Thunder Dragon 2 (Arcade)

What have the same amount as war-themed games that involve Nazi or bad comments on Youtube? I mostly certain the answer is vertical shooter games. You can find them on arcade, home console, PC, even Iphone. It's because of their simple concept: you control (most of the case) a ship, shoot enemies, and avoid being shot. Some of them have twist or unique feature. While the other are approximately generic. This time, i show you one of them: NMK's "Thunder Dragon 2" (1993).  

 The title suggests that it has prequel but i won't bother with it. TD 2 is certainly step-up from TD 1, right?! I may be wrong. Though i won't push my luck/my effort to find it out. Probably not worth to know. Through google translate, i know that left Japanese symbol (kanji) means thunder and is pronounced "Kaminari". While the right ones is definitely not pronounced "Doragon". So i just trust the English title on that ones. That's my Japanese literacy, reader. As high as bonsai's height.       

There is no backstory in attraction mode also no mission briefing when i start the game. As soon as i start the game, i'm greeted with "battle is begun. Good Luck" text here. You have the inkling about the gameplay, right? directional button/joystick to move, one button to fire plane's standard shoot, and another button to unleash screen-clearing bomb. Also the plane will be destroyed with single collision of enemies or their attacks. The usual stuff, man. But, here's novelty feature: that words can be shot! It doesn't make the stage starts quicker than if you leave them alone. But NMK clearly put this feature on purpose, so it's kind of bad if you don't shoot them. Also if you're really trigger-happy or shooting-maniac, this is treat for you.

 

The common things from average vertical-shooter arcade game is Chinook helicopter or any tandem-rotor sky vessel that contains Power-up if you destroy it like here for instance. Another that i like to mention is my plane's standard shoot is this twin shoot that flies diagonally in small degree that different from other game with same genre (which is usually either single shoot or straight twin shoot). This may confuse/upset OCD vertical-shooter gamer for this uniqueness. In my opinion, this shoot pattern allow me to shoot enemy not directly behind/in front of it which is fantastic. Let's be frank, any pilot who shoots face-to-face with his/her enemy in airplane-fight is dumb. Brave, but dumb. In video games, i mean.

 

Another trivial thing in vertical-shooter arcade game is score-up item like those shiny purple thing over there. The bigger the item, the higher score you get if you pick it up. Bigger coins are more valuable than smaller ones, right?! That's make sense.

 

Yet another things that common in TD 2 with its peer: Boss stage warning. Moreover, it can't be shot like the starting-stage words. Engineer_autodejectedtie01.wav.

 

The boss stage 1 is big plane that shoot bullets and rockets backward. It's busy fly forward and not facing me directly. Look at me when you shoot me, you git! My strategy: shoot the big plane and the destroyable rockets, avoid its bullet, rinse and repeat.

 

Stage 2 takes place in jungle where there is many aircraft and tanks to destroy. Backward-shooting enemies are quite common in TD 2 but this bastard is on new level. It fly slowly at the bottom try to ram you from behind then he start shooting at you. I really hate this kind of enemy also jealous to them, wishing i can shoot backward too.

 

Then i storm a camp which makes the game more interesting a bit. Actually, what i like to show you is that military scissor-type bridge at the bottom part. I'm quickly recognize that bridge which is set by M601 Armoured Launched-Vehicle Bridge (AVLB) thanks to my fondness on reading my book about tank knowledge when i was elementary schooler. Also since that day, i favorite ADATS for its awesome missile launchers. Sorry for me being out-of-topic. (*sweat drop*). Beyond this point there is 2 guard towers that are more durable to my shooting than any tanks that i encountered. I think the reason is: the tanks are using mass-production technology thus they have durability of compacted garbage-bins.  

 

Boss stage 2 is quite the same like Boss stage 1. Only much bigger (even more, it can't be contained within whole screen!) and flies plane instead of shooting destroyable rocket. So the strategy is pretty much the same with previous one.

Now this is what i call "Desert Strike". Suck it, EA!

 

Oh, i spoke too soon. It's "(Ruined) Urban Strike" now. As you can see, there are 2 quadruple-rotor enemies which are definitely tandem rotor enemy's elder brother. They are more dangerous than their little brother because 1) They shoot fiercer 2) They fly from bottom to catch you off guard.

