Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi

"The first Star Wars fighting game...ugh..."

As the years pass by, Star Wars game just seem to keep getting better and better. Unfortunately, you'll find that Masters of the Teras Kasi falls at the bottom of the pile. With the fighting games out there on the market at the time that Teras Kasi was released, it tries hard to fall into step with Soul Blade and Tekken, but doesn't quite deliver with the in-game action or anything else.

What the game does offer, is a glimpse into the Star Wars Universe and it's storyline involving one of the more mysterious characters, Mara Jade. With that being said, only the most hardcore of fighters will find that the game is worth playing, and fans of the series will probably find a ton of enjoyment with it.

-Visuals 6/10-

Blocky and grainy is about what there is to see. Every special move is somewhat well detailed, but there isn't much to watch when some of the characters use blasters and fire off laser bolts instead of actually using complicated moves. More or less, you're forced to watch a game that features plenty of projectiles and has no real depth to speak of. The characters all follow that of the Star Wars Universe, and use traditional weapons such as light-sabers and blasters, but even that seems to get old after a while.

-Audio 6/10-

Un-inspired music that flows from the movies to the game, but with some disasterous effects. Each stage's music sound tinny and rather faded into the background, and lacks that flare that the movies had. Keeping in mind that this isn't the movie, the game should at least do the movie justice with highs and lows...unfortunately, Teras Kasi doesn't deliver. Sound effects include such reminders like deflected laser bolts and the gutteral growls of Chewbacca..but that gets old after twenty minutes as well.

-Control 6/10-

While it's not terribly difficult, it's not especially easy either. Every special move is easy to pull off, but the response time on the control pad is way off the chart. It may take a couple of tries with a controller motion just to get a laser blast off, and most of the moves have to be within close range depending on the fighter. With that being said, the super moves can be frustrating to perform, even for skilled fighting game players, so be prepared to get aggrivated with the amount of time it takes just to learn the character, and then use them effectively.

-Game Play 6/10-

Your basic fighting game that features one on one fighting with Star Wars characters. Each fighter used, and used effectively, depends on their range, either close up or from a distance. Where the mis-match comes in, is when you use a close range fighter, and have to take on a fighter that uses a blaster from long range distance. This can get real cheap, real fast.

Various modes include a vicious Survival mode that pits you against several fighters, using just one life bar, and a practice mode so you can hone your fighters skills. With several fighters that you can unlock, you'll find that the replay value is raised just slightly, but the secret characters don't do very much but put a new character in place of the same move set of another, already selectable character.

-Overall 6/10-

Teras Kasi is disappointing in the very least, giving little for a fighting game fanatic that they would probably desire. With the other fighting games on the market at the time, Teras Kasi was probably only picked up by die-hard Star Wars fans who wanted a slight difference from games such as Tekken and Soul Blade.

With several different characters to be unlocked, there is a replay value, even if it is limited. What you're buying, is just a license on a different type of Star Wars game. A rental to start, buyers beware...the force is not with this one.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 12/21/00, Updated 05/14/01