Review by: Kevin

Way back during the reign of the Sega Genesis, Technosoft made a name for itself by releasing what very well may have been the best shooter series ever, Thunderforce. All were vertical or horizontal scrolling wonders, with graphics that were light-years ahead of the competition. In the end, 4 games were released, with the last one inexplicably being renamed Lightening (No, that's not a spelling error) Force in North America. By far the best in the series was this final entry: It was the first and one of the only handful of Genesis games that actually looked as colourful and gorgeous as any Super Nintendo game, despite the SNES having a colour palette that was more than 10 times larger than the Genesis' palette. Not only that, but the music was equally fantastic, a hard-rock/techno soundtrack that was up there with the best of them. Throw in Technosoft's mastery over shooter gameplay, and you had an instant classic.

Seeing as how the Saturn has become a haven for 2D shooters (in Japan at least), as well as the sudden flood of old titles being released in "retro gaming" collections on the next generation machines, it was only a matter of time before Technosoft got in on the action with their shooting classics. To this end, they've released 2 discs, Thunderforce GoldPack, volumes 1 and 2. Volume 1 contained TF 1,2, and 3, while the more recently released volume 2 contains TF 4 and the little-known TF Arcade, which is essentially TF 3 with _minor_ graphical enhancements.

Being a huge TF 4 fan, I bought TF GP Vol.2 immediately. I knew ahead of time that enhancements, if any, would be minimal. Nevertheless, playing TF4 on my Saturn was an attractive idea, and it would mean I could finally get rid of my Genesis & its space-hogging games (Yes, TF4 was the only thing that kept me from selling earlier), perhaps recouping the cost of the Goldpack.

"Shut up and get on with review already!"

All the gaming goodness you remember is back with a vengeance. While graphics-wise, nothing new has been added, the massive slowdown during intense action in the Genesis version of TF4 is nowhere to be found. Also, the blurriness which plagued the Genesis' video output is, of course, not a problem with the Saturn's razor-sharp display. The number of sprites on screen rival the 32-bit shooters of today, and the artwork is as gorgeous as ever. A new CG-rendered, full-screen FMV intro has been included. It's nice, but nothing special.

The music has been recorded as digital tracks on the CD, but aside from a seeming increase in bass, does not differ from the original. They still sound great, but one wishes Technosoft had taken the time to do remixed versions with real instruments. Nevertheless, TF4's soundtrack will still get your blood pumping. Sound effects are exactly the same as you remember them, and the scratchiness of the voice samples has been alleviated somewhat.

"You mean it wasn't just because I was that damn good?!"

Gameplay is technically identical except for one thing: Only when it is gone do you realise how much easier the game was when slowdown occurred during battle. Whereas staying in front of a boss and merely weaving between his projectiles was relatively easy to do in the Genesis version, try doing that in this version and prepare to get blown out of the sky. Suddenly, TF4 seems a lot harder. Thankfully, Technosoft has included a new option, "kids mode", which allows you to keep all your weapons after you've been destroyed. You also get a shield and the spinning sidearms with every life. You'll feel like a weenie for using it, but good luck finishing the game on "mania" difficulty without it. Aside from that, no other changes have been made.

"Hmm, I've noticed you haven't mentioned TF Arcade..."

That's because TF Arcade (which is so close that it might as well be called TF 3), really pales in comparison to TF 4. TF 3/AC was great for its time, but many of its gameplay innovations (the weapons system in particular) were included in TF 4, which is vastly superior to TF3/AC in every other way. There is really no incentive to play TF3/AC when you have TF 4 on the same disc: It's the same gameplay with worse graphics and sound. The only thing amazing about TF AC is to use it as a comparison to TF 4 - This is the ultimate example of how big a leap can be made between two generations of software. Stunning.

However, if you are a big fan of TF 3/AC, you'll be happy to note this is a perfect port (even down to the "credit 0" from the arcade). Like TF 4, the music has been recorded to the CD as digital audio tracks (not remixed), and there is a "kids mode" available, as well.

"So, is it worth it?"

If you are a fan of TF 3 or especially TF 4, then this is a good buy. While not extremely different, there are some nice improvements which make a great game even better.

Otherwise, it's a tough call: There's a master piece on here, but it's an old one. TF 4 is a great game with unsurpassed shooter gameplay. Any fan of horizontal shooters will find it extremely fun. However, though it still looks and sounds very good, it doesn't quite reach the audio/visual excellence of the latest shooters. TF AC has dated even worse, and is recommended for fans only. Therefore, it's really a matter of how important graphics and sound are to you. The age-old question of graphics or gameplay must be decided by you.