Classic Game Room - LIGHTENING FORCE review for Sega Genesis

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Classic Game Room - LIGHTENING FORCE review for Sega Genesis

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Lightening Force review (Lightning Force review) www.ClassicGame...
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Classic Game Room reviews LIGHTENING FORCE ( aka LIGHTNING FORCE aka THUNDER FORCE IV 4 ) for the Sega Genesis 16 Bit Mega Drive video game console system. This SHMUP horizontal scrolling shooter on the Megadrive is a very fun and challenging airplane shooter. Made by the masters of space ship shooting games on the Genesis, Technosoft, this is basically Thunder Force IV. We're not sure why they dropped the Thunder and went with Lightning or Lightening. But this is TF4 and it's incredible, one of the best shooters on the 16bit Megadrive. As with the other Thunder Force games like TF2 and TF3, you are that lone starfighter shooting aliens and countless bad guys in a variety of well designed and exotic locations in deep space. Many of the familiar weapons are here like Hunter. TF4 will remind you of games like Life Force and Gradius with it's familiar yet enjoyable side scrolling shmups style gameplay with power ups and end bosses and whatnot. The music is fantastic and everyone with a Sega should own this game and play it for days, it has incredible gameplay and the footage shows a variety of the levels and situations that you encounter. Thunder Force 4 is a worth successor to Thunder Force 3, but I wish they'd have just called it TF4 over here. Be sure to watch the original Classic Game Room episodes. Classic Game Room was the original classic video game review show on the Internet in 1999-2000, now on DVD. The HD series is reviewing PS3, PS2, Genesis, NES, Atari and Xbox 360. XBLA. videos review reviews show wii

Пікірлер: 233

@radishattack 4 жыл бұрын

Actually there are ninjas in EVERY game, they're just that good at hiding.

@KitFireburn 13 жыл бұрын

"That's lightening force, and know that when you're playing it, you're not lightening the load to help a friend out. You're lightening the enemy of their lives, by taking it from them, in a fiery explosion of death." Badass quote is badass. B)

@Dirk1Steele 8 жыл бұрын

One of the finest games on the 16-Bit machine. Certainly a game to pull out if you want to show someone what the system could do. And Technosoft certainly knew how to make the console sing. What a soundtrack!

@milkapeismilky5464 2 жыл бұрын

Great memories! This is the first game I bought for my Genesis! The soundtrack, graphics and sound effects are SO iconic. I've gotta find this for my new / old Genesis!

@GeahkBurchill 8 жыл бұрын

I bought this after me and my little brother had saved up for months for X-Men Apocalypse. When we arrived at the game store we had to get a rain check for X-men and so, on a whim, we decided instead to buy this. We were so glad we did! We played this so much we ultimately could beat the game on a single life. Later on we eventually played X-men which, as you may recall, was utter ass.

@sonyacoombs1874 9 жыл бұрын

I am a 25 year old mom of two beautiful children with an awesome job, I love the adult life....but after the tikes are in bed and hubby s knocked out cold, I smoke me a fat ass blunt and then play this game. It IS, WAS, and ALWAYS will be my FAVORITE Saga Genesis game!!! I wish they had a sequal, I'd pay my top dollar for it! True classic awesomeness!!! B-)......btw, did I mention that this game has f*ckin awesome ass rock music, no lie..like the electric guitars in it really make the game that much better...makes u wanna rock out while kickin some "enemy" ass..LMAO!! ^_^

@Logicfray 9 жыл бұрын

They made many sequels.

@rjcarello 9 жыл бұрын

Sonya Brown Thunder Force V for Playstation. Thunder Force VI for Playstation 2 (Japan only - requires japanese compatible console.)

@MCJdiz 9 жыл бұрын

Sonya Brown You are the right kind of person

@omegametroyd 7 жыл бұрын

that's a lie, we never marry

@FunkMastaMegaFlex 4 жыл бұрын

Lol.

@Sabz5150 15 жыл бұрын

She's saying "Claw". That's the name of the two rotating "options" around your ship.

@ryzmaker11 10 жыл бұрын

Best hori shooter of its era 8) It's so amazingly made it's rather a next gen' game! Tecno Soft... DAMN i miss you! You rocked so hard on Mega Drive / Genesis (& also on Saturn).

