Gate of Thunder (TG-16)

Game Profile

The legendary sci-fi shooter is back! Gate of Thunder is a horizontal side-scrolling shooter that places you in control of special undercover agent Hawk, whose mission is to stop the deadly army of Obbellon fighters.

Jump into the action as Hawk gets aboard his ship, the Hunting Dog, and heads out toward the enemy. Blast through stages while effectively using all three of the weapons at your disposal and receiving support from ally Wild Cat ships. Switch through equippable power-up options on the fly to change the direction of your attack. You'll have to blast in front of and behind you to survive all seven stages. Hard-core shooting-game fans looking for a challenge can select HARD or DEVIL mode to experience even more intense action!

Game Review

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Review

USA Mon, 15 Oct 2007 by Damien McFerran

The legendary sci-fi shooter is back!

Playing very much like the highly regarded Thunderforce IV, Gate of Thunder represented a turning point for the PC Engine/TG-16 CD-ROM format. So long the recipient of sub-par ports and lackluster titles, the system was given a much-needed shot in the arm..

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User Comments

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1. KeeperBvK Germany 22 Sep 2007, 00:01 GMT

Yay, great news. Now it's time to announce Winds of Thunder and I'd be happy. ^^

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2. michinmuri United States 26 Sep 2007, 20:43 GMT

very very good shooter. right up there with blazing lazers, the star soldier bunch, and r-type. I'm glad they're bringing in the cd and super cd games. these games will show people who didn't get the turbo/duo back iu nthe day what they were missing, and also what the duo could have done to the market had they marketed it better/had better prices. alos, just wait for the sequel, Lords of Thunder. That game is mind blowing, especially the music. I can't wait to play all of the old games again.

__Ashdude

3. Ashdude United States 08 Oct 2007, 06:55 GMT

I can remember back in the day, I found it hard to believe that the TG-16 could run a shooter that could compete with the likes of Thunder Force III or Gaiares. But not only did Gate of Thunder take them on, it stomped them in the dirt! Out of all of the 16-bit shooters, Gate of Thunder is only topped by its own sequel, Lords of Thunder!

__Delay

4. Delay Germany 11 Oct 2007, 13:48 GMT

I wonder if the bonus games (Bonk 1 and 2, Bomberman) will be included...

__Odonadon

5. Odonadon Canada 12 Oct 2007, 20:27 GMT

Gate of Thunder is one of the best shooters - period. For any system. I prefer it to Lords of Thunder/Winds of Thunder any day of the week. The music will blow you away. It's important for those who don't know, that the music playing in the video clip is actual in-game music.

__Mii be you

6. Mii be you United States 12 Oct 2007, 22:36 GMT

Hudson announced that this game will come out this monday.

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7. morphballer United States 14 Oct 2007, 00:21 GMT

SOLD!! I've got 800 points ready to go on monday for my first TG-16 purchase EVER!

__Delay

8. Delay Germany 14 Oct 2007, 17:43 GMT

Great,
if it does, can somebody tell me if the bonus games (Bonk 1 and 2, Bomberman) of the original (cd) were included?

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9. Drake Netherlands 14 Oct 2007, 19:16 GMT

Ha, obviously they're not going to include three free games with it, are they? I'm pretty sure GoT got an individual release later as well (Maybe not in all regions), this is probably just that version.

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10. michinmuri United States 15 Oct 2007, 14:16 GMT

Awesome! It's downloaded today. If you like a shooter, don't pass it up. This game is worth posting twice about. Just wait til they bust out Y's I + II. I'll never shut up.

__Sentay

11. Sentay United States 15 Oct 2007, 15:54 GMT

Wow looks fun, but I wonder if like next week we will have Lords Of Thunder?

__aaron

12. aaron Canada 15 Oct 2007, 16:05 GMT

OMG - I had no idea they were going to release the CD games (I hoped and prayed!) Now lets just hope that Ys will come soon!

__Delay

13. Delay Germany 15 Oct 2007, 17:27 GMT

Has it the standard shooter rule (One hit and all powerups are wasted)?

__Tennant

14. Tennant United Kingdom 15 Oct 2007, 18:33 GMT

I'm downloading it for the music alone.

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15. Adamant Norway 15 Oct 2007, 20:20 GMT

So the bonus games are not included, or what?

Eh, 5 stars anyway. Now to get my Wii online.

