Space Harrier for Game Gear / C64 / Amiga / PS2
Yes it's four-for-one time! Obviously only one of these versions was spat out by the random game selector but when I realised I had so many unplayed ports of Space Harrier I thought this would be a fun way to bulk up what would otherwise be a pretty short piece.
I own six different versions of Space Harrier so as you might guess I'm a bit of a fan. It was one of those arcade machines that you just had to play whenever you saw it. Everything about was amazing. The sound, the music, the setting, and obviously the hydraulic chair. It holds a special place in my heart and I guess that's why I just can't see a copy and not buy it - even though I know very well that the vast majority of these ports are pretty shoddy (which is probably why I haven't played any of them yet).
Talking of shoddy...
C64 Version
For some reason there are two versions of Space Harrier on the C64. The first was ported in house by Sega and the second was released a year later by Elite.
They can be told apart by the fact that one is terrible and the other is really terrible. Guess which I own?
The graphics are actually decent - or at least they would be if the game was a screenshot. The animations are rubbish and the controls are jerky to the point of unusability.
Game Gear Version
Absolutely this should not work. With the Game Gear's tiny screen and limited capabilities this should be a disaster. It isn't though, as you probably guessed, it's actually a very playable kind of 'edited' version of the game. Possibly sacrilige to purists but I'd rather they make a Space Harrier game that's fun to play than one that is more arcade accurate but not enjoyable.
It runs pretty quick, the graphics are big and colourful without clogging up the screen and music is really nice too. Best of all the game has password save, who doesn't long for that in every arcade conversion? Worth noting that, like most handheld games, this looks much nicer on the real screen than it does on an emulator.
Amiga Version
In a word, disappointing. Maybe I expected too much but even after a couple of minutes with the game I thought I was on to a winner. Sadly the issues soon started to come thick and fast. The game sounds like it's playing on a single channel with sound effects eliminating most of the music, for some reason you're not allowed to move around the whole of the screen and, most annoying of all, the enemy fire is tiny so you often can't see that you're about to die because your own body is in the way.
Frustrating doesn't begin to cover it.
PS2 Version
No. Just no. It's like the devil ate Space Harrier and this is what he shat out. This is part of a compilation that takes 8 classic Sega titles and re-invents them with (and I quote): 'enhanced graphics and sound for a superior experience'. No.
This is the only game on the disc I've played. Judging by this I don't think I can bear to see what they've done to OutRun. If the horrible EDM music and hideous rendered graphics weren't bad enough, the game is just so damn slow; it's as if they wanted to extend the torture.
I own six different versions of Space Harrier so as you might guess I'm a bit of a fan. It was one of those arcade machines that you just had to play whenever you saw it. Everything about was amazing. The sound, the music, the setting, and obviously the hydraulic chair. It holds a special place in my heart and I guess that's why I just can't see a copy and not buy it - even though I know very well that the vast majority of these ports are pretty shoddy (which is probably why I haven't played any of them yet).
Talking of shoddy...
C64 Version
For some reason there are two versions of Space Harrier on the C64. The first was ported in house by Sega and the second was released a year later by Elite.
They can be told apart by the fact that one is terrible and the other is really terrible. Guess which I own?
The graphics are actually decent - or at least they would be if the game was a screenshot. The animations are rubbish and the controls are jerky to the point of unusability.
Game Gear Version
Absolutely this should not work. With the Game Gear's tiny screen and limited capabilities this should be a disaster. It isn't though, as you probably guessed, it's actually a very playable kind of 'edited' version of the game. Possibly sacrilige to purists but I'd rather they make a Space Harrier game that's fun to play than one that is more arcade accurate but not enjoyable.
It runs pretty quick, the graphics are big and colourful without clogging up the screen and music is really nice too. Best of all the game has password save, who doesn't long for that in every arcade conversion? Worth noting that, like most handheld games, this looks much nicer on the real screen than it does on an emulator.
Amiga Version
In a word, disappointing. Maybe I expected too much but even after a couple of minutes with the game I thought I was on to a winner. Sadly the issues soon started to come thick and fast. The game sounds like it's playing on a single channel with sound effects eliminating most of the music, for some reason you're not allowed to move around the whole of the screen and, most annoying of all, the enemy fire is tiny so you often can't see that you're about to die because your own body is in the way.
Frustrating doesn't begin to cover it.
PS2 Version
No. Just no. It's like the devil ate Space Harrier and this is what he shat out. This is part of a compilation that takes 8 classic Sega titles and re-invents them with (and I quote): 'enhanced graphics and sound for a superior experience'. No.
This is the only game on the disc I've played. Judging by this I don't think I can bear to see what they've done to OutRun. If the horrible EDM music and hideous rendered graphics weren't bad enough, the game is just so damn slow; it's as if they wanted to extend the torture.
Space Harrier 4-way Fight, the winner is:
The Sega Game Gear, and it's not even close.
I'm off to play the 3DS version to cleanse my soul.
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