@mitchjohnson4714 6 жыл бұрын

I love the humor of this review. My favorite part was when you wrote "Krull"

@myutube67 15 жыл бұрын

"electrocutes people, and blows up windmills" xD best quote ever.... well mayb not considering classic game room still exists :D

@philrangersfootball 7 жыл бұрын

just picked this up today,amazing looking game.

@RogerSullivanNOLA 6 жыл бұрын

The music is "Soldier Without Faith" by Yngwie Malmsteen. They also used "On The Run Again," from the same Yngwie album in this game.

@LorenHelgeson 8 жыл бұрын

I've heard nothing but good praise about this game for some time now. I picked it up recently and played it for the first time last night. First question I had for myself after that first level was "how come I didn't play this sooner." It deserves every bit of kudos it has received.

@creekandseminole 10 жыл бұрын

The sound effects in this game are soooo crunchy, but awesome!!! It's like a more rough around the edges shmup that you'd find on the other side of the tracks that's outside the mainstream and a fan favorite only.

@brpadington 16 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the review.. I'm gonna go home and try it on my Arcade Cabinet.

@wildbird5150 12 жыл бұрын

I always loved 16-bit speed metal.

@Eth3realwarrior 3 жыл бұрын

Revisiting the good ol days of CLASSIC GAME ROOM!

@vodkamartini7545 9 жыл бұрын

the music sounds like the first level of Doom!

@Utubesuxmycock 3 жыл бұрын

WRONG the intro is a straight up copy of Yngwies Soldier without faith fking noob

@c.s.hayden3022 3 жыл бұрын

That game title has to be my favorite typo. The parallax is still beautiful today and outdoes most modern horizontal shooters. The soundtrack sounds like they were actually trying for a cohesive musical score. A quality challenge through and through.

@FractalBolt 14 жыл бұрын

This was a great game back in the day and still is. The soundtrack was amazing and the backgrounds were fucking insane!

@joemel2 11 жыл бұрын

I had this and have very fond memories of this game.they simply don't make them like this anymore. and the music,omfg the music was so good!

@MrThunderwing 15 жыл бұрын

Man, I loved this game so much back in the day. I remember being totally blown away by the intro the first time I turned it on. Such amazing graphics and music for a humble 16 bit game.

@kmichael9787 10 жыл бұрын

anyone else get a 'Bark at the moon' feeling at the start of that song there

@SpiralPegasus 12 жыл бұрын

You can either a) Get the Saturn version, "TF Gold Pack" b) Overclock your Genesis c) Emulate it Any of the three will give you massive joy - I guarantee :)

@VeronRVR 15 жыл бұрын

The voice when you get the circle things that surround your ship says "CRAW", which stands for Constitutional Ray Art Weapon.

@fuzzydragon 10 жыл бұрын

you know that thing they installed on your ship was the "thunder sword" if you stop shooting for a few seconds it charges up into a doomsday beam cannon, was kinda laughing at you for not noticing this.

@Utubesuxmycock 3 жыл бұрын

intro music = Soldier without faith by Yngwie

@milkapeismilky5464 2 жыл бұрын

Bought this game with my Genesis Model 2 at ToysR'Us. First big boy console. Loved "Lightening Force", despite the strange nomenclature. Gonna play it on Genesis Mini right now!

@eyanla2 9 жыл бұрын

Loved this game! Brings back memories, but I was surprised that you didn't let the new core charge up and fire it when you got it. That is what the other ships install when they dock you on their tractor beam. It's like a combination haduken Kamehameha wave Lazer sword that fires at various levels depending on how long you let it charge. The full charge blast lays waste like no body's business. Awesome post though, I was just surprised you didn't even mention it. Perhaps during button mashing you never seen it charge. It charges automatically when you are not hitting the fire button. ;)

@robertsantiago3102 4 жыл бұрын

Never said anything about the "lightning sword" that is charged by not shooting... Best weapon of the game.

@Ender3Me 3 жыл бұрын

I looked for this game for over 20 years.... 2021 i finally found it again. Thank you.

@chyna0726 2 жыл бұрын

Where did you find it?

@Relugus 16 жыл бұрын

Here in Europe it was called Thunder Force IV. TFIV is absolutely awesome...the opening stage is just jaw-dropping, and it gets more and more awesome. Its hard as nails.

@nintendoentertainmentsyste5705 2 жыл бұрын

You can now play this on your Nintendo Switch which is awesome news.