__geoff

16. geoff Canada 17 Oct 2007, 09:54 GMT

do you have to restart a section when you die or do you just jump back into the action with a new ship instantaneously?

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17. Dazza United Kingdom 17 Oct 2007, 11:30 GMT

Geoff - you respawn rather than restarting a section.

__Delay

18. Delay Germany 17 Oct 2007, 18:56 GMT

But do you lose every item while respawning?

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19. E-dawg Australia 19 Oct 2007, 09:38 GMT

Is this game hard?

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20. morphballer United States 19 Oct 2007, 21:30 GMT

I wouldn't say that its Lost Levels or Ninja Gaiden hard but you're not going to beat the game in one sitting.

__Mii be you

21. Mii be you United States 23 Oct 2007, 21:56 GMT

Should my brother and I prefer this over Super Metroid?

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22. Dazza United Kingdom 24 Oct 2007, 00:58 GMT

I dunno, should you? lol

__Mii be you

23. Mii be you United States 26 Oct 2007, 18:31 GMT

That wasn't the response that I was hoping for, Daz.

__Mii be you

24. Mii be you United States 31 Oct 2007, 21:44 GMT

It doesn't matter anyway because I got Super Metroid. I'll get another Wii points card. And if I get yet another, I'll get this, along with Sin and Punishment.

adamtallguy

25. adamtallguy United Kingdom 03 Nov 2007, 15:38 GMT

Downloaded this great game friday sure is good fun like the cd music.On the intro theirs part of the music that sounds like Afterburner the arcade game.Sure is hard as nails too.

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26. Hilanderous United States 04 Nov 2007, 22:50 GMT

I heard the music was compressed for the virtual console. Is it noticeable?

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27. antster1983 United Kingdom 05 Nov 2007, 10:23 GMT

Not really. Still sounds brilliant though! ^.^;;

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28. Hilanderous United States 06 Nov 2007, 05:39 GMT

AWESOME! Then I'm glad CD games are making it to the VC.

starlac

29. starlac United Kingdom 06 Nov 2007, 16:55 GMT

@ Sense

If you die you lose your drones, seeker missiles and whatever weapon system you had equipped at the time, though if lasers are equipped when you die they revert to lv.1 power (of 3). However any other unequipped weapons you have when you die are unaffected.

I’ve so far found this to be a great, hectic game so far; hard and fair at the same time. I’ll have to spent more time with it to review it, but one thing is sure, I'm definitely going to be having fun with this one.

Jiggy37

30. Jiggy37 United States 01 Dec 2007, 22:32 GMT

One of only two VC shooters I've actually been able to beat (the other being Super Star Soldier), and certainly my favorite horizontal shooter to date on Virtual Console--or anywhere else, for that matter, but I haven't played too many horizontal shooters.

It's a bit of a shame that the sound effects completely overpower the otherwise-awesome music, but the weapon-switching mechanic makes this one very enjoyable game.

__Mike

31. Mike United States 02 Dec 2007, 12:25 GMT

Looks like this will be my first TG-16 game. looking forward to playing it for the first time ^^

__Shortshire

32. Shortshire United States 16 Dec 2007, 23:27 GMT

It looks awesome, I'm just in awe, nothing more to say.

__snabald

33. snabald United States 10 Jan 2008, 16:27 GMT

Great shooter, a lot like Thunder Force IV, I am aggravated by the low volume of the music though, the pumping arcade-like soundtrack really added a lot to this game back in the day, but you can't even hear it on the VC version, I remember it being much louder.

Maybe they can release a fix for it or an updated version with louder music.

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34. DEMON212 United Kingdom 21 Jan 2008, 02:27 GMT

Best SHMUP on the VC by a mile (To date).

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35. jammy_uk United Kingdom 23 Jan 2008, 13:34 GMT

I have to agree with DEMON above. Probably the best shmup available on the VC at the moment. Excellent graphics and audio. Difficulty is pitched just about right too.

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36. Nigel Canada 07 Feb 2008, 15:09 GMT

This game is awesome and crazy and hard. I really like it!

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37. Manicfatty United States 15 Feb 2008, 18:46 GMT

This is an incredible game. Hard as hell, but damn fun. Now let's have the Thunderforce games...and M.U.S.H.A., and Gaiares!

aaronlow

38. aaronlow United States 08 Mar 2008, 03:23 GMT

This a great game, however there were several changes to the sound. The sound effects are louder on VC than in TGCD, and the awesome music is much quieter than the original game. I can barely hear the music, and I have to pause the game to hear it well. I hope nintendo can fix this. I don't want to buy any other CD titles until I here that this is fixed.

