Lords of Thunder

lawnspic · Post by **lawnspic** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 8:32 pm

Which version do you prefer the Sega CD version or the TG16 one? Also what are your impressions of the Wii VC release?

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 9:14 pm

The natural choice would be to aim for the original PC Engine version of Winds of Thunder or it's American counterpart, Lords of Thunder. You might see the logic/wisdom of Turbo Technologies Incorporated (TTI) in selecting the "Lords of Thunder" game title for release in the USA whereas "Winds of Thunder" just doesn't seem to carry as much weight/impact on the American speciality game stores shelving. ("Farts of Thunder" could seem to be to good for a chuckle or two.) ^_~

I was able to snatch up a new copy of LoT for a mere $25 back in 1994. Well worth the $$$ for some classical shmup magic from the likes of Hudson Soft back in the day. TTI's original suggested MSRP of LoT was at $59.99 USD back in 1993. (I recall seeing it being sold for $54.99 USD at a Electronics Boutique back in 1994 -- pretty pricey if you were to ask me.) In some ways, the WoT/LoT title is a spiritual successor/sequel to the Gate of Thunder shmup title, also from Hudson Soft (and Red). Sure, it would've been cool if Hudson Soft did make a true bona-fide sequel to it's GoT shmup title, Gate of Thunder 2.

Plus the additional bonus of being able to listen to the cool BGM tunes of Winds of Thunder/Lords of Thunder Super CD-Rom2 game disc on a regular CD player...it's encoded in Redbook audio format as usual. Just don't play Tracks 1 and 2 of either game disc -- and you're good to go. ^_~

The front cover artwork of the TTI LoT version is somewhat censored/obscured by the main title logo compared to the original PCE version. And proper credit for the artwork was done by Masamune Shiro (of Ghost In the Shell/Appleseed manga fame).

The USA TTI version of LoT removes the original Japanese vocal narration found in the Winds of Thunder version -- still very impressive anime opening intro indeed. ^_~

If you want a subpar version of LoT, then settle for the Sega CD version instead.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 11:52 pm

Clear visuals vs. blurry visuals: TGCD
More colors vs. less colors: TGCD
Rocking music vs. subdued rocking music: depends
Music-only intro vs. announcer voice over music in intro: depends
No shopkeeper voice vs. alluring shopkeeper voice: SCD
TGCD vs. SCD: TGCD - the game simply looks a lot better on the TGCD

Nate · Post by **Nate** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 1:03 am

One thing I like to do is play the TGCD ver. on "Super" and just see how long I can survive. It's relatively fair - just brutal; lots of "last gasps" from enemies and such - i.e. something explodes and then sends a bullet your way. Come to think of it, I don't think I've even bested the first boss! I need to get back on it.

Herr Schatten · Post by **Herr Schatten** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 9:25 am

The Sega CD version is a lot better than most people think. I wouldn't really call it inferior to the PCE version. I have both, but I can't saay I prefer one over the other.

In this thread you can find some opinions on the matter. The video mentioned is long gone now, though.

szycag · Post by **szycag** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 10:25 am

Ignorance is bliss honestly. I've played the TGCD one since, but even before that the Sega CD one was one of my favorite shmups I had ever played. Every difficulty level on the TGCD one is quite a bit harder than it's Sega CD counterpart, so that's enough reason to care, but either version is very enjoyable.

quoth09 · Post by **quoth09** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 3:46 pm

Near the bottom of this page, the differences between the versions are mentioned:

http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/ ... hunder.htm

To sum it up:
The graphics on Turbo/PCE are better.
The PCE version had a narrated intro and the shopkeeper talked. When the game was brought over to the states, the voices were removed completely.

The SCD version (US or JP) has the voices, however the music was changed up a bit, but still sounds the same.

So basically, get the JP PC Engine CD version of the game (Winds of Thunder).

Personally, I like both versions, though the Turbo/PCE version just has a certain feel to it, and I think the graphics to the game have a big impact on that. Also the fact that the game doesn't have a huge case is a plus, not to mention unless you already have a Sega/Mega CD with at least a few games, it's not worth picking up a system just for this one game or this version of it.

Diebythesword · Post by **Diebythesword** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 10:43 pm

Lords of Thunder rules.

Herr Schatten · Post by **Herr Schatten** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 1:19 pm

quoth09 wrote:Near the bottom of this page, the differences between the versions are mentioned:

http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/ ... hunder.htm

Take that comparison with a grain of salt.
The comments regarding the sharpness of the picture are completely misleading, for example, as the screenshots strongly suggest that different monitor setups were used for the two machines on comparison.

If you use a proper RGB setup for both, there's no difference in sharpness and the contrast is fine on both, too. The Mega CD version suffers from the Mega Drive's muddy colour palette, but the artists responsible for the conversion did an excellent job to cover it up.

pixeljunkie · Post by **pixeljunkie** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 3:09 pm

PCE/TG16 hands down! I have both and the TG16 version just feels better in every way.

lawnspic · Post by **lawnspic** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 8:03 pm

Well i picked up the VC release and i like it. I dont know if its me but the control is a little awkward. Cant tell if there is lag or whatnot

shmups.system11.org

Lords of Thunder

Lords of Thunder

The 411 on TTI's Super CD-Rom2 Lords of Thunder...