Play G-LOC: Air Battle Online

Summary

G-LOC: Air Battle rides on the legacy of Sega’s After Burner, but it’s the R‑360 motion cabinet that really sets it apart. The deluxe version spins a full 360 degrees on both horizontal and vertical axes, turning the whole cockpit into a gyroscopic simulator that reacts to every roll and pitch.

Even the more modest sit‑down cabinet tilts forward, back, left and right, while the upright model adds flashing lights above the player’s head for extra immersion. The control panel mimics a fighter cockpit, with a joystick, a cannon trigger and a missile button, letting you dog‑fight enemy jets, bombers and even ground targets like tanks and ships.

Gameplay hinges on a cross‑hair that you move over approaching foes; lock on and fire missiles, or blast them with the cannon. Each stage awards extra time and replenishes your limited armament when you meet mission goals, so you’re constantly juggling targets and a ticking clock.

The arcade hit was ported to the Mega Drive/Genesis, Master System, Game Gear and a slew of home computers under the name G‑LOC R360, and a revamped Switch version arrived in 2020 via Sega Ages with fresh control options.

Critics praised its graphics and dynamic cabinet, and it topped arcade earnings charts in Japan and the United States in 1990, cementing its place as one of the era’s most memorable flight simulators.

Storyline

G-LOC: Air Battle on Arcade puts you behind the controls of an experimental fighter, initially designated the A8M5 and later upgraded to the A8M6. Your mission is straightforward: hunt down and destroy waves of enemy aircraft that can strike from both the front and the rear.
First you face the massive War Balloon. Then you take on a heavily‑armed Bomber, and finally an ace pilot who flies a mirror‑image of your own plane, but with reinforced armor and firepower. Defeating that ace marks the end of the campaign.