Software:Space Harrier II

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Short description: 1988 video game
Space Harrier II
North American Genesis box art
Developer(s)Sega
Publisher(s)
  • WW: Sega
  • EU: Grandslam Entertainment
Designer(s)Yu Suzuki
Composer(s)Tokuhiko Uwabo
Matt Furniss
SeriesSpace Harrier
Platform(s)Mega Drive/Genesis, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MSX, ZX Spectrum, iOS
Release
Genre(s)Rail shooter
Mode(s)Single-player

Space Harrier II (スペースハリアーII, Supēsu Hariā Tsū) is a 1988 rail shooter video game developed and published by Sega. The sequel to 1985's Space Harrier, it was one of the original launch titles released for the Mega Drive in Japan and one of the six Sega Genesis launch titles in the United States the following year. It was later released on the Wii's Virtual Console in December 2006, and also on the Nintendo Classics service in April 2022. Like Altered Beast, another launch title for the Mega Drive, Space Harrier II features digitized voice recordings during gameplay, and is also an example of some of the Mega Drive's early sound, with music composed by Tokuhiko Uwabo (credited as "Bo"). A graphically enhanced version included with the Sega Genesis Mini 2 was released in October 2022.{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}

Plot

Harrier once again receives a call for help, this time from the 214th sector, light-years from his cruiser. Harrier travels there quickly with his "cosmic gate", and finds that Fantasy Land is once again being overrun by hostile forces. He resolves to once again save a world by fighting off the entire force himself.

Gameplay

Like the original, the game involves a superhuman hero who runs and flies towards a forever distant background on a checkerboard-styled ground. The player can hit any of the controller's buttons to cause the Space Harrier character to fire his large laser cannon (four shots at a time). There is also an option to turn on auto-fire in the game menu. As the playing field moves forward, enemies come from behind and from the far distance to attack the character, by either firing a projectile or trying to crash into him. The player must also dodge large objects in his path, some of which can be destroyed, such as trees, and others that cannot be, such as ionic columns and pylons. One hit from an enemy or a crash into these large objects will cause the player to lose a life; extra lives are awarded every certain number of points. Smaller objects, such as foliage, will only cause Harrier to trip, but this leaves him vulnerable to attack for two seconds. If the player loses all lives, the game will be over.

There are a total of 13 stages, each with its own end boss. A stage usually consists of different landscapes (small objects vs. large objects), and can also move at different speeds (slow vs. fast). Some stages, such as Stuna Area, have a mid-level boss that can be easily defeated. Although the player can select any stage to start the game at, all twelve levels must be completed before moving on to the Final Chapter stage. There, the player must defeat all the main bosses over again, and then fight the Dark Harrier in order to complete the game.

Enemies move onto the screen in uniform clusters. A signal tone is played to alert the player that there is a non-stationary enemy now in the playing field. In many cases, the enemies move in a straight line along a predetermined, pseudo-three-dimensional path. Waves of enemies also often come in pairs: one group will come from the left in the distance or foreground, followed by the same type and same number of enemies coming in from the right. Due to the inability of the Mega Drive to scale sprites, enemy, landscape, and shadow sprites are pre-rendered at different sizes.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings54% (retrospective)[3]
Review scores
PublicationScore
ACE930/1000[4]
CVG89%[5]
FamitsuStarStarStarStarStar[6]
Compute's Guide21/25[8]
Mega51%[9]
MegaTech76%[10]

In 1989, ACE magazine listed Space Harrier II as one of the top three best games available for the Mega Drive at the time, along with Altered Beast and Thunder Force II.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Availability Update". Computer Entertainer 8 (6): p. 13. September 1989. https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/12ad9feb-28e7-4caa-bb8c-deccdb32f6fd. 
  2. ↑ "Software List (Sega Release)" (in ja). Sega Corporation. https://www.sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive/software.html. 
  3. ↑ "Space Harrier II for Genesis". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/genesis/586474-space-harrier-ii/index.html. Retrieved October 29, 2018. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Console Wars". ACE (26 (November 1989)): 144. October 1989. https://archive.org/details/ace-magazine-26/page/n143. 
  5. ↑ "Complete Games Guide". Computer and Video Games (Complete Guide to Consoles): 46–77. 16 October 1989. https://retrocdn.net/images/9/98/CompleteGuideToConsoles_UK_01.pdf#page=46. 
  6. ↑ "Shooting Game: スペースハリアーII". ファミコン通信 〜 '89全ソフトカタログ. Famicom Tsūshin. 15 September 1989. pp. 155–6. https://cdn-ak.f.st-hatena.com/images/fotolife/M/MULTi88/20200420/20200420025834.jpg. 
  7. ↑ "Sega Mega Drive: Space Harrier 2". The Games Machine (19 (June 1989)): 20. 18 May 1989. https://retrocdn.net/images/9/92/TGM_UK_19.pdf#page=20. 
  8. ↑ Compute's Guide to Sega, Steven A Schwartz, 1990, ISBN 0-87455-238-9, p. 135
  9. ↑ Mega rating, issue 9, p. 23, Future Publishing, June 1993
  10. ↑ MegaTech rating, EMAP, issue 6, p. 80, June 1992

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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