After Burner
Encyclopedia
is a 1987 Japan
ese flight simulator
arcade game
by Sega
. It is one of the first games designed by Yu Suzuki
. The player flew an F-14 using a specialized joystick (with moving seat, in some installations), and the game spawned several sequels.
jet, which must destroy a series of enemy jets throughout 18 stages. At the start of the game, the player takes off from an aircraft carrier called the Sega Enterprise, which shares a similar name to the one used in the 1986 film Top Gun
.
The jet itself employs a machine gun and a limited set of missiles. These weapons are replenished by another aircraft after beating a few stages. The aircraft, cannon and missile buttons are all controlled from an integrated flight stick
.
The game itself was released in two variations: a standard upright cabinet and a rotating cockpit version. In the cockpit version, the seat rotated horizontally, and the cockpit rotated vertically.
and Galaxy Force 2.
Although the After Burner brand was long dormant, Sega created a number of aerial combat games centered on the F-14 Tomcat with many similar features, which are frequently regarded as part of the series. These include G-LOC: Air Battle
and its sequel Strike Fighter
(later rebranded After Burner III
in its home release, lending credence to the belief that they are related). Later games associated with the series include Sky Target
(which retained similar gameplay and presentation to the original, but with the addition of 3D graphics) and Sega Strike Fighter (an arcade flight combat game which featured free-roaming movement, but nonetheless featured an F-14 as the default plane and boasted similar music).
In 2006, Sega released a new sequel on Sega Lindbergh hardware, After Burner Climax
, the first arcade game to bear the brand since After Burner II.
The music from After Burner appears in remixed form in Chapter 8, entitled "Route 666", of Bayonetta
(2009, developed by Platinum Games and published by Sega).
The game was ported to numerous consoles and computer systems such as the Amiga
, DOS based PC's, Amstrad
, Atari ST
, Sharp X68000
, FM Towns
, Commodore 64
, NES
, Sega Master System
, PC Engine, Sega Saturn
, PC
, MSX
, ZX Spectrum
, and Gameboy Advance in an arcade 4 pack named Sega Arcade Gallery. A port of After Burner to the 32X was done by Rutubo Games
, and was known as After Burner Complete in Japan and Europe.
After Burner Climax was later ported to Xbox Live Arcade
and PSN. It was followed by the spinoff After Burner: Black Falcon
for the PSP
in 2007.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese flight simulator
Flight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and various aspects of the flight environment. This includes the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they react to applications of their controls and other aircraft systems, and how they react to the external...
arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
. It is one of the first games designed by Yu Suzuki
Yu Suzuki
is a Japanese game designer and producer who has spent his entire career with Sega Enterprises. Often referred to as Sega's answer to Shigeru Miyamoto, he has been responsible for the creation of many of Sega's most important arcade games such as Hang-On, Out Run, After Burner II, Virtua Fighter,...
. The player flew an F-14 using a specialized joystick (with moving seat, in some installations), and the game spawned several sequels.
Gameplay
The game allows the player to control a F-14 TomcatF-14 Tomcat
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental program following the collapse of the F-111B project...
jet, which must destroy a series of enemy jets throughout 18 stages. At the start of the game, the player takes off from an aircraft carrier called the Sega Enterprise, which shares a similar name to the one used in the 1986 film Top Gun
USS Enterprise (CVN-65)
USS Enterprise , formerly CVA-65, is the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the eighth US naval vessel to bear the name. Like her predecessor of World War II fame, she is nicknamed the "Big E". At , she is the longest naval vessel in the world...
.
The jet itself employs a machine gun and a limited set of missiles. These weapons are replenished by another aircraft after beating a few stages. The aircraft, cannon and missile buttons are all controlled from an integrated flight stick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
.
The game itself was released in two variations: a standard upright cabinet and a rotating cockpit version. In the cockpit version, the seat rotated horizontally, and the cockpit rotated vertically.
