(no subject)
It's funny. Usually when a product is highly anticipated or over-hyped there is a giant wave of disappointment when the thing is finally released. Sometimes expectations can be so high that message boards are inevitably flooded with bile and scorn when said product fails to deliver what it (usually didn't) promise.
However, this has an interesting side-effect. Imagine if, due to overwhelming negative criticism, you dont go to the trouble of picking up said product (like if it was, say, only released in japan) and then a year and a half later you are suddenly presented with a chance to try it out, risk-free. Lets call it "Reverse Negative Hype". Low expectations can actually increase your surprise and pleasure when something expected to be bad turns out to be Absolutely Fucking Brilliant.
Because I never update this thing, most of you will not know that after settling comfortably in Canada and working for about 6 months, I have saved up enough money to get myself a new computer. I bought one of those Sony VAIO touch-screen jobbys. I've needed to upgrade for a long time, my old computer wouldnt have been able to run Star Trek Online. This thing functions nicely, does everything I want it to but I have to admit that the touchscreen is a pointless gimmick and never really works when you want it to.
One thing I really wanted to try was PS2 emulation. 99% of my PAL games (basically anything that runs at 50hz) are unplayable after the move so I was keen to see if there was a hassle free way of playing them again. It would also mean that I could sample some of those Asian exclusives. I was umming and aaahing about getting a JPS2 for a long time but a combination of mostly negative hype and not wanting a 3rd PS2 in my flat put a stop to that.
Long story short - thats what led me to try this game:
Some of the other games Ive messed around with dont run very well but Thunder Force VI seems to run 99% accurately in the emulator. However, I altered some video settings so I could take screenies and it messed up some of the colours.
Unlike previous games in the series, Phoenix comes equipped with all its weapons from the start of the game and doesnt lose them when it dies. This pissed a lot of people off (typically people who only play the game once and dont bother with other modes) Why did they do this? Maybe just for those people who were around when the original Megadrive game came out - most of them are just cashing their pensions and probably couldnt handle something too intense. An unlockable ship, Rynex, has to power up its weapons as normal.
It's Gargoyle Perfect. He combines bosses from TFIII and IV. You should be able to arrive here with a full shield, no trouble so against his second form, I dont even bother dodging his fireballs so I can kill him faster. You get a new shield at the start of the next level. I'm pratting around with Over Weapons here.
Very reminiscent of TFIII, the first thing you'll notice is how fast everything tears by. As well as dodging scenery, theres a constant stream of enemies and debris flying at you. I find that Wave does a very good job of clearing the screen.
Like her Iron cousin, Flame Maiden is best taken out with Free Range. Free Range has been balanced since the last game. Although it is versatile, its not good for every situation and it certainly cant kill bosses in 0 seconds anymore. You will have to learn her attacks this time round.
This level opens with a short missile chase sequence. As long as you know where the giant snake is going o jump out you can just sit back with the fire button depressed and let everything plow into your shots. A nice way to build up your OW meter I suppose. However, things really pick up once you get to the underwater base with lots of moving containers and bullets flying all over the place. Its quite easy to get forced into a corner, especially if youre going for that extra life. Rynex's Free Range annihilates everything instantly though.
Cherubim Purple. Although Ive been playing a few weeks now, I havent really experimented with this guy. Firstly, the drones he launches cause the game to slow down horribly in the emulator. Secondly, he has a nasty vacuum attack that sucks you in while he fills the screen with bullets. I finds it's best to take him out quickly with a level 3 Over Weapon. Thunder Sword kills him almost instantly.
This is my favorite level: descent over the besieged Galaxy Federation Homeworld. Some nice aimed shots to weaved through here as we slowly descend through the atmosphere to the city below. Set pieces like this are what sets the Thunder Force series apart from other horis and the whole sequence looks amazing. People whinged about the graphics and while the models are low-poly, they all do thier job very well. Some of the textures are pretty decent. Look at all the windows on the underside of that Orn cruiser. Makes you question the scale of these things compared to the fighters. All these screenies can be clicked for 1405x1054 px.
"Mummy, whats wrong with the sky?"
B3 is another tribute boss, combining elements of Armament Armed Arm and Guardian's Knight. His attacks are easily learned so theres no need to rely on Over Weapons. His missiles can sometimes curve past Free Range's firing arc so aim carefully and dont forget to dodge his final attack. I think the futuristic city looks great here. Low-poly with basic textures but the use of colour and ambience makes it much more effective than R-Type Final's effort.
