While ancient civilizations had many different beliefs regarding what stars actually were, they are now known to be balls of hydrogen and helium with a core powered by nuclear fission. But to most of us, they are the five-pointed shapes that we are taught to recognize in kindergarten.
RELATED:The Best Fictional Planets In Video Games
All that being said, everybody loves a star. And even though some are destined forconstellationprizes, others are meant to shine and twinkle for all to see. So from power-ups to rare items, and even collectible buddies, these are the best stars in all of gaming.
10Millenium Star - Mario Party 3
The Millenium Star fromMario Party 3definitely stands out from all the other stars on this list. Not only is it a bright silver instead of yellow or gold, but it also sports gigantic eye brows and an impressive moustache. If you think this makes it look relatively evil, well, you’d be right.
Taking the place of Toad from the first two Mario Party games, the Millenium Star gave out regular stars and greeted you when you turn on the game. However, once you reach the end of the story mode, you’ll have to battle the Millenium Star and learn that it is actually an imposter. Since the actual Millenium Star looks just like a plain old star, I’ll take the evil mustachioed one any day.
9Staryu And Starmie - Pokemon
There are plenty of memorablePokemonfrom the original game, particularly when they were a Gym Leader’s ace. And one of the biggest walls to a new player’s progress was Misty and her duo of Staryu and Starmie. Both of these Pokemon had powerful attacks, great stats, and not that many options to take them on.
RELATED:Pokemon Based On Gods
What’s fascinating is that Starmie is still a decent Pokemon even though it doesn’t make an appearance in Scarlet & Violet. It still has good Speed and Special Attack, as well as great movepool variety. So even though we’re well past Starmie’s heyday, it’s still a great Pokemon.
8Star Spirits - Paper Mario
It seems that every RPG has some kind of macguffin to motivate you to continue the journey and save the world. While this is normally a collection of gems that represent elements,Paper Marioinstead has you searching for the Star Spirits: seven powerful stars that have the ability to grant wishes.
Each of the Star Spirits has a unique personality and is adorably animated with the blue and pink stars standing out in particular. On top of this, you are accompanied your entire journey by an adorable star named Twink who turns out to be the key to defeating Bowser.
7Star Man - Mega Man 5
Most people may first think of David Bowie when they hear the words “Star Man,” but to gamers, only one thing comes to mind:Mega Man 5. Ok, That may not be entirely true, but Star Man is one of the more interesting Robot Masters to come from the original Mega Man series.
Star Man was specifically built so that he can fight better in zero-gravity environments, and will use his Star Crash ability to attack the Blue Bomber. But beyond that, he’s a hopeless romantic who loves musicals and opera. These emotions and sentimentality are rare in a person, let alone a robot.
6Luma - Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros.
Luma are star-like creatures that serve a variety of roles in theSuper Mario Galaxygames. While they can transform into different types of stars or consume star bits, their most important contribution is giving Mario the ability to spin, one of the mechanics that separate Galaxy from the other Mario games. There are also plenty of iconic Luma like Lubba, Polari, and, of course, the hungry Luma itself.
RELATED:Fighting Game Tropes That Make No Sense
Luma are also featured heavily inSuper Smash Bros.as a partner to Rosalina. They work as a sort of tag team combo like the Ice Climbers, except Luma can be sent away with the Luma Shot. This makes them an effective pair whether they are near or far from each other.
5Ristar - Ristar
While Mario may dominate this list with various different kinds of stars, there is only one star that starred in its own game: Ristar. Meant to be a successor toSonic The Hedgehog, Ristar is a star with arms and legs that can extend his arms in eight different directions. Most of his movement was built around grabbing enemies and objects and throwing himself around.
Ristar may be mostly forgotten nowadays because it was released on theSegaGenesis right before the Saturn came out. Despite this, the games were critically well-received, and have been looked back on fondly. He still makes appearances in SEGA anthologies to this day.
4Power Star - Super Mario 64
While it’s not actually the first true 3D platformer, that honor goes to Jumping Flash! on thePlayStation,Super Mario 64created the foundation for everything you expect from the genre. A fully explorable hub world that connects to every level? Started here. Multiple movement and jumping options? That’s here, too. But most important for this list, Super Mario 64 established one main collectible that is meant to signify your progress through the entire game.
That honor goes to the Power Star, a singular golden star with two black dots for eyes. While this isn’t the first or last time we’d see something with an almost identical design in the Mario series, collecting the stars in this game felt like an event. Every time you grab one, the star swirls around the screen as Mario dances and shouts, “Here we go!”. Without the Power Stars, Super Mario 64 wouldn’t feel like Super Mario 64.
3Katamari - Katamari Damacy
There really is no game quite likeKatamari Damacy. After destroying all the stars in the universe in a drunken stupor, the King Of All Cosmos tasks his son (you) to create new stars by rolling up junk on Earth into a single ball. It’s absolutely wild and wonderful.
RELATED:The Friendliest Aliens In Video Games
Using the Katamari to roll up everything humanly possible is surprisingly compelling, and was one of the most fun experiences on the PlayStation 2. That’s right. On a console filled with massive games likeGrand Theft AutoandFinal Fantasy, it was sometimes more enjoyable to just roll a ball.
2Warp Star - Kirby Series, Super Smash Bros.
WhileKirby’s strangest vehiclecame inKirby And The Forgotten Land, his most famous has been around since the beginning.Kirby’s transportation of choice is the Warp Star: a rideable shooting star.
This awesome concept is usually seen in regular Kirby games, but has left the greatest impression in Super Smash Bros. where it is one of the most fun weapons to use, flying through the air before smashing down onto your opponents from above. Wherever you see it, the Warp Star truly leaves an impact.
1Super Star - Super Mario Bros.
Is there a more iconic power-up than the Super Star? Sometimes referred to as Starmen, Super Stars were first introduced inSuper Mario Bros.where they would bounce forward on a stage. If you grabbed one, Mario would become invincible for a short time allowing him to run through enemies without taking any damage.
At even just the sight of this star, the song starts playing through your head. There are certain items in games that just stick in your memory forever: the rings from Sonic The Hedgehog, the Companion Cube in Portal, and, above them all, is the Super Star from Super Mario Bros.
