From the Manufacturer
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In a grim future where a once-benevolent alien
technology has turned against humanity only a ragtag group of ace
pilots can save the Earth from total annihilation. Code name:
Thunder Force! This is the first installment of the massively
popular shooter series on a 32-bit platform and the enhancements
of this new version is obvious from the moment your eyes and ears
are overwhelmed by the the audio-visual feast. Five spectacular
weapons with multiple power-up levels let you blast through the
metallic menace and look good going it. A constant barrage of
innovative enemies keeps you intrigued while you're trying to
stay alive. A speaker-imploding soundtrack has your foot tapping
to the funky beat. Unbelievable rendered cutscenes don't just
draw you but drag you kicking and screaming into the action.
Review
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Originally released in Japan last year for the Sega
Saturn, Thunder Force V was the latest installment in
Technosoft's legendary series of shooters. While American Saturn
owners watched helplessly as SOA passed on yet another highly
desired piece of software, it came as no surprise to find that
Technosoft was in the process of porting it to the PlayStation.
Working Designs quickly saw an rtunity where others had not
and subsequently announced it was bringing Thunder Force V to the
States via its Spaz label.
So, fans of shooters gather round and behold the first episode of
Thunder Force rendered in semi-3D glory. As with all previous
Thunder Force games, you control your ship from the left side of
the screen and proceed to dish out punishment on the endless
waves of antagonists who swarm in from the right. Helping you
avoid these nasty predators are analog control and the ability to
alter your ship's speed from 50-100 percent. Along the way you
pick up a large variety of weapons and power-ups from amongst the
remains of the recently dispatched. Twin s, hunter s,
wave, and other exotic weapons are available for the taking,
which when powered up with floating energy balls called craw, can
be triggered to unleash a massive attack, whose power level
depends on the a of craw obtained at the time. Usually these
super attacks are reserved for the huge bosses that await at the
end of each level.
Considering that little tweaking was necessary to improve the
relatively basic gameplay, Technosoft was able to concentrate on
the visuals. Although the game plays in 2D, like any decent
shooter worth its salt these days, it incorporates 3D details and
polygonal enemies and bosses. During introductory sequences, the
camera will pan 360 degrees, but that's about it. For any real 3D
action you'll need to wait until the bosses to see some polygonal
power. As far as additions to the PlayStation version go, a
couple of extra levels have been added to bolster what was once a
relatively short game. Some nicely done CG sequences were also
included to make this a very complete package. Other small but
welcome details that were included are a digital viewer, which
lets you look at hi-res artwork rendered for the game, and a time
attack mode, although it's up for discussion why anyone would
want to play a time attack in a side-scrolling shooter.
The difference between the Saturn version and the PlayStation
version of Thunder Force V, aside from the extra levels and
stuff, are few but worth mentioning. Perhaps, due to the ease of
rendering 3D on the PlayStation, there is very little slowdown,
something that could be found (in small but noticeable as)
during boss encounters on the Saturn version. The sound effects
also seem much clearer on Sony's gray box for some reason.
Although the graphics and textures appear a little bit sharper on
the Saturn, there's no need for alarm as the two are almost
identical to each other. Perhaps the only negative thing about
the game is that it's basically the same as any other shooter
when you really get down to it. Despite the eye candy and extra
window dressing, this is still just a shooter. That having been
said, it should be noted that it's an excellent shooter.
For Thunderforce fans who own a PlayStation, this is a coup. Not
only do you get a technically superior version of Thunder Force
V, you get it with all the extra bells and whistles too,
providing considerable value and excellent gameplay. Spaz/Working
Designs has once again catered to the fans and brought over a
perennial fan-favorite. Easily as good as Raystorm or G-Darius
and tough competition for Einhander, Thunder Force V is a
shooting fan's dream. --James Mielke
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