Galaxy Force II

From Sega Retro

n/a

  • Y Board
  • Mega Drive

Galaxy Force 2 Title.png

GalaxyForceII MD TitleScreen 01.png

Galaxy Force II
System(s): Sega Y Board, Sega Mega Drive, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, FM Towns, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Virtual Console, Steam
Publisher:
Arcade (Y Board)
Sega
Sega Mega Drive
Sega (US/EU)
Sega Mega Drive
FM Towns/FM Towns Marty
CRI (JP)
Amiga
Amstrad CPC
Atari ST
Commodore 64
ZX Spectrum
Activision (UK)
Amstrad CPC
MCM Software (ES)
Developer:
Peripherals supported:
Sega Mega Drive
XE-1 AP
Genre: Shooting[1][2]

















Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code
Arcade (Y Board)
JP		 ¥? ?
Arcade (Y Board)
US		 $? ?
Arcade (Y Board)
UK		 £? ?


























Amiga
UK 		£24.9924.99[5]
Atari ST
UK 		£24.9924.99[5]
Amstrad CPC
UK
(Cassette) 		£9.999.99[5]
Amstrad CPC
UK
(Disk) 		£14.9914.99[5]
Commodore 64
UK
(Cassette) 		£9.999.99[5]
Commodore 64
UK
(Disk) 		£14.9914.99[5]
ZX Spectrum
UK
(Cassette) 		£9.999.99[5]
ZX Spectrum
UK
(Disk) 		£14.9914.99[5]
FM Towns/FM Towns Marty
JP
Sega Mega Drive
JP 		¥8,400 (8,652)8,400e[6] T-68013
Sega Mega Drive
US 		$59.9559.95[8] 1133
Sega Mega Drive
EU 		1133
Sega Mega Drive
PT
Sega Mega Drive
UK 		£39.9939.99[10] 1133
Sega Mega Drive
AU
Sega Mega Drive
CA
Sega Mega Drive
BR
Wii Virtual Console
JP ▼ 		600pts600[13]
CERO: A
Wii Virtual Console
US ▼ 		800pts800[14]
ESRB: Everyone
Wii Virtual Console
EU ▼ 		800pts800[15]
PEGI: 7+
Wii Virtual Console
AU ▼ 		800pts800[16]
OFLC: General (G)
Steam
US ▼ 		$2.992.99[18] 34310
ESRB: Everyone
Steam
EU ▼ 		€2.492.49[18] 34310
PEGI: 7+
Steam
DE ▼ 		€2.492.49[18] 34310
USK: 6
Steam
UK ▼ 		£1.991.99[18] 34310
PEGI: 7+
Steam
AU ▼ 		$3.493.49[18] 34310
OFLC: General (G)
Steam Linux
US ▼ 		$0.990.99[20] 34310
ESRB: Everyone
Steam Linux
EU ▼ 		€0.990.99[20] 34310
PEGI: 7+
Steam Linux
DE ▼ 		€0.990.99[20] 34310
USK: 6
Steam Linux
UK ▼ 		£0.790.79[20] 34310
PEGI: 7+
Steam Linux
AU ▼ 		$1.351.35[20] 34310
OFLC: General (G)
Steam OS X
US ▼ 		$0.990.99[20] 34310
ESRB: Everyone
Steam OS X
EU ▼ 		€0.990.99[20] 34310
PEGI: 7+
Steam OS X
DE ▼ 		€0.990.99[20] 34310
USK: 6
Steam OS X
UK ▼ 		£0.790.79[20] 34310
PEGI: 7+
Steam OS X
AU ▼ 		$1.351.35[20] 34310
OFLC: General (G)

Galaxy Force II (ギャラクシーフォースII) is a 1988 arcade game developed by Sega. It is an update to Galaxy Force, similarly to After Burner II. It is a third person on-the-rails shoot 'em up, where the player controls a spaceship traveling across various planets destroying enemies. Like all Sega Y Board games, it is heavily reliant on sprite scaling and rotations to produce three-dimensional graphics.

