SEGA's Galaxy Force II is 30 years old this year - A graphical tour de force in '88

SharpX68K · Mar 4, 2018

It's hard to believe, but Sega's awesome sprite scaling 'super-scalar' monster arcade machine, Galaxy Force II, will be 30 years old by the middle of this year. Released at the height of the hardware sprite-scaling ERA of the late 80s ... 1988!

Galaxy Force II Background
Galaxy Force was first released in arcades in 1988. Whereas Afterburner's 'double cradle' arcade cabinet allowed for forward, backward and left/right movement on two axes, Galaxy Force's cabinet allowed for more than 300 degrees of movement to the left and right and came in two varieties: a compact "Deluxe" version with slightly restricted movement, and a "Super Deluxe" version that added up and down movement as well. The more expensive Super DX version was a larger machine, requiring a wide area to be chained off for safety purposes. Since many smaller arcades were unable to accommodate this space requirement, the Super DX version did not see wide distribution. Its main board was called the Y-Board (a revision of the previous X-board), with three MC68000 CPUs. This hardware dropped the number of backgrounds, but it could display a larger number of sprites and had advanced sprite-scaling features. It was well-equipped for sound, with a PCM-enabled YM2151 chip (FM sound source). The game displayed at a 320×224 pixel resolution.

The cabinet was equipped with a throttle on the left to control the speed of your ship TRY-Z (your ship), and a control stick on the right for controlling its lateral and vertical movement. The original Galaxy Force ended after only four stages, but a sequel was released about two months later as Galaxy Force II which fixed a number of issues with the game, added two more stages, and allowed you to select your starting stage. Effectively all machines in operation were converted to II, so unmodified originals became rare.

Ports of Galaxy Force to the Mega Drive, FM-TOWNS, and the Sega Saturn were all based on Galaxy Force II, with only the international Master System port being an exception. Then in 2007, an M2-developed "Special Extended Edition" was released as part of the SEGA AGES 2500 series for PlayStation 2. This was not just an arcade port, but included the MegaDrive and Master System versions as well, as well as a "neo classic version", which featured enhanced graphics and sound options, widescreen, higher resolution on in-game objects and transparencies.

http://blogs.sega.com/2013/12/12/sega-3d-classics-–-galaxy-force-ii-interview-with-developer-m2/

A metric ton of magazine coverage that weighs just a fraction of the GFII Super Deluxe motion cabinet!

ACE magazine (Advanced Computer Entertainment)

Electronic Game Player

Commodore User

Sinclair User

Game Players

GamePro

Mega Play

Mega Play (actual MD version)

special mention - Battle Ace for the NEC PC-Engine SuperGrafx - often compared to Galaxy Force II -

EGM

opps EGM, that first shot on the left is actually Sol-Feace, not Galaxy Force!

Super Gaming

VG&CE

Sega Visions

Computer & VideoGames (UK)

Mean Machines (UK)

SegaPro (UK)

Mega Drive / Genesis OutRun - Galaxy Force ship easter egg

GameFan on the FM Towns / Marty port

Sega Saturn Magazine (Japan)

Sega Saturn Magazine (UK)

On PlayStation 2 - The first arcade-perfect port of Galaxy Force II.

some artwork!

Archived M2 interview on 3D Galaxy Force II

"It's not going to run." "Ok, then how can we get it running?"

Hayama Akito · Mar 4, 2018

A fucking true milestone. It is so obvious how Nintendo was inspired by this for Star Fox 64.

lowlifelenny · Mar 4, 2018

I remember being absolutely floored as a teenager by the visuals of this game in '88. The way it was essentially able to create detailed, 60fps 3D environments with walls,floors, ceilings and so on with sprites, at a time when the best 3D was still working in 10-20fps polys, was mindblowing.

And not only that, but it's a great game too with a killer soundtrack. I think a lot of folks look at it as a traditional shooter without ever finding out that it's actually a bizarre, unique hybrid of racing game and shooter, and it works.

The 3DS port is phenomenal, and the PS2 version was also released on PS3 IIRC, so anyone who wishes to try the game should pick those up.

j^aws · Mar 4, 2018

A long line of amazing Super Scaler pseudo-3D games from Sega. Others that blew me away were Space Harrier, Super Hang-On, Outrun, Thunder Blade, After Burner and Power Drift.

