Afterburner II (Genesis / Mega Drive)

The Afterburner games were some of the earliest examples that I remember of an arcade game that seemed more like an amusement part ride.  The units for them could sometimes be gigantic with their cockpit-like set up.  Granted the home experience wasn't quite as bombastic, but Afterburner II on the Genesis was pretty darn fun.  Looking back it seems strange that your machine guns were constantly firing, and players were pretty much just dodging enemy missiles while shooting their own.  I guess gamers at the time were to busy thinking, "I'm flying a jet plane!" to think about some of the more nonsensical aspects of the game.