54 lines
2.9 KiB
Plaintext
54 lines
2.9 KiB
Plaintext
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THUNDER BLADE
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The package says THUNDER BLADE was an arcade hit. I'll take Sega's word for it,
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because I've never played the arcade version...and if it's anything like the
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home computer version, I don't really want to. (This review is based on the
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IBM-PC version of the game.)
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Basically, THUNDER BLADE is a helicopter shoot-'em-up with the potential to be
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a good game of its type. There are a variety of different "stages" or scenarios,
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theoretically enough to keep you interested and coming back for quite a while.
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In reality, however, the game left me yawning.
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Start with the minimal documentation: a single sheet of paper, 8-1/2" x 11",
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with two folds. Read it thoroughly; it takes about 30 seconds, and you won't
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find any mention that the game can be installed on your hard drive, despite the
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fact that the two 5-1/4" diskettes include Install, HDInstal, and Uninstal
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programs. Obviously, this is but a mere annoyance if the game turns out to be
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worthwhile.
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Graphics? Well, the box says the game supports CGA, EGA, and Tandy 4-color
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modes if you have 512K of RAM, as well as MCA, VGA, and Tandy 16-color modes if
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you have 640K. Although I booted the game with no TSRs or drivers loaded, I was
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unable to display anything resembling the screens on the rear of the box; EGA
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seemed to be the best I could get. Sound is a few bars of music repeated over
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and over, along with a few tinny explosions.
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The opening scenario has you looking straight down at your copter, which proves
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confusing. Although the size of the targets on the ground changes slightly with
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altitude, more often than not I wound up on the ground and sat there, thinking I
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was a hundred feet in the air. Stage 2 has you looking at your copter from
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behind; this gives you a better idea of where you are, but your view of anything
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approaching you is effectively blocked.
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Controls are rudimentary. The copter is armed with missiles as well as bullets,
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but the same fire button controls both types of weapons; which one gets fired
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depends on how long you hold the button down. It takes some practice to swoop
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down on an enemy tank and fire a bomb instead of a measly bullet. Combinations
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of joystick movement and fire button #2 control movement of the helicopter --
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which, even on a 20MHz 386, is rather sluggish.
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The documentation indicates mouse support, but when the joystick was plugged
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in, the program seemed unaware of the presence of the mouse. Frankly, it didn't
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seem worth the effort to reach around to the back of my computer and unplug the
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joystick just to see how the mouse performed.
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On the back of the THUNDERBLADE box it says, "Find out why it's taking the
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nation by storm." Maybe because we live in a country where "America's Funniest
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Home Videos" gets higher ratings than "60 Minutes"?
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THUNDERBLADE is published and distributed by Sega.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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