Anyone else think Thunder Cross doesn't get enough love?

[Edmond Dantes]

So I discovered this on MAME lately, and honestly, they're the two games I come back to the most--the second one especially.

I really like how the options work. You hold down a button and they either expand farther away from your ship, or they retract, giving you some ability to shoot places too high or low for you to safely attack yourself. Granted, it sucks when you die and lose everything (even your speed-ups) but oh well, that's life, and its not like Gradius where you're pretty much screwed--here if you can last for awhile you'll get your power back.

From what I understand, only Thunder Cross 1 ever got a console release and it was in budget form. Kinda sucks that they didn't just do both games.

(Also, not a shmup, but who else likes Baraduke?)

[_rm_]

I'm the proud owner of Thunder Cross and Thunder Cross II PCB's and must say in all my noobness, they both are great games

[Squire Grooktook]

Yeah, Thunder Cross 1 and 2 capture a lot of the best aspects of the Gradius series in one tight package. They're really great games that even most oldschool shmup fans haven't seen to have heard enough about.

[BIL]

TC1 (JP version) was one of my first coinop shooter clears. A bit mild but certainly worth playing for the interesting Option system. I remember trying it out after hearing that Gradius V's Type 3 configuration was a reference to it. I wonder if the unlockable flamethrower was too.

Music is a standout point. Usual phenomenally catchy, upbeat soundtrack from the Konami of then. Also, check out the monstrous, cowbell-tappin' Shooting Battle arrangement of "Machine Graveyard" from Naoto Shibata and company. "Great Battleship" is heavy and thrashing as fuck in OSV format alone.

(Also, not a shmup, but who else likes Baraduke?)

Wicked game. If Namco Museum Vol.5 didn't have Dragon Spirit I'd have gotten it for BD instead. Pac-Man thing will defile your mind.

[Mortificator]

I read on the Japanese Wikipedia some time ago that Space Manbow started as a port of Thunder Cross before evolving into its own thing. I don't know if that's true, but it feels like it would be, and I have to say the MSX game makes my dick way harder. It's not surprising that some Manbow elements made their way into the second Thunder Cross, like using asteroids for cover from an off-screen death laser.

I remember trying it out after hearing that Gradius V's Type 3 configuration was a reference to it. I wonder if the unlockable flamethrower was too.

I was ready to say that fixed options came from the MSX Salamander, but then I remembered you couldn't change their spacing, and that idea could very well have come from Thunder Cross. The fire blaster, though, is straight out of MSX Gradius 2.

[mice]

TC1 (jp) is on my top-5 list. TC2, not so much.

[To Far Away Times]

I played this game a bit the other day. It was alright, I liked it enough for what it was, but it didn't really hook me like some other games.

[Edmond Dantes]

Just wondering, why are some posters singling out the JP version of Thunder Cross?

Is there some major difference between that and the World version (sorta like how Konami totally buttfucked Xexex)?

... on the Baraduke thing, some of Baraduke's enemies (particularly the evil clone of yourself that sometimes shows up) would honestly have given me nightmares if I had played it twenty years ago.

Another underrated shmup: Eco Fighters.

[BIL]

At least one overseas version has the Option control and special weapons chopped out, or some bullshit. So yeah, pretty much XEXEX. It's apparently harder but fuck a hackjob.

[mice]

And stage 1 and 2 is swapped.

[XoPachi]

I remember getting the Thunder Cross Yugioh card as a kid not know what it was. I really like them. I just learned that there was a second installment a few weeks ago. Great smart games!

[Emuser]

I like the games as a little guilty pleasure of mine. I've 7-looped Thundercross 1 and 2-looped Thundercross II a few years ago, Thundercross 1 is not hard at all but scoring is quite entertaining when abusing the fire pod bug. Thundercross II was harder because there wasn't a bugged power pod to abuse and the scoring ?'s would turn into other items if you didn't quickly pick them up.

In the world/US/whatever/not JP version, the levels actually alternate in pairs until the final level, so the order in the non-JP version in using JP numbers is: 2-1-4-3-6-5-7. Can't say I understand why but whatever, Konami hated the United States when it came to arcade shmups. Non-JP version ruined the game completely.

[Pretas]

Thunder Cross is okay. It's definitely one of Konami's lesser STGs, but it still has their special touch. The original (JP version) is better designed than the sequel.

Wonder who decided that the bombs in the butchered US version of TC1 should be named "Lil' Baby."

[BIL]

Thunder Cross USA: Fat Man & Lil' Baby

[BrianC]

Out of curiosity, is anything botched with Vulcan Venture, the western Gradius II?

[Mortificator]

Double V allows continues, while the Japanese Gradius II was strictly one-credit. The US version feels a little easier, too, though I'm not sure of that. The little retrospective intro was cut. And a few names were changed, like "ripple laser" becoming "pulse laser," as well as the bizarre western title.

The continue & difficulty changes are reasonable, I'd say, and while the names & intro could rightly be called botched, they're probably not a big deal to most players.

[Despatche]

TC is anything but one of Konami's weaker shmups, and it definitely sounds and seems like II is better designed and better coded. They're also miles better than Salamander, a game they may as well be succeeding.

The only difference I know of in Vulcan Venture is the changed extend settings.

[Squire Grooktook]

TC is anything but one of Konami's weaker shmups, and it definitely sounds and seems like II is better designed and better coded. They're also miles better than Salamander, a game they may as well be succeeding.

The only difference I know of in Vulcan Venture is the changed extend settings.

I agree, TC series is great and on par with the rest of Konami's efforts, which is a shame that it's so obscure. Only thing I might disagree with is Salamander being miles better. While TC might be a better game overall, I feel Salamander still feels unique and stands on its own, mostly due to the insane scrolling speed.

[Despatche]

...in theory. The problem with Salamander is that it has far worse design than Gradius III, and I believe the recent tourney has made this clearer than ever before.

[Obiwanshinobi]

(Also, not a shmup, but who else likes Baraduke?)

I do, better than Fantasy Zone. And yeah, the guy...

[Pretas]

Baraduke's protagonist, Masuyo Tobi, is a woman. She later made cameos in Mr. Driller and Namco X Capcom.

Ajax is another game I would call a lesser Konami STG. Still good, just not one of the greats.

[Theory]

Love the music in Thunder Cross II, but I'm not massively into the game itself. Just has never clicked with me...

[Captain]

Thunder cross is 6/10 on my rating list.