Collection essentials #282: Tin Star (SNES)

You probably know by now that I tend to have a soft spot for light gun games. And here’s another one, the wacky and fun Tin Star. And something cool about it is that it’s not only playable with a light gun. You can also use the SNES Mouse peripheral (exactly what it sounds like, a computer mouse) to control a crosshair on screen and shoot that way. And if you lack both of those, you can even play with a regular controller, though that’s suboptimal. 

This game, as you may guess looking at the box and screen shot, takes place in a cartoony version of the Wild West. You play as a sheriff out to thwart the plans of outlaw gangs. There is a story and cutscenes between stages, which is a nice touch. The story does not take itself seriously even one lick, and that's a good thing, because the dialogue is all about humor, which it delivers pretty well. There’s no other SNES game with a sense of humor quite like this and often made me feel like laughing!

There’s a pretty decent variety and number of stages in this game. Some stages play like rather straightforward gallery shooter levels. Sometimes Tin Star himself is on the screen, but you don’t directly control him, and instead have to protect him. And you’ll also find yourself in a one-on-one duel against an outlaw, in which case you have to shoot a certain icon that appears somewhere on the screen at random and then shoot the outlaw himself as fast as you can to beat him to the punch…or the shot, I guess. You can earn money throughout your campaign, and you can get a different ending depending on how much money you managed to snag! 

My biggest complaint with Tin Star is that there’s no multiplayer mode of any kind. If I’m not mistaken, there was never any multiplayer Super Scope games on the console. I guess that’s kind of understandable because using two Super Scopes at once would tear through your AA battery collection awfully quick! But it’s a shame they couldn’t come up with something involving a second player with a regular controller or mouse.

There’s nothing else out there quite like Tin Star. I’m glad I have the privilege of having a Super Scope so I can experience it in the best way. Throw another SNES essential onto the pile! (Seems like I’ve been on SNES forever now, huh??)