Gameplay

Galaxy Force II adds two extra "Scenes", allows you choose the first five Scenes in any order, and addresses a number of bugs.

Levels

GalaxyForce Arcade Stage1.png

Scene A/Level 1: Junos

GalaxyForce Arcade Stage2.png

Scene B/Level 2: Velteor

GalaxyForce Arcade Stage3.png

Scene C/Level 3: Malkland

GalaxyForce Arcade Stage4.png

Scene D/Level 4: Orthea

GalaxyForce Arcade Stage5.png

Scene E/Level 5: Ashutar

GalaxyForce Arcade Stage6.png

Scene F/Level 6: Hyperspace
Hyperspace can only be accessed once the previous five levels are complete. In the arcade version of Galaxy Force II, if you die on this level, the game is over — on previous levels you have the option to continue (except in the Japanese version), but this one will send you back to the title screen regardless of how many credits you have.

History

Legacy

Galaxy Force II was ported to the Sega Mega Drive in 1991, and a selection of computers including the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum. Due to the inferior hardware of these systems, large cutbacks were made regarding detail and the reception has hence been mixed. There was a more respectable port to the FM Towns Marty in Japan however, which kept the sprite scaling, and there was a re-release for the Sega Saturn under the Sega Ages label. Many of the computer releases mis-label the packaging as "Galaxy Force" rather than "Galaxy Force II", but the in-game title screens retain the numbering. A port to NEC's SuperGrafx was also in development and shown in magazines, but never completed.

Sequels and re-releases

The arcade game has since been re-released in Japan as part of the PlayStation 2's Sega Ages 2500 series. More recently, the Mega Drive version of the game was brought to the Wii's Virtual Console service.

Updated versions of the game have been released, including Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 30: Galaxy Force II: Special Extended Edition for the PlayStation 2 in 2007 and 3D Galaxy Force II for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013.

Versions

In its original form, Galaxy Force II was designed to make maximum use of the Sega Y Board hardware, capable of rending vast amounts of sprites at 60FPS, all scaled and rotated natively by the hardware. At the time of release, no home consoles or computers could match this raw processing power, leading to significant downgrades in graphical quality.

A 1990 port to the FM Towns computer, then a relatively high-end Japanese-only machine was for many years the closest home conversion, retaining the majority of the arcade game's features but running at a lower resolution and frame rate. Fewer sprites are rendered on-screen (and rotations/scaling are estimated) causing noticable "pop-in" in places, however the release came with a remixed CD audio soundtrack exclusive to this version of the game.

The Sega Mega Drive version is the most widespread, having landed on the system in September 1991 before being included in several Mega Drive compilations and the Wii's Virtual Console service. On the Mega Drive, Galaxy Force II's frame rate is cut even more (leading to an artifically longer play time) and sprite rotation is entirely eliminated. Scaling, like many X and Y Board arcade conversions, relies on pre-rendered sprites of differing sizes being swapped in and out at runtime, leading to a "jerky" look. The slower pace of play compared to OutRun or After Burner and the more 3D-esque playfield exacerbates these concerns.

Interiors and textured surfaces (such as the lava in level 2) are simplified, becoming flat colours attempting to simulate movement in a similar manner to OutRun's road. Transitions between outside and inside portions of levels are removed, usually in favour of fade-ins/outs and black screens.

In the West, home computer ports were published by Activision, and all both drop the rotation effects and simplify the scaling in a similar manner to the Mega Drive. The Amiga and Atari ST versions are similar in nature to the Mega Drive, but run in a smaller window and are generally less responsive. Unlike their console counterpart, however, interior walls are textured (though floors and ceilings are still not). ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC ports take further cuts to resolution, colour counts and frame rates, resulting in ports more akin to the earlier Space Harrier than Galaxy Force.

The Commodore 64 resembles the arcade version the least, with very choppy scaling and busy graphics, making it difficult to judge what is going on.

Production credits

Main article: Galaxy Force II/Production credits.

Digital manuals

  • Steam manual

Magazine articles

Main article: Galaxy Force II/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Main article: Galaxy Force II/Promotional material.

