What platforms is Fire Shark on?

Fire Shark was released on Arcade, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sharp X68000.

When did Fire Shark release?

Fire Shark was first released on February 1, 1989.

Fire Shark

Feb 1, 1989ShooterArcadeArcadeSega Mega Drive/GenesisSharp X68000

Fire Shark — frequently asked questions

What platforms is Fire Shark on?: Fire Shark was released on Arcade, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sharp X68000.
When did Fire Shark release?: Fire Shark was first released on February 1, 1989.

About Fire Shark

In the arcade version, one summer night in 1991, an enemy fleet known as the Strange Fleet approached a small island of the Mediterranean Sea. When it arrived, very few saw the Strange Fleet. Two years later, while the Stranger Fleet expanded itself, it created a world war. It is unknown by everyone around the world who noticed the attacks of the Strange Fleet. As the Strange Fleet continues their assault, many against them cried "Fire Shark! Fire Shark! It's time to take off!! Beat them for our sake. Go! Go! Fire Shark!" The North American release is based on the Japanese "Same! Same! Same!" 2-player version, but it also includes localized text and a minor reduction in the speed of enemy bullets.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Developer: Toaplan
Game modes: Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
Themes: Action

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

60/100

from 7 ratings

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	$35	$68	$224	3 reviews	Low

Also released on: Arcade · Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · Sharp X68000. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29

Loose

$35

Complete

$68

Sealed

$224

few sales

Other releases and variants

Release	Loose	Complete	Sealed
European (PAL) release	$39	$101	$148
Japanese release (Same Same Same)	$37	$71	—

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 $4.46 in Apr 2008, $47 five years ago, and $35 as of Oct 2026.

Show as table

Month	Loose	Complete
Jan 2009	$2.93	—
Jan 2010	$4.11	—
Jan 2011	$5.00	—
Jan 2012	$8.95	—
Jan 2013	$9.99	—
Jan 2014	$10.49	$17.50
Jan 2015	$14.99	$33
Jan 2016	$17.99	$34
Jan 2017	$18.97	$40
Jan 2018	$20	$50
Jan 2019	$22	$45
Jan 2020	$29	$56
Jan 2021	$28	$65
Jan 2022	$47	$88
Jan 2023	$37	$78
Jan 2024	$35	$61
Jan 2025	$30	$70
Jan 2026	$32	$66
Oct 2026	$35	$63

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	October 1990	34016	096338061035	—
Europe / PAL	April 1992	670-1875	—	171-5703 · MPR-14341-H
Japan	2 November 1990	T-40013	4988759901013	—

Source: Product numbers: MAME's Mega Drive software list and the No-Intro serial records in the libretro database, published where both agree on the same cartridge dump, or from the libretro records alone where MAME lists no number for that dump. Board and ROM numbers: MAME's software list

Region: NA+EU+JP
Released: 1990
Authenticity: Low

Modern re-releases, such as Sega Ages, the Genesis Mini and Nintendo Switch Online, are not tracked hereLow counterfeit risk

Sega Genesis prices, all games & how to spot a fake

A tough-looking vertical shooter with plenty of power-ups and not much challenge, and a fairly priced cart.

Fire Shark is the Genesis version of Toaplan's vertically scrolling shooter, and Toaplan ported it in-house. DreamWorks released it in North America in October 1990, Toaplan in Japan on 2 November 1990 as Same Same Same, and Sega in Europe in April 1992. In this Genesis version the game is set in the year 19X9 on an alternate Earth, where a superpower called the S Corps invades countries around the world.

Sega Pro called it a fun shoot-'em-up with everything but challenge, with good graphics, immense power-ups and a large array of opponents, though it felt there were better.

What the press said at the time

Sega Pro Issue 18	April 1993	75%
Sega Pro Issue 21	July 1993	75%
Sega Pro Issue 22	August 1993	7o%

“Fun shoot-’em-up with everything but challenge. Good graphics, immense power-ups and a large array of opponents, but there are better.”
— Sega Pro, April 1993

“Fun shoot-'em-up with everything but challenge. Good graphics, immense power-ups and a large array of opponents, but there are better.”
— Sega Pro, July 1993

“Fun shoot-’em-up with everything but challenge. Good graphics, immense power-ups and a large array of opponents, but there are better.”
— Sega Pro, August 1993

How the Sega Genesis version differs

The Genesis version was ported in-house and changed various things compared with the arcade original.

Also on other platforms

Arcade · X68000

X68000. An X68000 conversion was developed but never released.
Arcade. The arcade version offers either a checkpoint system or a respawn system, depending on its settings.

Before you buy

Among US carts it sits above the middle. The European cart usually costs slightly more than the US one when loose and noticeably more when complete. The Japanese cart usually costs about the same as the US one, and its cartridge has a different shape from a Western one.