@FunkyFranky80 12 жыл бұрын

The game,which is called Thunderforce IV here in Euroland,arrives yesterday,complete in its clamshell box + instruction manual,overall in good condition...and i must say...what a blast!! great gameplay,great graphics and a soundtrack from another planet.Absolutely one of the best shootem ups ever created,perhaps the best...absolutely recommended!

@iwanttocomplain 3 жыл бұрын

Just realised. Play the PAL version of this game for reduced slow down. Because 50hz allows for a greater performance on the SEGA Mega Drive.

@metalfro 13 жыл бұрын

FYI, the "Lightening" part also refers to the lightning weapon that you have when your "Claw" weapon (not "Krull", though thanks for giving kudos to that awesome movie!) is upgraded to the "orb" version at the end of level five. If you let up on the fire button for 3-5 seconds the orbs will charge and you can then unleash a powerful lightning attack.

@Chasmodon 16 жыл бұрын

In two words, Mark: FUCK YEAH! Waaaay back in 1991?2?, my brother coaxed my Mom into spending $75 - on a nonbirthday, nonholiday Friday night in summer! - on Thunder Force III, and my world got changed forever. The menacing difficulty! Awesome graphics! the shit-your-pants bosses! The tunes rocked me like no game on any console before or since. I knew there was a thunder Force 4, but thought it never came Stateside. I remember a Lightening Force and thought it was a cheap knockoff!

@TwistedBananaProductions 13 жыл бұрын

borrowed this from my neighbor many times in my childhood. Now I can no death it.....on a good day.

@KaskelotenZebbe 16 жыл бұрын

The upgraded "Krull" lets you use a super weapon that charges when you release the fire button. After a few seconds, a "pling" is heard and you can release the tr00 "Lightening Thunder Force", which is devastating and very useful on more powerful enemies.

@SpiralPegasus 11 жыл бұрын

The best Genesis game ever? Sonic 1, 2, 3? Shinobi? Sparkster? Streets of Rage 2? No! Not at ALL! THIS ONE IS IT!!

@Skriak 15 жыл бұрын

0:36 Wow...that's some awesome tunes there.

@Sabz5150 15 жыл бұрын

For fans of the soundtrack, if you complete the game (on at least Normal mode) the sound test in the config panel will include the end music, credit music and some "omake" tracks... music that isn't in the game, but has that same theme. Ya gotta love little bonuses like that. You also get to see the part of the storyline setting up for Thunder Force V, when the wreckage of the ship you just piloted is found by humans...

@ZetbladeX13 15 жыл бұрын

Just in case you didn't know, if you stop firing for a few seconds with the new craw, you can charge up for a shot called the "Thunder Sword". Great review btw.

@Totonatiq 10 жыл бұрын

Oh man! I played this game so much back in the day! Loved it!

@lukeknight4 2 жыл бұрын

I loved playing this game as a kid it was so awesome

@DamnDealDone 11 жыл бұрын

My favourite side scrolling shoot em up EVER.

@deebznutz100 12 жыл бұрын

I have lived in the states all my life and only knew this game as thunder force 4 and the upgrade you get after stage 5 is acually the thunder sword. Most people dont know about it because they never take their thumb off of the shoot button long enough to see it charge you also need the claw to make it work

@NESFreak 11 жыл бұрын

Thunder spirits was the snes port of thunder force AC, which was the arcade port of thunder force III for the mega drive. (CGR has reviewed both btw)

@nyem24 11 жыл бұрын

Dat paralax scrolling!!!!!!!!!

@ShakarProduction 11 жыл бұрын

One of the best games I have ever played in my life, and will continue to do so. Just simply so well made *w*

@stpierreorama 5 жыл бұрын

If you love this game then also check out Eliminate Down and Gley Lancer, also on the Genesis! For a vertical shooter you gotta check out MUSHA!

@bytex666 11 жыл бұрын

This force is lightening your load on a tough day. It makes everything lighter.

@zachreddy 6 жыл бұрын

"Just waiting for a new Genesis with HDMI that outputs 720p"... it only took 9 years for Sega to catch up with your vision of the future!

