Don’t Deny the Rad Power of Namco’s Burning Force
The 80 were a glorious, experimental time to try new ideas in the video game market. That included awesome 3D-scrolling shooters, which Sega managed to perfect with its early hit Space Harrier. But Namco had some tricks up its sleeve as well, generating the 1989 arcade game Burning Force as a worthy competitor.
In the game, you take control of pilot Hiromi Tengenji, as you attempt to take down enemies while riding a super-powered motorbike. Along the way, you’ll collect power-ups that increase your firepower and other abilities, as well as occasionally taking water jumpjets to fly into the air to collect additional items.
The original arcade game didn’t get nearly as much distribution as Space Harrier did, as it wasn’t as popular. Still, it found a decent cult following; and Namco was kind enough to give the game a home release with Burning Force on the Sega Genesis in 1990. While it lacked the hardware scrolling of the original release, it was really well done for its time, as you can see in the video below. Oh, and did I mention the great music?
Anyway, the reason I’m discussing this game today is because the arcade game is about to get a second chance on the market — and for a great price, too.
Hamster has announced that Burning Force is the latest release in its Arcade Archives line-up, set to arrive on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on October 26th. As expected, it’ll be dirt cheap at a mere $7.99. Not bad at all for being able to play the arcade game at home, even without the oversized joystick.
If you haven’t played Burning Force yet, I highly recommend giving it a try. And for that matter, snag the Sega Genesis version as well. They’re both great games and well worth owning. Plus it’s not every day that a girl can kick butt on a space bike.
Have a great week, everyone!
