I’ve been waiting quite a while for After Burner Climax to come to a home console. Back when it first appeared in 2006, I really wanted to play it, but wasn’t prepared to go on a road trip to the nearest arcade, so I let many opportunities slip through my fingers. Hypocrite? I don’t think so; I knew I’d get to play it eventually. In fact, the first time I did was in Japan last year, but with glitchy graphics — a bittersweet experience, but enjoyable nonetheless. So I was elated to find out that Sega was finally bringing Climax to Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. Better yet, I wasn’t let down.
Climax effectively operates as a high-def remake of the original After Burner games: a breakneck shoot-em-up where you take a lone fighter jet through a variety of locales, from oceans to grasslands to narrow canyons. After Burner always played a bit like Sega’s other classic Yu Suzuki-created arcade game, OutRun: You dash through a level, reach the proverbial fork in the road where you can choose between two levels, then continue branching left or Continue reading »
