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[duckroll]

The previous thread was too cluttered with crap, so let's start ANEW!

Title: Thunderforce VI
Publisher: Sega
Director: Tez Okano
Release date: 30th October 2008 (Japan)
Platform: Playstation 2
Price: 6090yen

- 6 stages in total
- The various stages contain homages and elements from previous TF games
- There are brand new bosses as well as several homages/varients of previous TF bosses
- Two ships: Phoenix and Rynex-Kai
- 3D graphics, 2D horizontal shooting gameplay
- Developed by a team with shooting development experience under their belt and are big fans of Thunderforce
- Not developed by Tecnosoft

Okay jiji and I dug through credits, buy-overs and other shit. Here's the status of Thunderforce VI:

The IP status:

- The games were originally created by Tecnosoft and the rights holder is Kazue Matsuoka
- He is credited as a writer on TF2 and TF3, and under works in TF5
- In 2001, Twenty-One Company (a Pachinko company) bought Tecnosoft and merged it into their R&D division
- In 2008, Thunderforce VI is announced by Sega
- On the copyright credits at the bottom of the page, it states that the game was licensed through Twenty-One Tecnosoft div. from the Tecnosoft Brand holder K.Matsuoka
- It also says "Copyright K.Matsuoka Licensed by Twenty-One Tecnosoft div."


Who's making it:

- The director of Thunderforce VI is Tetsu Okano (Tez Okano)
- He is the director and writer of SGGG, Astro Boy GBA and Gunstar Super Heroes
- Both Astro Boy GBA and GSH are developed by Treasure and published by Sega
- Sega currently has no known internal shooter team
- Treasure has worked on another revival of a famous horizontal shooter series: Gradius V
- Draw your own conclusions

Spoiler

and no refund for disappointment

So basically, what probably happened is that after Tecnosoft was bought up, the original staff all left. Matsuoka likely held on to all the IPs of the games. As one of the original key staff behind the games, he would have a good reason not to see his series turn to shit, so it is likely he only agreed to license out the brand for Thunderforce VI after Twenty-One found a good partner to actually develop and publish the game. That's just guesswork, but it does indicate that there's a much better chance that there is actually a solid team behind the game since one of the original creators owns the IP and not some random pachinko company.

Discuss.

Okano also says that the game is being developed by a new team, and that the team has quite a bit of shooting development experience under their belt (and are Thunderforce fans), so they won't disappoint any of the fans of the old series.

Now, where would the guy that directed Gunstar Super Heroes and Astro Boy Omega Factor find a team of Thunderforce fans that have quite a bit of shooting development experience? Hmmmm...

Hitmaker's involvement in Astro Boy Omega Factor is limited to two people. The producer Mie Kumagai and the director/game&visual concept/story writer Tez Okano. Everything else was done by Treasure. By the time Tez Okano wrote and directed Gunstar Super Heroes, there was no more Hitmaker. Sega has wiped out all internal team names so it's just Sega.

An even more interesting note is that one of the programmers that worked on SGGG, Yuuki Mibu, went on to join Treasure, programming Astro Boy, Advanced Guardian Heroes and directing Bleach DS. SGGG is incidentally the game that Tez Okano directed before he worked on Astro Boy and GSH.

 

[KTallguy]

Sounds awesome. Interesting choice of PS2, but I have a JP PS2 so it's not an issue for me.
I really wonder if this will see the light of day in the US in some form...

 

[dark10x]

Awesome! I will pick this up for sure!

 

[Brandon F]

This belongs on a 360!

 

[Perdew]

This thread is toying with my heart.

 

[radios shipping overview]

This belongs on a 360!

All my shooter-friendly PS2 controllers will work with this game, and I don't have to wait for a US version, so I have no complaints.

 

[DaCocoBrova]

I have no idea what it looks like.

 

[JavaMava]

Why? We'd have to buy jp 360's if it were on 360.

That'd or it'd be more reasonable to expect them to release it through xbla. I just don't see a full priced shooter being viable in NA.

 

[Dave Long]

This belongs on a 360!

Dude.

 

[DECK'ARD]

If this is Treasure, I will masturbate furiously.

 

[Kumiko Nikaido]

Great news on TFVI.

Sega better bring this stateside. If not, then they publish it out to Aksys Games, O3 Entertainment, or hell give it to Atlus.

