TABLE OF CONTENTS - QUICK LINKS 0:00:00 - Intro 0:02:31 - Brief History of Lords 0:04:03 - Music & Sound 0:08:51 - Graphics and Levels 0:18:06 - Gameplay and Difficulty 0:22:29 - Cut Scenes 0:23:07 - And the Winner is... 0:23:37 - SUPER HARD MODE Gameplay with Suicide Bullets 0:25:50 - Finale
I almost never comment on here, but I have to say this is one of the best game channels I’ve ever seen on RUclips. It would be amazing to see videos focusing on the best beginner shooters for a console, like how you did the hardest ones on Genesis/T16. Thanks so much for your work on these, so excited to keep tuning in.
Miles Bowe Hot Damn that’s comment of the day right there! 😆 Thanks a bunch. As you know it’s a lot of work making these and yourself and others enjoying them so much is what keeps me going. I agree this genre is dominated by hardcore players and often elitists unfortunately and I try not to ever come off that way. And a shmups for noobs video would be really good and useful for a lot of people interested. In a way the Sega port of Lords falls into that category being quite foregiving and letting you make lots of mistakes. I’d like to find good examples of not just easier shooters but ones that will help build skill. That are well designed with tiers to improve vs simply being too easy. Very Good idea thanks for that 👍🏻
TRV dreadful is being too kind 😂. I’m figuring out how I want to do a series on that. Either a video highlighting good beginner shooters. Or maybe a Shmups 101 or for shmups for dummies series? 😆 Where each episode focuses on how to play them and improve and highlight a specific game that’s good for learning and improving, using it as an example. So it kind of kills two birds with one stone.
yeah i figured why most people do not bother commenting on here. The OP doesnt respond often at all. Unless like you, you praise his channel, then he feels the need I suppose. But that really bothers me as I have had so many questions in the past, still left unanswered. THANKS!
Thanks! I'm glad it comes through. Who knows if RUclips will deem my channel worthy of growing faster, but I am enjoying making these already for the small and dedicated group. You guys are awesome and keep me interested in making more.
Great, in-depth review of the two games. I've beaten Lords of Thunder on Sega CD, but now I feel like I will not have truly beaten the game until I do so on Turbo CD with the suicide bullets! Looks like there's enough going on in both to warrant having a copy of each. :)
Abby Jameson You’re a veteran I’ll bet you have no problem finishing the Turbo version. I think you’ll enjoy the actual gameplay it’s a more satisfying accomplishment but not super tough. The Super mode is another story it’s extremely tough almost punishing. Very few can get far or beat that mode. But it’s really fun to play and get your ass kicked 😂. I usually need several tries on any level in that mode to get a good run.
Yes I noticed that later on after watching it again. I am not nearly as familiar with the Sega version but should've noticed. It's honestly my favorite track of the bunch so it's interesting they chose to swap it into the final level.
@@ShmupJunkie My brothers and I made a cassette tape of both versions back to back we used to listen to all the time in the car back in the day. So we would've noticed if it was missing. I agree, it's better without the narration.
Right, switching Bosque's and the final stage's music for the Sega CD version actually worked for me. The music actually fit the stages so much better. Also, I prefer the Sega CD arrangements overall. Cleaner sounding guitar, more punchy drums, bass lines are epic as hell and the keyboard hooks are definitely better sounding in Cielom.
Thanks man. That super mode is very hard it takes me multiple tries before I can get a good run on a level. Many times it just wrecks you. The mode was not meant to be very reasonable haha. But it's fun to try and just see how you do. Sometimes I get lucky and others it destroys me.
I never rewatch youtube videos, but have seen this a ton of times. Love your attention to detail, passion, and sense of humor in all these videos, dude!!
Thanks man! I really do have fun making them. I have to rewatch them endlessly in bits while putting them together, but I’ve found it fun to go back and watch some of my older ones that I haven’t seen in a while too haha.
Thanks. This was the very first of several comparison videos I did and thought it turned out super fun! It’s been quite a while since I made one of these.
Yeah on the Turbo version it does! I have to tell you it’s extremely tough in that mode. I get lucky with it on and off and don’t consistently do well. It’s truly a super mode. So don’t feel bad if it hands you your ass it’s a bit overwhelming in spots.
Ha! I think that was the very first bit I ever had for my channel. I made it just as something funny back on IG and when I did my first ever video reviewing the pc engine mini I figured it was perfect for the intro. Of course I had to use it here too.
Outstanding video. The details, common sense, partiality & objectivity, and the technical production ... just wow, such a good time watching it. A lesson on how to make RUclips videos.
Thanks! I made this a long time ago as well... it was my very first comparison video before doing many others afterward. So I think they only improved over time, but I love Lords a bunch, so it was special making this.
I've seen many comparison videos on youtube. This channel is hands down the best one. My only wish is that he would do it on every game every made for all systems and arcade LOL.
Haha like classic game room. Maybe if I keep going until I’m old and grey. This was my very first one too. I’ve tried to slowly improve them with each new game. I’m sure I’ll do some more in the future too. They just have to be games I like and want to compare.
Been playing this one a lot lately and was noticing the differences. Great video! I first noticed the gem color was a bit different as was the sound when collecting them. As always, S+ tier content!
Yeah, I know it well. I also like using some emulators or a MiSTer to adjust the turbo version music so it's louder versus the effects. Works out really well.
Oh dude, THAT sounds like the best version of Lords of Thunder if you ask me. The Sega CD arrangements sound better overall, the guitar is cleaner, bass is nice and punchy, way better sounding keyboard, etc. It's just the better soundtrack. However, I can fully acknowledge the PCE-CD version does have the better colors and is more difficult overall.
I remember having this convo with you about the difficulty on IG. The Sega CD version is a lot of fun, but I beat it the first time I ever played it without much of a concern. When I tried to do the same with the Turbo version, I got waxed. Huge difference between the two is in that department and you showcase that here very well.
Absolutely. And I had always heard it was easier, but didn't realize how much moreso until I played it all the way through this week. I would have liked to have had more time and played through it on the harder difficulties as well to see what changes, but I will at some point as I'm curious.
Thanks! I've been doing a lot of these comparisons and this was just my first one I ever did. I hope you enjoy some of the others. I made a playlist for them.
Funny enough it was my very first comparison video. But it’s lords of Thunder so I had to give it some oomph and console wars vibe. I have fun making these though. Also gave me an excuse to use the term gentleman sausage 🤣
@@ShmupJunkie I’m a huge Jeremy Clarkson fan, so gentlemen sausage was great to hear. Seriously though, I’ve been with you since you started. Take it to heart when I tell you that you’re killing it with your videos. I’ve watched a lot of youtube videogame channels over the decade (I think we all have lol). You are right there with the cream of the crop. You know your trade but you’re also not so lame to dismiss mini consoles and such. Your comedy is not cringy forced. It’s clever and fun. You dont beg for subs and likes. And best of all, you come across as a childhood friend I’ve known for years (even though I dont really know you at all, lol) That is (actually) a great way to circle this compliment back to the gentleman sausage. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May on Top Gear (and now Grand Tour) have that skill. They make you feel like you’re there with them as the 4th guy on the adventure. You do the same with your videos. You come across as so real and likable. And you’re killer at the games to boot. I dont want to ramble but you put a lot of effort into these and I hope a comment like this helps you feel that you’re doing things the right way. All the best.
@@randycruel Very much so and comments like yours are what keep me going and enjoying what I do. So thank you for that. Glad to see another Top Gear fan I used to watch them a ton and really enjoyed their extended road trips and adventure videos. I’m glad at least one person got that gentleman sausage reference 🤣
excellent video. indeed the best lords of thunder comparison on youtube. fun story: i actually beat the sega cd version first. it was also my first shooter and i mostly killed tougher enemies with the sword thinking it was probably intended that way. needles to say, it threw my noob ass off big time later in the PCE version.
Lol yeah it’s a bit of a jump going to the PCE release after the fact. Hard to believe I never even tried the SegaCD version until last year and really played it completely until this week. The sword is completely OP. That moment of invincibility after getting hit makes it much easier too. I wouldn’t dog it if it were simply easier, but I wasn’t a fan of how they changed the balance of the game. It made it less fun to play for me personally. Otherwise I thought it was a pretty competent port.
