After Burner II is an arcade-style flight game released by Sega in 1987. It is the second game in the After Burner series. In the game, players fly a F-14 Tomcat jet fighter, gunning down enemies while avoiding incoming fire.
Also in series
Released on
Genres
Reviews View More
Some slight improvements over the original After Burner, but not enough to move the needle significantly.
A long time ago, I randomly decided to do a playthrough of the original After Burner, and from what I played, I really liked my time with it. Sure, the game was extremely simple, almost to a fault, and there were definitely several elements that held it back from being truly great, but for being the first game I have played from Yu Suzuki, it was a great introduction to what he would be known for making in his early days of game design, and I was eager to see what else he had made after that. After that though, I then quickly forgot that After Burner was a thing, focusing much more on other games ever since, including those other Suzuki titles I had alluded to, but I had wanted to check out what else this franchise has to offer for a while now. So I feel it is time to finally fix that, starting with the most obvious choice out of the lineup in the series, After Burner II.
For those of you who are familiar with this title and this series, you would know that this game isn’t necessarily a full-fledged sequel to After Burner, but instead, an updated version of that original game… even though it is labeled as a sequel. Great job there, guys. So, with that in mind, you would think there wouldn’t be any reason to check out this game if it is just the same thing again. However, I do wanna see what was changed in this updated version of the game (or even if anything got changed at all), and since I played the Master System version of the original game, I wanted to finally play the proper version of the game to get the true intended experience. So I did just that, and I had a blast doing so, but would I consider this the best version of After Burner that you could play? Eh… I’m not sure about that. It is still a good game at the end of the day, but as an update, it doesn’t do enough to warrant a revisit, and even in some instances, it does add onto problems that I had with the original game.
For the most part, the game remains the exact same as its original counterpart, such as with the graphics, the music, the control, and the gameplay, but since it is an update, it does add some new features to the game… or at least, one or two new features. For starters, the gameplay and audio quality has been improved, albeit very slightly, and there was now a throttle added to the control of the game, I guess to make it seem more realistic. I wasn’t able to experience the proper control scheme myself, so I can’t tell you how well this worked, so all I will say is, that’s a neat little thing they did there. The biggest change out of the bunch is the inclusion of the additional stages, bringing the count of stages up from 18 to 23, which may seem like an improvement to some, but I was not really a fan of how many stages there were in the original, and this doesn’t really help things out that much. Not to mention, since the stages don’t really change that much when compared with each other, it just seems like more game for the sake of it, which may be good or bad depending on who you ask.
So, there isn’t really that much I can say about the game as a whole on that aspect, but what I can talk about is how, since this was my first time experiencing the original version of an After Burner game, it was a breath of fresh air compared to what I had experienced before. Don’t get me wrong, the Master System version of the original After Burner was a pretty good port for a game like this, but compared to the original version, it is complete GUTTER TRASH, and now that I have played through the arcade version, I can never go back. There is quite a difference between watching this game in action and actually playing it for yourself, as the speed, action, and sound effects do greatly impact the amount of enjoyment that you get out of this game, which you can see just from playing through it even once. I dunno what it is about it, but hearing that “FIRE!” sound effect whenever you target an enemy while flying forward at the speed of sound, it just strikes that right balance of being chaotically enjoyable, at least in my eyes, even after all this time.
However, as my love for the game resurfaced after my time away from it, so too did the problems that hold it back from being perfect. Like with the original version, it lasts way too long, you can die extremely quickly if you aren’t a god at flying, there is barely any kind of variation in the stages themselves, and while it is still decently short, it does feel like it drags at points. None of these problems were fixed from the original version, and some of them were made even WORSE in this version, which does make sense, since this update was made in less then a year, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still complain about them. It is disappointing, but hey, after all of that, I was glad that I took the time to revisit this title again, even in its “updated” version, and now that I have finished it, I look forward to checking out the other titles at some point in the near future… and I hope they do more than this update did.
