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== Development ==
In 1991, several [[Konami]] employees led by programmer Masato Maegawa began holding planning sessions at coffee shops for an original game.<ref name=":4">{{Cite magazine|last=Davies|first=Jonti|date=April 2008|title=The Making Of: Gunstar Heroes|url=https://archive.org/stream/retro_gamer/RetroGamer_050#page/56/mode/2up|magazine=[[Retro Gamer]]|issue=50|pages=56–61}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://sega.jp/fb/album/12_gunstar/interview1.html|title=前川正人「ガンスターヒーローズ」スーパーバイザー|website=Sega|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170122021916/http://sega.jp/fb/album/12_gunstar/interview1.html|archive-date=January 22, 2017|url-status=live|access-date=December 22, 2018}} ([https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/03/06/maegawa-talks-gunstar Abridged translation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201222911/https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/03/06/maegawa-talks-gunstar |date=December 1, 2018 }})</ref> They were establishing early concepts for an action shooting game, a genre they were familiar with.<ref name=":1" /> They pitched their idea to Konami, but were told it would not sell and it was rejected.<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine|date=October 1993|title=An Interview With: Treasure|url=https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_1_Issue_11/page/n59|magazine=GameFan|volume=1|issue=11|pages=60}}</ref> Maegawa and his team were growing frustrated with the industry's reliance on sequels to established franchises and console conversions of arcade games to generate revenue.<ref name=":0" /> They felt Konami had fallen into this pattern as a large company, growing reliant on sequels in their ''[[Castlevania]]'' and ''[[List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video games|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' series.<ref name=":0" /> Maegawa and his team felt consumers wanted original games,<ref name=":0" /> and so in 1992, they left Konami and established [[Treasure (company)|Treasure]] to continue development on their original game.<ref name="works4">{{cite book|title=Sega Mega Drive/Collected Works|last1=Stuart|first1=Keith|year=2014|isbn=9780957576810|page=291}}</ref>
[[File:Sega-Mega-Drive-JP-Mk1-Console-Set.jpg|thumb|left|Treasure believed the [[Motorola 68000]] microprocessor in the [[Sega Genesis]] was best suited for the action games they wanted to make.]]
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''Gunstar Heroes'' was listed as one of the best games ever made by several publications.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://top100.ign.com/2003/|title=IGN's Top 100 Games of All Time |year=2003|website=[[IGN]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207120250/http://top100.ign.com/2003/|archive-date=December 7, 2014|url-status=dead|access-date=December 17, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://top100.ign.com/2005/|title=IGN's Top 100 Games, 2005 |year=2005|website=[[IGN]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213111424/http://top100.ign.com/2005/|archive-date=December 13, 2013|url-status=dead |access-date=November 19, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|date=January 2010|title=The Top 200 Games of All Time |magazine=[[Game Informer]]|issue=200}}</ref><ref name=EGM100>{{cite magazine |title=100 Best Games of All Time |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=100 |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=November 1997|page=141}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/books/hg101-presents-the-200-best-video-games-of-all-time/|title=HG101 Presents: The 200 Best Video Games of All Time|date=December 5, 2015|website=hardcoregaming101.net |access-date=October 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029065018/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/books/hg101-presents-the-200-best-video-games-of-all-time/ |archive-date=October 29, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/11/27/16158276/polygon-500-best-games-of-all-time-500-401|title=The 500 Best Video Games of All Time|last=Polygon Staff|date=November 27, 2017|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon.com]]|access-date=December 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303210843/https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/11/27/16158276/polygon-500-best-games-of-all-time-500-401|archive-date=March 3, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Critics have called it a "classic" of the 16-bit era,<ref name=":7"/><ref name=nwrr /> with ''IGN'' writing that its pace and speed was "nearly unrivaled" at the time.<ref name=":26">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/12/11/gunstar-heroes-virtual-console-review|title=Gunstar Heroes Virtual Console Review|last=Thomas|first=Lucas M.|date=December 11, 2006|website=IGN|language=en-US|access-date=December 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181223164058/https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/12/11/gunstar-heroes-virtual-console-review|archive-date=December 23, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Others called it one of the best Genesis games.<ref name=nwrr /><ref name=":27">{{Cite web|url=http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/genesis/gunstar.htm|title=Classic Review Archive - Gunstar Heroes|last=Kalata|first=Kurt|website=GameSpy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214205921/http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/genesis/gunstar.htm|archive-date=December 14, 2007|url-status=dead|access-date=December 24, 2018}}</ref><ref name=":28">{{Cite web|url=https://www.retrogamer.net/top_10/top-ten-mega-drive-games/|title=Top Ten Mega Drive Games|date=January 7, 2014|website=Retro Gamer|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312125800/http://www.retrogamer.net/top_10/top-ten-mega-drive-games/|archive-date=March 12, 2017|url-status=live|access-date=December 24, 2018}}</ref> ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' called it "one of the best two-player games ever made."<ref name=EGM100/> ''USgamer'' wrote that its chaotic and brash nature made it the "quintessential classic-era Sega game" in contrast to the more gentle offerings from [[Nintendo]].<ref name=usgr /> ''Nintendo World Report'' called it "an incredible accomplishment, both creatively and technically" for the Genesis.<ref name=nwrr /> Both ''TouchArcade'' and ''GameSpy'' deemed it one of the best side-scrolling action games ever made.<ref name=tar/><ref name=":27" />
Being Treasure's debut game, ''Gunstar Heroes'' helped establish their reputation in the industry.<ref name=":4"/><ref name=":23">{{Cite web|url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/a-reminder-or-is-it-a-memorial-of-gamings-original-hardcore-developer|title=A Reminder (or is it a Memorial?) of Gaming's Original Hardcore Developer|last=Parish|first=Jeremy|date=July 22, 2015|website=USgamer|language=en|access-date=December 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226084219/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/a-reminder-or-is-it-a-memorial-of-gamings-original-hardcore-developer|archive-date=December 26, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Retro Gamer'' wrote that the game "blew open the state of 2D platform-shooters."<ref name=":4" /> Developers at the time borrowed inspiration for titles like ''[[Vectorman]]'' (1995) and ''[[Shinobi III]]'' (1993).<ref>{{cite book|title=Sega Mega Drive/Collected Works|last=Stuart|first=Keith|year=2014|isbn=9780957576810 |page=326}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Sega Mega Drive/Collected Works |last=Stuart |first=Keith |year=2014 |isbn=9780957576810 |page=300}}</ref> Treasure also began to build a following of loyal hardcore fans,<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=August 1998|title=Interview: Gamings Treasure|magazine=Gamers' Republic|issue=3 |page=90}}</ref> which ''USgamer'' felt was earned by "a sense of integrity to Treasure's work you don't often see in games of that era."<ref name=":23" /> ''[[1Up.com|1UP.com]]'' wrote that between ''Gunstar Heroes'' and their other Genesis games, Treasure earned a reputation as a "master of hardcore action gaming."<ref name=":3" /> Many of the design conventions Treasure used in ''Gunstar Heroes'' would return and became characteristic of Treasure's later work, such as a quirky sense of humor and action taken to a level of absurdity.<ref name=":3" /> A sequel was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2005, ''[[Gunstar Super Heroes]]''.<ref name=":4"/>
==Notes==
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