Great comparison! This video was absolutely needed. Glad you did it. I appreciate the clarity of the audio on the Sega version, but overall I definitely prefer the Turbo version for the smoother look and the little effects you mentioned.
Johnny Grafx Thanks 🙏 I agree the previous comparisons I’ve seen were not too detailed so I was pretty surprised to find all these details when I played it. Yeah can’t fault the Sega tracks they’re well done. Only oddity was them removing that killer final stage track no idea why that was done. 🤷♂️
nuwavghost I could talk about shoot em up music til the day I die 😂. The problem is almost all of them have awesome music and the episode would be a lord of the rings length trilogy 🤣
I’m glad RUclips was nice enough to help you find it 🤘. I’m almost done with my zero wing comparo hopefully up this Sunday. Spare no expense with the memes 😅
I originally had the Sega CD version when I was younger and just recently played the turbo cd version. Since I grew up the the Sega CD version I actually prefer the powerful sword and somewhat easier difficulty. I was having a hard time playing the Turbo version at first due to the differences and it just felt wrong to me. I know the turbo version was the original but that is just me. Otherwise I agree with most everything you said in the comparison. Great video!!!!
Yeah that's how it is for us turbo heads only in reverse. But you're right the turbo version is definitely harder by a good bit. We will all prefer what we started with and became accustomed to. Truxton was like that too. It's a good thing the Sega port was a bit more reasonable or a lot less people may have fond memories. The PCE port is one I love too but exceptionally brutal.
Amazing video!! The comparison is detailed and fair; I am going to follow your suggestion regarding the TurboGrafx Duo version. Also, impressive playing perfomance there in the very hard mode!!
Thanks man! Yeah if you have a way to play it on the Duo or Mini certainly do. The Super mode is extremely hard it took me several tries to get a good run on that stage. It's more of a fun way to get your ass kicked when the main game has gotten too easy haha.
a really fair and detailed comparison. You definitely cover all of the areas i was interested in knowing, never having played the Sega CD version myself. I did expect the Sega CD gameplay to be easier but its great to see a solid confirmation and also learn about the other detailed differences. I also very much enjoyed Iggy and Ozzy's perspectives 🤣
Minty Retro Lol thx dude. Maybe I’ll get better with Ozzy’s accent if I practice more 😅. It was a fun goof but I’m sure they’ll be back one day for another metal review somewhere.
Thank you man. But to be fair LoT is my bae I know it like the back of my hand and have been playing it for ages. I didn’t do a lick of research as I know things about it that aren’t even documented. In retrospect I should have on the SegaCD side which I didn’t play much and missed some things. This was my first comparison I did so I tried to up my game from there. Hellfire comparo was my latest if you ever see it you’ll see the small progressions in the depth and quality. But I put tons of editing time into it. At some point I’ll have to figure out how to be more time efficient as it’s becoming a full time job 😅... fun as it is.
I was just stuck on making short videos for reviews and not going in depth as much as I should have. I'm trying to fix that now. Also actually put more love into the editing and writing. I can see you have been doing that already for sure and it's great! Definitely keep at it.
This game shreds so hard. Hearing the peak of video game OSTs in the 90's has led to a depressing experience with every other game since then. It's also amazing how important to a game it's soundtrack is. The OST kept me coming back to LoT until I beat it as a kid. Similar experience to a less degree with Lightening Force (TF4) which also had a sick soundtrack. Great video, bro. Keep it up.
Thanks man. And I couldn’t agree more. They don’t do soundtracks like they used to and many games are the worse off for it. I kept my original Lords game and still have it. I used to just play it in my CD player long after I didn’t have a Duo anymore. I miss the old chip tunes. And I miss the killer CD soundtracks like this, a Cotton, Ys and many others. They really tried back then to take advantage of the new CD format and create killer music.
17:36 In the ice cave, there were occasional pillars of ice created using sprites, that overlapped the distant background layer. The pillars are not present in the Sega CD version. The overreliance on color dithering (referred to you by anti-aliasing or something) also hurts the overall presentation on the Sega CD. To top it off, it runs in the lower resolution mode on the Sega console vs the higher resolution mode that was used on most games. Because it runs in lower resolution, you can't even combine the dithering to create new shades of color using anti-dithering filters in retroarch or by using composite on real hardware.
I've been learning a lot more lately on the sega dithering and why it was used since making the video a while ago. Anti aliasing was the wrong term to use it didn't even exist at that time, I was just explaining that smoothing effect pc engine graphics often have and how it looked to me. But I am always impressed thinking back at the color gamut it had vs the newer sega, and quite a fast processor as well. I never did get why sega went with such a compromise on their color gamut at the time although they did really well to work around it over time. I still think the sega port of Lords looks quite decent and could have been even better given a more thorough porting job, since we know what it's capable of in the right hands. For whatever reason the dithered look never bothered me too much. It was just different but I didn't think much of it.
@@ShmupJunkie I read somewhere that they wanted to add more video ram for color and also scalling hardware but that could have raised the price for the system's manufacturing and of course for the customers (Also they couldn't fit those in the board, it was too big already). They added a bunch of other features, like having 2 bg layers (Dynamic ones), more sprites on screen, and many many more. They went for a functional optimized system rather than for presentation. I mean, it still looks great, if the NEC PC's could manage to show amazing pixel art with 16 colors on screen and tons of dithering, I think 61 aren't bad ;)
Most excellent video as usual! Another graphical difference that was not mentioned is that on PC Engine when you hit some large enemies they will blink, whereas on Sega CD they won't.
The Mister emulation is awesome don't think you'll regret it, especially being able to turn up the music or down the sound effects for LoT, so you hear the music more and the effects aren't so loud and obscure it. Great feature
@@ShmupJunkie spent my first day with the basic setup today - blown away. although I never realised how spoiled I was these days regarding difficulty! I need to git gud, stage 9 of blazing lazers is destroying my 1cc attempts!
@@wesleyscott910 Check out my shooter 101 video for final stage Blazing Lazers tips. There’s a specific weapon combo that makes the last stage so much easier and I show gameplay with it. It’s definitely hard without the right weapon.
Bro, there's only one word that can describe this game no matter the version AND your video: Badass! Oh yeah, just wanted to mention that it seems some of the names of the stages are in spanish. Cielom (cielo-sky), Bosque (Woods), Llamarada (Flare) and Helado (Frozen). And the song from the last stage and the Bosque stage are only swapped for some reason, the tune is still there in the Sega CD version
Good catch on the Bosque music swap I totally spaced on that. Maybe they just wanted to save the most bad ass track for the final level who knows. But I went back to my gameplay vids and you're right... it's swapped. What a trip.
@@ShmupJunkie if you ask me, I am glad they swapped out the BGMs, plus the arrangements sound better overall on the Sega CD version. Bosque, Auzal and Cielom in particular sound amazing on the Sega CD version.
That intro goes waaaay back too. I made it before I even had a channel and was just messing around on IG for fun. It came out so good I ended up using it as the intro for all my early pc engine review videos. It’s nostalgic now!
@@khlothostonney5760 i used to call the tg16 hotline a lot for tips and tricks. one month i was grounded cuz i ran up the phone bill by $80 calling it. next month i sported a black splatterhouse t-ahirt and the lords of thunder vhs
Wow thanks for the very informative review between these games. Both look like must haves if your a fan. I only wish a Japanese Mega CD version had been released, I've never actually played the Sega CD version. Another brilliant video for sure, keep up the great work 👍
RetroHeed I could swear I’ve seen Mega CD cover art for this game. Unless it was a photoshop job. As you’re right I’ve never seen a physical copy ever posted anywhere.
@@ShmupJunkie None of the Hudson Soft games converted from either the PC Engine or the PC Engine CD to the Mega Drive and the Mega CD were ever released in Japan, they were developed especifically for North America and Europe. It's very similar to what Konami did with another PC Engine CD to Mega CD conversion of their own, Snatcher. So yeah, what you probably saw was the cover of the European Mega CD version, which fortunately reuses the same artwork of the Japanese PC Engine CD and North American Turbo CD versions, albeit with a different background and title font. I feel bad for the awful boxart you guys got for the North American Sega CD version and I'm surprised you didn't include that point in the comparison despite showing the boxarts here and there. Then again, it wouldn't have been fair for us who own the European Mega CD version.