"Hadoooooooouuuuuken!!"
Stage 6 is the battle with Cerberus. Like most big spaceship levels we orbit around the enemy craft destroying various targets and gun emplacements along the surface. The action is made all the more sweet by the way the the camera flips around and zooms in and out of the action. You get a good look at the big ship before you close in to attack. Unfortunately some of the texture screw up in the emulator so I couldnt get a decent image.
Oh no, its that indestructible guy again!! Actually this guy can be shot down this time around. He has some annoying attacks so I usually take him down instantly with an Over Weapon.
Next it's on to Vasteel Nocht. The Orn have sent replicas of our own fighters to destroy us. We are treated to quite an entertaining sequence of the fighters "assembling" before we fight them. When the last one is destroyed the core of Vasteel Nocht merges with the Phoenix and the ship transforms into the Syrinx. Now, I've seen the Syrinx before, on a fan-site called Thunder Future. This led me to believe that the ship was a fan design by the artist Garrow. However, a very similar ship appears in the intro to the cancelled Dreamcast game. We know Garrow was involved with the production of TFVI, but just what was his involvement with the franchise prior to this? Also we see the words "Operation III" everywhere. If TFV was Operation I then what was Operation II? Does this make Broken Thunder a canon entry in the series? Does the amount of negative hype surrounding Broken Thunder mean that the game is actually amazing?? We may never know.
So we have to complete the final stage as the Syrinx. The Wave has been "upgraded" to this red beam. It doesnt quite feel as powerful as Wave and certainly doesnt have its coverage so you'll be spending a lot more time aiming. Theres also pressure as enemies attack from behind so start getting used to switching weapons. I think this stage is very well designed, exactly what a final stage should be. Enemies attacking from both sides of the screen, youre tempted to concentrate on those guys coming up from behind while the other guys flood the screen with bullets and catch you out.
Probably the best way to deal with these guys. They spray bullets everywhere, I am nowhere near learning their attacks.
Here he is, the Orn Emperor. Alot of people complained about this giant Space-Baby, why couldnt he have been something more awesome like a big robot bee? His first form is just an egg and offers no resistance. His second form has a lot of different attacks which are pretty much easy to learn. His final form spews bullets all over the place. An average player should be able to survive here but you usually have enough Over Weapon left over to take him down for a quick kill.
"Buuuuuh, this games too easy.."
However, this has an interesting side-effect. Imagine if, due to overwhelming negative criticism, you dont go to the trouble of picking up said product (like if it was, say, only released in japan) and then a year and a half later you are suddenly presented with a chance to try it out, risk-free. Lets call it "Reverse Negative Hype". Low expectations can actually increase your surprise and pleasure when something expected to be bad turns out to be Absolutely Fucking Brilliant.
Because I never update this thing, most of you will not know that after settling comfortably in Canada and working for about 6 months, I have saved up enough money to get myself a new computer. I bought one of those Sony VAIO touch-screen jobbys. I've needed to upgrade for a long time, my old computer wouldnt have been able to run Star Trek Online. This thing functions nicely, does everything I want it to but I have to admit that the touchscreen is a pointless gimmick and never really works when you want it to.
One thing I really wanted to try was PS2 emulation. 99% of my PAL games (basically anything that runs at 50hz) are unplayable after the move so I was keen to see if there was a hassle free way of playing them again. It would also mean that I could sample some of those Asian exclusives. I was umming and aaahing about getting a JPS2 for a long time but a combination of mostly negative hype and not wanting a 3rd PS2 in my flat put a stop to that.
Long story short - thats what led me to try this game:
Some of the other games Ive messed around with dont run very well but Thunder Force VI seems to run 99% accurately in the emulator. However, I altered some video settings so I could take screenies and it messed up some of the colours.
Unlike previous games in the series, Phoenix comes equipped with all its weapons from the start of the game and doesnt lose them when it dies. This pissed a lot of people off (typically people who only play the game once and dont bother with other modes) Why did they do this? Maybe just for those people who were around when the original Megadrive game came out - most of them are just cashing their pensions and probably couldnt handle something too intense. An unlockable ship, Rynex, has to power up its weapons as normal.
It's Gargoyle Perfect. He combines bosses from TFIII and IV. You should be able to arrive here with a full shield, no trouble so against his second form, I dont even bother dodging his fireballs so I can kill him faster. You get a new shield at the start of the next level. I'm pratting around with Over Weapons here.
