I'll start this off by being honest, I had no idea what Space Harrier was like for the longest time. Sure, I heard the name in passing, but I had no idea what it was, what it was like, or if it was even still relevant. I think that a lot of people might have had a similar experience too, with how there's subtle hints at it in a few modern titles that Sega has given us over the years, but they often go unnoticed for way too long. Nevertheless, just like everyone else, I had my chance to play the game for a decent amount of time, and I certainly wasn't disappointed. Space Harrier has stood the test of time, which is why I'm here to tell you why you should play this game, even in an age where graphics, gameplay, and overall content was improved upon drastically.

Space Harrier was made in 1985 by Sega, and is a third-person rail shooter involving some guy with a really neat gun and an entire universe to blow up in high-speed, high-action shooting that's sure to get you in the mood for destruction. If you're looking for casual flight, then you're better off looking somewhere else. But if you're looking for an adrenaline rush, look no further, because Space Harrier is your kind of game.

Graphics: 8/10. Now, I'll have to explain something to you really quickly. The year was 1985, and Space Harrier was one of the most advanced games of its year. For perspective, the NES was released in North America the same year. What was special about Space Harrier is that it utilized a special arcade system board that allowed pseudo-3D sprite scaling at very high frame rates, creating an experience like no other of its time. Although a lot of the sprites have fairly basic colors, they're still put together very nicely and I think it works for the game in question. Overall it's hard to find such good graphics on an arcade machine given the year, considering the superior Neo Geo wasn't released until a full 5 years later. Needless to say, Space Harrier was a graphical wonderland in comparison to the average game.

Sound: 7/10. We all know how catchy arcade music can be, but during the day things weren't always too easy to listen to. Arcade music could be fairly loud and, during the time, still used a lot of 8-Bit sound effects. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but Space Harrier had nice and clean sounds, catchy toons, and even some really compressed voice clips. It's not a stretch to say it was some of the best back then, but all I know is that the music is absolutely wonderful. At the time of writing this review, I've looped the main theme countless times and I'm absolutely in love with it. Your ears will be pleased, as were mine.

Addictiveness: 10/10. When I started playing Space Harrier, I was all about it. I just goofed off and played it over and over, wasting a lot of time on it. I never, ever got bored of it. I'm currently thinking about ditching the review right now and going to play it instead, but I'll make an attempt to control myself. But what's more is that I had been playing it in Shenmue to the point where I had more progress in Space Harrier than Shenmue, the actual game I was supposed to be playing. If Space Harrier can be more addicting than Shenmue, then that's really saying something, I think. I have trouble thinking of a game I've been more addicted to in the past. Another great thing about Space Harrier is that in the middle of shooting through a few stages, you're given a bonus round that doesn't require you to mash the shoot button at all, but rather relax and rest your hands in preperation for the upcoming level. It's perfect.

Story: N/A. Space Harrier has no story, feel free to make it up yourself.

Depth: 4/10. Now, I will admit, this is a wonderful game. But in terms of depth, like many arcade games back in the day, there wasn't much depth. The entire point of the game is to shoot things and make them explode, and that's what you do. You don't differentiate from that at all. Shooting and exploding things is great, but if you're looking for depth, then you might want to save the rest of your quarters for a different machine. I will give it one thing though, there's definitely a LOT of things to shoot, so they have that covered.

Difficulty: 5/10. I was a bit conflicted as to whether it was easy or hard, but I only made it past a few stages so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. The game is easy to get the hang of, and from my understanding, is fairly hard to master. If you're like me, you'll probably spend a few credits on it trying to get through the game. Regardless, I found easy and hard periods of the game and I think a nice balance is exactly what a game like this needs.

Overall: 8/10. I'd definitely recommend this game to anyone. No, not just people who like arcade games or like shooters, but genuinely anyone. It's perfect for people who aren't used to games, it's perfect for hardcore gamers, and it's honestly just perfect to waste time on. Space Harrier is an adrenaline rush you might not be able to find anywhere else in modern-day gaming. Whether you're looking for a thrill or a classic experience, Space Harrier should fit just about anyone's expectations. One of the best arcade games of its time deserves it's own little spotlight and I sincerely somewhat hope that it returns to popularity among retro gamers, and perhaps even modern day gamers.

This game sounds absolutely amazing! I should give this one a shot, eh? Your review certainly has me convinced that I need to try this out sometime.