Difference between revisions of "Air Buster: Trouble Specialty Raid Unit"

From Sega Retro

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| otherformats={{NonSega|Arcade|PCE}}
 
| otherformats={{NonSega|Arcade|PCE}}
 
}}
 
}}
−
{{stub}}'''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is a 1990 arcade shoot-'em-up by [[Kaneko]] which was subsequently ported to the [[nec:PC Engine|PC Engine]] in 1990 and to the [[Sega Mega Drive]] in 1991. The PC Engine and Mega Drive ports were renamed '''''Aero Blasters: Trouble Specialty Raid Unit''''' (エアロブラスターズ) in Japan.
+
'''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is a 1990 arcade shoot-'em-up by [[Kaneko]] which was subsequently ported to the [[PC Engine]] in 1990 and to the [[Sega Mega Drive]] in 1991. The PC Engine and Mega Drive ports were renamed '''''Aero Blasters: Trouble Specialty Raid Unit''''' (エアロブラスターズ) in Japan.
 +
 
 +
==Story==
 +
In the year 2030, Earth is suddenly attacked by the Mega Load Masters. Charles K. Takeda had foreseen this event and prepared for it by moving his family to an island in the Pacific and developing a futuristic weapon called the "Buster System," which is capable of deconstructing matter by amplifying human mind waves. He created two aircraft armed with Buster Systems, Buster 1 and Buster 2, and trained his children, Holly and Mike, to pilot them.
  
 
==Gameplay==
 
==Gameplay==
−
Pressing {{B}} shoots and can be held down for rapidfire; some powerups depend on rapidfire. Button {{A}} also shoots but holding {{A}} will charge a flash attack which damages everything on screen. Once it is fully charged, release {{A}} to perform the attack; the player must then wait for the charge bar to empty (it will display a black bar telling how much time is remaining) before it is possible to charge another. Powerups can be found by destroying barrels scattered throughout each level.
+
The game is a horizontally scrolling shoot-'em-up where players take control of Buster Fighter starships in their efforts to destroy a mysterious mechanical fortress orbiting the planet. The fighters can equip one of seven supplementary weapons in addition to their normal shot. Two players can play simultaneously by choosing the Twin Set Up option from the title screen.
 +
 
 +
The ship moves in any direction with the D-Pad. In the outer space stages, the ship continues to drift in the direction it was last moved because of the lack of gravity. The ship fires its normal shot with {{B}}, which can be held for rapid-fire. The power of the normal shot can be upgraded by collecting power-ups. It has a screen-clearing special weapon called the Buster Flash, which is used by holding {{C}} to charge a bar and then releasing when the bar is full. The player must then wait for the charge bar to empty (it will display a black bar indicating how much time is remaining) before it can be charged again. The player can also charge the bar by holding {{A}}, which also fires the normal shot.
 +
 
 +
The ship is downed when it is hit by enemy fire or collides with an enemy or terrain. It respawns in place as long as the player has an extra life remaining, at baseline weapon strength and without any supplementary weapon. The game ends if the player runs out of lives but can be continued as long as there are credits remaining. In two-player games, both players have separate lives but share credits. The game has four difficulty levels (Easy, Normal, Hard, and Hardest). Players can choose the number of initial lives and credits from the options before starting the game.
 +
 
