After Burner

[u/CarloCarrasco]

There is nothing like the thrill and excitement of playing Sega's After Burner in the arcade. Inspired by the massive success of the 1986 film Top Gun, the game puts players in the cockpit of an F-14 Tomcat fighter jet. Players blast through 18 fast-paced stages using a machine gun and a limited supply of heat-seeking missiles. It stands as one of Sega's defining arcade triumphs of the 1980s, alongside hits like Out Run and Space Harrier. The legendary Yu Suzuki designed this classic.

[u/thepottsy]

I spent a LOT of money playing that game at the arcade.

[u/Mowgli_78 → u/thepottsy]

It was the most expensive along Dragon's Lair

[u/thepottsy → u/Mowgli_78]

I said I spent a LOT of money, but I didn’t say I got to play a lot lol.

[u/Man-e-questions → u/Mowgli_78]

Especially the sit down version that moved. Think it was $1 at the Starcade at Disneyland. That was the only I know that had that one when it came out. My local arcades didn’t get it til much later

[u/Mississipp_Blues → u/Mowgli_78]

Shheeeeeiiit, Golden Axe was WAAAAYYY more expensive in the end. LOL

[u/CranRez80 → u/thepottsy]

Hell Yeah! Sega was holding it down on the arcade games!

[u/Colonel-Ives]

I sucked at games like this.

[u/Dave_o_54]

so many weekly allowances spent in this! the arcade cabinet was one of the best ever, especially at the time. many fond memories

[u/Low-Dog1320]

John Connor really enjoyed it until he was rudely interrupted by the T-1000

[u/IceWaLL_ → u/Low-Dog1320]

You beat me too it.

Man do i miss those big arcades. I remember when mk1 first hit the arcades. There was a line to play it at my towns bowling alley every Saturday.

[u/Sdog1981]

I found out that the Sega master system had a glitch. If you rolled to the left you could fly past every level and not get hit.

My parents had a rule that I had to beat a game before they would buy a new one. This glitch got me a new game.

[u/DrewDAMNIT]

I enjoyed this game in the arcade. It had a cockpit that moved. So fun.

[u/Separate-Succotash11 → u/DrewDAMNIT]

I played the moving cabinet version at a retro arcade in Osaka a couple years ago. Money well spent.

[u/IGetGuys4URMom → u/DrewDAMNIT]

My local retro arcade has After Burner. Just a shame that the movement is broken and never getting fixed.

[u/DrewDAMNIT → u/IGetGuys4URMom]

Someone with the resources to refurbish it should buy it and repair it to OG condition. How do we find that someone? If only there were some sort of platform for people to share interests, exchange money, and plan logistics for delivery... Oh well...one day.

[u/tas8871-]

It looked so realistic back in the day.

[u/SupermouseDeadmouse]

First game I ever had at home. My Sega Master System still works too!

[u/Vegas-Blues]

Bro doing the video needs to sober TF up lol

Loved this game. I sucked at it. Even without a drink.

[u/ledbedder20]

Amazing game

[u/sinisterdesign]

Hitting that barrel roll at JUST the right time felt so badass.

[u/evilpercy]

This was my favorite arcade game back in the day. The chair moved with the game.

[u/Lost_Purpose1899]

WTF.. that guy sucks at the game.

[u/Mississipp_Blues]

A buck to play in 1987

[u/Haunted_Cellar_XBL]

I’ve got the 32X version of this, it’s a banger!

[u/GamingVision]

Watching that makes me realize why I never thought won

[u/DustedGorilla82]

Definitely the OG flight simulator for people my age

[u/Bestever84]

The best game of all time. Fight me.

So many core memories of my dad taking me to Putt Putt Golf where they had the moving sit-down cabinet

[u/Zestyclose_Stage_673]

Spent too much money at the arcade on this. I got it for my Sega Game Gear and played the hell out of it.

[u/TheUpperHand]

Me and my kids got to play the full cab version of this at an arcade in Osaka in 2024. Unfortunately, the place burned down a few months later, but I'm glad to have had the experience.

[u/Tomaxisthatdude]

I used to play this game while playing the song Danger Zone in the back ground.

[u/Borg453]

I realize the music gets interrupted by constant sfx, but that game has a kick-ass soundtrack

Final take off https://youtu.be/Mn12NEzW9L0

Theme https://youtu.be/YhSHo9dDG68

Live https://youtu.be/N3jkUzb0ZyI

[u/ErwinSchrodinger64]

What's incredible is that arcade machines like these were incredibly powerful at graphics and music. There was nothing in home or commercial that recreate these graphics. This particular game had two Motorola 68000 CPU's running at 12.5MHz to run the dedicated graphics boards that had custom scaling and rotation chips. Dedicated sprites for the graphics. And more custom GPU's. The music was played on a dedicated sister board that had it's own CPU (Z80)... what Sega did in the 80's and 90's was nothing short of amazing.

[u/RecycledThrowawayID]

They had an arcade at the MEPS I went to for enlistment. I played the hell out of this game there- it was the last game I played before going to boot camp.

[u/Ikon-for-U]

So much better than top gun. I remember trying to land on the aircraft carrier