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39. MasterMario United States 16 Mar 2008, 21:00 GMT

Should I download this, even though I already have Soldier Blade?

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40. Dazza United Kingdom 16 Mar 2008, 21:32 GMT

@MM - I would say so. Horizontally scrolling shmups play very differently to vertically scrolling ones. Much different pace. Both are equally good games and deserve to be played by shmup fans.

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41. fco. Chile 27 Mar 2008, 20:49 GMT

What do you guys say? This one or Axelay?

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42. Sharecrow United States 06 Apr 2008, 19:23 GMT

I have to say that this looks really, really cool. I'll get to it sometime (hopefully soon).

GEOFF

43. GEOFF United Kingdom 14 Apr 2008, 14:57 GMT

Great music yeah? I'd like to agree if I could here it.I have turn the sound right up and the sound FX are so loud my neighbours think they're under attack by Al-CIAda.

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44. TRON United States 27 Apr 2008, 06:55 GMT

One of the best ever, download now.

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45. Jon Sweden 11 May 2008, 12:33 GMT

Good game but not as good as Soldier Blade.

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46. lordbowser United States 11 May 2008, 14:58 GMT

Really solid game. The music is fantastic, controls nicely, and it adds a strategic element of what weapon to use and where it is most effective. My only complaint is the first boss is laughably easy.

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47. Eltigro United States 12 May 2008, 04:23 GMT

Currently my favorite game on the Wii. Not just VC, but the Wii.

I've played this game probably every day since I downloaded it. I never had the CD attachment for my TurboGrafx (wanted it, but couldn't afford it) but this was one of the games I wanted to play.

GEOFF

48. GEOFF United Kingdom 14 May 2008, 13:10 GMT

I've said this once and I'll say it again as I still can't believe it.This is the only game I've ever played were the sound FX drown out the music.You can not here it!!!! Which is a travesty because it is very good.Hudson FIX FIX

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49. KeeperBvK Germany 23 May 2008, 19:44 GMT

Is it really just 600 points as stated in the review? Shouldn't it be 800?

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50. Dazza United Kingdom 23 May 2008, 19:47 GMT

Oops! It is 800, don't know what happened there! :p

koresh1959

51. koresh1959 United Kingdom 28 May 2008, 10:07 GMT

I absolutely loved Lords of Thunder so last night I finally decided to download this. The music is not as good and drowned out anyway, the controls aren't as responsive and feel too heavy, and the difficulty is high but not in a good way—I found it a lot less fair than LoT. I'll put a few more hours into it but at the moment I wish I hadn't downloaded it. Maybe I'm mad for not loving it? Who knows.

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52. gnadenlos Germany 14 Jul 2008, 16:50 GMT

It's not unfair or hard. I managed to solve the first four levels within 2-3 hours of play. I'm really glad I bought it. (5/5)

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53. johnny5555 United States 15 Jul 2008, 05:30 GMT

As Koresh says, if you are looking at getting this game because you bought LoT, save your money. It's not near as good.

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54. Dormin87 United Kingdom 04 Aug 2008, 15:52 GMT

Sure it may be a higher price than other TurboGrafx games available, but it was 800 points well spent. An absolutely awesome shmup.

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55. Mickeymac United States 06 Aug 2008, 09:21 GMT

I'll make sure to get this first then. It looks pretty good to me, and it seems to be very different from Lords of Thunder, so I'll probably see it as great in it's own right.

I have to ask though, what is up with the box art?

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56. Ricardo91 United States 07 Aug 2008, 03:25 GMT

^I'm kinda wondering the same thing. :P

This game looks pretty good, and it's got one one rockin' soundtrack, but I think I'll just get Lords of Thunder instead, since that game lets you play as a flying knight. Suh-weet!