 +
===Items===
 +
{{InfoTable|
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Normal Shot Power-Up
 +
| sprite={{sprite | Air Buster, Items.png | 2 | crop_width=16 | crop_height=16 | crop_x=0 | crop_y=0}}
 +
| desc=Upgrades the power of the Buster's normal shot, up to 8 times.
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Side Fighter
 +
| sprite={{sprite | Air Buster, Items.png | 2 | crop_width=16 | crop_height=16 | crop_x=16 | crop_y=0}}
 +
| desc=Equips the Side Fighter weapon, which furnishes the ship with two options that follow it and provide support fire.
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Bumper
 +
| sprite={{sprite | Air Buster, Items.png | 2 | crop_width=16 | crop_height=16 | crop_x=32 | crop_y=0}}
 +
| desc=Equips the Bumper weapon, which is a pair of shields above and below the ship that protect it from damage from both enemies and colliding with terrain. Bumpers can destroy enemies on contact.
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=6-Direction Shot
 +
| sprite={{sprite | Air Buster, Items.png | 2 | crop_width=16 | crop_height=16 | crop_x=0 | crop_y=16}}
 +
| desc=Equips the 6-Direction Shot weapon, which fires in six directions in a circle out from the ship.
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Guided Missile 1 (Red)
 +
| sprite={{sprite | Air Buster, Items.png | 2 | crop_width=16 | crop_height=16 | crop_x=16 | crop_y=16}}
 +
| desc=Equips the Guided Missile 1 (Red) weapon, which shoots red homing missiles straight ahead.
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Guided Missile 2 (Green)
 +
| sprite={{sprite | Air Buster, Items.png | 2 | crop_width=16 | crop_height=16 | crop_x=32 | crop_y=16}}
 +
| desc=Equips the Guided Missile 2 (Green) weapon, which shoots green homing missiles that scatter.
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Rear Shot
 +
| sprite={{sprite | Air Buster, Items.png | 2 | crop_width=16 | crop_height=16 | crop_x=0 | crop_y=32}}
 +
| desc=Equips the Rear Shot weapon, which fires two diagonal shots from behind the ship.
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Revolving Gun Turret
 +
| sprite={{sprite | Air Buster, Items.png | 2 | crop_width=16 | crop_height=16 | crop_x=16 | crop_y=32}}
 +
| desc=Equips the Revolving Gun Turret weapon,
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Bonus
 +
| sprite={{sprite | Air Buster, Items.png | 2 | crop_width=16 | crop_height=16 | crop_x=32 | crop_y=32}}
 +
| desc=Awards bonus points.
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=1-Up
 +
| sprite={{sprite | Air Buster, Items.png | 2 | crop_width=16 | crop_height=16 | crop_x=0 | crop_y=48}}
 +
| desc=Gives the player an extra life.
 +
}}
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===Stages===
 +
{{InfoTable|imagewidths=320|
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Seaside Front
 +
| screenshot=Air Buster, Stage 1-1.png
 +
| screenshot2=Air Buster, Stage 1-2.png
 +
| screenshot3=Air Buster, Stage 1-3.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Mechanized Cave
 +
| screenshot=Air Buster, Stage 2-1.png
 +
| screenshot2=Air Buster, Stage 2-2.png
 +
| screenshot3=Air Buster, Stage 2-3.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Scramble!
 +
| screenshot=Air Buster, Stage 3-1.png
 +
| screenshot2=Air Buster, Stage 3-2.png
 +
| screenshot3=Air Buster, Stage 3-3.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Out of Gravity
 +
| screenshot=Air Buster, Stage 4-1.png
 +
| screenshot2=Air Buster, Stage 4-2.png
 +
| screenshot3=Air Buster, Stage 4-3.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=The Borderline
 +
| screenshot=Air Buster, Stage 5-1.png
 +
| screenshot2=Air Buster, Stage 5-2.png
 +
| screenshot3=Air Buster, Stage 5-3.png
 +
| screenshot4=Air Buster, Stage 5-4.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Death Circus
 +
| screenshot=Air Buster, Stage 6-1.png
 +
| screenshot2=Air Buster, Stage 6-2.png
 +
| screenshot3=Air Buster, Stage 6-3.png
 +
| screenshot4=Air Buster, Stage 6-4.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
}}
  
 
==Versions==
 
==Versions==
−
Both home ports are pretty faithful, with the Mega Drive one being closer to the original game than the PC Engine version. The Mega Drive port runs fullscreen, features more detailed graphics, keeps most of the arcade version's parallax and has better sound effects. The PC Engine port features a slightly expanded ending.
+
Both home ports are pretty faithful, with the Mega Drive one being closer to the original game than the [[PC Engine]] version. The Mega Drive port runs full-screen, features more detailed graphics, keeps most of the arcade version's parallax, and has better sound effects. The PC Engine port features a slightly expanded ending.
  
