After Burner

Moby ID: 1424
Arcade Specs
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Description official descriptions

After Burner is an aircraft shooter. The goal is simple: use your F-14 Tomcat and shoot as many enemies as you can. This aircraft has two weapons: lock-on missiles and Vulcan cannons (basically machine guns). In some versions there is an option to let the cannons shoot automatically all the time.

The game is viewed from behind the plane with you fighting wave after wave of enemy fighters. But at heart it offers the usual shooter mechanics, meaning you spend most of your time dodging and shooting. Sometimes you come across a friendly supply plane and if you dock with it you can replenish your missiles.

The SEGA Master System adds a boss fight at the very end. Despite being called After Burner, all other console / computer ports are based on After Burner II.

Spellings

  • アフターバーナー - Japanese spelling

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Credits (Arcade version)

12 People

Staff
US Product Manager

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 59% (based on 24 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.3 out of 5 (based on 48 ratings with 1 reviews)

Good standalone title, bad arcade conversion.

The Good
Good graphics.

The Bad
Slow. No Afterburner.

The Bottom Line
Afterburner was a tough arcade onslaught that provided you with a fast plane and tons of ammo. The speed was adjustable, and during sticky situations you could pull back on the throttle, flames spitting from the rear and barrel-rolling out of it. This description is what made Afterburner what it was. Lets pretend for a moment that we remove the adjustable speed and slow the game down to less than half it's intended speed. What you envision is the Sega Master System version of this game. It's slow, and there's no throttle control. There's also no bonus stages like that of the arcade. The graphics are nice to look at, but it plays like a clunky mess. With games like Thunderblade and Galaxy Force which do a much better job of mimicking the speed of their arcade counterparts, there's no reason for this to have been released the way it is. In it's own right, it does have an extra feature: a boss. Every 6th level unleashes a giant flying fortress that has three missile bays that it dosen't hesitate to use them on you. And it tries hard to kill you. As a standalone title, Afterburner for the Master System is an "okay" product. If you're looking for the arcade thrills of the original, look elsewhere.

SEGA Master System · by Ash_1 (74) · 2016

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Related Games

After Burner 3D
Released 2003 on Windows
After Burner II
Released 1988 on Amiga, DOS, Genesis...
After Burner II
Released 1989 on NES
After Burner: Climax
Released 2010 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, 2013 on iPhone...
After Burner III
Released 1991 on Arcade, SEGA CD, FM Towns
After Burner: Black Falcon
Released 2007 on PSP
Island Burner
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Desert Burner
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Thunder Burner
Released 1991 on Atari ST, 1991 on Amstrad CPC, 1992 on Amiga

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  • MobyGames ID: 1424
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Macintrash.

SEGA Master System added by PCGamer77. Arcade added by Pseudo_Intellectual.

Additional contributors: chirinea, LepricahnsGold.

Game added May 11, 2000. Last modified January 3, 2024.