Thunder Force II

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Description

Thunder Force II is both a side scrolling and top down shooter. In the game you control a ship. In some stages the action is side scrolling and in others it is top down (overhead). The weapons systems is fairly basic. You can switch from shooting a more powerful weapon straight ahead or two less powerful guns shooting forward and backward simultaneously. There are various power-ups that improve your fire power.

In the top down levels you can only travel in cardinal directions and cannot maneuver around obstacles easily or slow down. The control in the side scrolling levels is reminiscent of R-Type or Gradius, but with more basic weapons systems. In future incarnations of the series the top down aspect would be abandoned.

Screenshots

Promo Images

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Alternate Titles

• "Thunder Force II MD" -- Japanese title
• "サンダーフォースⅡMD" -- Japanese Mega Drive spelling

Part of the Following Groups

• Genre: Scrolling shoot 'em up
• Thunder Force series

User Reviews

An experiment that didn't quite work out.

Genesis

Majestic Lizard (676)

Critic Reviews

Zero	Genesis	Feb, 1990	93 out of 100	93
Mean Machines	Genesis	Oct, 1990	82 out of 100	82
Netjak	Genesis	Nov 19, 2002	8.2 out of 10	82
VideoGame	Genesis	Apr, 1991		80
Power Play	Genesis	Dec, 1989	71 out of 100	71
ASM (Aktueller Software Markt)	Genesis	Oct, 1989	7.8 out of 12	65
Micro News	Genesis	May, 1990		50
SEGA-Mag (Objectif-SEGA)	Genesis	Aug 03, 2008	5 out of 10	50
The Video Game Critic	Genesis	Aug 30, 2001	C-	42
HonestGamers (Staff reviews only)	Genesis	Mar 15, 2011	3 out of 10	30

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Trivia

Censorship

In the Sharp X68000 version of the game, after losing your last life, the game will exclaim "Shit!" in frustration. This was not carried over to the Genesis/Mega Drive versions.

Milestone

Released in June 1989, Thunder Force II MD was the very first third-party game released for the Mega Drive in Japan, eight months after the system's initial launch.

Awards

• Electronic Gaming Monthly
  • December 1989 (Issue 5) - Worst Spelling Error in a Game (Secret Bonuss) (tied with P.O.W.: Prisoners of War)