 
===Localised names===
 
===Localised names===
Line 55: Line 170:
 
:'''All Rights Reserved'''
 
:'''All Rights Reserved'''
 
| source=In-game credits
 
| source=In-game credits
 +
| pdf=Air Buster MD credits.pdf
 
| console=MD
 
| console=MD
 
}}
 
}}

Revision as of 16:31, 25 February 2023

n/a

  • NTSC-U
  • NTSC-J

AirBuster MDTitleScreen.png

AeroBlasters MD title.png

Air Buster: Trouble Specialty Raid Unit
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Kaneko[1] (JP) Kaneko USA (US)
Developer:
Original system(s): Arcade boards
Developer(s) of original games: Kaneko
Sound driver: SMPS Z80
Genre: Shooting[2]

















Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Mega Drive
JP 		¥6,000 (6,180)6,000e[3] T-33013
Sega Mega Drive
US 		33026
Non-Sega versions

Air Buster: Trouble Specialty Raid Unit is a 1990 arcade shoot-'em-up by Kaneko which was subsequently ported to the PC Engine in 1990 and to the Sega Mega Drive in 1991. The PC Engine and Mega Drive ports were renamed Aero Blasters: Trouble Specialty Raid Unit (エアロブラスターズ) in Japan.

Story

In the year 2030, Earth is suddenly attacked by the Mega Load Masters. Charles K. Takeda had foreseen this event and prepared for it by moving his family to an island in the Pacific and developing a futuristic weapon called the "Buster System," which is capable of deconstructing matter by amplifying human mind waves. He created two aircraft armed with Buster Systems, Buster 1 and Buster 2, and trained his children, Holly and Mike, to pilot them.

Gameplay

The game is a horizontally scrolling shoot-'em-up where players take control of Buster Fighter starships in their efforts to destroy a mysterious mechanical fortress orbiting the planet. The fighters can equip one of seven supplementary weapons in addition to their normal shot. Two players can play simultaneously by choosing the Twin Set Up option from the title screen.

The ship moves in any direction with the D-Pad. In the outer space stages, the ship continues to drift in the direction it was last moved because of the lack of gravity. The ship fires its normal shot with B, which can be held for rapid-fire. The power of the normal shot can be upgraded by collecting power-ups. It has a screen-clearing special weapon called the Buster Flash, which is used by holding C to charge a bar and then releasing when the bar is full. The player must then wait for the charge bar to empty (it will display a black bar indicating how much time is remaining) before it can be charged again. The player can also charge the bar by holding A, which also fires the normal shot.

The ship is downed when it is hit by enemy fire or collides with an enemy or terrain. It respawns in place as long as the player has an extra life remaining, at baseline weapon strength and without any supplementary weapon. The game ends if the player runs out of lives but can be continued as long as there are credits remaining. In two-player games, both players have separate lives but share credits. The game has four difficulty levels (Easy, Normal, Hard, and Hardest). Players can choose the number of initial lives and credits from the options before starting the game.

Items

Air Buster, Items.png
 Normal Shot Power-Up
Upgrades the power of the Buster's normal shot, up to 8 times.
Air Buster, Items.png
 Side Fighter
Equips the Side Fighter weapon, which furnishes the ship with two options that follow it and provide support fire.
Air Buster, Items.png
 Bumper
Equips the Bumper weapon, which is a pair of shields above and below the ship that protect it from damage from both enemies and colliding with terrain. Bumpers can destroy enemies on contact.
Air Buster, Items.png
 6-Direction Shot
Equips the 6-Direction Shot weapon, which fires in six directions in a circle out from the ship.
Air Buster, Items.png
 Guided Missile 1 (Red)
Equips the Guided Missile 1 (Red) weapon, which shoots red homing missiles straight ahead.
Air Buster, Items.png
 Guided Missile 2 (Green)
Equips the Guided Missile 2 (Green) weapon, which shoots green homing missiles that scatter.
Air Buster, Items.png
 Rear Shot
Equips the Rear Shot weapon, which fires two diagonal shots from behind the ship.
Air Buster, Items.png
 Revolving Gun Turret
Equips the Revolving Gun Turret weapon,
Air Buster, Items.png
 Bonus
Awards bonus points.
Air Buster, Items.png
 1-Up
Gives the player an extra life.