Oh, and be $30 bucks or less!

 

[jay]

Wow I just read the SGGG article in the new Edge and they interview the lead desinger. He says that he knew the Tecnosoft guys and saw the original TF VI. Guess he wasn't lying.

 

[Kagari]

This belongs on a 360!

No.

 

[Baron]

The choice of platform is absolutely perfect for me. I gots me a Japanese PS2, and I just bought a Hori RAP stick a few months ago. I am importing this baby day one, and it just shot to the top of the silly little most anticipated games list I keep in my head. Sometimes this ambiguous mental list is supplanted by other things, like "satisfy wife", or "pay bills", but it always drifts back to the top when I need it.

 

[mollipen]

This belongs on a PS2/PS3/PSP/Wii/360!

There you go.

Christ, though, people, don't rag on somebody for wanting a game on a system other than what it's announced on. At this point, I'd rather have nearly any game on PS3/360 versus PS2 simple for getting the game in HD. (Or, if it's going to stay PS2 quality, move it to the PSP.)

 

[radios shipping overview]

The possibilities for an existing team that has experience with shooters and "wouldn't disappoint" fans are slim:

G.rev
Treasure
Cave (and they don't do 3D)

Reject pile (would probably disappoint):
Alfa System
Milestone (oh god no)
Moss
Triangle Service
(that team that made that lolishota shooter with 3D graphics whose name is probably best forgotten)

Dark horse doujin teams:
Studio Siesta
Broken Thunder team (lolz)

So...yeah. There's not a whole lot of wiggle room on this.

 

[GitarooMan]

Bet it never comes to the US, which sucks. If it does however, it will probably be 10-15 dollars.

 

[Raistlin]

Bet it never comes to the US, which sucks.

 

[radios shipping overview]

Cheer up. Import-capable PS2s are cheaper than ever.

 

[drohne]

so rynex is a playable ship? i saw it in the scans, but i thought maybe it'd be an enemy, as it was in tfv. the game looks like gradius v a bit, particularly in the glowy look of the projectiles, and the re-envisionings of old bosses is like treasure too -- i'm guessing they're involved

THUNDERFORCE!

 

[RyanDG]

You know - another developer just popped up in my mind...

Gulti.

They handled Raiden Fighters Aces, the PSP version of Space Invaders Extreme, and G.Rev's arcade Mamoru-kun wa Norowarete Shimatta.

(Edit - I'm digging through some credits now to see if there's a connection there too...)

 

[clockradiospeakers]

Thunderforce...! PS2...! Treasure...! Oh, happy days!

 

[KAOS]

US release or PS3/360 release please!

 

[duckroll]

so rynex is a playable ship? i saw it in the scans, but i thought maybe it'd be an enemy, as it was in tfv. the game looks like gradius v a bit, particularly in the glowy look of the projectiles, and the re-envisionings of old bosses is like treasure too -- i'm guessing they're involved

THUNDERFORCE!

It says that the main ship is Phoenix, which is the evolutionary model of the Brigandine from TFV. It has Hunter, Free-range, etc. Basically all the weapons from TFV. The ship starts equipped with 5 weapons and you don't lose then when you blow up. You pick up green energy globes dropped by enemies to fill the Over Guage at the bottom left to use Over Weapon attacks. Rynex-Kai is also a playable unit, but it is considered a hidden unit and there won't be details at this time.

 

[RuGalz]

Darn, was hoping for PSN/XBLA but I guess the PS2 still can't retire! Great news either way.

 

[Geek]

This pleases my import PS2, greatly.

A Thunder Force II-IV collection would be a nice touch.

 

[radios shipping overview]

(Or, if it's going to stay PS2 quality, move it to the PSP.)

This makes my head hurt, if just for the fact that the game would lose bigscreen play (outside of a small window in a progressive display via a slim PSP) and support for third-party pads and sticks.

 

[marc^o^]

Thunderforce 3 was my favorite genesis game. The soundtrack was so good I recorded it on a tape that I listened to in my walkman. Memories...

 

[Kiriku]

Didn't they make a soundtrack for Thunderforce VI a loooong time ago, which was then released officially even though the game was never made? I wonder if they'll make completely new music with this "new" version of the game.

 

[xabre]

Just a little FYI about Thunderforce IV, posters in a different thread queried about what the game was called in the US with some believing it had been renamed to Lightening Force. The actual title was apparently Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar.

