Thunder Force IV - Just 15 Minutes
6Gameplay Performed by: TrevorDFox
Thunder Force IV known in North America as Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar, is a 1992 side-scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed and published by Technosoft for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis as the fourth installment of the Thunder Force series. The game was released in Japan on July 24, 1992, in North America in September 1992, and in Europe in December 1992.
Thunder Force IV was the first game with a sophisticated regional lockout program. Unlike previous Mega Drive games, the player could not play the Japanese version on a European Mega Drive or Sega Genesis (and vice versa) with a simple pass-through adapter. However, cheat devices such as the Game Genie or Action Replay would enable the player to do so, as did later adapters such as the Mega Key.
Thunder Force IV also has the distinction of being one of the only European Mega Drive games to have been properly adjusted for the screen refresh rate of European PAL televisions. The game ran at the correct speed, unlike most games which ran 16.7% slower than their NTSC counterparts due to allowances for different television systems in different regions. The game's resolution was not, however, adjusted to meet the higher resolution of the European televisions, which resulted in black bars at the top and bottom of the screen, as with most other Sega Mega Drive games.
MegaTech magazine praised the video effects, but noted that "the basic gameplay is nothing original". Similarly, Mean Machines criticised the title's lack of originality whilst acknowledging that it was graphically accomplished. Retro Gamer included Thunder Force IV among top ten Mega Drive games, praising its "amazing visuals, over-the-top weaponry and a stunning soundtrack that perfectly complemented the frenetic on-screen action."
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