Physical scans

Sega Y Board version

Y Board, US
Y Board, JP

Mega Drive version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
20
[21]
Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J
68
[22]
Consoles + (FR)
37
[23]
Console XS (UK) NTSC-J
40
[24]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
49
[25]
Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK)
51
[26]
Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J
53
[27]
Game Informer (US)
65
[28]
Hippon Super (JP) NTSC-J
30
[29]
Hobby Consolas (ES)
58
[30]
Joker (SI)
35
[31]
Joypad (FR) NTSC-J
58
[32]
Joystick (FR) NTSC-J
58
[33]
Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) PAL
30
[34]
Mega Drive Fan (JP) NTSC-J
62
[35]
Mega (UK) PAL
31
[36]
Mega Force (FR)
55
[37]
Mean Machines (UK)
59
[38]
Mean Machines Sega (UK)
59
[39]
Play Time (DE)
39
[40]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
45
[41]
Sega Pro (UK) NTSC-J
47
[42]
Sega Pro (UK)
47
[43]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
20
[44]
Sega Force (UK) PAL
56
[10]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
68
[45]
Supergame (BR)
86
[11]
Super Gaming (US)
43
[46]
Supersonic (FR)
58
[47]
Tilt (FR)
65
[48]
Tricks 16 bit (RU)
10
[49]
VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (US) NTSC-U
70
[8]
Video Games (DE)
29
[50]
Sega Mega Drive
 49
Based on
33 reviews

Galaxy Force II

Mega Drive, JP
Galforceii md jp cover.jpg
Cover
GalaxyForceII MD JP CartTop.jpg
Galforceii md jp cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, US
Galaxy Force 2 MD US Box.jpg
Cover
Galaxy Force 2 MD US Cart.jpg
Cart
Galaxyforceii md us manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, EU
Galaxy Force 2 MD EU Box.jpg
Cover
GalaxyForceII MD EU Cart.jpg
Cart
GalaxyForceII MD EU Manual.jpg
Manual
GalaxyForceII MD EU pcb.jpg
PCB
Mega Drive, PT
GalaxyForceII MD PT cover.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, AU

GalaxyForceII MD AU cartback.jpgGalaxyForceII MD AU cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, BR
GalaxyForceII MD BR Box.jpg
Cover
GalaxyForceII MD BR Cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, CA
GalaxyForceII MD CA Box.jpg
Cover

Amiga version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
Amiga Action (UK)
36
[51]
Amiga Format (UK)
47
[52]
Amiga Joker (DE)
69
[53]
Aktueller Software Markt (DE)
33
[54]
Commodore User (UK)
80
[55]
The Games Machine (UK)
78
[56]
Micromanía (segunda época) (ES)
50
[57]
Power Play (DE)
43
[58]
Amiga
 55
Based on
8 reviews

Galaxy Force II

Amiga, UK
GalaxyForceII Amiga EU Box Front.jpg
Cover

Amstrad CPC version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
Aktueller Software Markt (DE)
53
[59]
Joystick (FR)
70
[60]
Amstrad CPC
 62
Based on
2 reviews

Galaxy Force II

Amstrad CPC, UK (cassette)

Amstrad CPC, UK (disk)
GalaxyForce2 CPC EU Box Back.jpgNospine.pngGalaxyForce2 CPC EU Box Front.jpg
Cover
Amstrad CPC, ES (cassette)

Amstrad CPC, ES (disk)

Atari ST version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
ACE (UK)
40
[5]
Aktueller Software Markt (DE)
35
[54]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
55
[61]
The Games Machine (UK)
86
[56]
Génération 4 (FR)
70
[62]
ST Action (UK)
50
[63]
ST Format (UK)
68
[64]
Atari ST
 58
Based on
7 reviews

Galaxy Force II

Atari ST, UK
GalaxyForceII AtariST EU Box Back.jpgNospine.pngGalaxyForceII AtariST EU Box Front.jpg
Cover
GalaxyForce AtariST UK Disk1.jpg
Disk 1
GalaxyForce AtariST UK Disk2.jpg
Disk 2

