Classic Game Room - LIGHTENING FORCE review for Sega Genesis
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- Опубліковано 16 чер 2008
- Lightening Force review (Lightning Force review) www.ClassicGameRoom.com
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Classic Game Room reviews LIGHTENING FORCE ( aka LIGHTNING FORCE aka THUNDER FORCE IV 4 ) for the Sega Genesis 16 Bit Mega Drive video game console system. This SHMUP horizontal scrolling shooter on the Megadrive is a very fun and challenging airplane shooter. Made by the masters of space ship shooting games on the Genesis, Technosoft, this is basically Thunder Force IV. We're not sure why they dropped the Thunder and went with Lightning or Lightening. But this is TF4 and it's incredible, one of the best shooters on the 16bit Megadrive. As with the other Thunder Force games like TF2 and TF3, you are that lone starfighter shooting aliens and countless bad guys in a variety of well designed and exotic locations in deep space. Many of the familiar weapons are here like Hunter. TF4 will remind you of games like Life Force and Gradius with it's familiar yet enjoyable side scrolling shmups style gameplay with power ups and end bosses and whatnot. The music is fantastic and everyone with a Sega should own this game and play it for days, it has incredible gameplay and the footage shows a variety of the levels and situations that you encounter. Thunder Force 4 is a worth successor to Thunder Force 3, but I wish they'd have just called it TF4 over here. Be sure to watch the original Classic Game Room episodes. Classic Game Room was the original classic video game review show on the Internet in 1999-2000, now on DVD. The HD series is reviewing PS3, PS2, Genesis, NES, Atari and Xbox 360. XBLA. videos review reviews show wii - Розваги
Actually there are ninjas in EVERY game, they're just that good at hiding.
One of the finest games on the 16-Bit machine. Certainly a game to pull out if you want to show someone what the system could do. And Technosoft certainly knew how to make the console sing. What a soundtrack!
"That's lightening force, and know that when you're playing it, you're not lightening the load to help a friend out. You're lightening the enemy of their lives, by taking it from them, in a fiery explosion of death."
Badass quote is badass. B)
Great memories! This is the first game I bought for my Genesis! The soundtrack, graphics and sound effects are SO iconic. I've gotta find this for my new / old Genesis!
She's saying "Claw".
That's the name of the two rotating "options" around your ship.
Best hori shooter of its era 8)
It's so amazingly made it's rather a next gen' game!
Tecno Soft... DAMN i miss you! You rocked so hard on Mega Drive / Genesis (& also on Saturn).
I bought this after me and my little brother had saved up for months for X-Men Apocalypse. When we arrived at the game store we had to get a rain check for X-men and so, on a whim, we decided instead to buy this.
We were so glad we did! We played this so much we ultimately could beat the game on a single life.
Later on we eventually played X-men which, as you may recall, was utter ass.
I love the humor of this review. My favorite part was when you wrote "Krull"
just picked this up today,amazing looking game.
The music is "Soldier Without Faith" by Yngwie Malmsteen. They also used "On The Run Again," from the same Yngwie album in this game.
The sound effects in this game are soooo crunchy, but awesome!!! It's like a more rough around the edges shmup that you'd find on the other side of the tracks that's outside the mainstream and a fan favorite only.
I've heard nothing but good praise about this game for some time now. I picked it up recently and played it for the first time last night. First question I had for myself after that first level was "how come I didn't play this sooner."
It deserves every bit of kudos it has received.
Thanks for the review.. I'm gonna go home and try it on my Arcade Cabinet.
Revisiting the good ol days of CLASSIC GAME ROOM!
I always loved 16-bit speed metal.
the music sounds like the first level of Doom!
WRONG
the intro is a straight up copy of
Yngwies Soldier without faith
fking noob
"electrocutes people, and blows up windmills" xD best quote ever.... well mayb not considering classic game room still exists :D
Man, I loved this game so much back in the day. I remember being totally blown away by the intro the first time I turned it on. Such amazing graphics and music for a humble 16 bit game.
