<p><center><img src="https://www.mobygames.com/images/covers/l/118030-air-buster-genesis-front-cover.jpg" /></center>
<sub><a href="https://www.mobygames.com/game/air-buster">Image source</a></sub></p>
<p><em>Air Buster</em> (Known as <em>Aero Blasters</em> outside the US) is a side-scrolling flying, shoot-em-up arcade video game developed by Kaneko in 1990. In Japan, Namco published the arcade version. While in the US, the arcade version was published by Sharp Image Electronics. It was later ported to the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and released worlwide in 1991.</p>
<p>Finally, a 2 player action flying shooter on the Sega Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. I remembered that my friend and I had a blast playing this one in the past.</p>
<h3>The Story</h3>
<p>This is is not a minor skirmish in the air. This is a full-blown, take-no-prisoners, super-boosted war to the end with 3D screens and aamazing sound effects. Simultaneous 2 player action with horizontal and vertical-scrolling means you need smart, guts, and flight skills to obliterate the enemy...and survive!</p>
<p><center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/jFwxrEf.jpg" /></center>
<center><em>Sega Genesis box, manual with Japanese cover art, and cartridge of the game</em> (<a href="https://downloads.khinsider.com/game-soundtracks/album/burning-force-ost-1990-sega-genesis">image source</a>)</center></p>
<h3>The Graphics and Sound</h3>
<p>The game's graphics look good. The enemies are well-designed and a few of the levels looked quite nice. The final boss looked a little bit mediocre, though. It might sound like sour-graping, but when I fly through many levels of intense action, I expect an awesome-looking climatic battle.</p>
<p>I liked the game's music. It was not that really memorable, but it was not annoying at all. </p>
<p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wbaP0NqxeYE" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<center><em>Gameplay sample of Air Buster on the Sega Genesis</em></center></p>
<h3>The Gameplay</h3>
<p>Air Buster on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive is a somewhat standard game with some generic enemies and locations. But it has some nice additions to the shoot-'em up genre. The levels with zero gravity, the obstacle course, and the high-speed tunnels really added to this game and kept it from turning into a mediocre shoot-'em up experience.</p>
<p>The levels all got that decent length and are done just right, challenging. They consist of a nice mix of weak enemies and bigger and more deadly vessels that release power-ups. While some of the bosses are a piece of cake to destroy, some of them provided a nice challenge as well.</p>
<p>The replay value is a bit good. Playing with a 2nd player friend is a blast. It can be fun to play again once you have beaten it after a while. But it is not exactly a priority to pick it up again. There are plenty of damn shooters out there that I would rather replay than Air Buster.</p>
<h3>My Verdict</h3>
<p>Air Buster is a challenging and nice-looking game that is a bit addictive to play and takes a little patience to beat. Whether it be the great way in which the game is divided into unique areas or the replay value the game offers with its 3 difficulty settings, Aero Blasters is a good example of vertical flying shooters of the early 1990s and is an enjoyable distraction to whatever game genre you normally enjoy.</p>
<p>Go and play this one (with a friend if you must) on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive or play it on your favorite emulators.</p>
<h4>Let's keep on gaming in the free world!</h4>