After Burner II
Fire! Fire! Fire!Genre: shooter - corridor
Publisher: Sega
Year: 1990
System: Genesis
Gameplay Score: 2
Gameplay Notes:
Main problem is that your reticle is tiny, your targets are tiny, and your plane blocks most of the screen. All this adds up to it being extremely difficult to hit your targets. Controls aren't inverted and can't be changed. Movement is extremely awkward as you're stuck in a very small square perhaps one quarter the size of the screen. Your plane's movement is exaggerated compared to how far you press on the d-pad so it just feels strange. Gameplay is limited to two things - movement and aiming a reticle far in the distance onto an oncoming enemy and firing a missile. You've got limited ammo which is gone quickly and can't be replenished. And that's it. That's the entire game. It's fun for a few seconds but monotony sets in almost immediately.
Level Design Score: 1
Level Design Notes:
The game's structure reminds me of Top Gun for the NES. You take off and face wave after wave of enemies until at last you refuel, signifying the end of the level. There are no bosses or objectives or any other structure. Just wave after wave after wave of the same planes and helicopters. At best you can hit three targets in a wave but the game often throws 6-8 oncoming enemies so you really just have to avoid the missiles they fire. This is easier said than done and feels like complete RNG regardless of what you do. Success feels more like luck than skill.
Theme Score: 4
Theme Notes:
This game is all about style. The title screen with it's rotating countdown really gets you pumped and the animations and barrel roll move exude cool.
Art Style Score: 3
Art Style Notes:
The game performs well enough. Your sprite looks great, albeit with virtually no frames of animation (there's no time!). The enemy sprites, on the other hand, are generally just a blurry dot on the horizon before they fly by you at breakneck speed. So they're not much to look at. The backgrounds are similarly minimalistic and boring. The background changes color frequently, so that keeps things lively.
Audio Score: 4
Audio Notes:
Rocking tunes. Satisfying missile and explosions. The sound is simple but is easily the best thing about the game.
Overall Score: 43
Review ID: 732
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