I am a 25 year old mom of two beautiful children with an awesome job, I love the adult life....but after the tikes are in bed and hubby s knocked out cold, I smoke me a fat ass blunt and then play this game. It IS, WAS, and ALWAYS will be my FAVORITE Saga Genesis game!!! I wish they had a sequal, I'd pay my top dollar for it! True classic awesomeness!!! B-)......btw, did I mention that this game has f*ckin awesome ass rock music, no lie..like the electric guitars in it really make the game that much better...makes u wanna rock out while kickin some "enemy" ass..LMAO!! ^_^
They made many sequels.
Sonya Brown Thunder Force V for Playstation. Thunder Force VI for Playstation 2 (Japan only - requires japanese compatible console.)
Sonya Brown You are the right kind of person
that's a lie, we never marry
Lol.
That game title has to be my favorite typo. The parallax is still beautiful today and outdoes most modern horizontal shooters. The soundtrack sounds like they were actually trying for a cohesive musical score. A quality challenge through and through.
Oh man! I played this game so much back in the day! Loved it!
This was a great game back in the day and still is. The soundtrack was amazing and the backgrounds were fucking insane!
I had this and have very fond memories of this game.they simply don't make them like this anymore. and the music,omfg the music was so good!
anyone else get a 'Bark at the moon' feeling at the start of that song there
Dude I love your reviews. I'm looking forward to more of them.
you know that thing they installed on your ship was the "thunder sword" if you stop shooting for a few seconds it charges up into a doomsday beam cannon, was kinda laughing at you for not noticing this.
The voice when you get the circle things that surround your ship says "CRAW", which stands for Constitutional Ray Art Weapon.
I looked for this game for over 20 years.... 2021 i finally found it again. Thank you.
Where did you find it?
Bought this game with my Genesis Model 2 at ToysR'Us. First big boy console. Loved "Lightening Force", despite the strange nomenclature. Gonna play it on Genesis Mini right now!
Loved this game! Brings back memories, but I was surprised that you didn't let the new core charge up and fire it when you got it. That is what the other ships install when they dock you on their tractor beam. It's like a combination haduken Kamehameha wave Lazer sword that fires at various levels depending on how long you let it charge. The full charge blast lays waste like no body's business. Awesome post though, I was just surprised you didn't even mention it. Perhaps during button mashing you never seen it charge. It charges automatically when you are not hitting the fire button. ;)
Awesome review.
Never said anything about the "lightning sword" that is charged by not shooting... Best weapon of the game.
Another great review from the Game Room. I'll definitely have to pick this one up.
amazing soundtrack. amazing title. your reviews always LIGHTEN my day thanks classic game room.... also KUNTER!
I loved playing this game as a kid it was so awesome
You can either
a) Get the Saturn version, "TF Gold Pack"
b) Overclock your Genesis
c) Emulate it
Any of the three will give you massive joy - I guarantee :)
intro music = Soldier without faith
by Yngwie
One of the best games I have ever played in my life, and will continue to do so. Just simply so well made *w*
I really wish you would have done a 2 part review on this game. I think its the best out of this series by a long shot. The Music and the backround are incredible! This is my all time favoriet Sega game. PERIOD. And i never did beat it, always got stuck somwhere towards the end. BTW the voice says COLT! colt is the thing that spins around you that is all bad ass n stuff : D
thank you for doing these. Genisis is my fav system as well! keep up thegreat work!
Here in Europe it was called Thunder Force IV.
TFIV is absolutely awesome...the opening stage is just jaw-dropping, and it gets more and more awesome.
Its hard as nails.
looks like absolutely fantastic games.
loved this game a lot. Still want to get this Landstalker, and more.
You can now play this on your Nintendo Switch which is awesome news.
Just realised. Play the PAL version of this game for reduced slow down. Because 50hz allows for a greater performance on the SEGA Mega Drive.
