Patreon button  Steam curated reviews  Discord button  Facebook button  Twitter button 
3DS | PC | PS4 | PS5 | SWITCH | VITA | XB1 | XSX | All

Forums > Submission Feedback > EmP's Thunder Force 2 review

This thread is in response to a review for Thunder Force II on the Genesis. You are encouraged to view the review in a new window before reading this thread.

Add a new post within this thread...

board icon
Author: Masters (Mod)
Posted: March 15, 2011 (10:33 AM)
Actions: Register for a free user account to post on the forums...

Nicely done. AWESOME editing job by whoever your proofreader was, as well.


I don't have to prove I'm refined - that's what makes me refined!

board icon
Author: overdrive (Mod)
Posted: March 15, 2011 (11:03 AM)
Actions: Register for a free user account to post on the forums...

One of my fondest memories of TF 2 was one of those overhead stages that, I recall, was loaded with these webs or dots or something that you had to shoot to make a path through (contact was fatal, of course). However, because of your ship's speed and handling, you had to (as you mention) constantly turn around for a second before going back. Adding to the fun was how things seemed to respawn quickly in these levels, so the simple act of shooting through those barriers (of whatever they were) turned into this painful ordeal. Made worse by all the actual enemies buzzing around.


I'm not afraid to die because I am invincible
Viva la muerte, that's my goddamn principle

board icon
Author: Masters (Mod)
Posted: March 15, 2011 (11:26 AM)
Actions: Register for a free user account to post on the forums...

I thought you were being sincere when I started reading...


I don't have to prove I'm refined - that's what makes me refined!

board icon
Author: overdrive (Mod)
Posted: March 15, 2011 (11:30 AM)
Actions: Register for a free user account to post on the forums...

Oh no. If there is a sincere favorite part, it'd be the final two REAL stages. It's been like 6-7 years since I've played the game and I still remember how awesome they were.


I'm not afraid to die because I am invincible
Viva la muerte, that's my goddamn principle

board icon
Author: JoeTheDestroyer (Mod)
Posted: March 15, 2011 (08:09 PM)
Actions: Register for a free user account to post on the forums...

I love how this review sounds like this game is going to rock something fierce, then introduces the "but". Good read, EmP!


The only thing my milkshake brings to the yard is a subpoena.

board icon
Author: EmP (Mod)
Posted: March 17, 2011 (11:54 AM)
Actions: Register for a free user account to post on the forums...

Reviewing this was hard going. I'd only ever played TF3 and 4 before which I enjoyed greatly, so 2 hit me like a mammoth kick in the teeth.

Thanks for reading, guys!


For us. For them. For you.

board icon
Author: broen
Posted: April 08, 2011 (08:21 AM)
Actions: Register for a free user account to post on the forums...

Seeing such a low score was surprising, especially when Zero Wing scored higher. I feel that this score is overly critical for what was, for me, an early title for the Sega Genesis along with Forgotten Worlds and Altered Beast. Playing this was amazing, for its time, and it was rivaled in Nostalgia only by Herzog Zwei.

I have fond memories of beating this and it stands at the heights with Guardian Legend, Blaster Master, Grandia, Granada, R-Type, and Gradius, in my shooter library. These games were not all great, but the effect they made upon my being will be remembered fondly.

Just wanted to give an opinion, because the review is so well written that most would read it and instantly agree with all points, even if they had played the game in question.


Not sure how to make a sig? While logged into your account, you can edit it and your other public and private information from the Settings page.

board icon
Author: EmP (Mod)
Posted: April 08, 2011 (10:10 AM)
Actions: Register for a free user account to post on the forums...

The Zero Wing wasn’t written by me. I’ll happily admit I’ve not played that any further than the first stage, so I’ll refrain from commenting on the score.

Frankly, I would love do nothing more than delete the second half of the review and more than double the score, but those overhead sections make the bulk of the game and are truly awful. Perhaps I’m spoilt by playing the titles in reverse order and by seeing the positive evolution the series took once it dropped those clumsy stages, but it’s silly to ignore that this game is effectively sabotaged by them.

Of those shooters you named, I reviewed R-Type a few years back and gave it a 9 that I still stand firmly behind. I’m not a believer that games should be reviewed as if we were stuck in some weird time vortex where they’re still cutting edge day-one releases; the difference for me is that while R-Type still remains a great (if not frustrating) play, Thunder Force 2 is torture.

Still, I don’t blame you for not agreeing with the evaluation or the score -- people on this site’s staff are in disagreement with my review, too. Nor do I blame your reaction. Not long ago, I would have baulked at the thought of anyone low-reviewing one of my most nostalgically treasured shooter titles, Xenon 2. Then I replayed it and found that now matter how good it was back in the day, it’s an aged, obsolete title now that I wish I’d not revisited.

Props on the Herzog Zwei love, too. I still love that game. Thanks for reading my review of the game, and for taking the time to comment.


For us. For them. For you.

User Help | Contact | Ethics | Sponsor Guide | Links

eXTReMe Tracker
© 1998 - 2024 HonestGamers
None of the material contained within this site may be reproduced in any conceivable fashion without permission from the author(s) of said material. This site is not sponsored or endorsed by Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft, or any other such party. Opinions expressed on this site do not necessarily represent the opinion of site staff or sponsors. Staff and freelance reviews are typically written based on time spent with a retail review copy or review key for the game that is provided by its publisher.