Thunder Force V

Thunder Force V
File:Thunder Force V cover.jpg North American PlayStation cover art
Developer(s)	Technosoft
Publisher(s)	Technosoft Working Designs (US; PS1 version)
Series	Thunder Force
Platforms	Sega Saturn, PlayStation, PlayStation Network
Release date(s)	Sega Saturn PlayStation PlayStation Network
Genre(s)	Scrolling shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player

Thunder Force V is a scrolling shooter game developed by Technosoft. It is the fifth chapter of the Thunder Force series. It was initially released in 1997 exclusively in Japan for the Sega Saturn with two retail versions, the normal pack which was just a standard release, and a special pack which contained a remix music CD of various Thunder Force series music (entitled Best of Thunder Force, which was later released separately). In 1998, Thunder Force V was ported to the PlayStation in Japan and released as Thunder Force V: Perfect System. It was released in the US by Working Designs (under the SPAZ label).

Story

The setting of Thunder Force V takes the player away from the conflict between the Galaxy Federation and the ORN Empire as chronicled in the previous games, and brings us to Earth in the future. After the events of Thunder Force IV, the fighter craft FIRE LEO-04 "Rynex" drifted into the Sol System where it was captured and studied by Earth scientists. On Earth's moon they built a massive man-made island known as Babel, and then constructed the supercomputer Guardian to delve into the mysteries of the ship. Guardian not only proved it was capable of deciphering the Vasteel's complex systems through reverse engineering, but also in implementing and advancing the technology which had made the Rynex so formidable as a starfighter. From that point on, every major discovery of that era was attributed to Vasteel and the many wonders that the ship contained.

Guardian later achieved full consciousness and in return, began to deliver massive strikes against the Earth itself. The Unified Earth government was swiftly defeated, and their last hope is Cenes Crawford and a hotshot group of ace pilots who are sent against Guardian and its forces. They succeed, but they learn that Guardian was letting them win. The supercomputer initiated a massive self-destruction command destroying most of the allies ships. Cenes then flies her ship into the command ship of Guardian.

After fighting and defeating Guardian's core, Cenes ship takes massive damage. Rather than wait until her life support fails, she opts to destroy her ship in an act of suicide.

Version differences

Graphically, the Sega Saturn version of Thunder Force V is superior, as it features special effects not present in its PlayStation counterpart. A good comparison of the differences can be found in Stage 3 "Human Road", in which some extra graphical touches found in the Saturn game were removed when ported to the PlayStation. The Saturn version also has better sound quality (CDDA) than the PlayStation version (ADPCM). However, the PlayStation version features extra artwork, CG rendered movie sequences, additive BGMs, game modes, and other easter eggs that the Saturn version lacks. Also, the PlayStation version shows less slowdown than the Saturn counterpart.

External links

• Satakore.com Thunder Force V on Sega Saturn Satakore.com has an entry on the game that has many pictures and a video as well.