Sequels and related games
After Burner was followed by After Burner II, which was released on the same year. Some consider this game to be more of a revision of its predecessor, rather than an entirely new game, a practice later repeated by Sega for Galaxy ForceGalaxy Force (arcade game)
is a sprite-scaling rail shooter arcade game, released by Sega in 1988 and built upon the Sega Y Board. The game which is in the tradition of Sega's successful Space Harrier is set in space. Two other versions of the arcade game were released as Galaxy Force II Deluxe Edition and Galaxy Force...
and Galaxy Force 2.
Although the After Burner brand was long dormant, Sega created a number of aerial combat games centered on the F-14 Tomcat with many similar features, which are frequently regarded as part of the series. These include G-LOC: Air Battle
G-LOC: Air Battle
G-LOC: Air Battle is a 1990 air combat arcade game by Sega. The title refers to "G-force induced Loss Of Consciousness".-Overview:The game puts the player in a fighter plane, dog fighting other planes. Once the player takes too many hits or the game-timer runs out the game is over. The player earns...
and its sequel Strike Fighter
Strike fighter
In a current military parlance, a strike fighter is a multi-role combat aircraft designed to operate primarily in the air-to-surface attack role while also incorporating certain performance characteristics of a fighter aircraft. As a category, it is distinct from fighter-bombers...
(later rebranded After Burner III
After Burner III
After Burner III is a video game released on the Sega Mega-CD in Europe, Japan and North America . It is the third game in the After Burner series, and a port of Strike Fighter, a game released for Japanese arcades. The game again has the player flying the F-14 Tomcat, with the same weapons as before...
in its home release, lending credence to the belief that they are related). Later games associated with the series include Sky Target
Sky Target
Sky Target is a 1995 arcade game by Sega. A rail shooter featuring a number of planes including the default F-14D Super Tomcat, it is best remembered for its semi-official connection to Sega's earlier hit After Burner...
(which retained similar gameplay and presentation to the original, but with the addition of 3D graphics) and Sega Strike Fighter (an arcade flight combat game which featured free-roaming movement, but nonetheless featured an F-14 as the default plane and boasted similar music).
In 2006, Sega released a new sequel on Sega Lindbergh hardware, After Burner Climax
After Burner Climax
is a 2006 arcade, combat flight video game developed by Sega-AM2 and published by Sega. The game is the sequel to the popular arcade and console After Burner games...
, the first arcade game to bear the brand since After Burner II.
The music from After Burner appears in remixed form in Chapter 8, entitled "Route 666", of Bayonetta
Bayonetta
is a hack and slash action game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 developed by Platinum Games in cooperation with publisher Sega. Set in a fictional city in Europe, the game centers on its title character, Bayonetta, who uses pistols and magical attacks to defeat enemies...
(2009, developed by Platinum Games and published by Sega).
Ports to other game systems
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, DOS based PC's, Amstrad
Amstrad
Amstrad is a British electronics company, now wholly owned by BSkyB. As of 2006, Amstrad's main business is manufacturing Sky Digital interactive boxes....
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, Sharp X68000
Sharp X68000
The Sharp X68000, often referred to as the X68k, is a home computer released only in Japan by the Sharp Corporation. The first model was released in 1987, with a 10 MHz Motorola 68000 CPU, 1 MB of RAM and no hard drive; the last model was released in 1993 with a 25 MHz Motorola 68030...
, FM Towns
FM Towns
The FM Towns system is a Japanese PC variant, built by Fujitsu from February 1989 to the summer of 1997. It started as a proprietary PC variant intended for multimedia applications and PC games, but later became more compatible with regular PCs...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, Sega Master System
Sega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
, PC Engine, Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
, PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
, ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, and Gameboy Advance in an arcade 4 pack named Sega Arcade Gallery. A port of After Burner to the 32X was done by Rutubo Games
Rutubo Games
Rutubo Games is a video game developer that was formed partially by former Dempa employees. Rutubo's focus has been on porting arcade conversions, mainly for Sega.-List of titles: -External links:*...
, and was known as After Burner Complete in Japan and Europe.
After Burner Climax was later ported to Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
and PSN. It was followed by the spinoff After Burner: Black Falcon
After Burner: Black Falcon
After Burner: Black Falcon is a flight combat simulation video game. Unlike previous games in the series, it is exclusive to the PlayStation Portable and not a port of an arcade game.-Overview:...
for the PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
in 2007.