Woooooooo! You did it again dude! Awesome video showcasing a holy grail masterpiece. Lord's Of Thunder is a game I knew of back in the day but due to the extreme import costs I never got to experience and refused to via an emulator. I want my first time with Lords Of Thunder to be on original hardware, even if it's 5 years from now, tall order I know. Since meeting you on Instagram, and winning my dream console I've always wanted since 1987, and watching your RUclips channel I've got to see, experience, and learn so much about this awesome game. It's music is some of the best I've heard for a game of it's era, and it still kicks ass today! Personally I prefer the graphics of the Duo due to the smoothness of the backgrounds and lead sprites, and was surprised the SEGA CD chose the more pixelated look, but I still like it, it's marginal, but DUO wins for me. Gameplay wise that's really interesting to know how much easier the SEGA CD is compared to the DUO. Reality is I'm probably going to get wasted a lot when I eventually do get Lords Of Thunder on DUO but I'm very stubborn when it comes to games, especially when I'm in the mood for a shmup. And if I get really desparate I can hunt save me pennies and hunt down a SEGA CD and game as well, although I know that's probably major mola. Seriously great video from my FAVOURITE RUclipsR. Seriously looking forward to the next video mate!
Thanks for the kind words man. I don’t blame you for waiting. We all want our first time to be special 😂🤣. The mini is a pretty great way to play it though as aside from the extra bit of delay from emulation it’s a perfect port. Looks and sounds great. Monday is always an interesting day brainstorming what I can come up with next 🤔
@@ShmupJunkie I keep forgetting about the mini's. I just found a local NEC DUO but it's a JAPANESE version, so no go. £400.00. Definitely gonna need to save my pennies as a USA version is going to be a lot pricier than that it seems. Gonna look in a few months. Looking forward to the next creation.
King Lizzard's Game Lounge wouldn’t you prefer the Japanese version? CD games are not region protected so you can play any region on any duo. Only the hucard games are protected. I love my white Duo R I use it for all my gaming. The white Duo R units are the best you can get. The original Duo have more leaking cap issues.
@@ShmupJunkie I didn't realise it was region free. The DUO R I saw that claimed to be a Japanese model was BLACK though and made by NEC? Or are they misadvertising?
King Lizzard's Game Lounge All the Duo R I’ve ever seen are white. The original base Duo is black. The import has purple highlights like the button to open the cd tray. If it’s black and purple it’s a Duo but they are likely mistaken calling it an R. It’s the same unit they play all the games. But the R has some fixes and improved components. It’s like a newer revision Xbox same unit but where they improve the fans and heat dissipation etc.
What a fantastic game! Your channel inspired me to spend some proper time on this game. Just managed to 1cc it on normal. First time in any shooter for me :)
Awesome! Did you play the Turbo version or Sega? It's definitely easier on the SegaCD, but if you finished it on the Turbo it's a nice first accomplishment congratulations. The final stage really turns it up and isn't easy until you memorize some sections. It's an amazing game to play through the first time I'm glad you got to enjoy it. They don't make soundtracks like that any more.
@@ShmupJunkie I played it on the PC Engine Mini. Yeah that the final stage is quite brutal. Thank god the final three bosses after that are a walk in the park with fully powered-up earth armor. Started playing Blazing Lasers now. Trying to save-state my way through all the stages first, but the game feels a lot tougher.
@@TheArcadeMonarch Earth armor for life 🤟 that’s all I ever use now. Blazing Lazers is an old favorite but yes it gets tougher. First few levels should be no sweat but then it’s go time. It’s on the easier side of vertical shmups but it’s not a walk in the park. The big thing is take advantage of the golden lives! Get as many as you can early on so you can respawn when you die later. There is also a trick where if you don’t fire at all on the first boss and let it just go away after a while, the game will give you a ton of golden lives and bombs that will help get through the game. 😎
Hot fire! My first exposure to LoT was the video tape! I sent away for it, and still have it somewhere in my collection. But, I was a Sega CD guy, and couldn't afford a Duo, so I just wishfully dreamt of someday playing the game, and the others on the system. I was surprised to find the Sega CD port at an EB in the mall, and especially surprised because I had passed it by a couple times, because of the TERRIBLE box art! When I realized what I'd missed, I snatched it up and was stoked to finally get to play LoT. Cut ahead a few years, and I finally got hold of a Duo and the orginal LoT, and was surprised by the differences - all of them you mentioned here. So, I have a soft spot for the Sega CD version, but have really come to appreciate the Duo original over the years, especially as it's more available. Great vid!
I don't know if this has been mentioned, but I believe there might be a bit of a mistake in this video. The song you said was missing in the SEGA CD version, is there. From what I recall (and I might be wrong on this, but I checked some playthroughs that backed up my memories), the Turbo and SEGA-CD versions switched a couple of songs. The song that's played during the Bosque stage on the SEGA-CD, is played during the final stage on the Turbo. And the song that's played on the final stage of the SEGA-CD, is played during the Bosque stage on the Turbo.
It's totally a mistake. It was my first time playing the SegaCD version and I missed that they simply swapped them around. Unfortunately unlike a web wiki, once it's up and done it's too late to change, so since it's minor I just left it alone.
Awesome upload! Had this game way back on the Sega CD but never played the Turbo version until recently on the TG16 mini, loved the sound track and noticed it was a bit different and that's what lead me here, while I do like the Turbo version a little more honestly you can't go wrong with either, the sound track along with Guilty Gear are among my all time favorite of all time
It's one of the few games I still have and kept from back then, simply to have an play in my CD player and car over the years. I just couldn't let it go.
I had played the Mega CD years ago and I was amazed but not really hooked. It felt like you could get away with it even playing badly, as long as you shopped wisely. Then I play the Turbo version this year courtesy of the CoreGrafx Mini (my only way of accessing this game, I'm a total PC Engine noob, has been a blast so far..) and, wow, I wasn''t playing nothing but Lords of Thunder for days, just practicing and getting good. Good side effect: I ended up loosening the admittedly stiff dpad to a decent level :D
Amerigo Costa Yes that’s a good analogy. It looks and sounds great on the megacd but the gameplay is very forgiving. You can play pretty poorly and still get through like it’s a starter shmup. But it also takes away that fun factor. It sounds like you are enjoying the mini version a lot 👍🏻. Keep at it once you get decent it’s not a hard game to run without any continues. At least until the final level which ramps up the difficulty another notch. But a full shield helps a lot to make some mistakes and still get through.
Just seen thunder on wii u store and wondered what’s happening as never played it on SEGA CD or even seen a turbografx . Great review think I’ll pull the trigger before it’s gone for $7 that’s a bargain for a arse kicking look forward to watching more of your vids 👍
Love the channel I found it by accident. I loved shmups back in the day and I loved lords of thunder. I remember back in the day when you could put turbo CD's in your CD player, (remember doing play track one) and I remember copying it to cassette tape as a kid to listen to in my walkman on the bus ride to school and kids would ask what music is that from?
I kept my original games of Lords of Thunder, Ys and DraculaX for that reason. So I can still play them in my CD player even years after I didn't have a working Duo anymore. The music was amazing.
Hi! Really love your videos and location full of retro video goodness 😍 What kind of screen do you have for your retro console? It seems a lcd but with a great "retro-feeling" 🤩🤩
I have two different screens I play on. An old CRT and just a newer LCD by Vizio P series that has a very low input lag. The reason it looks good on the LCD is because I am using an OSSC. There is now a newer product called a Retrotink 5X that will do the same thing but easier to use. If you want your older games to look beautiful on a modern TV I can highly recommend either one of these.
Great vid by the way! Question. Is it just me, or does the collection of power ups / coins also seem secondary on the Sega CD? I don't hear them when I'm collecting them unless I stop shooting, while on the Turbo, I hear the collection sound, shooting sound and music all at the same time. Love it!