Overall, despite the quality of the title remaining nearly the same as the original, this is definitely the worst of the two different versions of the original After Burner, with it still having many of the same issues that plagued the original title, and not doing enough to justify its purpose or existence as an update of the original. I would recommend it for those who loved the original title, and wanted more stuff to do in it, as well as those who love flight-combat games, but for everyone else, I would just stick with the original title over this, even if it does some things somewhat worse than this. But hey, again, it wasn’t a complete waste of time checking this game out, as I got to experience After Burner again, so that was fun. Now, let’s just hope that Future Mega doesn’t take another million years to get to the next title in the series.
Update #5
For those of you who are familiar with this title and this series, you would know that this game isn’t necessarily a full-fledged sequel to After Burner, but instead, an updated version of that original game… even though it is labeled as a sequel. Great job there, guys. So, with that in mind, you would think there wouldn’t be any reason to check out this game if it is just the same thing again. However, I do wanna see what was changed in this updated version of the game (or even if anything got changed at all), and since I played the Master System version of the original game, I wanted to finally play the proper version of the game to get the true intended experience. So I did just that, and I had a blast doing so, but would I consider this the best version of After Burner that you could play? Eh… I’m not sure about that. It is still a good game at the end of the day, but as an update, it doesn’t do enough to warrant a revisit, and even in some instances, it does add onto problems that I had with the original game.
For the most part, the game remains the exact same as its original counterpart, such as with the graphics, the music, the control, and the gameplay, but since it is an update, it does add some new features to the game… or at least, one or two new features. For starters, the gameplay and audio quality has been improved, albeit very slightly, and there was now a throttle added to the control of the game, I guess to make it seem more realistic. I wasn’t able to experience the proper control scheme myself, so I can’t tell you how well this worked, so all I will say is, that’s a neat little thing they did there. The biggest change out of the bunch is the inclusion of the additional stages, bringing the count of stages up from 18 to 23, which may seem like an improvement to some, but I was not really a fan of how many stages there were in the original, and this doesn’t really help things out that much. Not to mention, since the stages don’t really change that much when compared with each other, it just seems like more game for the sake of it, which may be good or bad depending on who you ask.
So, there isn’t really that much I can say about the game as a whole on that aspect, but what I can talk about is how, since this was my first time experiencing the original version of an After Burner game, it was a breath of fresh air compared to what I had experienced before. Don’t get me wrong, the Master System version of the original After Burner was a pretty good port for a game like this, but compared to the original version, it is complete GUTTER TRASH, and now that I have played through the arcade version, I can never go back. There is quite a difference between watching this game in action and actually playing it for yourself, as the speed, action, and sound effects do greatly impact the amount of enjoyment that you get out of this game, which you can see just from playing through it even once. I dunno what it is about it, but hearing that “FIRE!” sound effect whenever you target an enemy while flying forward at the speed of sound, it just strikes that right balance of being chaotically enjoyable, at least in my eyes, even after all this time.
However, as my love for the game resurfaced after my time away from it, so too did the problems that hold it back from being perfect. Like with the original version, it lasts way too long, you can die extremely quickly if you aren’t a god at flying, there is barely any kind of variation in the stages themselves, and while it is still decently short, it does feel like it drags at points. None of these problems were fixed from the original version, and some of them were made even WORSE in this version, which does make sense, since this update was made in less then a year, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still complain about them. It is disappointing, but hey, after all of that, I was glad that I took the time to revisit this title again, even in its “updated” version, and now that I have finished it, I look forward to checking out the other titles at some point in the near future… and I hope they do more than this update did.
Overall, despite the quality of the title remaining nearly the same as the original, this is definitely the worst of the two different versions of the original After Burner, with it still having many of the same issues that plagued the original title, and not doing enough to justify its purpose or existence as an update of the original. I would recommend it for those who loved the original title, and wanted more stuff to do in it, as well as those who love flight-combat games, but for everyone else, I would just stick with the original title over this, even if it does some things somewhat worse than this. But hey, again, it wasn’t a complete waste of time checking this game out, as I got to experience After Burner again, so that was fun. Now, let’s just hope that Future Mega doesn’t take another million years to get to the next title in the series.
