Space Harrier II

Space Harrier II
Publisher: Sega Developer: Sega-AM2 System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Virtual Console, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, iOS ROM Size: 512kB Sound Driver: pre-SMPS Z80 Genre: Shoot-'em-Up Release Date RRP Code JP 1988-10-29 ¥5,800  ? US 1989-08-14 $?  ? EU 1990 £34.99  ? EU 1990 £19.99  ? EU 1990 £19.99  ? EU (Cassette) 1990 £9.99  ? EU (Disk) 1990 £14.99  ? EU (Cassette) 1990 £9.99  ? EU (Disk) 1990 £14.99  ? EU (Cassette) 1990 £9.99  ? US 2010-07-22 $?  ? ESRB PEGI CERO

Space Harrier II (スペースハリアーII) is the official sequel to the arcade game Space Harrier. It was initially released for the Mega Drive on October 29, 1988 as one of the two launch titles for the system in Japan (the other being Super Thunder Blade). Gameplay is nearly identical to its predecessor (move around the screen with the D-pad and use , , or to fire), though it is now possible to select which level to play and the graphics/music are different, the bonus stages have been removed, and certain properties, such as rapid fire, are configurable by hitting at the title screen.

The game was notable for the time for its use of digitized voices - an example of the technical advancements the Mega Drive offered over its rivals. However, unlike the arcade original, the Mega Drive could not handle scaling, meaning the graphics were pre-rendered at various sizes. This, along with the slightly lower framerate, results in a less-smooth gameplay experience.

Space Harrier II was ported to the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum computers. Most of these ports were only released in Europe in 1990, and suffer from various weaker hardware restraints. The game was also re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console service in 2006.

Manuals

• JP manual ^(info)

Production Credits

Mega Drive Version

Planner: Ossale Kohta
Main Programmer: Yamaichi
Assistant Programmer: Ore
Monster Program: Ore
Program Coordinator: Yamaichi
Monster Design: Stresteles, Shizuoka Taro
Graphic Coordinator: Stresteles
Test Player: Works Nishi
Sound Composer: Bo
Sound Programmer: Bo, Navy
Presented by Sega

Gallery

• 

Physical Scans

	78	Sega Retro Average
		Based on 4 reviews
Publication Score Source ACE 93 №26 The Games Machine (Italy) 85 Joystick 55 Mean Machines 77

Mega Drive Version

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, JP
Cover

Amiga Version

	65	Sega Retro Average
		Based on 1 review
Publication Score Source Zzap!64 65 №62

Amiga, EU
Cover

Atari ST Version

	80	Sega Retro Average
		Based on 2 reviews
Publication Score Source ACE 82 №30 Computer & Video Games 78 №100

Commodore 64 Version

	55	Sega Retro Average
		Based on 1 review
Publication Score Source Zzap!64 55 №62

Commodore 64, EU
Cover
Cassette

ZX Spectrum Version

	77	Sega Retro Average
		Based on 1 review
Publication Score Source Computer & Video Games 77 №100

ZX Spectrum, EU (MCM)
Cover

ZX Spectrum, EU (Unique)
Cover

External Links

• Official website on Sega.jp (Japanese)
• Space Harrier II on Apple.com

Games in the Space Harrier Series
Space Harrier (1985) | Space Harrier 3D (1988) | Space Harrier II (1988) | Planet Harriers (2001) | Typing Space Harrier (2002) | Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 4: Space Harrier (2003) | Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 20: Space Harrier Complete Collection (2005)