You’re correct, the sounds do get muffled together a bit on the sega port for the gems. Overall the sound effects are more muted to not interfere with the music vs the turbo port where they can be quite loud. It’s a bit inconsistent where you just don’t hear every pickup. I wanted to see if you’d heard of the dark city productions remix for Lords and Gate of Thunder on turbo. For the $30 or so I can’t recommend it enough. It’s basically the same game but the music is remastered and audio levels adjusted. The music is more prominent and still sounds amazing, and the sound effects are all there but don’t overwhelm the music at all. Once I played it it’s the version I stick to now and prefer. You can really crank the sound without the effects getting overwhelming.
@@ShmupJunkie Very cool didn’t know about them. I checked out the site says they don’t allow orders for another month or so, but thanks for the info and keep up the vids bud!
Thank you for this video. I appreciated the comparison and recommendation to play this game. What a miss back in the day for me. Of course funds not being unlimited I was not able to pick this up and lost some interest in shmups. However I just started playing the sega cd version and I really like it. I am not the best at shooters and it takes me some tries to get far. But man the music is fantastic. I believe you mentioned some of the people behind thunder force 3 may have made this game. I mention this because it does feel like it with the stage select, etc. Anyways, keep up the good work.
Yes you’re right. The same main devs behind the TF3 also made Gate and Lords of Thunder on the pc engine. Incredible games. Really glad you’re enjoying Lords no matter which version you play. It really has to be experienced so take your time and have fun with it. The music is insane.
Been meaning to leave a comment since I watched it this morning 😅 another amazing video man. Loved how you broke everything down. I can agree with you and say that because of the difficulty issue the Turbo won this battle 👏🏼👏🏼
About the difficulty. Didn't the Sega cd version have "Normal" and "Hard" difficulty option? I am fine with normal as I am not a pro. But, if I need challenge then I could certainly choose"Hard" difficulty in options to make it at par with Turbo graphics version. Isn't it? Would that make the Sega version the definitive version as I like Sega approach to music. What are your views on that? And I didn't see you mention that in your review.
Yes the Sega version does have harder modes. The main reason I didn’t prefer the sega version isn’t so much the difficulty but the way it feels to play. The mechanics are different because of the way you are hit and the weapon/sword balance. It requires a very different strategy to play that I didn’t find as interesting. It’s mostly centered on spamming your sword attack well because it’s so powerful. But that’s just my preference don’t let that sway you from playing the segacd version if you want. It’s still a fun game you’ll enjoy. Also if you mainly prefer the sega music, there is a patch out there that actually plays the Turbo version with the sega cd tracks!
I recall the intro package to get TurboDuo. I wanted one but only knew one guy who had it. He also had sega cd so he must've had a lot of $$$. The duo looked really cool.
You still have your original copy from Gamedude!! That's radical! So much love for this game. I had both back in the day but always preferred the Turbo version by far. What an awesome breakdown of both. Really enjoyed it man. Gaaarrraahooohhraaaarrr!!! 😂😂
Thanks man! It's crazy that store is still around too 30 years later, even if it's a shadow of it's former self. It was a staple in the area back then. Glad you enjoyed the vid I was stoked how it came out too. I think my death scream was far better than my terrible fake accent 😅
@@ShmupJunkie I was a Game Dude maniac back in the day. I first went in 89 or 90 but the late 90s to early 2000s were ridiculous. It was practically my 2nd home 😂. I really did enjoy your vid man. Have been enjoying all of them!
Justin Cherriman oh man tell me about it. I tried at first but then just dropped it and went for something Aussie mixed with Irish. The stutter is impossible haha. Bit off more than I could chew but at least it was a train wreck kind of funny lol.
since i don't own a turbo cd or the turbo mini i had to download a couple of turbo games including lot from the wii u eshop. god damn is the music badass. the music is something that Johnny Laurence himself will be proud of and get his students to play to get pumped for a karate tornament
@@ShmupJunkie ive been getting into turbo game more recently its like rediscovering a lost childhood. But to get games legaly is hard and expensive and its hard to get a mini consel in tje cheap. I wish konami could just put turbo games on all digital stores so that way i dont have to try to find what stores or collection has them.
@@QuetzalToon005 It’s extremely expensive with some of the games. Even though I collect many of them too, I still just use my flash cart to play all the other games I don’t. It’s convenient and works great. And you are still using real hardware if you choose.
@@ShmupJunkie i get the whole purist mindset i mean i went as far as buying a neo geo cabinet with 4 games for just $300, but i wish these games were accessible on digital stores so if anyone wants to play them they can legally buy them. i wish that konami can release a turbo collection the same way snk & data east is doing with the their games
Going through the files on the Sega CD version, the original track that plays on the turbo version of the last level is actually on the disc. There is exactly one matching song on Sega for every turbo version. I know because I did the song replacement hack.
I realized this too later after I made the video. They swapped the forest stage with the final stage on SegaCD, so they are both in there but swapped out. Go figure. Think they were trying to save the most badass track for the final level.
Having owned both versions, this is a matchup I am qualified to comment on. When it comes to Lords of Thunder for TurboGrafx Super CD vs Lords of Thunder for Sega CD the winner is...Gate of Thunder. It was pretty awesome getting that same VHS tape in the mail, though. I watched it way more than the Donkey Kong Country video with the Killer Instinct sneak peak at the end. None of this compares to Bonk talking to me in ooga booga every time I played Gate of Thunder, however.
Lol, you know I won't disagree with you. Aside from the music being epic (not that gate isn't too), I agree Gate of Thunder is a more fundamentally sound shooter overall and a better game. It was a shame Gate got passed up on the mini as it's a classic. Despite being a thunder force clone if you want to call it that, it was a damn good one about on par with those games.
@@ShmupJunkie It was a somewhat surprising omission. Legendary Axe was probably the really odd omission (from an American standpoint). I think they made up for it by including titles I wasn’t expecting. I still haven’t bought it yet. I’m stubbornly waiting for a similar compilation to arrive on Switch. The way I feel about the mini-consoles is that if I wanted a stack of my old game consoles, I would still have all of my old game consoles. 😂
@@robertrada6040 To be fair these days just a single Mister is perfect to play most near flawlessly and on a crt no less with the analog out if desired. Aside from it’s one downside of being too technical for many to set up. I’ve been using mine a lot. The analogue products have been plug n play and great but they’re too hard to get and again you end up with a stack of consoles. At least the Mister one box does it all. I’m going to do a shmups on mister video one of these days soon and try showing it’s not nearly as hard to set up as many think. For those that may want to use one.
4 hours in and I still don't know what the blue balls that appear when you kill enemies (blue and red crystal). What are these blue balls and what do they do? Also how do you gain more power during play? How do you increase the red and yellow bar above during the levels? These infos are not even in the manual.
Do you think the shmup library on Sega/Mega CD is worth looking into? I used to have Silpheed and liked it, but that's long ago. Thinking of a Terrainion Mega SD, but it's kinda expensive...would like to play Lords Of Thunder though, even if it's the worse version.
Jan-Niklas Hoffmann I don’t know if there are enough shmups on the CD to justify the MegaSD, but it does have a few really good ones that I got it for. Bari-Arm, Aleste, and Keio Flying Squadron are all very cool and worth playing. Keio is pricey and hard to get otherwise. Sol Feace is one more. It also has an English Snstcher which I always wanted to play. So can’t say if it’s worth it for those alone if you already have an Everdrive, but it was the only way I could play them. I was thinking a video specifically on Sega CD shooters would be fun as they’re more obscure. But if you only want to play Lords a turbo mini would be way cheaper for $99 let alone all the other dozen plus amazing shmups on there.
@@ShmupJunkie thanks, I will wait with the Mega SD then. Your videos have convinced me that PC Engine and Saturn rule, so those are next in line...the MVS/Supergun combo looked so cool that I couldn't resist, I hope I won't be disappointed. Now I need to save a bit because it was expensive and a spontaneous purchase ..
Mega-CD/Sega-CD had the best Final Fight soundtrack. The only exclusive shooter I know of off the top of my head was Keio and I would take the shooter library on Saturn and PC-Engine over Keio any day. Inevitably most of the best Saturn shooters will end up on Switch.
Still has my copy on the duo that I bought straight from TTI/tzd (before they started pushing photocopied copies of covers for their games (my dungeon explorer 2, from tzd, came with a B&W cover sheet 😞) Back on track, nice to see the actual differences between the games besides the 20+ years of people claiming just the audio is different.
godashram I wonder if that B&W version is even more rare? It sucked then but now it’s a piece of history. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one like that. Yeah not a ton of great comparisons out there it had to be done. It was fun to break down the levels a bit for the changes. Not to nitpick but just never saw anything out there that did it.