Update #5
Sega's power fantasy simulator. Orange explosions against a midnight sky as pixelated lights bounce off of inky waters.
Exactly as advertised in the Hulk Hogan starring blockbuster "Suburban Commando"
Seeing how mixed After Burner II was on here and seeing how much G-LOC made me go "Man, I wish I was playing After Burner...", I decided to give the game another go. Playing it a second time through made me appreciate this game more.
Before I comment on the gameplay itself, I want to talk about the visuals for a bit. It's no secret that AM2 could make games that looked amazing with the Super Scaler technology most of their boards had. After Burner is no different. It may be the first game to use SEGA's X Board, but that board is pretty much a powered up version of the Outrun board. However it still manages to out do their previous endeavors in a few noteworthy ways. For one the sprites can actually rotate! This may not seem like a big deal at face value, but most AM2's previous super scaler games weren't really capable of that. That's why they went with Space Harrier's fantasy theme over the realistic military theme AM2 originally envisioned. So to see that finally realized is great! The rotating sprites really help sell this dog fighting game.
AM2 also actually managed to create a nice sense of scope with the visuals. It's especially noticeable in stages where you're flying over towns and bases. It really creates the illusion of actually piloting a fighter plane. Which is really impressive for 1987.
Now for the gameplay. I get it, it can be overwhelming at first with how fast the game moves. But once you get used to it, it honestly does become pretty enjoyable. Despite how fast and seemingly random it can be, the game is actually pretty readable. You can see where enemies are coming and where the missiles come from. You just have to react quickly to them. And you have the means of doing so. 2 gives you the ability to either increase or lower your speed for this very purpose. While I'm on dodging, that's really the best way to play the game. Enemies can be easy to hit with the missiles, but enemies can be tricky to lock on and the missiles run out fast. You don't need to take down all the enemies. Really your goal is to survive the stages. The game is still a quarter muncher though I won't deny that.
I don't know what exactly sparked this sudden appreciation for After Burner. But I'm glad I gave it a second go. It really is deserving of it's classic status.
Before I comment on the gameplay itself, I want to talk about the visuals for a bit. It's no secret that AM2 could make games that looked amazing with the Super Scaler technology most of their boards had. After Burner is no different. It may be the first game to use SEGA's X Board, but that board is pretty much a powered up version of the Outrun board. However it still manages to out do their previous endeavors in a few noteworthy ways. For one the sprites can actually rotate! This may not seem like a big deal at face value, but most AM2's previous super scaler games weren't really capable of that. That's why they went with Space Harrier's fantasy theme over the realistic military theme AM2 originally envisioned. So to see that finally realized is great! The rotating sprites really help sell this dog fighting game.
AM2 also actually managed to create a nice sense of scope with the visuals. It's especially noticeable in stages where you're flying over towns and bases. It really creates the illusion of actually piloting a fighter plane. Which is really impressive for 1987.
Now for the gameplay. I get it, it can be overwhelming at first with how fast the game moves. But once you get used to it, it honestly does become pretty enjoyable. Despite how fast and seemingly random it can be, the game is actually pretty readable. You can see where enemies are coming and where the missiles come from. You just have to react quickly to them. And you have the means of doing so. 2 gives you the ability to either increase or lower your speed for this very purpose. While I'm on dodging, that's really the best way to play the game. Enemies can be easy to hit with the missiles, but enemies can be tricky to lock on and the missiles run out fast. You don't need to take down all the enemies. Really your goal is to survive the stages. The game is still a quarter muncher though I won't deny that.
I don't know what exactly sparked this sudden appreciation for After Burner. But I'm glad I gave it a second go. It really is deserving of it's classic status.
this is probably better in the arcade but the genesis version is fucking horrendous