test: After Burner II

~ AFTER BURNER II ~

NEC Avenue / Sega

HuCard

1990

This game seems to be a bit of a fan favorite. I like it well enough, but I'm not crazy about it. I think that it's very reminiscent of Space Harrier and that it doesn't stand up well in comparison. Space Harrier has a lot of cool enemies, and its levels are pretty wacky and colorful. After Burner II's theme just isn't as appealing to me.

Decent action, but no cyclopean mammoths, unfortunately.

Nighttime scenes and neat explosions do help a bit.

More importantly, I need to utilize a little strategy in SH. ABII's gameplay, even outside of this comparison, is too facile: shoot and dodge and shoot and dodge and--SPEED BURST--and shoot and dodge. When I first beat SH, I felt like it was the ultimate result of the practice and planning I had put into the game. No, it wasn't all that hard, but it did feel kinda rewarding. When I first beat ABII, I felt like it was because I had bothered to start up the game enough times to eventually have a successful--perhaps lucky--run through the twenty-third stage. I didn't feel like I had pulled off anything particularly significant or that I had achieved something as a result of earnest effort.

Make pit stops and receive aid from friendly giant aircraft.

Still, ABII certainly has its merits as a fairly exciting little pick-up-and-play title. And there's some really nice music in it, especially the catchy bit that typically accompanies the transition from the second stage to the third.