@Shmup Junkie I doubt it... Seems like tzd had disc stock but not manuals/packaging and to save money they just sent them out like that... I heard of a few later cd games released by tzd had a similar variants. It was probably just to help with stock reduction
OH CRAP GAME DUDE HAHAHAH I used to go by that place all the time back in the 90's! I'm on the east coast now but I still have several games with that silver GD sticker on there!
So you were from LA too then I take it? That's pretty cool. It was a good store back in the day, definitely a shadow of it's former self now. But that fact it's still there at all is crazy.
@@ShmupJunkie yes sir, L.A. born and raised. Moved east in 2006. It was an awesome place in the 90's but started to change even back then. Sad to hear that it sounds like it only got worse, but I'm not too surprised they are still there. There's still a niche for small stores that deal in imports and retro games. We have a few cool ones in VA too, like Video Game Heaven. Fun side note... I still have my Sega CD Lords of Thunder and I got that from Game Dude!!
@@bca5251 we’re LoThunda brothers then 😅, I wasn’t kind to the sega port back in the day but those were pricklier times haha. I moved out of LA proper long ago into nicer burbs. That traffic and crowds isn’t for me anymore after living there long enough. Now I have nice weather and am just over an hour from the mountains to get away.
The scrolling backgrounds on Genesis are nice, but I just can't get past that trademark Sega color dithering. Color on PCE has always been a standout for me, and this game does not disappoint.
For whatever reason, the dithering didn't bug me as much on Genesis games, but the PC Engine definitely had a smoother look. It's crazy how many colors it had for such an early console and it's potential.
No worries it's just an odd term. It's when every enemy you kill releases one, or many additional bullets at you. So in addition to them simply shooting more, every enemy that dies creates an additional bullet. The larger enemies in this game can create several of them as they die making it more difficult.
Damn, I miss my PC Engine duo, and Samsung GX-TV! what a great era for gaming. Samsung, should make a flatscreen tv version of the old GX! BTW, Masamune Shiroh (appleseed/ghost in the shell) did the cover art for Lords of Thunder.
Really? I had no idea about the artwork that's awesome. No wonder it looks so good. Thanks for that bit of info as I'd never seen it written out anywhere before. Learn something new every day.
Also I was a turbohead back in the day too. I lost all my game stuff before PC engine got popular when the retro gaming scene took off. I owned the stuff back in the 90s when no one knew or cared. I got most of it from turbo zone direct and flea markets. I had quite a collection. But I wasn't collecting it just to collect. I played all those games so they wouldn't be worth much now cause they were well used. But I had a lot of the saught after games. There were a lot more I wish I had gotten when I had the chance. But as a teen in middle school I didn't have the cash to drop at the time. And I wasn't thinking about making a collection. I bought the games I thought I would like playing. And then emulation came around. I got to see a lot of games that were never released in the US. Also after my duo died it was the only way to play the cd games I had. I was literally using magic engine to play my scd games on PC cause that was the only way I could play them. And there are a lot of emulators now. But you gotta give credit to magic engine. It was the first that worked accurately and also could also run the cd games. I couldn't afford to buy a new turbo duo so for a while magic engine was my turbo duo. I got my original one from TZD for around 300 because I traded in my tg16 with the memory expansion that plugged in the back expansion port. So I got a 50 dollar discount. And that was in the 90s. So if you want to talk about turbo nerds. I think my credentials are in order. I had the original hardware. And after I couldn't access that I started emulating. Now that is the only way to play the games unless you have 10 thousand dollars to actually buy the stuff.
This brought me back to summer 1993! I think someone may have already noted this factoid, but Masamune Shirow created the original cover art for the TurboDuo release. The art itself wouldn’t reappear in any format until his Intron Depot 2: BLADES book of collected works. Compare the Duo cover art with the painfully generic Sega CD box art; CLEAR ADVANTAGE: TURBODUO
I actually did not know that artwork fact until very recently when someone else mentioned it. I always just knew it was bad ass. Without a doubt the cover blows the US Sega release away. But the Mega CD actually uses the same art. So it’s again a matter of some marketing geniuses in the west taking an amazing Japanese cover and ruining it lol.
@@ShmupJunkie lol many thanks for the reply! BTW you should be able to find Shirow’s intron depot collection on the cheap as it was localized by Dark Horse for the US release. That way you can see the full cover art blown up to full size without any of the text/title overlays. This is just a guess regarding the Sega CD US release but it’s likely the publisher passed on the Shirow cover because it would have likely meant cutting another check to the artist for the reproduction.
@@tankorrsmash I do at least have the turbo force issue with it on the cover which is pretty rad too. But thank you for that I had no idea. I’ll definitely look it up as if I can get just the image somewhere I would. Thanks again!
Super hyper amazing game, super, hyper amazing comparisson, i agree in everything u say, great video, please do a silpheed sega cd vs comparisson video.
Great game. Both look good. Luckily I got my hands on a TurboGFX mini so I will be playing that version. & I still go to Game Dude once in a while just to look at the cool stuff they got there & maybe buy a retro game, but now a days most retro stuff is too expensive. I used to buy old gaming magz there too. Anyway another great vídeo, thanks 👍
I haven't been to that Gamedude in ages, but I did stop by a few years ago. A shell of it's former self compared to how it used to be... it was a phenomenal place to trade in and get new games, as well as find older classics. Most likely they are just picked clean now and sold most of the good stuff. But I still plan to stop by again when I am in the area to see how it's doing. It won't be around forever.
Turbo is the way to go but Sega CD is more of an enjoyable experience due to the difficulty, at least for me. One of my favorite shooters along with the awesome and amazing OST.
SegaSaturnSNK That’s a good point that I also kind of brought up. The Sega version seemed like they made it more accessible for a larger audience and doesn’t beat you over the head right away. That soundtrack is awesome no matter which system. 👌🔥
Not a fan of the dithered graphics on the Sega, it wasn’t done to “look sharper” it was done due to compromise due to its lack of ability to display more than 61 color on screen simultaneous vs the Duo which did 482. That’s why there’s the disparity.
Also the seizure effect when your character is hit is dumb af on Sega, it’s missing the sound effect and I agree on the music, the Duo version makes you want to kick ass, the Sega makes me want to drink hot tea and eat crumpets 😆
LMAO yeah I had to be fair on the music as while I also prefer the original tracks, really can't fault them there. They're well recorded and still sound great and know some others that prefer them. I did my best to separate nostalgia from reality and see it neutrally and both recordings are great. I almost gave it to the Duo because they dropped the ball on that final stage music, otherwise it was well done. Tea and Crumpets is what I need after playing a round on Super mode haha
At least it got some new life on the Virtual Console if I remember right. But yeah would be nice to get a Switch PCE Shmups Classics collection with Lords, Gate, Soldier Blade, etc. can you imagine?
Rewatching this and i just had a question... i know the og Turbo version is from my boys at Red, but trying to see who did the sega CD port and all i come up with is Hudson themselves... is that accurate? i could imagine Hudson just trying to do a quick conversion to make some extra cash, and i dont think they made much for the platform other than Space Adventure Cobra, and might not have been masters at it yet... to follow up though, as far as early music goes, that first track is better on the turbo in my opinion but the second is better on the sega... but then again i agree most of the sound effects seem better all around on the turbo as well as those missing graphical elements.. thats what made me wonder who actually developed it... Red tends to not miss much, and would later make a ton of cash working with sega on the first few Sakura Wars games...
I don’t think Hudson themselves ported it and most likely just published. According to the wiki a company called Eleven may have been doing the port but I’m just not familiar with them. All in all I think the port isn’t bad at all especially in terms of visuals and of course the music. They went through the trouble of redoing the tracks. The graphical differences are more nitpicky than anything even if some details are missing. It’s the gameplay where it all falls apart for me and just doesn’t play nearly as well. Which gives me the impression they were trying to tone it down and make it easier like often happens, but muck up the core gameplay in the process. At least that was my impression.
