps
Red Rail
The closer the bottom of your ship is to the red Rail, the faster your ship will go.
Replays
Watching the replays can give you valuable information on the location of warps and weapon pickups.
Interview and update cinematics
Watching the interview and update cinematics will help you to solve the puzzles before the races. Solving a puzzle will give you extra weapons and warps.
Drone ships
Shoot as many drone ships as possible. If they get behind you, they will shoot you!
Buildings along the tracks
Shoot the buildings along the tracks. Some of them hold valuable items.
Gun turrets
When you hear or see the gun turrets shooting, try to fly under the track. That way, it will be harder for them to hit you.
Short cuts
Look for short cuts on various tracks.
Gas pedal
Keep your foot on the gas pedal even when you are shooting.
Fruits and vegetables
Eat your fruits and vegetables.
Play Starwinder
Play Starwinder often and tell all your friends about it!
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