Space Harrier II (Sega Mega Drive)

Space Harrier II

It's the far future - the year 6236 to be exact - and the beautifully-named 214th Sector is under attack from hordes of alien creepies. Being the sort of guy that revels in a little alienocide, you grab a jet pack and the latest death-dealing mega laser and transport yourself to the area via your Cosmic Gate to see if you can gently persuade them to go away.

Like the original game, Space Harrier II is a 3D shoot 'em up in which you fly into the screen, blasting the baddies that fly towards you. There are twelve levels to clear of baddies, and any one of these may be selected at the start of the game.

Space Harrier II Review

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Review by Damien McFerran

Space Harrier II Screenshot

I'm sure most 80's gamers can recall their first brush with the arcade Space Harrier - it was like looking into the future. While Space Harrier II doesn't quite live up to that grand reputation, it's still a faithful translation of the arcade.

The gameplay is sort of similar to Star Fox but much less advanced. The hero of the game can fly around the screen, run on the ground and shoot all the baddies which swarm towards him. There is a feeling of 3D as you are running into the screen. An added complexity is you will need to avoid the trees and walls which hurtle towards you.

Space Harrier II Screenshot

The gameplay feels repetitive very quickly in this game. Swarms of enemies following predictable patterns fly at you or from behind you. Usually a few shots takes them out, the boss fights are not really much more intricate that shooting a Chinese dragon or a giant head floating about the place.

Compared to other similar games which came later Space Harrier II is as shallow as a puddle. There is no real feeling of immersion in the environment and this game gets boring very quickly. Do yourself a favour and pass up on this. Wait for Star Fox / Star Wing on the Super Nintendo to hit the VC instead which is much better.

2/5

Average reader rating: 3.20 (10 ratings)

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Screenshots

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Space Harrier II (Video Clip)

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Have your say about Space Harrier II

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1. Mendez United Kingdom 24 Feb 2007, 01:47 GMT

I remember really liking this on megadrive when I was young - despite what you people up there say :p
I'm not sure if it's worth the download though, I just got myself 5000 points but I want to make them last!

2. locke United States 16 Mar 2007, 05:14 GMT

Having played the original on the Master System, I wasn't even aware of a sequel until it was offered up on the VC recently. Space Harrier 2 is worth downloading if you loved the original, though the graphics, score, and that infamous scaling effect seem to have, strangely enough, lost some of their glory in the translation to a console with higher capabilities.

3. Anthony Cromartie United States 24 Mar 2007, 03:33 GMT

Ah! Good ol' Space Harrier-definitely reccomended. I have to strongly disagree with your review, Space Harrier's one of my fave arcade games of all time, and def. fave oldschool shooter.

4. deggs Canada 09 Apr 2007, 19:24 GMT

i remember finding the genesis version for ike $18 not long after it was released. It was fun yet super repetitive. Still, a great game even if didn't really add much to the original other than better graphics. the fact that each level is basically the same but with different colors kinda reminds me of old c64 games...

5. deggs Canada 09 Apr 2007, 19:25 GMT

"GET READY"

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6. Mendez United Kingdom 13 Apr 2007, 01:17 GMT

I'm considering downloading, dunno why though. I just love it for some reason!

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7. DEMON212 United Kingdom 24 Apr 2007, 21:02 GMT

If you like SH 1, then avoid this game at all costs. I hate this game and wish that id never existed, because I wasted 800 points thinking "COOL, A SPACE HARRIER SEQUEL!!!!".

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8. Mendez United Kingdom 10 May 2007, 15:19 GMT

If the first was better why didn't they just put that on? I've never played that before...

9. Praadur United Kingdom 26 May 2007, 16:14 GMT

I wish they'd gone with the original too, this "sequel" or "pile of palid pap" (whichever label fits your preference) really isn't worth the time of day.

I think I'll be a bit of a black sheep though and say that compared to this, I'd even have preferred to see the Master System version of the original Space Harrier. At least that way, we'd all get some entertainment out of it, what with younger gamers seeing the "Smiley Face Cannon" for the first time and all.

10. Matthew United States 05 Aug 2007, 21:40 GMT

I really like this game, although I haven't played the VC version. The music is interesting, the monsters are cool. Yes, it's a 1st gen Mega Drive game (4 megabit, 1988, before Sonic), and was probably rushed into production, but it's solid Space Harrier action nonetheless, and in some ways improves upon the original, at least in concept (remember the arcade version had TWO 68000 processors).

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11. DDR Paladin356 United States 07 Nov 2007, 00:30 GMT

I like this game honestly. I mean its not as good as the original, but its still fun.

12. Koolkitties United States 09 Dec 2007, 23:40 GMT

Ooooohh...it said hell peak! SEGA LIED TO ESRB! I'M TELLING!

13. President_Leever Sweden 30 Jan 2008, 15:14 GMT

Whoa, harsh score. This game is actually pretty fun and the gfx have that drug induced charm of early Sega games (fantasy zone era) . The original arcade game is way better though.

14. CJ United Kingdom 24 Jun 2008, 22:34 GMT

Relatively speaking, there is no doubt that this is a poor shoot-em-up...

But this is one of those 'special childhood games' to me. And limitations aside, it's still enjoyable. Great quick fix gaming.

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15. Outrunner United Kingdom 29 Jun 2008, 21:02 GMT

I love this game! I respect your opinion but I also disagree. 4 stars from me. I just love old skool Sega.

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