 

There are no more things that i can say about the gameplay beside power-up pickup (that can upgrade your standard arsenal) and missile pickup (that add missiles beside your bullets). So, i just comment about enemies and stage design from this point. There is another insolent backfiring airplane which shoot fireballs at me. I bet that's spitfire. Because it spit(s) fire, get it?!

 

Here i kill these jeeps mother. It can fire some bullets but it still no match for me as it's still busy giving birth to those jeeps. R.I.P mother's jeep.    

 

Demoman_negativevocalization03.wav. This must be Jeep's father that serves as boss stage 3 and seeking revenge on me. Beside spews orbs, it can shoot twin super laser from its center turret. By the way this only its 1st phase.

 

Here is its 2nd phase, it reveals 4 flamethrowing pods. Sniper_autoonfire01.wav.

 

Next stage takes place in arctic region. How nice of NMK to put some whale in this stage's waters. You have to care about wildlife conservation, you know?!

 

But not only i meet whales but also these Fubuki-class destroyers and Jintsuu doing expedition. They're not happy to see me and start shooting at me. So i have to shoot back. It's self-defense, all right?!

In the middle of fierce air-Vs-ground battle, there is a husky run cheerfully around the other one. I mark them with red circle there though they're so small to see from this picture.

 

Don't run, Myōkō! I'm just greeting you with missiles and some bullets as reply for your fireball.

 

Now there's I-8 (Hachi) and Co. Maybe all KanColle shipgirls hate red airplane especially the one that shoots at anything including thin air.

 

The arctic stage boss is this abomination asymmetrical ship. Whether this boss has multi-phase like previous one or not is i can't tell because how fast it get wrecked probably because this missiles that i have is OP. And i can't provide you with screenshot as proof about it. I'm sorry.

 

Above stormy cloud at nighttime, an intense air battle takes place. I kind of surprised that one of backfiring bastard enemies manage to sneak from my backside also (even more surprising) my plane isn't destroyed as it just flies safely from bottom. This must be cunning psychological trap to make me careless next time other enemies fly behind me. -_-

 

The enemy organization realize that sending more airplane/tank/warship to stop me, is useless. Thus they try something new: launch mini-nuke missiles at me. Yes, they can be destroyed by rigorous shooting. And yes, they will blow into harmful explosion if you destroy them.  Nice try.

 

Here's the culprit behind that mini-nuke missile barrage also it's this stage boss. Once again i obliterate it swiftly thanks to my maximum-level firing power and my reflect to unleash a bomb whenever the boss's projectile almost reach me. That trick isn't death bomb that is distinctive feature in "Imperishable Night" but close enough. Near-death bomb, then?!

 

Stage 6 is another cloudy sky. Here i meet these Heli-carriers that probably created by using stolen S.H.I.E.L.D technology. So i'm doing S.H.I.E.L.D a favor by destroying them. Your welcome, Nick Fury.

 

This stage boss is look like a mass of various Hi-Tech junks. But it have deadly arsenal and durability of steel monolith. Its laser firing is contradict from other bosses (which fires at center of their body). This one fire lasers at those small thrusters (from left to right) and you are safe from them if you position your plane behind its center. But it shoots semi-tracking grey orbs and large blue orbs that can block your projectiles and travel in double-wave motion. 

 

Once it takes much damage. It begin to split into 3 parts: laser-firing part and 2 big thrusters. So this boss's shooting pattern is altered from previous phase.

 

Stage 7 is just another nighttime sky. It seems NMK begins to lose brilliant idea with stage design after jungle, desert, and arctic. With this screenshot, I will show you my screen-clearing bomb. It starts as group explosion near the plane then travels forward. Pretty neat, huh?! Another thing that i want to show you is this sub-boss that have 2nd-phase before it's explode. Though you can barely see it because of the bomb. Hint: big blue-flickering thing between 2 big explosion on top screen.

 

Here's its 2nd phase which makes it more thinner. It's the center thing by the way. So if you want to lose weight within 1-day, you must willing to receive barrage of this red plane's bullet. I won't guarantee your live, though.

 

The boss stage 7 is... wait! You two are the bosses here?

 

"Goddamn!" said both pilot and me. This stage boss is in fact this bastard squadron. They will show one by one once you shoot their comrade enough time and yes, some of them fly from bottom.

