Thunder Force 6 [PS2]

Submit your reviews here - please see guidelines topic
Post Reply
User avatar
drunken starsailor
Posts: 77
Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 8:34 am

Thunder Force 6 [PS2]

Post by drunken starsailor »

Published by Sega
Licensed by Tecnosoft
Released on October 30, 2008

Image

Thunder Force 6 is the only entry to the series that I have played. If the newest entry is any indication
of what the earlier TF games are like, then I'm quite certain I'll hate them.

This is one of the most boring shooters I've ever played. The system is simplistic and un-engaging, and
the weapon switching mechanic is frustratingly stupid.

You have five weapons to choose from: forward shot, forward and backward shot, curved shot, death beam
and a strong spread shot that practically reaches to the top and bottom of the screen. The second,
third and forth help to take out enemies coming from behind your craft; but really, you'll only need the death
beam and curved shot for the duration of the game. (I did not play past the fourth stage.)

Destroying enemies leaves green orbs in their place, which can fill your special attack gauge. You have
several slots that can be filled, a la Zero Wing 2, and one is depleted when you activate the attack.
The bullet patterns are underwhelming as they are, but a SA can cancel them, reducing the challenge to
an all time low. Yes, all tricky patterns, sans lasers, can be eliminated by touching the bullets with
your temporarily enhanced shot. (Each weapon has their own, respectively, but they all feel the same.)

The boss fights are incredibly dull. We're taking "a little over 15 seconds, each", with minimal
strategy required to defeat each one. The first one is absolutely terrible. You basically stay above the
boss' head with the death beam aimed on him the whole time. (All 17 seconds. lol.) Why anyone would
enjoy this game is beyond me. The second fight requires you to make use of the speed adjustment to avoid
getting stepped on, when the boss attempts to jump on you. It is moments like this that make the game
feel more like a gimmick or sick joke to die-hard STG fans.

The stages all look like shit. You have a butt-ugly space station to welcome you, and the second level is
an awfully generic lava stage--complete with molten rock that multiplies once you destroy the bigger
chunk. The third stage is your typical run-of-the-mill underwater stage --complete with nasty looking,
destructible silver boxes at the end--, that makes you wonder if you're playing a doujin game.
The bosses look kinda cool when they transform, but their design left a nasty taste in my mouth. (Hello,
booger-colored starfish boss!)

Nothing about this game is addictive. If Progear No Arashi did not have such a brilliant Jeweling System,
I doubt I would have put the hours I did into it. For stage one, just figure out when to switch from
curved shot to death ray, and that's it. For stage two, do the same, but you don't have to move nearly
as much. To add insult to injury, you have two spinning turbines around your ship that cancel any bullet
they touch.

The sounds have their moments, but are for the most part, turd-like. The intro video is quite misleading,
because the ambient track within leads you to believe that this game has decent music. Your ship is
absolutely ugly as well.

The game is despicably dull. I could only recommend it to folks with sleeping disorders. Move on friends, there's nothing to see here.

** out of *****

Cover scan courtesy of Giant Bomb.com
Post Reply