THE NEED FOR SPEED
AFTER BURNER 1987
Shortly after making Space Harrier, Yu Suzuki had the resources to create his original plan for a military-based arcade game. Riffing off the hit Tom Cruise film Top Gun (the plane you control is a F-14 Tomcat), After Burner throws you into a frantic gauntlet of enemy planes and helicopters, which are all intent on sending you to your maker. Sickeningly fast and with the ability to pull off gut-churning 360 degree spins, After Burner is another Super Scaler game, and another that received countless home ports. Sadly, very few of them at the time were able to capture the sheer adrenaline rush that Suzuki’s game offered (the definitive release is arguably the 2015 Sega Ages version for the 3DS). Numerous sequels followed, including the incredible After Burner: Climax.