 

Here's the leader of bastard squadron. Once it get much damage. It will split into 2 parts: blue part and green ones.

The texts said "Last Battle. Best of Luck". Whatever, i'm shooting them anyway. Heavy_specialcompleted07.wav.

 

Inside the enemy's fortress, you will fight these spherical turrets. Lots of them. And they will be reinforced by unlimited waves of plane. I have no idea what's the purpose of that moat/pool though it's wonderful architectural feature.  

 

There will be time where you have to destroy big version of that spherical turrets along with its unlimited assistance of small plane and big ones. Twice, even. It goes without saying that the big spherical turret attacks player more fiercely than its smaller counterpart. Though they have certain firing pattern, my plane goes down quite frequently due to the fact that i'm not shmups expert. Luckily, TD 2 implement "revive from the point where you die" continue system not the "revive from checkpoint" ones. Which means you can finish this game at easy pace.

 

The final boss is this HQ with spiked plate protection and 4 small-version spherical turrets. Fortunate for us, they aren't the big version or else this final battle will be 4x harder.  

 

But once the turrets gone. Fireballs-throwing cylinder will suddenly pop-out from their position.

 

After the HQ's platting come off, the battle is still rough. Large airplane begin to dispatch to assist the final boss. I like how it got burned when it's moderately damaged through my intense shooting. This is much reasonable than building does that too when it got hacked/stabbed/pummeled in Warcraft 3 or Age of Empire games.

 

After the boss blows off. The plane flies forward a bit to show you beautiful evening view and texts come to greet you such as "mission completed" and "thank you for playing". Did i mention that you get score when you shoot these texts? Because yes, you do. If you're interested in making Hi-Score that is.

 

See you again?! Spy_no01.wav. You probably don't know that latter NMK's games have mental-altering feature, i mean like the one that makes you bit crazy. For example in "Explosive Breaker" which is space-themed vertical shooter game, you will face digitized photo of Apache Helicopter and Yacht as bosses. That's enough to stir my sanity. But, simple crazy thing like upside down maze in "Castlevania: Portrait of Ruins" can makes my mind stirred. Maybe i have weak mental. But again, i enjoy well "Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo" manga. Let's say that: the latter sample has same "frequency" with my mind and other samples don't. Fair, isn't?!

Before i draw my conclusion. I tell you that the 2nd plane is different from 1st ones surely not pure cosmetic only. As you can see that the blue plane (2nd player) shoots twin thin bullets, sucks to be 2nd player. Also its bomb are the huge explosion on center. Whether this is better or worse than what red plane has, beats me.

 

I have played some games that are better than TD 2. But i have played many that are worse. So in my opinion TD 2 is above-average vertical shooter that can be finished within 1 hour. It has text-shooting feature, some interesting stage design, and enemy design that later can be more engaging. Albeit TD 2 don't feature option/escort or arsenal diversity to make enemy-destroying more variable. I forget to mention that TD 2 has good digitized/synthetic speech of the pilot such as: "Goddamn" when you get hit, "Get out of my sight!" when you destroy certain enemy, and "I still can fight" when you revive. Also there is dragon-scream like when the game is in title screen. Combine it with number 2 that looks like red dragon, you get feature that proving the title's trueness. TD 2 is excellent for any shooter game player including the one with mediocre skill, like me.

Fighting Stage Edition #2

As i mention before, i will write 2nd edition of this article. By Jove, here it is! This is other examples of fighting stage along with my comment/analysis about them.

Scarlet Devil Mansion exterior (at nighttime) - Immaterial and Missing Power (PC)

Here i play as my favorite character #4 in Touhou Project, Reimu Hakurei. Sakuya Izayoi asked her to be sparring partner during night. Because at daytime Sakuya is very busy with household chores and she need to refine her combatfare. The center of attraction on this stage is certainly that big clock. I notice that some of its rims are shinning so pretty. Maybe it's because they got reflection from moonlight or Remilia Scarlet had neon-glow magic-glow (made by Patchouli Knowledge) installed on them. I prefer the latter because that's most interesting possibility in my opinion. Some people/doujin-ka analogize Koumakan/Scarlet Devil Mansion with Vampire's castle in Castlevania series. So you can imagine inside this clock is lots of Medusa Head flying around. Forget that! That's horrid idea. How about this: (if i remember correctly) in Castlevania: Dracula X (SNES), Richter Belmont will fights Death in front of Clock's face. So perhaps, this place is Komachi Onozuka's favorite place to take nap and slacking-off with Hong Meiling's entry-approval as both of them are red-haired slacker.