SharpX68K · Mar 4, 2018

Hayama Akito said:
A fucking true milestone. It is so obvious how Nintendo was inspired by this for Star Fox 64.

I found this and I am floored. Yes you weren't kidding about Star Fox 64.

Juryvicious · Mar 4, 2018

What a beautiful thread. I was 14 in '88 and I loved what Sega was giving me, especially their pseudo-3D games. Never knew Nintendo was inspired by this which lead to star fox 64.

I'm just flored that that footage was from 1988!!

Metalgus · Mar 4, 2018

Discovered this because of the Sega 3D Classics on 3DS. It really made me appreciate how awesome that game was for its time. And the 3D effect really adds to the presentation. Great game for sure

SatelliteOfLove · Mar 4, 2018

lowlifelenny said:
I remember being absolutely floored as a teenager by the visuals of this game in '88. The way it was essentially able to create detailed, 60fps 3D environments with walls,floors, ceilings and so on with sprites, at a time when the best 3D was still working in 10-20fps polys, was mindblowing.

And not only that, but it's a great game too with a killer soundtrack. I think a lot of folks look at it as a traditional shooter without ever finding out that it's actually a bizarre, unique hybrid of racing game and shooter, and it works.

The 3DS port is phenomenal, and the PS2 version was also released on PS3 IIRC, so anyone who wishes to try the game should pick those up.

With some of the most grimy-ass bass this side of Koshiro.

Corleth the Fey · Mar 4, 2018

I remember queuing for over an hour for one game of the deluxe version at the first ECTS in London in 1988. Many minds were blown that day.

Tappin Brews · Mar 4, 2018

Incredible in its day. Sega was responsible for every jaw dropping arcade memory I have (this, virtua racing, and daytona)

Speely · Mar 4, 2018

The first time I played this as a kid, I was blown away. I felt like I was living in the future.

Klappdrachen · Mar 4, 2018

SatelliteOfLove said:
With some of the most grimy-ass bass this side of Koshiro.

Yup, this is the best song in the game. I can't recommend the 3DS version enough, it's so good.

Deleted member 34949 · Mar 4, 2018

Says a lot that it took until the PS2 collection for a non-compromised port. Highly recommended the PS2 collection (It's a PS2 Classic on the JP PS3 store), it even has some of the more odd ports, like the Genesis and Master System versions. The 3DS version legitimately has the most impressive implementation of 3D on the console, in my opinion.

Incredible fucking soundtrack, too.

leder · Mar 4, 2018

Damn, you put in some work OP. Nice job. I love the 3DS version, which, as far as I recall, is my only experience playing the game.

Red Devil · Mar 4, 2018

SatelliteOfLove said:
With some of the most grimy-ass bass this side of Koshiro.

Who? That piece is written by Katsuhiro Hayashi.

SharpX68K · Mar 4, 2018

leder said:
Damn, you put in some work OP. Nice job. I love the 3DS version, which, as far as I recall, is my only experience playing the game.

I know, it took a good day or so gathering enough scans to make me happy with it!

Pasokon Deacon · Mar 4, 2018

Great rail shooter, definitely one of the best upscale arcade games of its time. It's a tough MFer to beat, but oh so satisfying after many near misses and gradually less viable runs. The game looks amazing even now, using 2D brute force to create its unique look.

lowlifelenny said:
And not only that, but it's a great game too with a killer soundtrack. I think a lot of folks look at it as a traditional shooter without ever finding out that it's actually a bizarre, unique hybrid of racing game and shooter, and it works.

The 3DS port is phenomenal, and the PS2 version was also released on PS3 IIRC, so anyone who wishes to try the game should pick those up.

Recommending a game as challenging and uncompromising as this to others ain't easy. It's great if you already enjoy 1CC-ing old arcade games which have multiple viable strategies, but maxing out the energy meter still won't protect players from big mistakes across a run. The biggest advantage for Galaxy Force II comes from its multiple stage selection choices, meaning you can at least learn each level's ins-and-outs before doing a linear playthrough.

I worked hard to defend this game over at the old forum, back when the stellar 3DS port came out. Anyone getting a 3DS now should look into the SEGA 3D Classics releases, but especially this if they want to get maybe the best 3D experience around. M2 nailed something which other developers simply can't figure out how to use that well.