Stages

Air Buster, Stage 1-1.png

Air Buster, Stage 1-2.png

Air Buster, Stage 1-3.png

  • Air Buster, Stage 1-1.png

  • Air Buster, Stage 1-2.png

  • Air Buster, Stage 1-3.png

Seaside Front

Air Buster, Stage 2-1.png

Air Buster, Stage 2-2.png

Air Buster, Stage 2-3.png

  • Air Buster, Stage 2-1.png

  • Air Buster, Stage 2-2.png

  • Air Buster, Stage 2-3.png

Mechanized Cave

Air Buster, Stage 3-1.png

Air Buster, Stage 3-2.png

Air Buster, Stage 3-3.png

  • Air Buster, Stage 3-1.png

  • Air Buster, Stage 3-2.png

  • Air Buster, Stage 3-3.png

Scramble!

Air Buster, Stage 4-1.png

Air Buster, Stage 4-2.png

Air Buster, Stage 4-3.png

  • Air Buster, Stage 4-1.png

  • Air Buster, Stage 4-2.png

  • Air Buster, Stage 4-3.png

Out of Gravity

Air Buster, Stage 5-1.png

Air Buster, Stage 5-2.png

Air Buster, Stage 5-3.png

Air Buster, Stage 5-4.png

  • Air Buster, Stage 5-1.png

  • Air Buster, Stage 5-2.png

  • Air Buster, Stage 5-3.png

  • Air Buster, Stage 5-4.png

The Borderline

Air Buster, Stage 6-1.png

Air Buster, Stage 6-2.png

Air Buster, Stage 6-3.png

Air Buster, Stage 6-4.png

  • Air Buster, Stage 6-1.png

  • Air Buster, Stage 6-2.png

  • Air Buster, Stage 6-3.png

  • Air Buster, Stage 6-4.png

Death Circus

Versions

Both home ports are pretty faithful, with the Mega Drive one being closer to the original game than the PC Engine version. The Mega Drive port runs full-screen, features more detailed graphics, keeps most of the arcade version's parallax, and has better sound effects. The PC Engine port features a slightly expanded ending.

Localised names

Also known as
Language Localised Name English Translation
English (US) Air Buster Air Buster
Japanese エアロブラスターズ Aero Blasters

Production credits

Crew of "Air Buster" ("Crue" in the Japanese version)
  • Software: K.Matsumoto, M.Yoshida
  • Graphics: H.Yokoyama, M.Taguchi
  • Music Compose: T.Watanabe
  • Sound Operate: K.Komatsu, T.Ohkuma
  • Test Game: Inter State Staff
  • Special Thanks: Kaneko Arcade Staff
  • Total Coordinate: Y.Hojo
  • General Producer: A.Uto
"Air Buster" ("Aero Blasters" in the Japanese version)
©1991 Kaneko Co., Ltd.
All Rights Reserved
Source:
In-game credits
Air Buster MD credits.pdf
[5]

Magazine articles

Main article: Air Buster: Trouble Specialty Raid Unit/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Main article: Air Buster: Trouble Specialty Raid Unit/Promotional material.