FYI, the "Lightening" part also refers to the lightning weapon that you have when your "Claw" weapon (not "Krull", though thanks for giving kudos to that awesome movie!) is upgraded to the "orb" version at the end of level five. If you let up on the fire button for 3-5 seconds the orbs will charge and you can then unleash a powerful lightning attack.
borrowed this from my neighbor many times in my childhood. Now I can no death it.....on a good day.
The game,which is called Thunderforce IV here in Euroland,arrives yesterday,complete in its clamshell box + instruction manual,overall in good condition...and i must say...what a blast!! great gameplay,great graphics and a soundtrack from another planet.Absolutely one of the best shootem ups ever created,perhaps the best...absolutely recommended!
this game is really bad ass!
0:36 Wow...that's some awesome tunes there.
"Just waiting for a new Genesis with HDMI that outputs 720p"... it only took 9 years for Sega to catch up with your vision of the future!
Not yet haha
Epic!!! The graphics, sound, and music are so Sega-iconic. The Sega was built for lightening force.
My favourite side scrolling shoot em up EVER.
Kind and merciful internet person, you have my thanks.
One of the best, if not THE best shooters I've played!! That intro is still badass even to this day!! On order from ebay so I can relive my childhood on my new Sega Nomad :-)
Nice one.
Still waiting for that MGS4 review :P
Dat paralax scrolling!!!!!!!!!
Just in case you didn't know, if you stop firing for a few seconds with the new craw, you can charge up for a shot called the "Thunder Sword".
Great review btw.
The upgraded "Krull" lets you use a super weapon that charges when you release the fire button. After a few seconds, a "pling" is heard and you can release the tr00 "Lightening Thunder Force", which is devastating and very useful on more powerful enemies.
Great review, just picked it up on teh ebay. You should review Whip Rush, great classic genesis space shooter.
For fans of the soundtrack, if you complete the game (on at least Normal mode) the sound test in the config panel will include the end music, credit music and some "omake" tracks... music that isn't in the game, but has that same theme. Ya gotta love little bonuses like that.
You also get to see the part of the storyline setting up for Thunder Force V, when the wreckage of the ship you just piloted is found by humans...
bad ass game wish I could find it was one of my favorits
The commentary for this was hilarious
Thunder spirits was the snes port of thunder force AC, which was the arcade port of thunder force III for the mega drive. (CGR has reviewed both btw)
8:49 After 11 years, we finally got the Mega Sg for that.
If you love this game then also check out Eliminate Down and Gley Lancer, also on the Genesis! For a vertical shooter you gotta check out MUSHA!
i still have the all weapons cheat code burned into my head as i used it so much
I have lived in the states all my life and only knew this game as thunder force 4 and the upgrade you get after stage 5 is acually the thunder sword. Most people dont know about it because they never take their thumb off of the shoot button long enough to see it charge you also need the claw to make it work
I miss this game.
Wow the intro music sounds fucking badass.
I love the soundtrack for this game. The groove-driven tracks like the one for the space level are amazing.
The attachments for your ship are called "Craw" (Engrish for Claw?). At least, thats what they are in TF V, anyway...
Wow cool another game I have beaten. I love Potato Force!
The best Genesis game ever? Sonic 1, 2, 3? Shinobi? Sparkster? Streets of Rage 2? No! Not at ALL! THIS ONE IS IT!!
This game pushed the Genesis really hard with all that parallax scrolling, huge well-animated bosses and on-screen insanity... almost too hard. Gives that brisk 16-bit CPU a good workout for sure. The only complaints I have are the quality of digitized speech and occasional bad slowdowns.
Potatoe forcce IV
This force is lightening your load on a tough day. It makes everything lighter.
In two words, Mark:
FUCK YEAH!
Waaaay back in 1991?2?, my brother coaxed my Mom into spending $75 - on a nonbirthday, nonholiday Friday night in summer! - on Thunder Force III, and my world got changed forever.
