Burning Force
Burning Force — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Burning Force on?
- Burning Force was released on Arcade, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.
- When did Burning Force release?
- Burning Force was first released on November 1, 1989.
About Burning Force
Burning Force is a 1989 third-person shooter arcade game developed and published by Namco. The game is notable for its extensive use of line scrolling to create the illusion of a three-dimensional playfield and for its lighthearted tone and synth-rock soundtrack.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Developer
- Namco
- Publisher
- Namco
- Themes
- Action, Science fiction
Details via IGDB.
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Genesis | 1990 | $30 | $65 | $146 | 3 reviews | Low |
Also released on: Arcade · Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| European (PAL) release | $43 | $142 | — |
| Japanese release | $36 | $97 | — |
How often it sells
- Loose: about 2 times a month
- Complete: about once a week
- Sealed: about once a year
Prices marked “few sales” rest on about one recorded sale a year, so treat them as a rough guide: the next copy could sell well above or below. Expect to wait for one to come up.
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $8.89 in Apr 2010, $40 five years ago, and $30 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2011 | $4.73 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $9.99 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $9.24 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $7.17 | $15.00 |
| Jan 2015 | $9.47 | $50 |
| Jan 2016 | $9.99 | $36 |
| Jan 2017 | $15.53 | $38 |
| Jan 2018 | $20 | $30 |
| Jan 2019 | $23 | $40 |
| Jan 2020 | $21 | $42 |
| Jan 2021 | $23 | $62 |
| Jan 2022 | $39 | $88 |
| Jan 2023 | $39 | $78 |
| Jan 2024 | $30 | $60 |
| Jan 2025 | $23 | $62 |
| Jan 2026 | $35 | $62 |
| Oct 2026 | $30 | $65 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Product number | Barcode | Known board |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 1990 | T-14026 | 191199001050 | ?? (Namcot) · NAMCO GBU |
| Europe / PAL | December 1991 | MK-1029-50 | — | 837-8342 |
| Japan | 19 October 1990 | T-14023 | — | — |
- Region
- NA+EU+JP
- Released
- 1990
- Authenticity
- Low
A Space Harrier-style air-bike shooter that is fun in short bursts, priced above the middle among US carts.
Burning Force is Namco's Genesis port of its arcade shooter. It came out in Japan on 19 October 1990, in North America in 1990 and in Europe in December 1991. You play space cadet Hiromi Tengenji, flying an air bike through enemy-filled levels in the Space Harrier manner, with the camera behind you.
Mean Machines Sega rated it a decent Space Harrier-style shooter but found the play gets repetitive after a while. Later, Hardcore Gaming 101's Kurt Kalata counted it among the better Space Harrier clones, praising its Namco arcade roots and its own spin on the formula.
What the press said at the time
| Mean Machines Games Guide | May 1992 | OVERALL 76% |
| Mean Machines Sega Issue 3 | December 1992 | 76% |
| Sega Pro Issue 36 | September 1994 | 28% |
“sounds good, but unfortunately the gameplay gets rather repetitive after a while”
“Very much in the Space Harrier mould, this 3D shoot 'em up puts you in the seat of a high-powered jet-bike. It sounds good, but unfortunately the game play gets rather repetitive after a while.”
“A sad attempt at what should have been a thrilling blast-'em -up. It offers nothing new. The scenario, graphics and bleeps have been seen many times before and, sadly, may be seen a few more times again.”
How the Sega Genesis version differs
Western reviewers were mixed to mediocre on the Genesis version, and it sold only modestly; one reviewer called Space Harrier too old a formula to succeed.
Mean Machines Sega rated it 76%, saying the Space Harrier-style jet-bike shooter sounds good but turns repetitive.
Also on other platforms
Arcade
| Arcade | Namco |
- Arcade. The arcade original was released only in Japan, in November 1989; the Genesis port reached the rest of the world a year later.
- Arcade. Game Machine ranked the arcade game ninth among table arcade games in Japan in December 1989.
Before you buy
Among US carts it sits above the middle. The European cart usually costs more than the US one, and a complete European copy usually costs much more. The Japanese cart also usually costs more, with a different cartridge shape that does not fit a Western console without an adapter or removing two plastic tabs in its slot.
Burning Force screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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