After Burner II Longplay (Saturn) [60 FPS]

Developed by Ruturbo Games and published by Sega in 1996

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Foreword: Apologies in advance if certain parts of the video show heavy artefacts/blockiness - YouTube's aggressive encoding presets have resulted in video quality that doesn't do the game justice.

It's pretty much a given that Sega were king of the arcades during the 1980's and early 90's, thanks in no small part to their combination of programming talent and unrivalled hardware technology. Afterburner was the poster-child of the arcade scene in it's day, boasting eye-popping visuals and explosive gameplay beyond what most home console tech of the day could even hope to achieve.

It wasn't until the 32-bit consoles came out in the mid 90's and the release of Returbo's excellent conversions of Afterburner II for the Saturn and Sega 32X hit the streets that consumers could finally experience the game in all it's synapse-shredding glory.

Starting with graphics, I compared the footage I recorded and compared it to my arcade longplay and the graphics are perfect. However, the Saturn version trumps the arcade thanks to running at a consistent 60 fps, even during the more taxing canyon/strafing-run sections (which appeared to drop to 30 on the original arcade version).

Looking more closely, the Saturn version boasts an improved colour palette, which is evident in the smoother gradient in colour transition between sky/ground on the horizon. This is at it's most evident when banking/turning, which causes the horizon to shift - whereas there are distinct banding lines present on the arcade, the effect on the Saturn is much smoother and cleaner.

Also ported across are the game's soundtrack and audio effects, which sound clearer, with better separation. You have to listen closely, but there are some sounds during the mid-air refuelling sequence that I was sure I hadn't heard before - having listened to the arcade version, they are present, but the balance between music and effects makes it much harder to hear them.

Crucially, the controls have be overhauled to accommodate the Saturn's digital controller and D-pad. The jet now holds it's current position on-screen when you stop moving, rather than trying to level out, allowing you to achieve your desired vector with greater ease. The ability to barrel-roll has been assigned to it's own button rather than the stick, making it easier to execute (and believe me, you'll need to make use of it!).

Also included is an options menu that allows you to configure controller setup, number of lives, as well as the game's difficulty. I rather foolishly decided to play it on hard and found it to be absolutely bananas; life expectancy can measured in mere seconds and you'll be sucking dirt in the blink of an eye (hey, it's based on a coin-op after all).

I think it's safe to say that Returbo did an excellent job on this conversion, finally giving gamers a chance to experience arcade-perfect conversions of some of Sega's arcade classics in the comfort of their living room.
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