Thunder Force series
Encyclopedia
The is a series of scrolling shooter type video games developed by the Japanese software company Technosoft
. The games are known by fans of the genre for their hardcore appeal, pleasing graphics, and generally well composed synthesizer
-based soundtracks.
The series' first game appeared a variety of Japanese computers, such as the Sharp X1
and the NEC PC-8801 mkII
. The majority of installments in the series appeared on the Mega Drive console, where the series gained much of its popularity. The most recent entry was released on PlayStation2.
s). The games feature the "FIRE LEO" spacecraft and its iterations, developed by the Galaxy Federation under "Project Thunder Force" to be small, but maneuverable and powerful fighter craft. The Galaxy Federation feels that these ships have the best chance of defeating large forces such as the ORN empire's, as opposed to sending a host of larger ships. Thunder Force V
details the discovery of Galaxy Federation technology by Earthlings and the consequences this discovery causes.
Early games in the series had multi directional scrolling, overhead stages where the player would attack airborne and ground targets. These stages were later removed in favor of horizontally-scrolling stages that contained various gameplay elements derived from popular horizontal scrolling shooters Gradius and R-Type
, such as an array of interchangeable and unique weapons, satellite turrets which provide the player additional firepower, and level design which encourages player memorization and skillful ship maneuvering/positioning in order to effectively pass.
Technosoft
Technosoft is a Japanese video game developer that is known for the Thunder Force series of shooter games, as well as Herzog Zwei, regarded as the world's first real time strategy game....
. The games are known by fans of the genre for their hardcore appeal, pleasing graphics, and generally well composed synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
-based soundtracks.
The series' first game appeared a variety of Japanese computers, such as the Sharp X1
Sharp X1
The X1 is a series of home computer released by Sharp Corporation from 1982 to 1988. It was based on a Z80 CPU.Despite the fact that the Computer Division of Sharp Corporation had released the MZ series, suddenly the Television Division released a new computer series called the X1...
and the NEC PC-8801 mkII
NEC PC-8801
The NEC PC-8801 was an early Zilog Z80-based computer exclusively released in Japan, where it became very popular, by NEC Corporation in 1981. It was informally called the "PC-88"....
. The majority of installments in the series appeared on the Mega Drive console, where the series gained much of its popularity. The most recent entry was released on PlayStation2.
Overview
The setting of the Thunder Force games (excluding the fifth chapter) are centered around the war between inhabitants of the "Galaxy Federation" (protagonists), and the "ORN Empire" (antagonistAntagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
s). The games feature the "FIRE LEO" spacecraft and its iterations, developed by the Galaxy Federation under "Project Thunder Force" to be small, but maneuverable and powerful fighter craft. The Galaxy Federation feels that these ships have the best chance of defeating large forces such as the ORN empire's, as opposed to sending a host of larger ships. Thunder Force V
Thunder Force V
Thunder Force V is a scrolling shooter game developed by Technosoft. It is the fifth chapter of the Thunder Force series. It was initially released in 1997 exclusively in Japan for the Sega Saturn with two retail versions, the normal pack which was just a standard release, and a special pack which...
details the discovery of Galaxy Federation technology by Earthlings and the consequences this discovery causes.
Early games in the series had multi directional scrolling, overhead stages where the player would attack airborne and ground targets. These stages were later removed in favor of horizontally-scrolling stages that contained various gameplay elements derived from popular horizontal scrolling shooters Gradius and R-Type
R-Type
is a side scrolling shoot-em-up arcade game produced by Irem in 1987. The player controls a space fighter named R-9a "Arrowhead" to defend humanity against a mysterious but powerful alien life-form known as "Bydo", which was later discovered to be not entirely alien in origin...
, such as an array of interchangeable and unique weapons, satellite turrets which provide the player additional firepower, and level design which encourages player memorization and skillful ship maneuvering/positioning in order to effectively pass.
Legacy
- Thunder ForceThunder ForceThunder Force is a scrolling shooter computer game released by Technosoft in 1983. It is the first game in the Thunder Force series. It was initially released for the Sharp X1 computer, and later appared on the Sharp MZ-1500, NEC PC-6001 mkII, and in 1985 on the NEC PC-8801 mkII...
(1983) - Thunder Force IIThunder Force IIThunder Force II is a scrolling shooter developed by Technosoft. It was first released in Japan in 1988 for the Sharp X68000 computer. A year later, it was ported to the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis game console and released in Japan , Europe, and the United States...
(1988) - Thunder Force II MDThunder Force IIThunder Force II is a scrolling shooter developed by Technosoft. It was first released in Japan in 1988 for the Sharp X68000 computer. A year later, it was ported to the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis game console and released in Japan , Europe, and the United States...
(Sega Mega Drive/Genesis) (1989) (port of Thunder Force II) - Thunder Force IIIThunder Force IIIThunder Force III is a scrolling shooter game developed by Technosoft. It is the third chapter in the Thunder Force series. It was released in 1990 in Japan, Europe and the United States for the Mega Drive/Genesis game console. During the same year, it was retooled into an arcade game named Thunder...
(Sega Mega Drive/Genesis) (1990) - Thunder Force ACThunder Force ACThunder Force AC is a horizontal space shooter from Sega/Technosoft. Due to the success of Technosoft's Thunder Force III for the Mega Drive , it was decided that the game would be brought to the arcade scene in the form of Thunder Force AC...
(ArcadeArcade gameAn arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
) (1990) (port of Thunder Force III retooled into an Arcade game) - Thunder SpiritsThunder SpiritsThunder Spirits is a scrolling shooter video game for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo released by Technosoft and Toshiba in 1991. The game is part of the Thunder Force series. It is a port of the dually copyrighted Technosoft/Sega arcade game Thunder Force AC, which itself is actually a modified...
