"One of the Classics."

Possibly one of the most fantastic shooters from the late eighties, Afterburner is a game that you have to play with the knowledge of having a Top Gun effect. Produced by Sega, Afterburner is a game in which you take control of a fighter plane and work through several stages of oncoming enemies while trying to keep yourself from being blasted out of the sky by lock on missiles and incoming fire! Other systems that this title has appeared on cannot touch the true gunning experience of the arcade machine.

The experience is only highlighted by the sit down machine, in which you have a game that doesn’t just give you the action of blowing things up, but moves with the direction that your fighter is moving in. There are two types of machines out there, with the sit down machine being the rarity of the two versions. If you’re able to play through the game in the sit down version, than consider yourself lucky to have the opportunity to do so!

The Game Play

The game play is a behind the view type of shooter that gives you control of a rather agile fighter plane with a fixed amount of room to work with. As most shooting games go, this one really doesn’t have much difference from any other one that you might play. When you really dive into what the game has to offer in terms of the game play and even the control, there is little here that differs from one stage to the next, leaving you with the feeling of being on constant repeat. Weapons are kept simple with machine guns and missiles being your only choice and you’ll have to learn to work with them at all levels.

The difficulty that you find here is nothing exceptional, with anyone from the beginning gamer to the veteran player being able to pick up on the controls in a heartbeat and work with what the game has to offer. Although the button configuration is set up to be easy to work with, you may need to take a little time to get used to the sometimes sluggish way that Afterburner moves on the screen. Being in that fixed position simply means that you have to use timing and get used to the various patterns in order to successfully get through the game in it’s later stages.

The Visuals

What you have is plenty of detail in the foreground and in the background as it comes rushing up to you. The backgrounds on the other hand have very little going for them, with most of your attention on the action that is happening onscreen. Explosions and near misses with the missiles is what you have to look forward to with some of the fastest fighter plane action around going on right here. The overall presentation of the game is only highlighted with the detail in which you go down in flames if you’re not careful in your assault on the enemy horde!

The Audio

Inside of the cabinet {if you’re lucky enough to play in one} is nothing short of amazing. With a rock soundtrack that accompanies you through several different stages of action, there is nothing off-beat or slow to hear on any of the missions. The sound effects range from the rattle of your machine gun to the heavy, bass filled explosions of you or your enemies as missiles and machine gun fire take its toll. With the amount of sound that goes on, the only thing that you can hope for is that the game doesn’t have the volume set too high, or you’ll end up partially deaf!

Why you might not like this game:

One of the biggest reasons is that there are two different cabinet types for this game. While the stand up cabinet is fun and the controls are easy enough to work with, it doesn’t give you the ability to sit down and experience the lift and twists like the sit down does. However, the sit down game has a fair share of problems with the way that it raises and lowers itself depending on the action. From time to time, you may find yourself a little disoriented with the experience simply because you’re trying to keep your eyes on the action and the machine is still moving!

The Verdict

The only way to play this title in all honesty is with the sit down version of the game. Probably one of the most innovative machines that I’ve seen in the arcades to date, Afterburner is an experience that you’d be more than willing to go through if you’re able to find a working machine. With the bright, flaring visuals and the simplistic game play of run and gun action, there is very little here that would make anyone turn this title down! Worthy of a few credits in the least, this is one of the classic arcade machines that is exceptionally hard to find.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/13/02, Updated 05/13/02