After Burner III - Sega CD

After Burner III for the Sega CD is a fast-paced aerial combat shooter and the third entry in Sega's beloved After Burner franchise — though technically a port of Strike Fighter, the 1991 arcade sequel to G-LOC: Air Battle, released under the After Burner name for greater brand recognition. Players pilot a high-speed fighter jet through multiple stages of enemy-filled sky and ground combat, taking out waves of aircraft, bases, and stationary missile launchers across a series of escalating missions.

The Sega CD version introduces several exclusive features over the arcade original. An optional third-person external camera view was added to evoke the feel of the original After Burner games, alongside unlimited missiles and vulcan gun ammunition — a significant quality-of-life improvement over the limited ammo of earlier entries. Ground assault missions add variety with new objectives beyond aerial dogfighting. Barrel rolls help avoid incoming fire, and the afterburner boost meter provides a tactical speed escape when enemy fire closes in. A Time Mode and Hit Mode offer additional replayable challenge beyond the main campaign.

Where the game unambiguously delivers is its CD audio soundtrack — all the classic After Burner themes are present in full Redbook audio quality alongside new compositions, and the presentation is widely praised even by critics who found the gameplay disappointing. An FMV intro sequence rounds out the production.

Originally released in arcades in Japan in June 1991 and ported to Sega CD in December 1992, After Burner III was one of the Sega CD's early library titles and is notable as one of the only After Burner series entries to see a home release on the platform. A niche collector's piece for Sega CD and After Burner franchise completionists.

Japanese Title: アフターバーナーIII (After Burner III)
Language: English
Rating: N/A (pre-ESRB release)
Platform: Sega CD
Genre: Aerial Combat Shooter
Players: 1 player
Developer: CRI
Publisher: Sega
Release Year: 1993 (North American release: 1993)