Shenmue-is-life · Mar 4, 2018

Never played but it does look wonderful. Wow!

SatelliteOfLove · Mar 4, 2018

Red Devil said:
Who? That piece is written by Katsuhiro Hayashi.

It sure is!

Hayama Akito · Mar 4, 2018

SharpX68K said:
I found this and I am floored. Yes you weren't kidding about Star Fox 64.

Not only that, there is from similar stage structures to even suspicious textures. If you played Sector Z you will probably recognize this.

SharpX68K · Mar 4, 2018

lowlifelenny said:
the PS2 version was also released on PS3 IIRC, so anyone who wishes to try the game should pick those up.

OMG. I've got to get the PS2 version for my PS3

I just managed to hook up the PS3 Slim to my 36" CRT with component cable. I can't believe that worked without any trouble.

How on earth am I going get the PS2 Galaxy Force II on my PS3....Never made a Japanese PSN account before... it seems daunting.

lowlifelenny · Mar 4, 2018

SharpX68K said:
How on earth am I going get the PS2 Galaxy Force II on my PS3....Never made a Japanese PSN account before... it seems daunting.

IIRC all you need is an existing Japanese address and a means of adding funds (prepaid cards ideally).

I can't imagine having a PS3 without a JP account, there's too much good stuff still exclusive to it.

Lardonate · Mar 4, 2018

I feel privileged enough to have played the full motion version of the arcade machine in an incredibly short-lived arcade at a shopping centre near where I live. I was so disappointed when I headed back there and the place was gone. I played the Megadrive version and was sorely disappointed. The MD was never ever going to be able to pull off anything remotely close to that sprite-scale-fest!

The local arcade got the huge Starblade cabinet and that was enough to blow my mind for a good while. I'd certainly love to track down one of the big Galaxy Force machines again for the whole motion experience though! Starblade lacked that..

MrCunningham · Mar 4, 2018

I always wished they ported this to the Sega CD, after looking at Soul Star, I believe there could've been a decent version. Oh well.

Really awesome arcade game. Developed by AM1.

Deleted member 1067 · Mar 4, 2018

They should bring it to shin RGG's arcade

3ds version was rad as hell

MrCunningham · Mar 4, 2018

pa22word said:
They should bring it to shin RGG

3ds version was rad as hell

Yeah that would be pretty awesome.

I wonder if Sega is allowing Yu Suzuki access to their arcade games for Shenmue 3?

Alwayscrazybacon · Mar 4, 2018

I'm just amazed that a resasonable port was made for the Master System. 3DS version is my favorite.

colonyoo · Mar 4, 2018

3DS version is the best by far, the widescreen, high res sprites, and transparencies M2 brought over from their PS2 port look really crisp on the smaller screen and especially shine with the 3D effect turned on. The best of the super scaler games by a longshot.

The original cabinet was cool as hell, too.

OnanieBomb · Mar 4, 2018

Great game that I am absolutely terrible at.

SharpX68K · Mar 5, 2018

colonyoo said:
3DS version is the best by far, the widescreen, high res sprites, and transparencies M2 brought over from their PS2 port look really crisp on the smaller screen and especially shine with the 3D effect turned on. The best of the super scaler games by a longshot.

The original cabinet was cool as hell, too.

Yes the original arcade cabinet was amazing. I didn't get to play one until like early-to-mid 1991. Living in the suburbs of Chicago, there was an arcade in Palatine called Galaxy Game Center, which was on Dundee & Rand roads., and true to its name, there was a GFII machine in the center of the arcade, for 75 cents a play - it was the only game that wasn't on free play on Sunday mornings, every other game was, with an entry fee of like $4. At that point in time, the MD/Genesis version hadn't yet been released, and I'd never played the Master System version. While I was more than impressed, I only played it a few times cause I was using most of the time to play as much of the rest of the games as possible.

Nowadays, if you live anywhere near Chicago, you can play Galaxy Force II at Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, Illinois.
....Doc Mack, you rock dude! https://youtu.be/YyVgyaV16xM?t=1h38m12s

BTW Michael Jackson had a GFII cabinet in his game room at Neverland.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUqJbT4geFQ

You'll see a Sega R360 cab first, and his GFII cab is in the background behind the bicycle.

