After Burner for the Sega Master System was the best translation of the arcade classic at the time, that doesn't save th

User Rating: 7.3 | After Burner SMS
By EmperorSamoth | Review Date:
Back in the days of the NES and SMS, After Burner was a mega hit. Sega replicated the game with amazing results considering the SMS was only 8-bits, same as the NES. Some readers gave this game horrible reviews here at Gamespot. I cannot speak for them, but I compared the SMS version with the (unlicensed) NES version made by Tengen in order to have a clear understanding of the technical achievement Sega did with the conversion.

Taking in consideration the old hardwareÑ

Graphics: Decent with good explosions and a nice sense of speed. The missiles have a nice fire thrust and the planes are detailed. The transitions between stages are great too.

Sound: excellent use of sound. It was one of the best games to show off the SMS sound capabilities.

Gameplay: Mirrored the Arcade's fast and furious pace. The early stages were too simplistic with you being able to dodge the missiles just by leaning on one side. I believe after stage 13 or so, it starts getting ridiculously hard.

Value: Not much value since it's so repetitive, but it puts up quite a challenge if you don't mind the limited continues.

Before you dismiss this game as not worth your time, transport yourself back to 1988 or 1989 before the Sega Genesis and compare it to the NES counterpart. You too will learn to appreciate how close this version is to it's arcade counterpart.

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