@RigbyIsTheMan 5 жыл бұрын

Not yet haha

@Hayatenogotokuluey 12 жыл бұрын

Two thinks I would like to say 1. The Option is Called a Craw and 2. The Modification that you got after stage 5 is A Lightning sword (Or thunder sword) It makes huge Dammage... Just hold your fire for a brief moment and shoot.... Hope that helps

@Prizrak-hv6qk 5 жыл бұрын

This game pushed the Genesis really hard with all that parallax scrolling, huge well-animated bosses and on-screen insanity... almost too hard. Gives that brisk 16-bit CPU a good workout for sure. The only complaints I have are the quality of digitized speech and occasional bad slowdowns.

@Skriak 15 жыл бұрын

Kind and merciful internet person, you have my thanks.

@Corshba 4 жыл бұрын

8:49 After 11 years, we finally got the Mega Sg for that.

@Donpachido 16 жыл бұрын

She's saying CLAW but it does sound like KRULL mostly because in a Japanese dialect L and R are interchangeable and pronounced the same. This game was close to Arcade quality graphics in 1992, gameplay wise it outpaced most shooters as well. I only have a model1 to component cable but I might splice s-video onto it one day I feel adventurous. Thanks for all the reviews. No other reviewer I follow can match your humor or ability to show how much fun a game that might be labeled hardcore can be.

@dreamtheaterz28 14 жыл бұрын

I really wish you would have done a 2 part review on this game. I think its the best out of this series by a long shot. The Music and the backround are incredible! This is my all time favoriet Sega game. PERIOD. And i never did beat it, always got stuck somwhere towards the end. BTW the voice says COLT! colt is the thing that spins around you that is all bad ass n stuff : D thank you for doing these. Genisis is my fav system as well! keep up thegreat work!

@AspieGamer1986 13 жыл бұрын

loved this game a lot. Still want to get this Landstalker, and more.

@ismoketreezz 10 жыл бұрын

Potatoe forcce IV

@DSt3alth 13 жыл бұрын

One of the best, if not THE best shooters I've played!! That intro is still badass even to this day!! On order from ebay so I can relive my childhood on my new Sega Nomad :-)

@WARPUDDY666 15 жыл бұрын

bad ass game wish I could find it was one of my favorits

@aryinc 16 жыл бұрын

the music stays jawdropping good,the bassline is insane good the guitar is awesome for any 16 bit console,some of th best music heard in any 16 bit 32 bit game.awesome serie,insane what they could ram out of a genesis,the system had a goldmine hidden in its micro instlment,gunstar and this game an batmana and robin are awesome.

@wolfen337 10 жыл бұрын

this game is really bad ass!

@bytex666 11 жыл бұрын

The only big issue with this game is that the backgrounds are so vibrant and colorful that they obscure the view of your ship and options..it's also hard to see enemy shots when they're almost the same colour as the background..but man, the music kicks ass. A japanese metal guitarist called SSH has done lots of metal cover versions of Thunder force songs.

@zanegandini5350 10 жыл бұрын

I'm just going to assume (though I'm not certain) that the "e" in Lightening Force is from a translation error and not intentional, since translators make errors like that pretty commonly.

@Outshinedsg 16 жыл бұрын

I love the soundtrack for this game. The groove-driven tracks like the one for the space level are amazing. The attachments for your ship are called "Craw" (Engrish for Claw?). At least, thats what they are in TF V, anyway...

@arcadeportal32 7 жыл бұрын

This game is hard as shit but so much fun!

@ricardomauricioaraya7625 7 жыл бұрын

arcadeportal32 I managed some how to make it to the boss on level 8 without loosing a single life. Never beat that boss though!!! Wish I knew the 100 lives cheat back then!!!

@metalfro 13 жыл бұрын

Lightening Force was named as such due to a licensing snafu Sega ran into while bringing the title to the US from Japan via Technosoft. Not sure why the name still ended up as Engrish, but it's the quintessential shoot-em-up for the Genesis, bar-none. Some prefer one of another 2 or 3 games (some prefer TF3), but to me, TF4/LF is THE shooter to have for the Sega Genesis.

@FIXTREME 4 жыл бұрын

Hunter... Now THERE'S a show no one remembers! But then again, you did...

@majesticlizard 14 жыл бұрын

Sega of USA didn't want to call it Thunderforce 4, because that would confuse it with a popular game and could have been profitable. Instead they misspelled the word Lightning.

@manuelpepe4872 2 жыл бұрын

I really miss Mark and this Channel 😔

@EastyyBlogspot 11 жыл бұрын

i still have the all weapons cheat code burned into my head as i used it so much

@Ostnizdasht206 14 жыл бұрын

Wow the intro music sounds fucking badass.

