Space Harrier
"Space Harrier" spawned two home-system sequels in 1988. The Master System exclusive "Space Harrier 3-D" utilized Sega's SegaScope 3-D glasses, and featured the same gameplay and visuals as the port of the original game while containing new stage, enemy, and boss designs. "Space Harrier II" was one of six launch titles for the Japanese debut of the Mega Drive (Sega Genesis), and released as such in the United States in August 1989. In December 2000, fifteen years after the original game's debut, Sega released the loose arcade sequel "Planet Harriers", which again continued the gameplay style of the franchise but featured four new selectable characters each possessing distinct weapons, in addition to five fully realized stages and a new option of purchasing weapon power-ups. However, "Planet Harriers" had only a minimal presence in the United States due to its faltering arcade scene, and it was never given a home release. In 2003, a remake of the original "Space Harrier" was developed by M2 as part of the Japanese "Sega Ages" classic-game series ("Sega Classics Collection" in North America and Europe) for the PlayStation 2. The graphics are composed of polygons instead of sprites while several characters are redesigned, and a selectable option allows players to switch to a "fractal mode" that replaces the traditional checkerboard floors with texture-mapped playfields and includes two new underground stages. Power-ups such as bombs and lock-on targeting fly toward and are caught by the player during gameplay.