BEGA'S BATTLE By Data East The makers of offbeat games like Burgertime and Bump 'n Jump's sole entry to the laserdisc sweepstakes literally takes the quarters right out of your pocket with one of the most exciting attract modes this side of Dragon's Lair. Lavishly animated scenes of space battles, strange creatures, beautiful women, horrible destruction and more flash on screen as you sort through the coins in your pocket. Unfortunately, once you've parted company with six bits you learn that all of those wonderfully excited animated scenes are primarily limited to the attract mode. The game that remains is basically your average bottom-screen, slide-and-shoot contest played over a laserdisc-generated background. Althought the fact is not mentioned anywhere in or around the game, Bega's Battle is based on a Japanese anime film, Genma Taisen. In the movie, as in the game, the title character, Bega to defend the human race against the dark forces of evil. You control Bega at the bottom of the screen by means of a Tron-style joystick with top-mounted fire button. The laserdisc footage used as a backdrop during each of the attack waves is effectively outer-worldly, yet can sometimes prove to e a distraction. For example, in the third screen, the jellyfishes' missiles can be particularly obscured by the colorful, moving background. Otherwise, laserdisc animation, complete with music and voices, is used only to introduce you to a new hero or nemesis before each attack wave. As a Space Invaders/Galaxian hybrid, Bega's Battle is mediocre. It also proved to be much too difficult for most players, and considering that it cost quarters to play, Bega's Battle was usually seen in arcades left alone in a corner in attract mode.