Commodore 64 version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
The Games Machine (UK)
35
[65]
Zzap!64 (UK)
50
[66]
Commodore 64
 43
Based on
2 reviews

Galaxy Force II

Commodore 64, UK

FM Towns version

FM Towns, JP
GalaxyForce2 FMTowns JP Box Front.jpg
Cover

ZX Spectrum version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
Crash (UK)
79
[67]
The Games Machine (UK)
78
[56]
Sinclair User (UK)
50
[68]
Your Sinclair (UK)
78
[69]
ZX Spectrum
 71
Based on
4 reviews

Galaxy Force II

ZX Spectrum, UK
GalaxyForceII Spectrum EU Box.jpg
Cover

Technical information

Main article: Galaxy Force II/Technical information.

ROM dump status

System Hash Size Build Date Source Comments
Sega Mega Drive
✔
CRC32 d15f5c3c
MD5 9fa0649fcb53963a432812254ccb4f02
SHA-1 db1615fc239cb0ed9fdc792217964c33e1e700fc
1MB 1991-10 Cartridge
Sega Mega Drive
✔
CRC32 cae883c5
MD5 00f475ac5e7a5c2f753bb14ef62a9d98
SHA-1 d4143bf5f49b0d03f4b8fe270c2ecc23fa6627e0
1MB 1991-06 Cartridge
Sega Mega Drive
 ?
CRC32
MD5
SHA-1
Virtual Console WAD file (JP)