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57. Corbie United States 18 Oct 2008, 20:39 GMT

I love both Lords of Thunder and Gate of Thunder but if I could only have one, it would be Gate of Thunder. It's my all-time favorite shooter. :)

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58. supermetroid United Kingdom 02 Nov 2008, 22:12 GMT

remindes me of r-type :) lol

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59. Cally United States 07 Nov 2008, 08:17 GMT

5/5!!!!!!!!!
I am pretty hard to please with the forced-scrolling shooter genre, and Gate of Thunder is awesome. Somehow I think of games like Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden Sigma, where the action is intense and you either feel awesome for pulling it off or like you've lost to a worthy opponent if you don't. I had no idea I could enjoy a forced-scrolling shooter so much and even call it a thing of epicness until I experienced Gate of Thunder. Other shooters can feel like you're learning a dance, only really trying to figure out where in the screen you're supposed to be at what times. Gate of Thunder really isn't any different, but it's quite an elegant ship dance, with fair warning for threats and methodical placement of challenge.

Lords of Thunder comes close, but make no mistake, Gate of Thunder represents the perfect forced-scrolling shooter. The sequel gets away with throwing out a great deal more cheap shots--unpredictable, dubious hazards--thanks to the fact that it takes more than one hit to die. Gate of Thunder's challenges just make so much sense, like one area involving an asteroid avalanche while you were already going through a narrow passageway, preventing an unlucky player from hanging around the top of the screen when it started--thank you, Hudson, for using your brains and thinking about the player's point of view this time! Lords certainly isn't worse than the average shooter in this respect, but Gate of Thunder's polish makes the game one long string of the cleverest and yet impeccably-paced scenarios in the genre. No thoughtless or arbitrary stage design here.

Probably the most distinguishing aspect of the gameplay would be the ability to shoot forwards and backwards at the same time (making me miss this feature a lot in other shooters). Only one thing holds this game back, and it's tradition rearing its ugly head again: it is a PAIN to upgrade your ship again after it goes down, for one thing. (off the top of my head, Axelay is a shooter that got rid of this ugly staple of the genre)

7 levels of absolute awesome, along with a fantastic soundtrack, that's some great techno without Lord of Thunder's rather over-the-top tendencies.

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60. Iggy United States 28 Jan 2009, 02:43 GMT

Just beat this game today easily my top vc game and shmup.

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61. Maniac Canada 17 Feb 2009, 21:50 GMT

I bought this due to everyone's high recommendations and I was not disappointed. Lords of Thunder was my favourite SHMUP and this game matches it. I can't for the life of me determine which one I like better! A very good game with only one minor complaint:

I wish the soundtrack was as loud as LoT. Its hard to hear the rock background music over all the shooting and I think that's a real shame.

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62. WolfRamHeart United States 04 Mar 2009, 02:54 GMT

After reading recommendations about great shooters such as Lords of Thunder and Soldier Blade I became interested in downloading this as well. However I am not convinced after watching video on YouTube with the music drowned out by the sound effects. Too bad because I really want this. Has anyone heard if there has been a downloadable patch to correct this problem yet? Not a major problem but the music rocks on Lords of Thunder and I would like to enjoy this game at its full potential.

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63. Shinnok United States 04 Mar 2009, 04:21 GMT

This game is completely inferior to Lords of Thunder. I've tried both, and there really is no comparison.

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64. slangman United Kingdom 04 Mar 2009, 16:07 GMT

@WolfRamHeart
The music in the game is drowned out sadly. Don't know if it's just me, but I can hear it after liston to it carefully after a few goes. Great game though.

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65. WolfRamHeart United States 10 Mar 2009, 04:45 GMT

Thanks Slangman, I appreciate the advice! This game still looks awesome but now I'll probably just get Gradius:Rebirth instead!

smetloos

66. smetloos Netherlands 28 Mar 2009, 20:26 GMT

Got this game together with Lords of Thunder, Blazing Lazers and Star Soldier... awesome!

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67. WolfRamHeart United States 25 Apr 2009, 21:00 GMT

Okay, I finally downloaded this game after some convincing by Corbie. I am very glad I did because Gate of Thunder is AWESOME! I wish I had downloaded it sooner but at least now I have it and I'm really enjoying it! Yes, the sound effects still overpowers the music, which is a shame but I got used to it. Its a small price to pay for a shooting experience of this magnitude! I still like Lords of Thunder better but Gate of Thunder is a very close second!:)

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68. Kobayashi Brazil 31 May 2009, 22:25 GMT

It´s a very good shump for TG-16/Turbo Duo, but I think that Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou is better.
Me playing Gate of Thunder:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoAKEdDNvm4

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69. Angelic Lapras King United Kingdom 01 Jun 2009, 11:33 GMT

Without a doubt, one of the greatest gaming soundtracks my ears have had the pleasure to listen too. :)

Hell, its why I keep returning to this page! XD

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