It's time to go back to the Sega Genesis well once again.
No, I'm not confused, you are. Yes, I'm sure its a Genesis game. Just because Nintendo insisted on including the word "Super" in just about every SNES title doesn't mean Sega was contractually forbidden from using the word. Besides, Super Thunder Blade came out before the SNES even existed. It was a launch title for the Genesis (or Mega Drive, depending on where you're from) when it came out in 1988 in Japan and would make its way to the U.S., also as a launch title, about a year later.
Like so, so many of the SNES "Supers," Super Thunder Blade is a sorta-sequel to the arcade game Thunder Blade. Sega added the Super to differentiate it from a similar port to its 8-bit Master System. Yeah, weird, who knew Nintendo ripped that genius idea off of its hated rival? The game is a 3rd person flying game, putting you in the cockpit of an attack helicopter as you attempt to shoot down as many baddies as possible. There's no story to speak of and very little to do aside from fly on the set path and try to score as many points as you can without losing your lives. This was pretty common at the time, I have discussed in previous reviews how this was around when games started to try and become more than just games and incorporate more depth. That wasn't the case here though, its still just arcade style action.
And unfortunately, that action did not translate well to the home consoles at all. This wasn't a case of making a truly "bad" game or lack of effort, far from it. Simply put, the Genesis could not handle what they were trying to do here. That's not a knock on the console either. I've never played the arcade version of this game, but a quick Google search shows it has impressive graphics for the time. So did the Genesis version. The pseudo-3D graphics look great and everything is very colorful. The enemies are super detailed and some of the bosses are truly a sight to behold. The scrolling effect was unlike anything other console games offered at the time. It was also the source of Super Thunder Blade's most glaring flaws.
First, it's impossible to tell where enemy projectiles are coming from, how to dodge them and whether or not they are going to hit you. In an action based flying/shooting game, that's kind of a problem. Not just a small one, I mean it's a completely gamebreaking issue. Who wants to play a game like this where you just die seemingly at random? And for no reason? It's not like there's not a lot of enemies either. The screen is constantly filled with projectiles and there's no way to tell who they belong to or where they are going to hit. The hit detection is beyond unforgiving, if any of the (large) enemy projectiles get within a pixel of your vehicle, it counts as a hit. It's one hit deaths and if you die three times, it's game over. There are no checkpoints or continues, so that means you go straight back to the beginning of the game. That was common in arcades, but its something console gamers were beginning to hate more and more at the time. Nowadays, it's considered terrible game design and borderline unacceptable.
The worst part of all this though? The game gave me a headache. I don't mean because of frustration on its gameplay or whatever. I mean it gave me an honest to goodness actual headache. Between the graphics, the scrolling and the constant flashing and flickering lights, I started to get dizzy and eventually queasy after about 20 minutes of play. I wish I were kidding, but it's true. Just for reference, I am one of the few people who was able to play a Virtual Boy for hours without getting sick at all. I don't know what it was about the way the scrolling was done, but it just didn't sit right with me. I was able to play through in a couple different sessions, but it just wasn't worth it to continue.
I almost feel bad even giving this game a score, because I feel like I couldn't truly experience it. That being said, it was largely because of the game itself. I can't be too hard on it because it had great graphics, good sound and really took chances at a time when most games didn't. Technically its fine, the controls are relatively responsive, though there isn't much you need to actually do. A locks you in place, the other buttons shoot. It's not really possible to aim at anything, but the game does that for you. The auto aim feature works well and you rarely miss enemies because of it. There are obstacle in the stages that get progressively harder to fly around and again, they look technically impressive.
But I also can't ignore the fact that I just couldn't physically play the game. I can't imagine I'm the only one either. I know this has been a relatively short post, but there just isn't that much to say. Even without the main issue, there really isn't much here. If you can get the distancing and dodging down, there might be some fun to be had. But I can't imagine many people can. The arcade version may be better, so perhaps I will find a way to play that? For someone who could play Super Thunder Blade without getting dizzy, it's probably a 4 or 5/10 or so. For me:
2/10
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