Skyway robbery: After Burner | NES Works 147
956As if it weren't enough that the Genesis shipped in August 1989 to render Sega's older console obsolete, the company also began putting some of its most popular games on the best-selling 8-bit system of the era in direct competition with their own versions! Rough times for the poor Master System.
Although I don't think anyone looked at the NES port of After Burner and said, "Wow, this system whips the Master System!" Still, the fact that it even exists at all, and functions somewhat reasonably on a console that made use of fairly sluggish tile-based graphics which were wholly unsuited to the fast, horizon-tilting action of After Burner, is nothing less than a tiny little miracle. Cheers to developer (we think) Sunsoft, who bodged together some fresh new tech to make it happen.
Not that anyone in America ever saw it for themselves, since this shipped here from Tengen and major retailers refused to carry it for fear of retaliation by Nintendo. Lucky break for Master System after all, I guess.
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Master System footage captured from MiSTer (thanks to MiSTerAddOns) with a SNAC adapter for Light Phaser material. Video upscaled to 4K with RetroTink 4K. RGB cables courtesy of StoneAgeGamer.com and Allie Bellrose.