 

As sparring close to finish, Reimu gives Sakuya swift acupuncture therapy to make her body feel healthier. How kind of Reimu. You don't believe me? See Sakuya's expression! She feels refreshed! Pain? Medic_no03.wav. 

Gen-an's Stage - Samurai Shodown II (Arcade)

Quick fact: Genan and his fellow green-skin are member of Shiranui clan which follow "way of evil". Few of its application are kill (other) human/other creatures, and eat them. So, not only Gen-an intends to kill Galford (and perhaps his pets) but also he adds them into that stew over there. Genan fellow on leftside looks really excited for stew's additional ingredient while the ones one rightside still busy stirring the stew. "But, Werdito! In edition #1, you have written about 3 fighting stages in Samurai Shodown II" Well, that's right. But how can i ignore this stage especially if you look the stew closely.

 

Among (presumably) human skull is an Alien. Yes, it's alien from Aliens movie that is designed by H.R Giger. You must have extraordinary-strong guts (both metaphorically and literally) to cook and eat alien. Bit worth to mention is how red the soup is. They must use lots of red chili/paprika and tomato in this cooking. Bet that's not because they use human blood. They need to balance human & alien meat composition with fresh vegetables in order to make the stew tastes delicious and refreshing, you see. Otherwise it taste queasy.

 

But Gen-an fail to kill Galford thus his fellows are very disappointed. The one on leftside is fall over because of his disappointment while the rightside one looks really grumpy. This is proof that cannibalism among Shiranui fellow is beyond clan's "way of evil" (otherwise they will be happy). Maybe they're killer green hunchback and such, but they still have reasonable sense not to eat among themselves.

Accident site - Capcom vs. SNK Millennium Fight 2000 Pro (PSX)

"Apparently, there's huge oil-container truck or gas leak accident that cause huge fire. This is perfect place for our fighting arena" said one "Capcom vs. SNK Millennium Fight 2000 Pro tournament" committee. For your psychopathic heart and safety-standard negligence, i congratulate you, sir. -_-

 

Not even Benimaru (who is a lady-charmer) and Chun-Li (who is a policewoman) stop their fighting and help poor lady over there. Okay, that's not entirely true. Maybe if Chun-Li won, she would immediately take her to safety and comfort her. But the winner is Ryu. What he only care is fighting other fighter and improve his fighting skill. Thus he leaves the place, ignoring that lady and Chun-Li who is lying unconsciously on hard asphalt. The immoral git.

 Stage 5/ Dolf's Stage- Tuff E Nuff (SNES)

This stage has fantastic opening scene: huge rockets are being set for launching. One rocket that's closest to this platform is hitchhiked by Dolf so he can drop off to the platform. Strange thing is he hitchhiked the rocket with bare hand. No handlebar, rope, or climbing gear involved. Unless his boots have magnetic field on their sole. Then i want one of those boots. That's awesome.

 

By the way, he can fire his bazooka/rocket launcher at his opponent. It's not just mere decoration that he always carry, you know?! You think that he is cheating that he carry explosive weapon to fist-to-fist fighting is cheating. That's not entirely correct as Zazi here can throw soul projectiles (yes, it's kind of like Hadou-Ken) at will. So Dolf is simply justifying to compete with fighter who can shoots soul projectiles. With modern weapon that is.

J. Max's Stage - World Heroes II (Arcade)

 

J. Max's (The American footballer) stage is American slum area where many gangster (the modern ones not group of fedora-trenchcoat gentlemen) can be found around. On the centers there is lots of barrel that i can imagine contain roast meat/chicken, throwing knife, or gold bar. My apology. I'm sidescrolling-beat-em-up-game hardcore fan, you see. On the right corner, we got van that has flat tires, broken windows, also spray-paint scrawl on all over it. I can guess its radio and battery are stolen. It's in very-pernicious state is another way to describe its condition. 

