Thunderforce VI - Love it or hate it?

[Jonpachi]

I've been on quite the Thunderforce kick these last few weeks, having just gotten the 1CC on 3, AC and 5. So I have my eyes now on a copy of part 6, but I seem to remember it not being very well received upon its initial release. In videos it looks decent enough, and it's fun to see some old bosses return, but it does look a little on the easy side. Graphically, it's average, but certainly a dramatic step-up from the absolutely hideous PS1 version of part 5 I've just come off of.

Any thoughts on this one? It currently goes for ~$75 in the used market, so I'm hesitating a little bit on biting on a copy before I know more.

[copy-paster]

Yeah TFVI is on easier side, gameplay is exactly same as V except this time you will not lose your powerups when you die. Overweapon is broken and kill bosses in seconds. Unlike V there are unlockables you could get, like Rynex ship and arrange mode. Might check it first by download TEH ROMz first before buying.

[To Far Away Times]

It's a noticeable step down from III, IV, and V. There's so much homage to the other games in the series that Thunderforce VI really doesn't have its own identity.

If you're on a Thunderforce kick it might be worth it to check out IV instead. I don't like it as much as III and V, and it's quite a bit harder and lacks that awesome powerful and aggressive feel of III, but it has it's strengths as well. It's among the best looking games on the Genesis, has a great soundtrack, and the Stage 8 song in particular is one of the best in all of gaming.

[Sengoku Strider]

It's a noticeable step down from III, IV, and V. There's so much homage to the other games in the series that Thunderforce VI really doesn't have its own identity.

If you're on a Thunderforce kick it might be worth it to check out IV instead. I don't like it as much as III and V, and it's quite a bit harder and lacks that awesome powerful and aggressive feel of III, but it has it's strengths as well. It's among the best looking games on the Genesis, has a great soundtrack, and the Stage 8 song in particular is one of the best in all of gaming.

I'm with you, I'm a big fan of Thunder Force AC (haven't played the original TF III), but around the web the consensus seems to be that IV is up there with M.U.S.H.A. & Eliminate Down for the title of best shooter on the Genesis. It's easy to understand why, the amount of added visual flourishes & stage complexity is massive. Though I kinda find AC's pace more enjoyable, and I think that IV suffers in that it's trying to get too much out of the Genesis. The resolution isn't up to the kind of detail they want to render in things like clouds & sandy deserts, and it can't do the transparencies they're trying to pull off so a lot of the sprites just end up looking like they're behind pixelated screen doors. III/AC's art design isn't as busy, and as a result things just look a lot cleaner to me. But I get why people love it, it's a towering challenge waiting to be conquered with FX & kickass Genesis FM heavy metal sounds out the wazoo.

[xxx1993]

I thought it was okay... The fans were just way too harsh on the game.

[The Coop]

It's a so-so entry for the series, to be honest. The first three levels go by so quickly, it's like playing side view versions of the top-down missions from TF II. The music was so-so, the gameplay was alright, but the graphics really made the game feel like a budget title at times... which was made that much worse by the panning camera revealing how cardboard-cutout a lot of the visuals were. The unlockables were a nice touch as well, but in the end, the game just isn't the swan song the series deserved. Granted, it's better than Broken Thunder (which truly lived up to the word "broken"), but it's nowhere near what III, IV and V were, and I"m not even sure I'd put it on par with TF II either.

[XoPachi]

and I"m not even sure I'd put it on par with TF II either.

ouch

[PerishedFraud ឵឵]

TF6 is by no means a bad game but it fails to compare to the earlier games.

Music seems to be a hard case of "Let's just do TF5 again" instead of the originality each game beforehand had. The only truly memorable tracks for me are the orn emperor, ocean stage and cerberus themes. For a Thunder Force game that's really sad.

Graphics are fine but the design took a heavy hit. The stages are far more generic and the bosses stopped doing the cool shit Thunder Force was known for except for the gargoyle.

The game is much, much shorter than both TF5 and TF4.

The game is horribly unbalanced due to the overweapon system and still incredibly easy without it.

Overall I'd rate it a 5/10. Again, perfectly fine but I'd give TF3 a 7 and TF4/5 something around 8 or 9.

[Herr Schatten]

There's so much homage to the other games in the series that Thunderforce VI really doesn't have its own identity.

This. Apart from that, it's competent and I liked it well enough. It's a nice little distraction, definitely worth it if you can get it for little money, but don't expect III-V levels of quality.

[Martinov]

The levels are over before you've noticed they've begun and they're easy to boot. I mean, seriously, if I can 1cc it it's a pushover. This title is average at best and only worth the money if you're an avid Thunderforce fan - That's pretty much the only reason I've kept my copy.

[heli]

Music seems to be a hard case of "Let's just do TF5 again" instead of the originality each game beforehand had.

5 also has some same musics as 4 only then remixed or something.
I like 5 very much, did not know 6 exists, thanks.
No PAL, cant buy.

[PerishedFraud ឵឵]

5 also has some same musics as 4 only then remixed or something.

It's only two songs - back to the fire and duel of top. The rest is purely original.

[Koa Zo]

No technical analysis here nor comparison to the other games - TFVI is a lot of fun.
Aren't there other ships and difficulties to use for those finding an issue with the ease of completion on default settings?

[RawlingGunnar]

I'm a simple smiley rolling gun, and I like TFVI. Worthwhile to have, I'd say. This is even having bought every entry, sometimes from more than one region, that came to console so far.

[Aquas]

I find it cool and enjoyable.

[Sturmvogel Prime]

As some who started hating it-to-reconsider it, I think Thunder Force VI is a good game. If you're gonna play it expecting TFV-like quality then you might won't like it. Yeah, it's a change from what you've played there, but still retains the elements what made Thunder Force what it is.

[JohnR1900]

Love it. Wish it was longer, 16 meg instead of 8 meg.

I would love to see M2 remake Thunder Force IV as a System 16C arcade game with 3-4 MB ROM (24-32 megabits!) like Fantasy Zone II DX The Tears of Opa-Opa.

[bigbadboaz]

He asked about VI, not IV.

That said, I want to circle back to a point seemingly glossed over in the thread: why in the first place do you seem to be skipping over IV in favor of VI? Playing IV would seem to be the obvious choice both in order and reputation.

(And yes, an M2 remake of IV would be a wet dream. Too bad there's no indication they're even thinking about it)

[EmperorIng]

M2 released essentially ShotTrigger-quality ports of Thunder Force AC and Thunder Force IV under the Sega Ages line; I think a remake would be pretty superfluous when you already have ports with new ships, save states, leaderboards, etc.

[pablumatic]

I have a copy.

Its just kinda mediocre to me. I am glad I have in my collection because I'm a fan of the Thunderforce series, but if I'm going to play a horizontal shooter on the PS2 I will play my copy of Gradius V.

[bigbadboaz]

M2 released essentially ShotTrigger-quality ports of Thunder Force AC and Thunder Force IV under the Sega Ages line; I think a remake would be pretty superfluous when you already have ports with new ships, save states, leaderboards, etc.

Are you familiar with the Fantasy Zone II DX release he was talking about? That type of work might be a substantial increase in assets quality, while not straying too far from the original's roots. I think it could be awesome.

Pretty much a moot point, though - not happening.