External links

References

  1. ↑ File:Galforceii md jp cover.jpg
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive/software_l.html (Wayback Machine: 2020-07-02 23:21)
  3. ↑ Mega Drive Fan, "June 1992" (JP; 1992-05-08), page 75
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Computer & Video Games, "September 1989" (UK; 1989-08-16), page 111
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 ACE, "January 1990" (UK; 1989-12-xx), page 91
  6. ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "August 1991" (JP; 1991-07-08), page 27
  7. ↑ GamePro, "February 1992" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 40
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 VideoGames & Computer Entertainment, "February 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 45
  9. ↑ Computer Trade Weekly, "" (UK; 1992-06-01), page 19
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Sega Force, "July 1992" (UK; 1992-06-xx), page 58
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Supergame, "Julho 1992" (BR; 1992-07-xx), page 37
  12. ↑ https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/vc/software/09.html (Wayback Machine: 2018-01-28 13:27)
  13. ↑ http://vc.sega.jp:80/vc_gf2 (Wayback Machine: 2009-02-03 13:17)
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/Epk7WeHf3l5FioNq7oRbaxJMBrya0VK_ (Wayback Machine: 2010-11-22 22:49)
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 http://www.nintendolife.com/games/megadrive/galaxy_force_ii (Wayback Machine: 2017-07-05 09:46)
  16. ↑ http://www.nintendo.com.au/index.php?action=catalogue&prodcat_id=41&prod_id=19744&pageID=4 (Wayback Machine: 2012-04-03 02:11)
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 https://steamdb.info/app/34310/ (Wayback Machine: 2019-09-12 20:49)
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 http://steamdb.info/app/34310/ (Wayback Machine: 2013-05-22 20:09)
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 19.7 19.8 19.9 https://steamdb.info/app/34310/history/?changeid=5755294
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 20.6 20.7 20.8 20.9 http://steamdb.info/app/34310/ (Wayback Machine: 2019-09-12 20:49)
  21. ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 84
  22. ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "October 1991" (JP; 1991-09-07), page 34
  23. ↑ Consoles +, "Novembre 1991" (FR; 1991-11-07), page 86
  24. ↑ Console XS, "June/July 1992" (UK; 1992-04-23), page 130
  25. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "December 1991" (UK; 1991-11-15), page 63
  26. ↑ Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 49
  27. ↑ Famitsu, "1991-09-20" (JP; 1991-09-06), page 38
  28. ↑ Game Informer, "January/February 1992" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 7
  29. ↑ Hippon Super, "October 1991" (JP; 1991-09-04), page 90
  30. ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Julio 1992" (ES; 1992-0x-xx), page 104
  31. ↑ Joker, "Januar 1994" (SI; 1994-xx-xx), page 19
  32. ↑ Joypad, "Novembre 1991" (FR; 1991-10-1x), page 42
  33. ↑ Joystick, "Novembre 1991" (FR; 1991-1x-xx), page 188
  34. ↑ Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, "January 1993" (UK; 199x-xx-xx), page 92
  35. ↑ Mega Drive Fan, "December 1991" (JP; 1991-11-08), page 91
  36. ↑ Mega, "June 1993" (UK; 1993-05-20), page 20
  37. ↑ Mega Force, "Juin 1992" (FR; 1992-06-05), page 82
  38. ↑ Mean Machines, "December 1991" (UK; 1991-11-28), page 148
  39. ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "October 1992" (UK; 1992-09-xx), page 139
  40. ↑ Play Time, "(8/9)/92" (DE; 1992-07-08), page 94
  41. ↑ Sega Power, "August 1992" (UK; 1992-07-02), page 37
  42. ↑ Sega Pro, "November 1991" (UK; 1991-xx-xx), page 65
  43. ↑ Sega Pro, "Christmas 1991" (UK; 1991-12-12), page 19
  44. ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 65
  45. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 87
  46. ↑ Super Gaming, "Winter 1991" (US; 1991-xx-xx), page 6
  47. ↑ Supersonic, "Juillet/Août 1992" (FR; 1992-xx-xx), page 12
  48. ↑ Tilt, "Décembre 1991" (FR; 1991-1x-xx), page 35
  49. ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 104
  50. ↑ Video Games, "8/92" (DE; 1992-07-22), page 89
  51. ↑ Amiga Action, "February 1990" (UK; 1990-xx-xx), page 82
  52. ↑ Amiga Format, "February 1990" (UK; 1990-0x-xx), page 38
  53. ↑ Amiga Joker, "Januar '90" (DE; 1989-12-29), page 22
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 Aktueller Software Markt, "Januar 1990" (DE; 1989-1x-xx), page 43
  55. ↑ Commodore User, "January 1990" (UK; 1989-12-20), page 37
  56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 56.2 The Games Machine, "January 1990" (UK; 1989-12-11), page 28
  57. ↑ Micromanía (segunda época), "Marzo 1990" (ES; 1990-0x-xx), page 33
  58. ↑ Power Play, "2/90" (DE; 1990-01-25), page 49
  59. ↑ Aktueller Software Markt, "Februar 1990" (DE; 1990-xx-xx), page 68
  60. ↑ Joystick, "Janvier 1990" (FR; 19xx-xx-xx), page 112
  61. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "January 1990" (UK; 1989-12-16), page 54
  62. ↑ Génération 4, "Décembre 1989" (FR; 1989-1x-xx), page 50
  63. ↑ ST Action, "January 1990" (UK; 19xx-xx-xx), page 34
  64. ↑ ST Format, "January 1990" (UK; 1989-12-21), page 66
  65. ↑ The Games Machine, "September 1990" (UK; 1990-08-xx), page 57
  66. ↑ Zzap!64, "September 1991" (UK; 1991-08-08), page 72
  67. ↑ Crash, "January 1990" (UK; 1989-12-14), page 50
  68. ↑ Sinclair User, "January 1990" (UK; 1989-12-18), page 63
  69. ↑ Your Sinclair, "February 1990" (UK; 1990-01-18), page 18


Galaxy Force II

Galaxy Force 2 Title.png

Main page | Comparisons | Credits | Hidden content | Bugs | Magazine articles | Reception | Promotional material | Region coding


Music: Galaxy Force II & Thunder Blade Original Sound Track (2007)

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Games in the Galaxy Force Series
Galaxy Force (1988) | Galaxy Force II (1988) | Sega Ages Galaxy Force II (1998) | Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 30: Galaxy Force II: Special Extended Edition (2007) | 3D Galaxy Force II (2013)
Galaxy Force related media
Music
 Galaxy Force (1988) | Galaxy Force II & Thunder Blade Original Sound Track (2007) | Galaxy Force II & Thunder Blade (2017)
Film
 Galaxy Force (1988)
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