The menacing difficulty! Awesome graphics! the shit-your-pants bosses! The tunes rocked me like no game on any console before or since.
I knew there was a thunder Force 4, but thought it never came Stateside. I remember a Lightening Force and thought it was a cheap knockoff!
I really miss Mark and this Channel 😔
This game is hard as shit but so much fun!
arcadeportal32 I managed some how to make it to the boss on level 8 without loosing a single life. Never beat that boss though!!! Wish I knew the 100 lives cheat back then!!!
Two thinks I would like to say
1. The Option is Called a Craw
and
2. The Modification that you got after stage 5 is A Lightning sword (Or thunder sword)
It makes huge Dammage... Just hold your fire for a brief moment and shoot.... Hope that helps
Hunter... Now THERE'S a show no one remembers!
But then again, you did...
She's saying CLAW but it does sound like KRULL mostly because in a Japanese dialect L and R are interchangeable and pronounced the same.
This game was close to Arcade quality graphics in 1992, gameplay wise it outpaced most shooters as well. I only have a model1 to component cable but I might splice s-video onto it one day I feel adventurous.
Thanks for all the reviews. No other reviewer I follow can match your humor or ability to show how much fun a game that might be labeled hardcore can be.
A Dan Quayle joke and a reference to Hunter with Fred Dryer. Mark, we're getting old, man.
Best Genesis game ever...I really don't understand why they changed the name though.
For the same reasons they changed Axel's shirt to yellow and Blaze's dress to gray in Streets of Rage 3. Sega of Amurika... that's why.
@deadlygroove1 You're completely right. I make electronic music as well and my bias is based on it's low bit rate sample playback, but you're absolutely right about FM synthesis. Yuzo Koshiro showed what the Genesis was truly capable of with the Streets of Rage/Bare Knuckle series, especially with part 3. Kudos, bro.
the music stays jawdropping good,the bassline is insane good the guitar is awesome for any 16 bit console,some of th best music heard in any 16 bit 32 bit game.awesome serie,insane what they could ram out of a genesis,the system had a goldmine hidden in its micro instlment,gunstar and this game an batmana and robin are awesome.
@metalfro
Very True, I heard that the lightening attack is called "Thunder Sword"
In all honesty. I liked the way your ship looks before they install the upgrade. It also sucks that you cannot use thunder sword unless you have the Claw with you, but then again that is the challenge of staying alive.
The Graphics are wonderfull!!!
I love Thunder force :-)
I'm just going to assume (though I'm not certain) that the "e" in Lightening Force is from a translation error and not intentional, since translators make errors like that pretty commonly.
the best shooter of the 16 bits era is on genesis period
i always wonder how they could make it possible on a genesis....the first time i played it back in 92,i was like....WTF!??? yes it's my genesis who does that....:D
The only big issue with this game is that the backgrounds are so vibrant and colorful that they obscure the view of your ship and options..it's also hard to see enemy shots when they're almost the same colour as the background..but man, the music kicks ass.
A japanese metal guitarist called SSH has done lots of metal cover versions of Thunder force songs.
8 copies left on Amazon. I just bought 2 of them!
you're right, the graphics of this game look amazing. I'm surprised that this game scrolls up and down, I never seen a horizontal shooter that does that.
It's been 11 years. Have you seen any yet.
OH GOD THE MUSIC.
I've been playing the hell out if this game lately, it's awesome! I can't get past level 7 boss!
hey your website is awesome! can you also do some PC-Engine reviews?
Wow! So you fight agains ORN Empire in this game? Damn! Sweet name for an enemy :P
i would love this game in an aercade
the thing the friendly forces fix on you will make your fire a forward trusting powerful laser lancer which will be a great help becos there will be a lot of mini bosses afterward. but i forgot how to activate it, its years back and i got this game too.
Damm this game has badass graphics
No this is one of the new episodes but for some reason it is first on the playlist