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.