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Blue Thunder M-45 (ブルーサンダー45型 in Japanese) and Red Thunder M-24 (レッドサンダー24型 in Japanese) are the protagonist fighters of Thunder Cross series and they also appeared in Air Force Delta Strike. Unlike typical shoot'em up games in which both 1P and 2P share the same identical designs differed only by the crafts' color tinting, Blue and Red Thunders possess distinct appearances that differ from each other.
Play
The "Thunder Cross squadron" get powered by destroying red interceptors revealing a power pod. The first is always a Option, followed by a Speed Up. The next one is a weapons pod, cycling through the main weapons. After that, multiples and weapons alternate until you have four multiples (two if played in co-op mode). Options are situated top and bottom of the protagonists' fighters and options can be manipulated by stretching up and down, giving Thunders a huge convienience of taking out strategically emplaced enemies without flying towards their alignment. The next pod cycles through the super weapons, before turning into a normal weapons pod. The super weapons have limited ammo and are capable of firing through the scenery. Also, each of the main weapons can be powered up by collecting their pickup again.
Plot
Thunder Cross
Taking place in the future of space colonization, the contact from pioneers settling in planet Haniamu IV is suddenly lost. Sensing something is terribly amiss after an investigation craft belonging to Earth Space Force discovers wreckages of what appears to be destroyed spaceships, ESF command dispatches two of its advanced starfighters Blue and Red Thunders, piloted by a chosen man and a woman, to investigate further. What Thunders found out, is that Haniamu IV had been subjected to onslaughts from a relentless military force known as Mechanikon Hordes belonging to Black Impulse. With three different and devastating weapons and Enhanced arsenals with even greater offensive capability Thunder Cross Squadron flies towards the merciless salvo from Black Impulse, followed distantly by Thunders' mothership to provide starfighters essential support, shelter and transport to the next battlefield after each particular stage is won.
After fighting their way through 7 tough stages of various landscapes, Thunders finally managed to penetrate the Black Impulse HQ and destroy its supreme leader. With the Black Impulse threat neutralized Thunders flew their way back, revisiting all the stages they battled through. However, just as things seem to be peaceful, remnant forces from Black Impulse (Egger of stage 1 boss) ambush Thunders, which Thunders manages to dodge and fly away. This is an allusion that Thunders' war against Black Impulse is not yet concluded.
Thunder Cross II
Three years after their bitter defeat, the Black Impulse Empire tries once again to conquer the galaxy. They have used the three years wisely as they have many more new ships and creatures in their larger attacking armada. But this time, humanity is prepared.
Figuring they would try again, Haniamu IV military with the help of Earth Space Force have spent this time further developing and upgrading the "Thunder Cross" fighters. Now the Thunder Cross has four different weapons whose power can be increased to unheard of magnitudes. With the trusty mothership ready to back up Thunders as it did in the first Thunder Cross. Furthermore, Enhanced weapons have also been tweaked and upgraded. This time, Blue Thunder and Red Thunder possess different rapid-firing abilities, with Red Thunder fires slightly faster.
Find the brains of the Black Impulse and destroy the invasive empire once and for all.
Crossover Appearance
Airforce Delta Strike
The Blue Thunder M-45 makes a guest appearance in Konami's simulation game Airforce Delta Strike. It possesses mostly above-average stats, including good defense, thought it's mobility is only average. It possesses a useful machine gun, while its special weapon is a modified version of its Options, which pack an impressive 100 shot capacity compared to other crafts with the similarly functioning Wide Area Mass Destruction Rockets, however these weapons can be suicidal if not used properly, leading the the Blue Thunder being accidentally blown up. Its large hitbox also makes it an easily target to shoot down.
Weapons
The Thunders are able to use a total of seven different weapons (eight in Thunder Cross II), a default cannon, three (later four) Weapon Masters, and three Weapon Enhancers. Each of the Weapon Masters can be upgraded to a max of three tiers. The Weapon Enhancers meanwhile have limited ammo, and must be replenished regularly in order to maintain their use in combat. When exhausted, the Thunders to revert back to the weapon they were using prior to collecting the Weapon Enhancer.
- Cannon - a standard, semi-automatic cannon that can deal with smaller enemies quickly.
- Vulcan Cannon - fires a rapid-fire shot straightforwards at a higher fire-rate than the standard cannon. When upgraded, the shots' movement speed increases. This is the only Weapon Master available in the US Version of Thunder Cross.
- Boomerang Shot - fires a boomerang-shaped projectile, upon hitting an enemy, the shot will bounce off and begin traveling in a random direction, allowing it to hit additional enemies that fall within its path. When upgraded, the shots' movement speed increases.
- Tail Laser - fires two lasers, one forward and one backwards, allowing the Thunders to hit enemies from behind. When upgraded, the shots will increase in thickness, thus dealing more damage.
- Enhanced Cannon - fires an enhanced version of the standard cannon, which is bigger and deals more damage. When upgraded, the shots' damage increases.
- Options - When collected, a satellite will appear above or below the craft in a vertical formation to a maximum of four Options; they provide additional firepower to the shot the Thunders have equipped. When a Weapon Enhancer is obtained, they are transformed into large cannons that will fire the respective weapon that was obtained via secondary fire.
- Flame Thrower - the options fire a flamethrower, which has the highest fire rate of all the Weapon Enhancers (and Weapons as a whole).
- Blast Laser - the options fire a powerful laser, which is capable of high damage as well as penetrating through most enemies.
- Mega Crush - the options fire several cluster bombs a short distance, which then explode rapidly, dealing splash damage to any enemy they hit.
- Li'l Baby - a unique weapon only available in the US version of Thunder Cross, when activated the Thunders will deploy a bomb that will detonate immediately, destroying every enemy and projectile in the field of vision. The Thunders only have a limited supply of this particular weapon, and they can only be replenished upon being destroyed.
Trivia
- Thunder Cross is one of the names in Latvian for Swastika.
- To unlock the Blue Thunder in Airforce Delta Strike, you have to purchase all sets of aircraft for one pilot.
External links
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Starfighters Others | ||