@@ShmupJunkie thanks.. i knew based on what i found it wasnt red, im not saying anything your saying is wrong, ive only played the turbo version, i just had a feeling Red wouldnt have left out so many details if they made the port themselves (from what ive seen- i guess anyone can mess up, hell their og versions of Tempo wasnt as good as the saturn one) ... thats why i was curious to find out the sega port's story... kinda like denpa ports of sega games or ving ports of taito games...im not familiar with Eleven by name, ill check out their history... anyway thanks and great job man..
i dont know i remember hearing the final level music the sega cd if you put it in a cd player but i have my real sega cd disc in storage and have not used it in a long time. i have winds of thunder on the duo
I was wrong here the sega cd version does have that music too. It’s swapped with the bosque stage so it plays there instead of the final level. But it does have all the music too. It was my first time playing the sega port so I missed they swapped it around 🤦♂️
never got to play a turbo, didn't even know they existed back then must not have been popular in northern canada looks great though that music is definitely more aggressive
It was hard to get in most states as well. I was lucky enough to grow up in Los Angeles so it was one of the early test markets. I had access to it alll, but many others around the US didn't either.
Going in blind, I'd go with the Turbo because it's the original and Sega's is the port. Ultimately, there's simply just more "Thunder" present in the TG-CD version. This is an all-time classic but I have to admit that I prefer Gate of Thunder just slightly.
One of my favorite games ever, at least the turbo version. It's one of those, along with MUSHA, that I pop in just to listen to the soundtrack. Anyway, just wanted to point out, since I think you didn't mention it, that enemy placements and boss patterns also change significantly in the different difficulties, almost to the point of making them like a "black label" or remixed version. So yeah, bullet density increases, but it's more than that in the different difficulties, which is not something that most games did, especially in those days.
I wasn’t smart enough back then unfortunately to keep a lot of my favorite games. Lords and Ys were some of the only exceptions just to listen to the tracks. Just too good. One of my few originals. You’re right I didn’t point it out other difficulty changes in this game besides the Super mode on Turbo since it’s just so cool. I’m slowly trying to add more details in each new comparison without going overboard and making the video too long. Also for my own sanity 😅. That’s a good point though not many games did that back then and it’s not something I ever really noticed.
@@ShmupJunkie Oh, don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the video, and all your other content. I personally could do without some of the skits, so you get straight to the point, but I understand most of the target audience probably doesn't agree (I'm an old foker). You also have some mad skills - I don't last very long in the super mode.
@@juancastro2176 yeah it’s just my thing to be silly and have fun with what I’m doing. But one thing I always do is post the chapter list in my pinned comment so it’s easy to just jump right to it and skip past anything else. I know some people appreciate it. Super mode is hard period. I can’t just run the game that way. Especially the harder stages. I can play them a few times in a row or more and maybe get one good / lucky run in.
For the love of god, does anybody out there have a prepatched bin/cue of the Lords of Thunder Sega CD audio hack for the TG-16 game? I’ve only found the patch for it and the patching instructions result in an incompatible iso/cue/wav collection. I could rip a disc of this and run it in my duo, but I really try not to run CD-R’s in my duo to preserve its laser. I really wanna try this out on my PCE ODE.
I’m playing this on my Core grafx mini. When I played it for the first time I thought it had some kind of Rock Paper Scissors mechanic because of the different elements. But as far as I can tell it’s not a thing. I’ve been playing way to much Pokémon
Haha no not at all. Doesn’t matter really which armor you use where in terms of elements. Most of the time you choose your favorite and stick with it for the game like most ship choices.
I found the PC Engine version for Vita! The version is really much better! The strangest thing is the gems on Mega/Sega CD, they behave really funny...The Vita is great for shmups, I've been able to catch up on so many games I wouldn't have played elsewhere...I haven't played that many PC Engine games yet, but I can see where you love for the console comes from, they have a lot of personality and I'm surprised how good many of them look compared to Mega Drive..... I'm kinda liking Aldynes a lot as well.....
I agree it’s best, but I had to do a comparison anyway 😅. I always heard the Sega port maligned and was surprised it wasn’t as bad as claimed. It’s really the gameplay where it felt apart the most.
![History of the Amazing PC ENGINE! [Book I]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/PFlMZiCZwVc/mqdefault.jpg)
TABLE OF CONTENTS - QUICK LINKS
0:00:00 - Intro
0:02:31 - Brief History of Lords
0:04:03 - Music & Sound
0:08:51 - Graphics and Levels
0:18:06 - Gameplay and Difficulty
0:22:29 - Cut Scenes
0:23:07 - And the Winner is...
0:23:37 - SUPER HARD MODE Gameplay with Suicide Bullets
0:25:50 - Finale
I almost never comment on here, but I have to say this is one of the best game channels I’ve ever seen on RUclips. It would be amazing to see videos focusing on the best beginner shooters for a console, like how you did the hardest ones on Genesis/T16. Thanks so much for your work on these, so excited to keep tuning in.
Miles Bowe Hot Damn that’s comment of the day right there! 😆 Thanks a bunch. As you know it’s a lot of work making these and yourself and others enjoying them so much is what keeps me going. I agree this genre is dominated by hardcore players and often elitists unfortunately and I try not to ever come off that way. And a shmups for noobs video would be really good and useful for a lot of people interested. In a way the Sega port of Lords falls into that category being quite foregiving and letting you make lots of mistakes. I’d like to find good examples of not just easier shooters but ones that will help build skill. That are well designed with tiers to improve vs simply being too easy. Very Good idea thanks for that 👍🏻
TRV dreadful is being too kind 😂. I’m figuring out how I want to do a series on that. Either a video highlighting good beginner shooters. Or maybe a Shmups 101 or for shmups for dummies series? 😆 Where each episode focuses on how to play them and improve and highlight a specific game that’s good for learning and improving, using it as an example. So it kind of kills two birds with one stone.
yeah i figured why most people do not bother commenting on here. The OP doesnt respond often at all. Unless like you, you praise his channel, then he feels the need I suppose. But that really bothers me as I have had so many questions in the past, still left unanswered. THANKS!
@@ShmupJunkieGod do i love the music in this game i prefer the turbografx tracks it's like some really good power metal
Your energy and passion for gaming is pure. You will be the next big thing. I never played the sega cd version. Great video my friend.
Thanks! I'm glad it comes through. Who knows if RUclips will deem my channel worthy of growing faster, but I am enjoying making these already for the small and dedicated group. You guys are awesome and keep me interested in making more.
Agreed.
Great, in-depth review of the two games. I've beaten Lords of Thunder on Sega CD, but now I feel like I will not have truly beaten the game until I do so on Turbo CD with the suicide bullets! Looks like there's enough going on in both to warrant having a copy of each. :)
Abby Jameson You’re a veteran I’ll bet you have no problem finishing the Turbo version. I think you’ll enjoy the actual gameplay it’s a more satisfying accomplishment but not super tough. The Super mode is another story it’s extremely tough almost punishing. Very few can get far or beat that mode. But it’s really fun to play and get your ass kicked 😂. I usually need several tries on any level in that mode to get a good run.
The turbo version is the only way to play. It is far superior in my humble opinion.
Great video. By the way, the final stage BGM is not missing from the Sega CD version. The music just swapped places with the forest stage music.
Yes I noticed that later on after watching it again. I am not nearly as familiar with the Sega version but should've noticed. It's honestly my favorite track of the bunch so it's interesting they chose to swap it into the final level.
@@ShmupJunkie My brothers and I made a cassette tape of both versions back to back we used to listen to all the time in the car back in the day. So we would've noticed if it was missing. I agree, it's better without the narration.
Right, switching Bosque's and the final stage's music for the Sega CD version actually worked for me. The music actually fit the stages so much better. Also, I prefer the Sega CD arrangements overall. Cleaner sounding guitar, more punchy drums, bass lines are epic as hell and the keyboard hooks are definitely better sounding in Cielom.
Best port comparison ever seen dude! You've clearly kicked asses with that super hard mode with infamous suicide bullets!
Thanks man. That super mode is very hard it takes me multiple tries before I can get a good run on a level. Many times it just wrecks you. The mode was not meant to be very reasonable haha. But it's fun to try and just see how you do. Sometimes I get lucky and others it destroys me.
I never rewatch youtube videos, but have seen this a ton of times. Love your attention to detail, passion, and sense of humor in all these videos, dude!!