(Super NintendoSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
) (1991) (port of Thunder Force AC) - Thunder Force IVThunder Force IVThunder Force IV is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed by Technosoft as the fourth installment of the Thunder Force series. It was released respectively in July and September 1992 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis console in Japan and the United States, and in December of the same...
(Sega Mega Drive/Genesis) (1992) (a.k.a. Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar) - Thunder Force Gold Pack 1 (Sega SaturnSega SaturnThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
) (1996) It contains Thunder Force IIThunder Force IIThunder Force II is a scrolling shooter developed by Technosoft. It was first released in Japan in 1988 for the Sharp X68000 computer. A year later, it was ported to the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis game console and released in Japan , Europe, and the United States...
and Thunder Force IIIThunder Force IIIThunder Force III is a scrolling shooter game developed by Technosoft. It is the third chapter in the Thunder Force series. It was released in 1990 in Japan, Europe and the United States for the Mega Drive/Genesis game console. During the same year, it was retooled into an arcade game named Thunder...
. - Thunder Force Gold Pack 2 (Sega SaturnSega SaturnThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
) (1996) It contains Thunder Force IVThunder Force IVThunder Force IV is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed by Technosoft as the fourth installment of the Thunder Force series. It was released respectively in July and September 1992 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis console in Japan and the United States, and in December of the same...
and Thunder Force ACThunder Force ACThunder Force AC is a horizontal space shooter from Sega/Technosoft. Due to the success of Technosoft's Thunder Force III for the Mega Drive , it was decided that the game would be brought to the arcade scene in the form of Thunder Force AC...
. - Thunder Force VThunder Force VThunder Force V is a scrolling shooter game developed by Technosoft. It is the fifth chapter of the Thunder Force series. It was initially released in 1997 exclusively in Japan for the Sega Saturn with two retail versions, the normal pack which was just a standard release, and a special pack which...
(Sega SaturnSega SaturnThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
) (1997) - Thunder Force V: Perfect SystemThunder Force VThunder Force V is a scrolling shooter game developed by Technosoft. It is the fifth chapter of the Thunder Force series. It was initially released in 1997 exclusively in Japan for the Sega Saturn with two retail versions, the normal pack which was just a standard release, and a special pack which...
(PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
) (1998) (port of Thunder Force V) - Thunder Force VIThunder Force VIis a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up video game released for the PlayStation 2 on October 30, 2008. The director is SEGA employee Tetsu Okano, who has previously worked on Segagaga, Astro Boy: Omega Factor and Gunstar Super Heroes. The game was licensed by Twenty-One Company's Tecnosoft...
(PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
) (2008)
Thunder Force VI
- A video was made in 2000 which circulated on the Internet showing the intro sequence for Thunder Force VI. This video serves as evidence that Thunder Force VI was at one point in development for the Dreamcast console.
- In 2001, a video game music album was released from the band "Noise" entitled Broken Thunder: Noise Image Soundtrack Volume 3 featuring music intended to be used in Thunder Force VI. The soundtrack is composed by Tsukumo Hyakutaro, Noise band member and music composer for many of Technosoft's games (including Thunder Force V).
- On December 5, 2005, the music featured in Broken Thunder: Noise Image Soundtrack Volume 3 was re-released along with other arrangements from previous Thunder Force games on an album entitled Thunder Force VI Soundtrack ~Broken Thunder~ published by "Factory Noise & AG".
- Internet rumors have been floating around that Technosoft, who has not been heard from since the early 2000s, are currently rehiring staff and planning to release Thunder Force VI in the fiscal year of 2006 for an unnamed game system. This rumour later turned out to be a dojin game named Broken Thunder.
- Factory Noise & AG released a sample CD of "Broken Thunder", which contained a high resolution video of the game intro, 20+ Wallpapers and 3 MP3 music tracks. http://www.segagagadomain.com/Bbrokenthunder.htm. The game was later released on the PC in both a collector's edition which also contains a soundtrack CD, and a standard edition. However the game itself is generally considered an inferior and incomplete product, because the contents lack polishing(e.g. most of boss models are inanimate solid objects); and a text file in the game DVD indicates that the producer himself also believes the game "does not include 1/3 of designed elements", and plans to update the content in the form of a free patch. As of May 2007, all shops have stopped selling the game and existing copies have been taken off the shelves.
- As of June 2008, Tecnosoft's web site has displayed the text "New THUNDERFORCE Coming Soon!" Famitsu announced Thunderforce VI in July 2008. The game will be developed and published by Sega under the direction of Tez Okano , and is currently to be released for PS2 in October. The game listed K.Matsuoka (Kazue Matsuoka), whom had work for Thunderforce III, as copyright owner.
- On October 30, 2008, Thunder Force VI was released in Japan.
Related links
- Forgotten Franchises: Thunder Force (from Sega-16) - In depth article about the Thunder Force games. Also contains some media (the Thunder Force VI video mentioned above can be found here). ThunderForce Forever - Contains artwork/renderings, fanfiction, story information related to Thunder Force. It is also the homepage of Thunder Future, a fan made Thunder Force game currently in development, and contains information about its progress. Thunderforce Next - A fan site. Appears to be fanfiction based. Series Info - Contains release date, system release, and plot information about the series (except Thunder Force VThunder Force VThunder Force V is a scrolling shooter game developed by Technosoft. It is the fifth chapter of the Thunder Force series. It was initially released in 1997 exclusively in Japan for the Sega Saturn with two retail versions, the normal pack which was just a standard release, and a special pack which...
). Thunderforce Cafe - Fanlisting dedicated to Thunder Force. Contains artwork, music, video, merchandise pictures, etc. - Broken Thunder PV - A low-resolution version of the new Broken Thunder Video.