These two videos both appear to be of the Galaxy Force I Super Deluxe cabs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIgFmR2i-_0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2T3K1LVMTs

And this is a Galaxy Force II Super Deluxe cab (60fps video)

Pal · Mar 5, 2018

Really awesome game! I wasn't aware that this game existed until the current decade or so. Bought the Saturn version a while back which is a fantastic port. Sure it runs at 30 fps instead of 60 but the rest is pretty much intact.

Tizoc · Mar 5, 2018

op_ivy said:
Incredible in its day. Sega was responsible for every jaw dropping arcade memory I have (this, virtua racing, and daytona)

Scud race and vf3 in my case ;)

Virtua Sanus · Mar 5, 2018

Awesome game, found it much more enjoyable than AfterBurner too personally.

I also highly recommend Power Drift. Such a shame it seems like the 3D Classics on 3DS are no longer going to be released over here. Playing these games in full 3D was a complete trip.

SharpX68K · Mar 6, 2018

lowlifelenny said:
I think a lot of folks look at it as a traditional shooter without ever finding out that it's actually a bizarre, unique hybrid of racing game and shooter, and it works.

Never thought of it that way, but you're absolutely right!

Pal said:
Really awesome game! I wasn't aware that this game existed until the current decade or so. Bought the Saturn version a while back which is a fantastic port. Sure it runs at 30 fps instead of 60 but the rest is pretty much intact.

I had the Saturn version back in 2005. While it looked like the arcade in terms of detail, I was unhappy with it because not only was it half the frame rate of the arcade, it chugged below 30fps when things got really busy on screen. Not only that but for whatever reason it looked more pixelated than it should have. Knowing the Saturn was a 2D beast and more powerful than the Y-Board, I fully blame the developer of the port, Appaloosa Entertainment. Overall it's nice to have, but ultimately a sloppy port. This probably wouldn't have been the case if Rutubo Games had ported it. They handled the Saturn versions of OutRun After Burner II and Space Harrier. Oh and Power Drift was handled by yet another developer, Phant. They did a better job on Saturn Power Drift than Appaloosa did on Galaxy Force, although Power Drift on Saturn was still 30fps.

Pal · Mar 6, 2018

SharpX68K said:
I had the Saturn version back in 2005. While it looked like the arcade in terms of detail, I was unhappy with it because not only was it half the frame rate of the arcade, it chugged below 30fps when things got really busy on screen. Not only that but for whatever reason it looked more pixelated than it should have. Knowing the Saturn was a 2D beast and more powerful than the Y-Board, I fully blame the developer of the port, Appaloosa Entertainment. Overall it's nice to have, but ultimately a sloppy port. This probably wouldn't have been the case if Rutubo Games had ported it. They handled the Saturn versions of OutRun After Burner II and Space Harrier. Oh and Power Drift was handled by yet another developer, Phant. They did a better job on Saturn Power Drift than Appaloosa did on Galaxy Force, although Power Drift on Saturn was still 30fps.

The chugs below 30 fps are not frequent though. It's pretty stable 30fps for the most part. As for the resolution, it seems fine to me. There's a video on youtube comparing all the versions of the game and the Saturn version looks on par with the arcade except for the framerate.

That said, I never played the arcade and my only experience with the game is with the Saturn. I may be missing some things.

Shuri · Mar 6, 2018

I got this game a few months ago in the saturn, the graphics are glorious but the gameplay is hard!

qaopjlll · Mar 6, 2018

The 3DS port remains one of the most impressive games on the entire system.

sibarraz · Mar 6, 2018

That deluxe cabinet still looks from the future, it sucks that with each year will be harder to find those cabinets

IronicSonic · Mar 6, 2018

My first experience with the game was wit M2's 3DS port. I was blown away. Great 3D shooter and one of the best use of 3D on the system.

Piccoro · Mar 6, 2018

qaopjlll said:
The 3DS port remains one of the most impressive games on the entire system.

Yep. Best port of the game, followed by the Sega Ages 2500 version (which can easily be purchased on any PS3, simply by creating a JP account).

I was lucky enough to play the Deluxe type Galaxy Force II arcade that my local mall had in 89/90. I remember being blown away by the first stage, when the ship approaches a small planet and enters inside of it.
For my young mind that was true 3D...

