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Thunder Blade
Publisher: Sega, NEC Avenue, US Gold Developer: Sega, NEC Avenue, Tiertex (MSX at least the disk version), SPS System(s): Sega X Board, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, MSX, Sega Master System, Sharp X68000, TurboGrafx-16, ZX Spectrum ROM Size: 256kB Genre: Shoot-'em-Up Release Date RRP Code JP 1987 ¥?  ? US 1987 $?  ? JP 1988-07-30 ¥5,500 G-1360 US 1988 $? 7011 EU 1988-11-05 £24.95 [1]Media:ACE UK 16.pdf MK-7011-50 BR 19xx $?  ? KR 19xx ₩? GB-2360 US 1988 $49.95  ? UK 1988 £24.99  ? US 1988 $49.95  ? UK 1988 £19.99  ? UK (cassette) 1988 £9.99  ? US (cartridge) 1988 $34.95  ? UK (cassette) 1988 £9.99  ? UK (cassette) 1988 £8.99  ? US 1989 $?  ? JP 1990 ¥?  ? JP 1990-12-07 ¥?  ?

Thunder Blade (サンダーブレード) is a 1987 arcade shoot 'em up game designed for Sega X Board hardware. It is heavily inspired by the Blue Thunder franchise of the early 1980s.

Gameplay

Thunder Blade has the player pilot a helicopter which can fire with either its machine gun or missile launcher to destroy various enemy vehicles.

The game was notable for its differing view changes and sprite scaling techniques. Though the game starts off as a top-down shooter, the player can adjust his/her height, zooming in and out of battle while doing so. Half way through the level, the viewpoint changes to a third-person perspective, creating a game that is similar to Space Harrier or After Burner (though with improved graphics as the technology is more advanced).

History

Legacy

The game was ported to a variety of platforms including the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, MSX, Sega Master System, Sharp X68000, TurboGrafx-16 and ZX Spectrum. Surprisingly most of these ports retain the sprite scaling, albeit with less detailed graphics, but often require the user to manually adjust the speed of the helicopter (unlike in the Arcade game where it was done for you). The Sega Master System version of the game omits the overhead scaling entirely.

Thunder Blade was followed by Super Thunder Blade, a launch title of the Sega Mega Drive which is essentially the same game but without the overhead segments.

Production Credits

PC Engine Version

Executive Producer: Makoto Sakio
Producer: Toshio Tabeta
Director: Takashi Ozama
Programmer: God Hand
Graphics: Nori-P Hide
Sound: Funky
Assistant: Quite Person, C. Willow
Special Thanks To: K. Matsuda, Tacs Tax and other staff
© Sega 1988
Reprogrammed Game © NEC Avenue, Ltd. 1990

Gallery

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  Deluxe cabinet

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  Upright cabinet

Promotional Material

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  X Board US flyer

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  X Board JP flyer (?)

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  X Board EU flyer (deluxe)

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  X Board EU flyer (upright)

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  Master System US print advert

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  Master System FR print advert

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  Home computers UK print advert

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  Home computers UK print advert 2

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  Home computers FR print advert

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  Home computers FI print advert

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  ZX Spectrum ES print advert

Physical Scans

X Board Version

	90	Sega Retro Average
		Based on 1 review
Publication Score Source Commodore User 90 March 1988, p105/106

X Board, US (deluxe)

X Board, US (upright)

X Board, JP (deluxe)

X Board, JP (upright)

Master System Version

	75	Sega Retro Average
		Based on 11 reviews
Publication Score Source ACE 64 №16, p76Media:ACE UK 16.pdf Complete Guide to Consoles 79 №1, p74 Complete Guide to Consoles 80 №4, p109 Complete Guide to Sega 80 №1, p62 Computer & Video Games 80 №85, p131 The Games Machine (UK) 76 №13, p39 Mean Machines Sega 80 №1, p136Media:MeanMachinesSega01UK.pdf MicroManía 70 №2/20 S: The Sega Magazine 86 №11 Sega Power 60 №23, p60 Sega Pro 70 №6, p30Media:Segapro UK 06.pdf

Master System, US
Cover
Cart Manual Poster

Master System, EU
Cover

Master System, EU ® variant
Cover

Master System, EU "no limits" variant
Cover

Master System, JP
Cover
Cart

Master System, BR
Cover
Cart Manual

Master System, KR
Cover
Cart

Amiga Version

	83	Sega Retro Average
		Based on 3 reviews
Publication Score Source ACE 84 №17, p68 The Games Machine (UK) 85 №15, p56/57 Zero 80 №18, p74

Amiga, US
Cover

Amiga, UK

Amiga, UK (Kixx)
Cover
Disk

Amstrad CPC Version

	66	Sega Retro Average
		Based on 2 reviews
Publication Score Source ACE 78 №20, p78Media:ACE UK 20.pdf The Games Machine (UK) 54 №15, p56

Amstrad CPC, UK (disk)
Cover

Amstrad CPC, UK (cassette) (Kixx)
Cover
Cassette

Amstrad CPC, ES (cassette)
Cover

Atari ST Version

	77	Sega Retro Average
		Based on 3 reviews
Publication Score Source Computer & Video Games 66 №87 The Games Machine (UK) 84 №15, p56/57 Zero 80 №18, p74

Atari ST, US
Cover

Atari ST, UK
Cover
Disk 1 Disk 2 Counterpoint Counterpoint Manual

Atari ST, UK (Kixx)

Commodore 64 Version

	72	Sega Retro Average
		Based on 3 reviews
Publication Score Source ACE 80 №16, p56-57Media:ACE UK 16.pdf The Games Machine (UK) 65 №15, p56/57 Your Commodore 72 №75

Commodore 64, US
Cover

Commodore 64, UK
Cover

Commodore 64, UK (Kixx)
Cover

DOS Version

DOS, US (5.25-inch)
Cover
Disk 1

DOS, US (3.5-inch)
Cover

MSX Version

MSX, ES
Cover

PC Engine Version

	67	Sega Retro Average
		Based on 1 review
Publication Score Source Joystick 67 №13, p98

PC Engine, JP
Cover
Card Manual

Sharp X68000 Version

Sharp X68000, JP
Cover

ZX Spectrum Version

	83	Sega Retro Average
		Based on 3 reviews
Publication Score Source ACE 79 №16, p56-57Media:ACE UK 16.pdf Computer & Video Games 82 №87 The Games Machine (UK) 87 №15, p56

ZX Spectrum, UK
Cover
Cassette

ZX Spectrum, UK (Kixx)
Cover

ZX Spectrum, ES
Cover