 

Things that can be found in American slum besides rowdy gangster are: dog scratching garbage bin for food and Hip-Hop artist. In this case there is this duet that walk left and right. They are practicing Hip-Hop lyric while watching us fighting half-heartedly.

Then they look happy as J. Max is defeated by Fuuma. Maybe they got inspiration to make Hip-Hop music about long-haired ninja defeat demonic-looking footballer. Yeah, that will be well-sold music, i think.

The Pit - Mortal Kombat (Arcade)

 

Tonight, the moon looks beautiful so this atmosphere is excellent for romantic candle-lit dinner. But in Mortal Kombat that thing isn't allowed. Only kombat, kombat and kombat! As you can tell, fighting in narrow stone bridge (also without safety railing) is really dangerous. This is Mortal Kombat, people. Where there is no safety standard to obey. So, contestants is allowed to do sadistic stuff on each other while they fight in places that have safety degree as 80%-crumbling roller coaster. By the way, Nice lion-dragon statue that has hair likes Son Goku in super saiya state.

 

For those gamer who are familiar with all Mortal Kombat series, you probably know the reason why i pick this stage. The moon and bronze lion-dragon statue are nice but the bottom part of The Pit is the true charm of this stage. This stage is the first stage fatality on any Mortal Kombat series, activated by (simply) uppercut your opponent in "Finish Him/Her" period. There is 3 severed head in here which begs question why he/she who did this has to behead his/her opponent first then drop the head here. That's tedious work compare to Scorpion did with Sonya here. Is the person who did this is Johnny Cage (*Gasp*) as the one and only who has fatality that decapitate his opponent head (by uppercut). Anyway, those head has agonized expression like someone stubs his/her foot thumb to steel cabinet. While the deadguy on their right has calm expression. God really gives this man peaceful death. Another thing to mention: the one who has duty to clean this mess here is Reptile for sure. As you fight him in this very place (Yep, among spikes and bodies). Hope he got decent salary from Shang Tsung for this job. Otherwise, sucks to be him.

Mc Matach's Stage - Mighty Warriors (Arcade)

I said that moon in The Pit is excellent for romantic candle-lit dinner. I take that back. Moon here is bigger and yellow which is much much better than the small white moon. Also there is set of bronze torch to make tonight more beautiful. This place is perfect for romantic date if you ignore Stonehenge that block the moon and fierce battle between a Viking and Irish guy here.

Shadow Dungeon - Double Dragon V - The Shadow Falls (Genesis)

Billy Lee attempts to free some prisoner here but intercepted by Bones. This place is full of miserable prisoner except the skeleton on center who laugh constantly. Maybe it's animatronic decoration to scare denizens here. Sometime there's hand reaching out in jail windows on leftside and rightside. What a full-of-desperation place. 

Just quick review: in this game there is kind of fatality move through certain finishing blow depend on your opponent. In this case Billy Lee is susceptible to standing hard punch.

 

Billy Lee turns into a skeleton, Bones juggle his head, and skeleton on the center silence on awe. So far this is the most skeleton-y screenshot that i capture.

Makai Field - Super Gem Fighter: Mini Mix (Arcade)

Here we see rare occasion of Ryu wearing footwear: clog. Then he about to smash it into Sakura's head. Ehm, pardon me. On the rightside, there is a wagon with draught animals: pig and hunchback-y coachmen. In the middle, you can see a castle on unstable ground over there. I'm certain that castle belong to Demitri Maximoff, the vampire from Darkstalker series. Also there is Jon Talbain/Gallon the kung-fu werewolf from Darkstalker series, howling periodically because there is gigantic full moon. The noisy bloke. Yes, yes, i know. Werewolf-full moon stuffs.

 

It's kind of hard to show you in this screenshot that there is pool with 2 demonic statues on leftside. The water in pool is purple maybe it's grape juice. So, in creepy Makai there's free grape juice. Makai isn't terrible place afterall, huh?! Now, Jon Talbain/Gallon shut his mouth because he realize that he got bat's dropping inside his mouth. Serves him right!

That's all fighting stage sample for today, folks. During making of 75% of this article, i realized that the stages in this article are either indoor or outdoor in nighttime. So i make all of the sample like that. Kind of for thematic reason. Last words from me: full moon is beautiful even in video games and alien can be cooking ingredient if you're evil enough.