Sega Saturn Thunderforce Gold Pack Volume #1

The Thunderforce series is comprised of some of the finest shooters ever made. At least in my humble opinion. They looked great, featured tons of power-ups and were intense enough to keep players on the edge of their seats, clenching their joypads and hoping that they could last for another 2 minutes in the chaos on screen. This first Thunderforce volume contains Thunderforce 2 and Thunderforce 3 which first appeared on the Sega Genesis about 5-6 years ago. Both games are the exact Sega Genesis versions with everything intact from the 16-bit cartridges. The voice in Thunderforce 2 sounds like it has been resampled so that it sounds a lot clearer from the Genesis version. I remember that voice vividly and I used to sit in front of the monitor and try to decipher what it was trying to say. Thankfully, the Saturn remix is easier on the ears. Thunderforce 2 features two types of shooters; odd numbered levels are viewed with a bird's eye view of the action. You will see your ship and all of the surroundings as you blast away at enemy installations and at enemy ships that seemingly appear out of nowhere to attack you. The even numbered levels are set in the traditional side scrolling shooter format. Thunderforce 2 is very enjoyable and it was a blast to play it again after all these years. Sorta like a vist from an old friend. Thunderforce 3 is all side scrolling shooter levels and is one of the most intense games on the Genesis. The action moves at a furious pace in some levels and hard core shooter fans will be hard pressed to keep up with all that is thrown at you. A great pair of shooters though Sega could have fit another one in here easily but I guess thats why they are getting volume 2 ready for release next month. Thunderforce Gold Pack volume 2 will feature Thunderforce Arcade and Thunderforce IV. Both will have the original code from the arcade JAMMA board and from the Sega Mega Drive rom respectively.

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