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
80
[6]
1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
50
[7]
ACE (UK)
79
[8]
Aktueller Software Markt (DE)
70
[9]
Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J
73
[10]
The Complete Guide to Sega (UK) NTSC-J
90
[11]
Console XS (UK) NTSC-J
62
[12]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
80
[13]
Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK)
74
[14]
Hippon Super (JP) NTSC-J
20
[15]
Joystick (FR) NTSC-J
80
[16]
Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) NTSC-J
60
[17]
Mega Drive Fan (JP) NTSC-J
74
[18]
Mega (UK) PAL
85
[19]
MegaTech (UK) NTSC-J
78
[20]
Mean Machines (UK) NTSC-J
80
[21]
Mean Machines Sega (UK)
78
[22]
Power Play (DE)
79
[23]
Power Play (DE)
80
[24]
Raze (UK) NTSC-J
74
[25]
Sega Power (UK) NTSC-J
100
[26]
Sega Pro (UK) NTSC-J
62
[27]
Sega Pro (UK) NTSC-J
62
[28]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
69
[29]
Tricks 16 bit (RU)
75
[30]
Sega Mega Drive
 73
Based on
25 reviews

Air Buster: Trouble Specialty Raid Unit

Mega Drive, JP
AirBuster MD JP Box.jpg
Cover
Aeroblasters MD JP CartTop.jpg
AirBuster MD JP Cart.jpg
Cart
Aeroblasters md jp manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, US
AirBuster MD US cover.jpg
Cover
AirBuster MD US cart.jpg
Cart
Airbuster md us manual.pdf
Manual

Technical information

ROM dump status

System Hash Size Build Date Source Comments
Sega Mega Drive
✔
CRC32 f3d65baa
MD5 972f4f683356e33b1a4a832f41a34b87
SHA-1 239636cc38a865359b2deeb5f8dc3fd68da41209
512kB 1991-01 Cartridge (US)
Sega Mega Drive
✔
CRC32 a00da987
MD5 401a31b3db4f14820e639c7a3efbb3e6
SHA-1 64d1964c3b6293f521427d3d83e4defe363cc129
512kB 1989-01 Cartridge (JP)

References

Necretro-round.svg
NEC Retro has more information related to Aero Blasters
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/Inter_State
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive/software_l.html (Wayback Machine: 2020-07-02 23:21)
  3. ↑ File:AirBuster MD JP Box.jpg
  4. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "March 1991" (US; 1991-xx-xx), page 58
  5. ↑ File:Air Buster MD credits.pdf
  6. ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 28
  7. ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 14
  8. ↑ ACE, "June 1991" (UK; 1991-05-08), page 72
  9. ↑ Aktueller Software Markt, "Mai 1991" (DE; 1991-04-26), page 128
  10. ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "February 1991" (JP; 1991-01-08), page 31
  11. ↑ The Complete Guide to Sega, "" (UK; 1991-05-xx), page 100
  12. ↑ Console XS, "June/July 1992" (UK; 1992-04-23), page 126
  13. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "April 1991" (UK; 1991-03-16), page 79
  14. ↑ Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 16
  15. ↑ Hippon Super, "February 1991" (JP; 1991-01-07), page 41
  16. ↑ Joystick, "Avril 1991" (FR; 1991-0x-xx), page 106
  17. ↑ Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, "January 1993" (UK; 199x-xx-xx), page 90
  18. ↑ Mega Drive Fan, "April 1991" (JP; 1991-03-08), page 83
  19. ↑ Mega, "June 1993" (UK; 1993-05-20), page 85
  20. ↑ MegaTech, "Xmas 1991" (UK; 1991-12-06), page 76
  21. ↑ Mean Machines, "March 1991" (UK; 1991-03-01), page 40
  22. ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "October 1992" (UK; 1992-09-xx), page 137
  23. ↑ Power Play, "2/91" (DE; 1991-01-18), page 150
  24. ↑ Power Play, "6/91" (DE; 1991-05-10), page 136
  25. ↑ Raze, "May 1991" (UK; 1991-03-28), page 66
  26. ↑ Sega Power, "October 1991" (UK; 1991-09-05), page 52
  27. ↑ Sega Pro, "November 1991" (UK; 1991-xx-xx), page 18
  28. ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 64
  29. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 86
  30. ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 6


Air Buster: Trouble Specialty Raid Unit

AirBuster MDTitleScreen.png

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