So there you go

 

[RyanDG]

Didn't they make a soundtrack for Thunderforce VI a loooong time ago, which was then released officially even though the game was never made? I wonder if they'll make completely new music with this "new" version of the game.

Yep. Factory Noise & AG were supposedly tapped to do the soundtrack for the Dreamcast version of Thunderforce VI, but after those plans fell through they released tracks on a couple of albums. This culminated with their work on Broken Thunder (which was the best part of a rather lackluster doujin release that was promising to be the 'spiritual successor' to Thunderforce VI)...

 

[xabre]

I could only imagine what could've been done with a 360/PS3 version.

 

[Tain]

Please don't be Treasure.

Gradius V was mostly fine, so hopefully they'd go out of their way to not make huge changes, but there's always room for stupid scoring systems and too-long levels!

 

[duckroll]

Please don't be Treasure.

It's a simple request.

So what team would you rather have make this game? G.rev would be the best other option, and everything goes downhill from there. The shooter industry is really small these days, and people with good experience are really limited.

 

[RyanDG]

So what team would you rather have make this game? G.rev would be the best other option, and everything goes downhill from there. The shooter industry is really small these days, and people with good experience are really limited.

Triangle Service!

Spoiler

...Or not?

 

[Deleted member 284]

I could only imagine what could've been done with a 360/PS3 version.

Isn't there a sticky about requests like this?
Anyhow, great news (and it makes the most sense as a PS2 platform). I just need level selects like the Genny version with awesome music throughout and I'm good.

 

[john tv]

Will be buying on day one. Gotta support stuff like this and Rockman 9 no matter what.

 

[Dash Kappei]

PS2? FUCK YEAH!
NOT developed by the team who made TFV and Tetsu Okano? HOLY SHIT DAY 1.

 

[Tain]

So what team would you rather have make this game? G.rev would be the best other option, and everything goes downhill from there. The shooter industry is really small these days, and people with good experience are really limited.

Out of anybody around today, realistic or not?

If I had a single choice, it would absolutely be G.rev. I'd prefer them to the original developers, even. Pour enough cash on 'em to tear them away from SnR2 (which I'm also pretty pumped for), and that would be amazing.

Alfa System and Skonec, say what you will, have some talent in them. I'd be curious to see something horizontal from them, and I can't think of what they're working on presently. Wouldn't hurt to see Gulti make something horizontal, either.

Kinda goofy that Konami apparently still has a shooter team when they need to. That falls into "never going to happen" collaboration territory, though, I'd imagine.

Cave's shooter teams, like jiji said, wouldn't touch polygons. Nor would they ever bother with a console game. But if hell were to freeze over or something, I certainly wouldn't have any objections. Ikeda, Yagawa, whoever.

Above all else, though, I have no qualms with whoever Sega has lying around. I'm always open to see "new" talent.

I'd take any of the above options over Treasure. And for what it's worth, I'll still be interested if it IS Treasure.

 

[dog$]

Please don't be Treasure.

I agree on principle, but you see, we have this:

If this is Treasure, I will masturbate furiously.

Tetsu Okano? HOLY SHIT DAY 1.

So in this regard, I actually somewhat hope that it is.

If having Treasure's logo stamped on Thunderforce 6 is what it takes for more than fifty people to care about a Thunderforce game, it's pretty much a good thing. It would ensure that the game will get the best possible scores from any game journalism reviews. Plus, the fair-weather shooter fans cound name drop something other than Ikaruga and RS whenever shooter discussion comes in the future. The franchise will no longer be forgotten! Thunderforce 5 will no longer be ignored or shit on when people can splooge over Treasure's Thunderforce 6 instead! Speaking of which!

NOT developed by the team who made TFV

is a bad thing, and your celebration of it is appalling. It's enough to make me question why you even care about this.

TF5 is the best shooter of the 32-bit console generation.

So what team would you rather have make this game?

Takumi. Wait, come back!

Irem? ... uh. Yeah I don't really know either.

 

[duckroll]

Out of anybody around today, realistic or not?

If I had a single choice, it would absolutely be G.rev. I'd prefer them to the original developers, even. Pour enough cash on 'em to tear them away from SnR2 (which I'm also pretty pumped for), and that would be amazing.

