Sonic Fury

Sonic Fury is a game for the Action Max. As a VHS tape, the on-screen action is not interactive, rather, scores are tallied when the console’s TV-mounted sensor detects “hits” and “friendly fire”.

The first three minutes of the video, as with all Action Max tapes, is a calibration routine, and instructional video. Gameplay begins with Squadron Leader, Maj. Lance Bedson giving the player a callsign “Ace” (nicknames, in game lingo), and informing the player that this is a training mission, to find out if Ace is good enough to join the titular Sonic Fury squadron. Squadmates “Chief” (which Major Lance specifically mentions is Native American) and “Trucker” accompany Ace on a training sortie, where a “combat drone” is the target.

Suddenly, as the training mission closes, actual enemy aircraft close in. There is very little voice chatter after this point, and the remainder of the game is the player scoring hits over a wide variety of terrain. The video closes with a few wisecracks and the credit roll. After the credits, there is an interactive (i.e., hits are scored) preview for the other Action Max tapes.