SEGA AGES G-LOC: Air Battle

Fri 1st May 2020

Nintendo Life said:

An action-packed arcade title with a greater focus on offensive play than the likes of After Burner. G-LOC's first-ever home release is a welcome one. It's got a couple of frustrating stages and, as is the case with most arcade games, it has longevity issues, but as long as you don't mind playing the same short series of stages over and over again to edge yourself up the online rankings, it's a good way to pass 10 minutes at a time.

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7/10

Mon 14th Apr 2025

JJtheTexan said:

I'm a huge fan of After Burner II, and to be honest, I'd rather have that arcade classic than its pseudo-sequel G-LOC: Air Battle. That's not to say G-LOC is a bad game; there's definitely some fun to be had, and each short playthrough is packed with action.

G-LOC is an aerial combat simulator, built on SEGA's SuperScaler tech that created 3D experiences using 2D sprites and backgrounds. It holds up pretty well today, though of course it's nothing like modern takes on the genre, such as Ace Combat 7.

My only major gripe is about the original game itself: the view is cockpit-only, and you cannot switch to a behind-the-jet view as in After Burner. The cockpit view works great in the arcade, which included a moving seat and realistic flight control center stick. At home, the intended experience is lost to some extent.

Still, this is an M2 production, meaning there are tons of great options and quality-of-life features, making it the best-possible version of the game you can play outside of a 1990s arcade.

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7/10