Thunder Cross (Arcade/Konami/1988) [720p]

Thunder Cross is a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game released in arcades by Konami in 1988. Thunder Cross used a "layered scrolling" background, a new 2D graphics technique at the time. In 2007, it was featured as part of the Oretachi Geasen Zoku Sono budget line-up on the PlayStation 2 in Japan, and spawned a sequel, Thunder Cross II. Due on several similarities, Space Manbow can also be considered as sequel. Thunder Cross is a classic horizontal shooter with 7 stages. Players control the Thunder fighter with up to four "options", which arrange up and down vertically and attack at the player's will. Three weapons are selectable ranging from the Vulcan shot to the Laser and the Boomerang shot (which doubles as a ricochet weapon). End-of-level bosses were present and, typical of a Konami shooter, Thunder Cross forced the player to beat the game twice in a harder Loop of the first seven levels. Thunder Cross is one of these horizontal shooters where players will think "another R-Type/Katakis clone", and in this case they are probably right. Our spaceship can upgrade it's speed, primary weapon and some sort of special weapon, where our smaller ships will transform into bigger version of Fire/Laser weapons but with limited ammo. Game can be very easy or very frustriating - if you are fully powered, then it's no problem really because bosses are much easier than actual stages and you can kill them in seconds. But once you get killed, you must upgrade yourself from scratch and you are exposed to enemy fire very easily. It's also quite similar to the Thunder Force III released few years later by Tecnosoft or Gate Of Thunder.