@slitheryjuggler94 10 жыл бұрын

Best Genesis game ever...I really don't understand why they changed the name though.

@Prizrak-hv6qk 5 жыл бұрын

For the same reasons they changed Axel's shirt to yellow and Blaze's dress to gray in Streets of Rage 3. Sega of Amurika... that's why.

@dumiclumic4423 5 жыл бұрын

looks like absolutely fantastic games.

@meer1120 12 жыл бұрын

Tis game is extremely intense to the extent that the hardware can barely cope, as evidenced by the many slowdowns during gameplay. Even in Easy mode, it will push both gamer and hardware to the limit.

@FunkMastaMegaFlex 4 жыл бұрын

Epic!!! The graphics, sound, and music are so Sega-iconic. The Sega was built for lightening force.

@CakePicnic 15 жыл бұрын

No this is one of the new episodes but for some reason it is first on the playlist

@OmicronVolk 12 жыл бұрын

A Dan Quayle joke and a reference to Hunter with Fred Dryer. Mark, we're getting old, man.

@sural89 10 жыл бұрын

the best shooter of the 16 bits era is on genesis period i always wonder how they could make it possible on a genesis....the first time i played it back in 92,i was like....WTF!??? yes it's my genesis who does that....:D

@HyperShot05 15 жыл бұрын

08:10 - those upgraded 'CRAW's charges up powerful laser sword when fire button is released for few seconds, it's hard to control but pure awesome ownage once mastered. You don't know the true force of 'lightening'* until you've seen it in full action. on wiki - *to lighten: (can also mean)To make brighter or clearer; to illuminate.

@guardiangait 13 жыл бұрын

@metalfro Very True, I heard that the lightening attack is called "Thunder Sword" In all honesty. I liked the way your ship looks before they install the upgrade. It also sucks that you cannot use thunder sword unless you have the Claw with you, but then again that is the challenge of staying alive.

@BlackKnightOfTheWind 12 жыл бұрын

I miss this game.

@8bitcpu 16 жыл бұрын

Dude I love your reviews. I'm looking forward to more of them.

@ikeaaron 12 жыл бұрын

@deadlygroove1 You're completely right. I make electronic music as well and my bias is based on it's low bit rate sample playback, but you're absolutely right about FM synthesis. Yuzo Koshiro showed what the Genesis was truly capable of with the Streets of Rage/Bare Knuckle series, especially with part 3. Kudos, bro.

@RealCoachMustafa 16 жыл бұрын

you're right, the graphics of this game look amazing. I'm surprised that this game scrolls up and down, I never seen a horizontal shooter that does that.

@Fattydeposit 4 жыл бұрын

It's been 11 years. Have you seen any yet.

@Captofthisship 3 жыл бұрын

Case/ game will run you about $90, Complete is $160 now. 05/22/22

@laghi72 15 жыл бұрын

Simply the best graphics ever seen in a genesis vg..

@12ealDealOfficial 12 жыл бұрын

8 copies left on Amazon. I just bought 2 of them!

@mitchjohnson4714 6 жыл бұрын

Awesome review.

@moonlightaffairs 15 жыл бұрын

the thing the friendly forces fix on you will make your fire a forward trusting powerful laser lancer which will be a great help becos there will be a lot of mini bosses afterward. but i forgot how to activate it, its years back and i got this game too.

@Dick_Valparaiso 12 жыл бұрын

The intro sounds a lot like "Electric Eye" by Judas Priest.

@HexenStar 4 жыл бұрын

:-) Not even close. Sounds like a generic, run-off-the-mill 1/8ths-based metal riff. And even that, was most likely stolen from somewhere...

@SetzerTheWolf 14 жыл бұрын

Those thingies in the beginning are named CLAW's and when you got that thing later attached you will get CRAW's ;)

@AzureGoat 13 жыл бұрын

OH GOD THE MUSIC.

@DannieJensen 16 жыл бұрын

Nice one. Still waiting for that MGS4 review :P

@IronFury 16 жыл бұрын

Another great review from the Game Room. I'll definitely have to pick this one up.

@theragman77 14 жыл бұрын

if you stop shooting a moment you realise that the top part of the spaceship is the device for charge the thunder sword ,you need the 2 claws and wait e few sec without shoot !!!