| Starblade: Operation Blue Planet | |
|---|---|
 Teaser flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Director(s) | Higashiyama Asahi |
| Designer(s) | Yusuke Watanabe Satoshi Shida |
| Composer(s) | Nobuyoshi Sano |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Release | Cancelled |
| Genre(s) | Rail shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Arcade system | Namco System 246 |
Starblade: Operation Blue Planet[a] is an unreleased 3D rail shooter arcade game in development by Namco. A sequel to the game Starblade (1991), the player controls the GeoCalibur starship in its mission to wipe out an alien race known as the Unknown Intelligent Mechanized Species. Gameplay involved using a flight-yoke controller to control a crosshair and shoot down enemies, while avoiding incoming obstacles and projectiles. The player has a shield that depletes when inflicted with enemy fire. Only one level was completed. It ran on the PlayStation 2-based Namco System 246 arcade hardware.
The game was created to utilize an arcade cabinet known as the Over Reality Booster System (O.R.B.S.), which featured a globular mirror and retractable seat. Development of the game was made to be simple and easy to understand, a response to the diminishing Japanese arcade game industry at the time, and to show off the technological capabilities of the O.R.B.S. machine. It was revealed to the public at the 2001 Amusement Machine Show in Japan and became one of the show's most popular titles, having a 70-minute wait time to play it. Critics applauded the game's detailed graphics and immersive experience. It was quietly cancelled following its unveiling, said to have been the result of a sharp decline of arcades and high manufacturing costs of the O.R.B.S. cabinet.
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