Space Harrier

The Good
Ahhhh...my friend, the Space Harrier. To me, it's a classic. I popped many quarters into the arcade version in my youth, and then came the amazing (for the time) 3D playing field, with its high speed scrolling, nicely animated enemies, fast, frantic gameplay, and wonderful music score. Space Harrier was one of the forces that turned me into a huge Sega fan, no doubt about it. They could crank out some excellent games in the arcade, but once in a while you have to question their home ports. The PC version is a pretty decent port, but it still isn't perfect. Let's check it out, shall we?

First off, let me explain the premise of the game. You are the intergalactic hero known as the Space Harrier, who has been sent off to the Fantasy Zone to free it from some evil alien race headed by WiWi Jumbo, who oddly enough looks more like a voodoo witch doctor than an evil alien commander. So you're given a giant laser cannon with which you can blast your enemies, but that's not it. Oh no. See, our friend Space (that'll be his nickname for this review) also has the ability to run at superhuman speeds, as well as leap into the air and fly like a majestic eagle, allowing you to dodge low shots, as well as take out enemies that are flying at you from above. Because Space is constantly moving and running, there's no way to stop, and the enemies don't care; they'll just keep on coming straight at you, either trying to shoot you down or ram into you. There are also natural obstacles, like trees, boulders, shrubs, and towers, but don't worry! You can shoot them down if you wish! If you make it through the stage, you then have to battle a Boss Dragon in order to move on. It's a simple gameplay formula that works quite well, and the game makes for some fast paced fun. The PC version manages to capture all that fun and makes for a good conversion from a gameplay point of view. Control is very simple: move and fire. That's it. Graphics are decent for EGA/VGA, and you can easily identify your enemies and obstacles.

The Bad
Not very much, but there are a couple of things.

First, the sounds STUNK. I'm sorry, but even if it is the technical limits of the time, the sound just was not any good. Also, the game seemed a little slow...not as bad as the Sega Master System version, mind you, but it was still a little annoying once in a while. Sorry, but I'm a Space Harrier purist; I NEED to have that frantic pace in order to play. For that, you can get the original arcade version under emulation, the Sega 32X version, or the arcade-perfect (and Japanese only) Sega Saturn version.

The Bottom Line
I love Space Harrier to much to ever dismiss it. Although the PC version is not the best port around, when I was younger and the family still had an old 286 computer, this made for a wonderful way to play Space Harrier at home. Besides, who could resist the adventures of ol' Space, with his "take it like a man" attitude about ramming into trees and rocks, and his wacky enemies and their dead-set "KILL SPACE" mentality? Space Harrier is a classic for years to come!

Oh, and you've gotta love the death cry: "AAAAAAAAAAOOOoooooo......GET READY!" Long live Space!!