As I said, G.rev is a very real possibility as well, whether they're making the entire game or they're collaborating with Treasure like with Gradius V. Jiji pointed out to me yesterday that Hiroshi Luchi (RS, Ikaruga, Gradius V) probably isn't involved in TFVi for two reasons. A) Tez Okano is directing this, B) Luchi is probably directing RS3 on the 360. So even if it's Treasure, it might not be their main shooter team, so the design decisions would be less Treasure and more Okano, like in GSH and Astro Boy, for better or for worse.

 

[RyanDG]

Irem? ... uh. Yeah I don't really know either.

I wonder what it would take for Irem to reconsider their stance on no more R-Type in its traditional form... R-Type final was such a disappointing (not bad mind you) end to such a great franchise.

 

[drohne]

it's iuchi, and i no longer believe in the existence of treasure's 360 shooter

if treasure isn't doing this, i think it would be an internal sega team or a startup -- treasure's involvement would make sense because okano has worked with them before, but i'm not sure why all these other companies are in the discussion. g-rev involvement would be awesome though. border down <3

 

[Tain]

A) Tez Okano is directing this, B) Luchi is probably directing RS3 on the 360. So even if it's Treasure, it might not be their main shooter team, so the design decisions would be less Treasure and more Okano, like in GSH and Astro Boy, for better or for worse.

Yeah, this is what it ultimately boils down to. And I'm curious.

it's iuchi, and i no longer believe in the existence of treasure's 360 shooter

I'm in that same boat. It's been one quiet development process, if it's still around.

If having Treasure's logo stamped on Thunderforce 6 is what it takes for more than fifty people to care about a Thunderforce game, it's pretty much a good thing. It would ensure that the game will get the best possible scores from any game journalism reviews. Plus, the fair-weather shooter fans cound name drop something other than Ikaruga and RS whenever shooter discussion comes in the future. The franchise will no longer be forgotten! Thunderforce 5 will no longer be ignored or shit on when people can splooge over Treasure's Thunderforce 6 instead! Speaking of which!

It's all true. D:

"This game is brilliant. I clearly have no fucking clue why. You have to be good at this game to be good at this game. There are a lot of bullets. 9/10"

 

[drohne]

iirc the last thing we've heard is that iuchi's team had halted work on their new project to do xbla ikaruga? maybe they're back to it now. who knows

 

[camineet]

Hopefully ThunderForce VI sells well enough to continue doing TechnoSoft IP,

Spoiler

like Herzog Zwei.

 

[camineet]

holy shit

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3168616

After this, I'd like to hopefully release the sequel to a game that will probably surprise you...assuming everything goes well with this game, of course.

Herzog Zwei ? Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?Herzog Zwei ?

IF that happened, holy shit, just holy fucking shit. I would be like Isamu on fucking steroids :lol :lol

 

[Iam Canadian]

In all honesty, I've never actually played a Thunderforce game. That being said, I love the shmup genre, and I've seen plenty of good things about the series. Thereforce, consider me hyped for this.

 

[duckroll]

it's iuchi, and i no longer believe in the existence of treasure's 360 shooter

This is what I get for copy and pasting from Mobygames. Never again. SF-Kosmos for life now.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Normally, I like to jump on this sort of Treasure rumor-mongering and just crush all of the fanboy hopes, but this is fairly plausible. You guys have covered most of the bases already. Okano is a total Treasure and Thunderforce fanboy. I wouldn't necessarily expect it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that way either.

The only thing really going against that possibility is that Treasure's dedicated shmup team (Iuchi+Nakagawa) have supposedly "moved on" to 360 development. Drohne is right in that they were working on an original 360 shmup and that Ikaruga XBLA was a big factor in delaying it, but even taking that into consideration, that project has been in the oven forever and we know almost nothing about it. If Treasure is working on TFVI, then that other shmup has almost certainly been canned.

BTW, Yuki Mibu's specific contribution to Segagaga? He programmed the R-720 endgame sequence.

Spoiler

I think so, anyway. I am pretty sure that the interview I read forever ago that clued me onto his jump from Hitmaker to Treasure listed him as the R-720 programmer. I should probably check again.

This reminds me that I still need to look up more info on the rest of Astro Boy's staff. Treasure added a couple of other new faces to their main handheld team at the same time as Mibu, so I had suspected that they could have been ex-Hitmaker employees as well.