83 lines
3.8 KiB
Plaintext
83 lines
3.8 KiB
Plaintext
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AFTER BURNER
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AFTER BURNER -- from Sega's "Arcade Hits" series -- takes just a
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few seconds to figure out. Fly your plane, press one button for
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bullets, another button for homing missiles, and keep firing. Anyone
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can be a champ within minutes, which is probably why it was an
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arcade hit. However, in this era of complex computer simulations
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like THEIR FINEST HOUR: THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN and FLIGHT SIMULATOR
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4, AFTER BURNER ranks as pretty simple stuff. (This review is based
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on the IBM-PC version of the game; Amiga version notes follow.)
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Basically, you get one view -- the rear-end of your F-14 jet
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fighter -- which, I suppose, is where the name of the game comes
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from. You have a square-shaped sight for firing bullets, and a
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second sight appears when your radar has locked onto approaching
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planes. Firing a homing missile when this sight appears practically
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guarantees a hit. The targets are approaching enemy fighter jets and
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radar planes. Beyond this, the main challenge is ducking oncoming
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bullets and missiles. Speed is awkwardly controlled by holding down
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both joystick buttons while pushing forward or pulling back on the
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joystick. There is also a brief sequence for refueling and
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restocking weapons.
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AFTER BURNER comes on two copy-protected 5-1/4" diskettes. The game
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can be installed on your hard disk, but since it uses the annoying
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"key disk" copy protection scheme, you'll need to insert Disk "A"
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whenever you boot up the game. Documentation is minimal -- a single
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sheet of 8-1/2" x 11" paper, folded in thirds.
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The game supposedly offers support for CGA, MCGA, EGA, Tandy
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16-color, and VGA (also only 16 colors). I couldn't spot any
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difference between EGA and VGA modes. The screens on the rear of the
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box accurately depict the game.
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There's no support for any sound cards, but sound is limited to a
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choice between some curiously inappropriate theme music and weak
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explosions. Game play can be either with a joystick or from the
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keyboard.
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AFTER BURNER represents a good translation of a very basic arcade
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game. Those who are looking for no more than that, or who find
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today's state-of-the-art flight simulation programs too complex,
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will be satisfied with their purchase. However, gamers looking for
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the feel and sound of the "real thing" are advised to look
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elsewhere.
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AMIGA VERSION NOTES
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AFTER BURNER, an arcade hit, takes advantage of many of the Amiga's
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capabilities. This is key when purchasing an arcade blockbuster
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ported to the Amiga: Do the look, feel, and sound of the game come
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reasonably close to the arcade version? If so, it's for the Amiga,
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and AFTER BURNER passes that test.
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The colors are rich and full, the animation acceptably smooth, and
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there is pleasant stereo theme music. The sound effects could be a
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little better, but they aren't bad. On the arcade version of AFTER
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BURNER, a voice screams "Firing!" when you squeeze the trigger,
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followed by the thunderous explosion of a direct hit. There aren't
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any voice sound loops in the Amiga version, but all the other sound
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effects seem intact, including nicely done explosions and a tone
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that alerts the pilot to the presence of a "locked on" target.
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The game is so easy to start and play that a seven-year-old can
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manage it without tips from his parents or consulting the
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brochure-sized documentation. There isn't any off-disk copy
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protection, although there is on-disk protection. The game will run
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on A500s, A1000s, and A2000s with at least 512K of RAM.
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AFTER BURNER is as basic a game for the Amiga as it is in the
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arcade. It's a simple shoot-'em-up, and although the game is well
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done for the Amiga, it's unlikely that AFTER BURNER will hold the
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attention of many gamers above age ten or so.
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AFTER BURNER is published and distributed by Sega of America.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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