Thanks man! I really do have fun making them. I have to rewatch them endlessly in bits while putting them together, but I’ve found it fun to go back and watch some of my older ones that I haven’t seen in a while too haha.
Yeah, same here. Went back to this video because i just started playing this game yesterday.
This was probably the best head to head comparison video I've ever seen. You need to keep pumping out videos, my friend. You rock! 😎🤘
Thanks. This was the very first of several comparison videos I did and thought it turned out super fun! It’s been quite a while since I made one of these.
LOL I had no idea Super mode has suicide bullets. I'll have to go give it another shot now. Great stuff!
Yeah on the Turbo version it does! I have to tell you it’s extremely tough in that mode. I get lucky with it on and off and don’t consistently do well. It’s truly a super mode. So don’t feel bad if it hands you your ass it’s a bit overwhelming in spots.
Gave you a thumbs up before the main video even started.. All I needed to see was you jamming in the intro LOL.
Ha! I think that was the very first bit I ever had for my channel. I made it just as something funny back on IG and when I did my first ever video reviewing the pc engine mini I figured it was perfect for the intro. Of course I had to use it here too.
Outstanding video. The details, common sense, partiality & objectivity, and the technical production ... just wow, such a good time watching it.
A lesson on how to make RUclips videos.
Thanks! I made this a long time ago as well... it was my very first comparison video before doing many others afterward. So I think they only improved over time, but I love Lords a bunch, so it was special making this.
I've seen many comparison videos on youtube. This channel is hands down the best one. My only wish is that he would do it on every game every made for all systems and arcade LOL.
Haha like classic game room. Maybe if I keep going until I’m old and grey. This was my very first one too. I’ve tried to slowly improve them with each new game. I’m sure I’ll do some more in the future too. They just have to be games I like and want to compare.
@@ShmupJunkie Keep it up. You're videos are awesome!!! Thanks for making them.
Thanks for putting in the time to make this great video.
Thank you. And I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was hard work but I'm stoked with how it came out.
Been playing this one a lot lately and was noticing the differences. Great video! I first noticed the gem color was a bit different as was the sound when collecting them. As always, S+ tier content!
I downloaded a romhack of the pc engine version with sega CD music, and it totally kicks ass
Yeah, I know it well. I also like using some emulators or a MiSTer to adjust the turbo version music so it's louder versus the effects. Works out really well.
Oh dude, THAT sounds like the best version of Lords of Thunder if you ask me. The Sega CD arrangements sound better overall, the guitar is cleaner, bass is nice and punchy, way better sounding keyboard, etc. It's just the better soundtrack. However, I can fully acknowledge the PCE-CD version does have the better colors and is more difficult overall.
I remember having this convo with you about the difficulty on IG.
The Sega CD version is a lot of fun, but I beat it the first time I ever played it without much of a concern. When I tried to do the same with the Turbo version, I got waxed. Huge difference between the two is in that department and you showcase that here very well.
Absolutely. And I had always heard it was easier, but didn't realize how much moreso until I played it all the way through this week. I would have liked to have had more time and played through it on the harder difficulties as well to see what changes, but I will at some point as I'm curious.
Amazing vs comparaison. Glad I found your channel. I’m a fan now !
Thanks! I've been doing a lot of these comparisons and this was just my first one I ever did. I hope you enjoy some of the others. I made a playlist for them.
@@ShmupJunkie I will thanks
Lol, watching this again for the 2nd time.
This is one of your best videos.
The 2 guys arguing over the sound, hahah
Funny enough it was my very first comparison video. But it’s lords of Thunder so I had to give it some oomph and console wars vibe. I have fun making these though. Also gave me an excuse to use the term gentleman sausage 🤣
@@ShmupJunkie
I’m a huge Jeremy Clarkson fan, so gentlemen sausage was great to hear.
Seriously though, I’ve been with you since you started. Take it to heart when I tell you that you’re killing it with your videos. I’ve watched a lot of youtube videogame channels over the decade (I think we all have lol). You are right there with the cream of the crop. You know your trade but you’re also not so lame to dismiss mini consoles and such. Your comedy is not cringy forced. It’s clever and fun. You dont beg for subs and likes. And best of all, you come across as a childhood friend I’ve known for years (even though I dont really know you at all, lol)
That is (actually) a great way to circle this compliment back to the gentleman sausage. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May on Top Gear (and now Grand Tour) have that skill. They make you feel like you’re there with them as the 4th guy on the adventure.
You do the same with your videos. You come across as so real and likable. And you’re killer at the games to boot.
I dont want to ramble but you put a lot of effort into these and I hope a comment like this helps you feel that you’re doing things the right way.
All the best.
@@randycruel Very much so and comments like yours are what keep me going and enjoying what I do. So thank you for that. Glad to see another Top Gear fan I used to watch them a ton and really enjoyed their extended road trips and adventure videos. I’m glad at least one person got that gentleman sausage reference 🤣
excellent video. indeed the best lords of thunder comparison on youtube. fun story: i actually beat the sega cd version first. it was also my first shooter and i mostly killed tougher enemies with the sword thinking it was probably intended that way. needles to say, it threw my noob ass off big time later in the PCE version.
Lol yeah it’s a bit of a jump going to the PCE release after the fact. Hard to believe I never even tried the SegaCD version until last year and really played it completely until this week. The sword is completely OP. That moment of invincibility after getting hit makes it much easier too. I wouldn’t dog it if it were simply easier, but I wasn’t a fan of how they changed the balance of the game. It made it less fun to play for me personally. Otherwise I thought it was a pretty competent port.
Great comparison! This video was absolutely needed. Glad you did it. I appreciate the clarity of the audio on the Sega version, but overall I definitely prefer the Turbo version for the smoother look and the little effects you mentioned.
Johnny Grafx Thanks 🙏 I agree the previous comparisons I’ve seen were not too detailed so I was pretty surprised to find all these details when I played it. Yeah can’t fault the Sega tracks they’re well done. Only oddity was them removing that killer final stage track no idea why that was done. 🤷♂️
@@ShmupJunkie yeah. Odd decision there. All the more reason to regard the Turbo version as definitive.
nuwavghost I always thought stage 6 sounded straight out of an Offspring album! Haha
nuwavghost I could talk about shoot em up music til the day I die 😂. The problem is almost all of them have awesome music and the episode would be a lord of the rings length trilogy 🤣
This is such a gem of a video. This belongs in a museum of some sort.
great stuff man. so glad i found this channel!
I’m glad RUclips was nice enough to help you find it 🤘. I’m almost done with my zero wing comparo hopefully up this Sunday. Spare no expense with the memes 😅
I originally had the Sega CD version when I was younger and just recently played the turbo cd version. Since I grew up the the Sega CD version I actually prefer the powerful sword and somewhat easier difficulty. I was having a hard time playing the Turbo version at first due to the differences and it just felt wrong to me. I know the turbo version was the original but that is just me. Otherwise I agree with most everything you said in the comparison. Great video!!!!
Yeah that's how it is for us turbo heads only in reverse. But you're right the turbo version is definitely harder by a good bit. We will all prefer what we started with and became accustomed to. Truxton was like that too. It's a good thing the Sega port was a bit more reasonable or a lot less people may have fond memories. The PCE port is one I love too but exceptionally brutal.
Amazing video!! The comparison is detailed and fair; I am going to follow your suggestion regarding the TurboGrafx Duo version. Also, impressive playing perfomance there in the very hard mode!!
Thanks man! Yeah if you have a way to play it on the Duo or Mini certainly do. The Super mode is extremely hard it took me several tries to get a good run on that stage. It's more of a fun way to get your ass kicked when the main game has gotten too easy haha.
a really fair and detailed comparison. You definitely cover all of the areas i was interested in knowing, never having played the Sega CD version myself. I did expect the Sega CD gameplay to be easier but its great to see a solid confirmation and also learn about the other detailed differences. I also very much enjoyed Iggy and Ozzy's perspectives 🤣
Minty Retro Lol thx dude. Maybe I’ll get better with Ozzy’s accent if I practice more 😅. It was a fun goof but I’m sure they’ll be back one day for another metal review somewhere.
Another wonderful video on one of the best shooters ever! Totally puts my video to shame. Haha. Thanks for making such an in depth comparison video.
