| Thunder Force | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre(s) | Horizontal-scrolling shooter |
| Developer(s) | Technosoft Sega |
| Publisher(s) | Technosoft Sega |
| Creator(s) | Kotori Yoshimura |
| Platform(s) | Sharp X1,NEC PC-8801 mkII,FM-7, Sharp MZ 1500,NEC PC-6001 mkII,NEC PC-9801,X68000,Arcade,Sega Genesis,Super Nintendo Entertainment System,Sega Saturn,PlayStation,PlayStation 2 |
| First release | Thunder Force 1983 (1983) |
| Latest release | Thunder Force VI 2008 (2008) |
Thunder Force[a] is a series ofshootervideo games developed by theJapanese software companyTechnosoft and published bySega. The franchise is recognized for its distinctive gameplay, graphics, andsynthesizer-basedchiptunemusic soundtracks.
There are six games in the series in total. The first appeared on the personal computers. The majority of installments in the series appeared on theMega Drive console. The most recent entry was released onPlayStation 2.
The series' first game,Thunder Force, appeared in 1983 on a variety of Japanese computers, such as theX1,PC-8801 mkII, andFM-7. SinceThunder Force II, the majority of installments in the series appeared on theMega Drive console, where the series gained much of its popularity. The most recent entry was released onPlayStation 2.
The originalThunder Force video game was created byKotori Yoshimura in 1983. She later left Technosoft and foundedArsys Software in 1985, where herself and Osamu Nagano worked on notable titles such asStar Cruiser.[1] In 1984, Technosoft released alevel editor, orgame creation system, titledThunder Force Construction, created by Yoshimura for theFM-7 computer.[2]
In September 2016,Sega announced at theTokyo Game Show that they've acquired the rights to theThunder Force franchise and all other Technosoft intellectual properties.[3]
| Year | Title | Original platform |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Thunder Force | Sharp X1 |
| 1988 | Thunder Force II | X68000 |
| 1990 | Thunder Force III | Mega Drive/Genesis |
| 1992 | Thunder Force IV | Mega Drive/Genesis |
| 1997 | Thunder Force V | Sega Saturn |
| 2008 | Thunder Force VI | PlayStation 2 |
| Year | Title | Included games | Original platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Thunder Force Gold Pack 1 | Thunder Force II Thunder Force III | Sega Saturn |
| 1996 | Thunder Force Gold Pack 2 | Thunder Force AC Thunder Force IV | Sega Saturn |