Sega's Planet Harriers!

[Rev. Rob]

So, I finally played Planet Harriers two days ago.I've never seen it in an arcade before, and then I was in the biggest dump of a pizza place called Peter Piper Pizza - a wannabe Chuck E. Cheese, and there it was, stashed in the corner, the only cabinet release this decade that they had.

 

This game is awesome.

 

It's like our old time friend Space Harrier, only very much improved. Better control, better lock-on missiles, it's in a duel cabinet so there's cooperative play, there's even a first person view. This game is a wonderful blend of two great classics, Space Harrier (obviously) and After Burner II.

 

What sets it aside from standard arcade games is the fact that it also has a money system, which is more an element more common in home console. Throughout the game players collect gold by killing enemies or busting open objects. At the end of each stage, items and upgrades can be purchased from a store.

 

The better you do in the game, the better your weapon will be in the next level. It absolutely encourages the player to dominate the level and kill everything, rather than merely surviving it.

 

Everything about this game made me happy, except for the fact that I can't buy a copy for it for any platform because the Dreamcast version never materialized, which is a shame too.

 

Like SegaSonic the Hedgehog Arcade, Planet Harriers may be doomed to be one of those fun classics that will never reach a mass market. But, I can always hope that it sees a release on a compilation disc somewhere down the road, or as a download on the Xbox 360. Hey, I can hope, right?

 

Just for fun, here are some pics:

 

[Shaggy the Atarian]

I've heard of this before but have never had a chance to play it. It's one of the many games I'd love to get for my arcade that I'm opening this summer though, it's something original and it looks like a lot of fun.

[Brian D. Deuel]

I've heard of this before but have never had a chance to play it. It's one of the many games I'd love to get for my arcade that I'm opening this summer though, it's something original and it looks like a lot of fun.

 

It's the most beautiful game to run on the Hikaru board. Even better than Brave Firefighters. And the game is an incredible blast. It's too bad it never made it home

 

Oh hey, Shaggy! Didn't know you hung out here too

[jboypacman]

I always wanted to try this game out but we never had gotten it anywhere in my area.

[Shaggy the Atarian]

I've heard of this before but have never had a chance to play it. It's one of the many games I'd love to get for my arcade that I'm opening this summer though, it's something original and it looks like a lot of fun.

 

It's the most beautiful game to run on the Hikaru board. Even better than Brave Firefighters. And the game is an incredible blast. It's too bad it never made it home

 

Oh hey, Shaggy! Didn't know you hung out here too

 

Hehe, I've always been a hardcore Atarian which is probably why I'm the arcade fan that I am

 

The Hikaru board eh? I can see that not many games came out for that, I guess all the attention went to the NAOMI. Still, if I come across a PH for sale (at a reasonable price) then I'll pick it up.

 

I just looked on youtube and there are a couple videos of it there - it's my kind of game from the looks of it. It sort of reminds me of Panzer Dragoon for some reason.

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wGy7KjHW-Rc

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZFNOJzJ8gjM

Edited April 26, 2008 by Shaggy the Atarian