The soundtrack is also stellar, with it's mixture of jazz and rock. One of the best works of the SST Band, for sure.

tiesto · Mar 6, 2018

I love the remastered soundtrack for the Marty version... it's inspired by early 90s freestyle and british house and it's wonderful! The scrolling on that version leaves a bit to be desired, as the frame rate is a bit low and the graphics are chunky... but it beats the Genny version by far!

Qikz · Mar 6, 2018

I only even heard or played this because of the 3DS version and I loved it.

modoversus · Mar 6, 2018

colonyoo said:
The original cabinet was cool as hell, too.

Yeah, I loved the original cabinet. It was expensive to play at the time, but it was up there with After Burner 2 at the time.

Deleted member 17210 · Mar 6, 2018

I love this thread. Galaxy Force II with the fancy cabinet was the ultimate high end experience back then. I'm really glad I got to experience it when it was new.

If you care about learning gaming history and/or playing classics that hold up extremely well but don't show up on mainstream top lists, you need to play this game. You probably won't find a real arcade version but it's still impressive on 3DS.

Deleted member 21709 · Mar 6, 2018

An amazing game. The PS2 version and especially the 3DS release was fantastic.

lowlifelenny · Mar 6, 2018

SharpX68K said:
Never thought of it that way, but you're absolutely right!

When you adjust the speed to take the perfect curve round a corner in one of the tunnels, then floor it to race ahead on the straight, while the game is yelling "LEFT TURN!" "RIGHT TURN!" at you, you're basically playing a Sega arcade racer.

Not to mention that your timer (shield) is ticking down threatening to end your journey before you reach the reactor.

It really does feel like a racing game, only you get to shoot the obstacles which would otherwise slow you down.

Celine · Mar 6, 2018

M2 Sega arcades 3D conversions on 3DS are a must for any gamer who loves the hobby.

SharpX68K said:
I found this and I am floored. Yes you weren't kidding about Star Fox 64.

The solar flames became iconic in space shooters with Konami's Salamander or at least that's the game I always think when I see them in other videogames.

SharpX68K · Mar 6, 2018

Pal said:
The chugs below 30 fps are not frequent though. It's pretty stable 30fps for the most part. As for the resolution, it seems fine to me. There's a video on youtube comparing all the versions of the game and the Saturn version looks on par with the arcade except for the framerate.

Here's the video, which unfortunately came out before Youtube had 60fps encoding.

Here's the FM Towns version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jxg3RAplt6c

Yeah, tor the most part from what I remember when I had the Saturn version. I guess you could say the Saturn version of Galaxy Force II is on par with the arcade, basically in the same sense that Sega 32X After Burner Complete (which is really just After Burner II) is on par with the arcade, except for both are half the arcade's framerate.

That said, I never played the arcade and my only experience with the game is with the Saturn. I may be missing some things.

Only the 60fps smoothness. After playing the arcade game in the early 90s and on MAME in the early 2000s, it was disappointment getting the import Saturn version in a few years later. The graphics were fine, no problem there but I knew right away it wasn't super smooth. I already had 32X and Saturn versions of After Burner II which is like the same difference, Saturn version is twice as smooth, just like the arcade. So then it was a revelation when the 3DS version came along, knowing it had both the original graphics and the Neo Classic graphics from the PS2 version, both at 60fps and with the best use of stereoscopic 3D I have ever seen on 3DS.

Celine said:
M2 Sega arcades 3D conversions on 3DS are a must for any gamer who loves the hobby.

The solar flames became iconic in space shooters with Konami's Salamander or at least that's the game I always think when I see them in other videogames.

Absolutely. I always link of Salamander when I see Galaxy Force II's Scene B solar flare stage. I always wanted to play a game like that in "3D" and "into the screen".

BTW. I love the part of the Gradius Deluxe Pack (PS1/Sat) intro CGI with the solar flare dragons.

Deleted member 17210 · Mar 8, 2018

Sega's Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom (1982) also deserves some mention as a Galaxy Force predecessor.

SharpX68K · Mar 8, 2018

NeoZeedeater said:
Sega's Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom (1982) also deserves some mention as a Galaxy Force predecessor.

That's right. I totally forgot about that game. Thanks for reminding me.

Also while I think of it, Taito's Galactic Storm arcade game is probably the worst...or most direct..rip-off of Sega's masterpiece.

SEGA's Galaxy Force II is 30 years old this year - A graphical tour de force in '88

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