Very reminiscent of TFIII, the first thing you'll notice is how fast everything tears by. As well as dodging scenery, theres a constant stream of enemies and debris flying at you. I find that Wave does a very good job of clearing the screen.
Like her Iron cousin, Flame Maiden is best taken out with Free Range. Free Range has been balanced since the last game. Although it is versatile, its not good for every situation and it certainly cant kill bosses in 0 seconds anymore. You will have to learn her attacks this time round.
This level opens with a short missile chase sequence. As long as you know where the giant snake is going o jump out you can just sit back with the fire button depressed and let everything plow into your shots. A nice way to build up your OW meter I suppose. However, things really pick up once you get to the underwater base with lots of moving containers and bullets flying all over the place. Its quite easy to get forced into a corner, especially if youre going for that extra life. Rynex's Free Range annihilates everything instantly though.
Cherubim Purple. Although Ive been playing a few weeks now, I havent really experimented with this guy. Firstly, the drones he launches cause the game to slow down horribly in the emulator. Secondly, he has a nasty vacuum attack that sucks you in while he fills the screen with bullets. I finds it's best to take him out quickly with a level 3 Over Weapon. Thunder Sword kills him almost instantly.
This is my favorite level: descent over the besieged Galaxy Federation Homeworld. Some nice aimed shots to weaved through here as we slowly descend through the atmosphere to the city below. Set pieces like this are what sets the Thunder Force series apart from other horis and the whole sequence looks amazing. People whinged about the graphics and while the models are low-poly, they all do thier job very well. Some of the textures are pretty decent. Look at all the windows on the underside of that Orn cruiser. Makes you question the scale of these things compared to the fighters. All these screenies can be clicked for 1405x1054 px.
"Mummy, whats wrong with the sky?"
B3 is another tribute boss, combining elements of Armament Armed Arm and Guardian's Knight. His attacks are easily learned so theres no need to rely on Over Weapons. His missiles can sometimes curve past Free Range's firing arc so aim carefully and dont forget to dodge his final attack. I think the futuristic city looks great here. Low-poly with basic textures but the use of colour and ambience makes it much more effective than R-Type Final's effort.
"Hadoooooooouuuuuken!!"
Stage 6 is the battle with Cerberus. Like most big spaceship levels we orbit around the enemy craft destroying various targets and gun emplacements along the surface. The action is made all the more sweet by the way the the camera flips around and zooms in and out of the action. You get a good look at the big ship before you close in to attack. Unfortunately some of the texture screw up in the emulator so I couldnt get a decent image.
Oh no, its that indestructible guy again!! Actually this guy can be shot down this time around. He has some annoying attacks so I usually take him down instantly with an Over Weapon.
Next it's on to Vasteel Nocht. The Orn have sent replicas of our own fighters to destroy us. We are treated to quite an entertaining sequence of the fighters "assembling" before we fight them. When the last one is destroyed the core of Vasteel Nocht merges with the Phoenix and the ship transforms into the Syrinx. Now, I've seen the Syrinx before, on a fan-site called Thunder Future. This led me to believe that the ship was a fan design by the artist Garrow. However, a very similar ship appears in the intro to the cancelled Dreamcast game. We know Garrow was involved with the production of TFVI, but just what was his involvement with the franchise prior to this? Also we see the words "Operation III" everywhere. If TFV was Operation I then what was Operation II? Does this make Broken Thunder a canon entry in the series? Does the amount of negative hype surrounding Broken Thunder mean that the game is actually amazing?? We may never know.
So we have to complete the final stage as the Syrinx. The Wave has been "upgraded" to this red beam. It doesnt quite feel as powerful as Wave and certainly doesnt have its coverage so you'll be spending a lot more time aiming. Theres also pressure as enemies attack from behind so start getting used to switching weapons. I think this stage is very well designed, exactly what a final stage should be. Enemies attacking from both sides of the screen, youre tempted to concentrate on those guys coming up from behind while the other guys flood the screen with bullets and catch you out.
Probably the best way to deal with these guys. They spray bullets everywhere, I am nowhere near learning their attacks.
Here he is, the Orn Emperor. Alot of people complained about this giant Space-Baby, why couldnt he have been something more awesome like a big robot bee? His first form is just an egg and offers no resistance. His second form has a lot of different attacks which are pretty much easy to learn. His final form spews bullets all over the place. An average player should be able to survive here but you usually have enough Over Weapon left over to take him down for a quick kill.
"Buuuuuh, this games too easy.."