Thank you man. But to be fair LoT is my bae I know it like the back of my hand and have been playing it for ages. I didn’t do a lick of research as I know things about it that aren’t even documented. In retrospect I should have on the SegaCD side which I didn’t play much and missed some things. This was my first comparison I did so I tried to up my game from there. Hellfire comparo was my latest if you ever see it you’ll see the small progressions in the depth and quality. But I put tons of editing time into it. At some point I’ll have to figure out how to be more time efficient as it’s becoming a full time job 😅... fun as it is.
I was just stuck on making short videos for reviews and not going in depth as much as I should have. I'm trying to fix that now. Also actually put more love into the editing and writing. I can see you have been doing that already for sure and it's great! Definitely keep at it.
This game shreds so hard. Hearing the peak of video game OSTs in the 90's has led to a depressing experience with every other game since then. It's also amazing how important to a game it's soundtrack is. The OST kept me coming back to LoT until I beat it as a kid. Similar experience to a less degree with Lightening Force (TF4) which also had a sick soundtrack. Great video, bro. Keep it up.
Thanks man. And I couldn’t agree more. They don’t do soundtracks like they used to and many games are the worse off for it. I kept my original Lords game and still have it. I used to just play it in my CD player long after I didn’t have a Duo anymore. I miss the old chip tunes. And I miss the killer CD soundtracks like this, a Cotton, Ys and many others. They really tried back then to take advantage of the new CD format and create killer music.
Just discovered your channel. Awesome work. Subscribed
DynamiteReggae Thanks! Yeah I’ve only been doing this for 3 months or so and having a blast. Got tons of other turbo and shooter content on here.
@@ShmupJunkie yep binged them already 😎
17:36 In the ice cave, there were occasional pillars of ice created using sprites, that overlapped the distant background layer. The pillars are not present in the Sega CD version. The overreliance on color dithering (referred to you by anti-aliasing or something) also hurts the overall presentation on the Sega CD. To top it off, it runs in the lower resolution mode on the Sega console vs the higher resolution mode that was used on most games. Because it runs in lower resolution, you can't even combine the dithering to create new shades of color using anti-dithering filters in retroarch or by using composite on real hardware.
I've been learning a lot more lately on the sega dithering and why it was used since making the video a while ago. Anti aliasing was the wrong term to use it didn't even exist at that time, I was just explaining that smoothing effect pc engine graphics often have and how it looked to me. But I am always impressed thinking back at the color gamut it had vs the newer sega, and quite a fast processor as well. I never did get why sega went with such a compromise on their color gamut at the time although they did really well to work around it over time. I still think the sega port of Lords looks quite decent and could have been even better given a more thorough porting job, since we know what it's capable of in the right hands. For whatever reason the dithered look never bothered me too much. It was just different but I didn't think much of it.
@@ShmupJunkie I read somewhere that they wanted to add more video ram for color and also scalling hardware but that could have raised the price for the system's manufacturing and of course for the customers (Also they couldn't fit those in the board, it was too big already). They added a bunch of other features, like having 2 bg layers (Dynamic ones), more sprites on screen, and many many more. They went for a functional optimized system rather than for presentation. I mean, it still looks great, if the NEC PC's could manage to show amazing pixel art with 16 colors on screen and tons of dithering, I think 61 aren't bad ;)
Most excellent video as usual! Another graphical difference that was not mentioned is that on PC Engine when you hit some large enemies they will blink, whereas on Sega CD they won't.
watching super hard mode triggers my deathsmiles final stage PTSD. another great video, looking forward to playing LoT on the Mister soon!
The Mister emulation is awesome don't think you'll regret it, especially being able to turn up the music or down the sound effects for LoT, so you hear the music more and the effects aren't so loud and obscure it. Great feature
@@ShmupJunkie spent my first day with the basic setup today - blown away. although I never realised how spoiled I was these days regarding difficulty! I need to git gud, stage 9 of blazing lazers is destroying my 1cc attempts!
@@wesleyscott910 Check out my shooter 101 video for final stage Blazing Lazers tips. There’s a specific weapon combo that makes the last stage so much easier and I show gameplay with it. It’s definitely hard without the right weapon.
Bro, there's only one word that can describe this game no matter the version AND your video: Badass! Oh yeah, just wanted to mention that it seems some of the names of the stages are in spanish. Cielom (cielo-sky), Bosque (Woods), Llamarada (Flare) and Helado (Frozen). And the song from the last stage and the Bosque stage are only swapped for some reason, the tune is still there in the Sega CD version
Good catch on the Bosque music swap I totally spaced on that. Maybe they just wanted to save the most bad ass track for the final level who knows. But I went back to my gameplay vids and you're right... it's swapped. What a trip.
@@ShmupJunkie if you ask me, I am glad they swapped out the BGMs, plus the arrangements sound better overall on the Sega CD version. Bosque, Auzal and Cielom in particular sound amazing on the Sega CD version.
Man that intro was fuckin hilarious lol
That intro goes waaaay back too. I made it before I even had a channel and was just messing around on IG for fun. It came out so good I ended up using it as the intro for all my early pc engine review videos. It’s nostalgic now!
i had that vhs tape as a kid! the nastalgia holy shiit!
It's so bad it's good! I love it too the humor is perfect. I don't think I had the tape as a kid, but I remember seeing it and laughing my ass off.
how did you get vhs tape of some random rare game??
@@khlothostonney5760 i used to call the tg16 hotline a lot for tips and tricks. one month i was grounded cuz i ran up the phone bill by $80 calling it. next month i sported a black splatterhouse t-ahirt and the lords of thunder vhs
Wow thanks for the very informative review between these games. Both look like must haves if your a fan. I only wish a Japanese Mega CD version had been released, I've never actually played the Sega CD version. Another brilliant video for sure, keep up the great work 👍
RetroHeed I could swear I’ve seen Mega CD cover art for this game. Unless it was a photoshop job. As you’re right I’ve never seen a physical copy ever posted anywhere.
@@ShmupJunkie It's available on Pal Mega CD only, but like everything else now it's also expensive and quite difficult to find.
RetroHeed ah that must be the one I saw. I thought I’d seen a mega drive version. 👌
@@ShmupJunkie None of the Hudson Soft games converted from either the PC Engine or the PC Engine CD to the Mega Drive and the Mega CD were ever released in Japan, they were developed especifically for North America and Europe. It's very similar to what Konami did with another PC Engine CD to Mega CD conversion of their own, Snatcher. So yeah, what you probably saw was the cover of the European Mega CD version, which fortunately reuses the same artwork of the Japanese PC Engine CD and North American Turbo CD versions, albeit with a different background and title font. I feel bad for the awful boxart you guys got for the North American Sega CD version and I'm surprised you didn't include that point in the comparison despite showing the boxarts here and there. Then again, it wouldn't have been fair for us who own the European Mega CD version.
Woooooooo! You did it again dude! Awesome video showcasing a holy grail masterpiece. Lord's Of Thunder is a game I knew of back in the day but due to the extreme import costs I never got to experience and refused to via an emulator. I want my first time with Lords Of Thunder to be on original hardware, even if it's 5 years from now, tall order I know.
Since meeting you on Instagram, and winning my dream console I've always wanted since 1987, and watching your RUclips channel I've got to see, experience, and learn so much about this awesome game. It's music is some of the best I've heard for a game of it's era, and it still kicks ass today!
Personally I prefer the graphics of the Duo due to the smoothness of the backgrounds and lead sprites, and was surprised the SEGA CD chose the more pixelated look, but I still like it, it's marginal, but DUO wins for me.
Gameplay wise that's really interesting to know how much easier the SEGA CD is compared to the DUO. Reality is I'm probably going to get wasted a lot when I eventually do get Lords Of Thunder on DUO but I'm very stubborn when it comes to games, especially when I'm in the mood for a shmup. And if I get really desparate I can hunt save me pennies and hunt down a SEGA CD and game as well, although I know that's probably major mola.
Seriously great video from my FAVOURITE RUclipsR. Seriously looking forward to the next video mate!
Thanks for the kind words man. I don’t blame you for waiting. We all want our first time to be special 😂🤣. The mini is a pretty great way to play it though as aside from the extra bit of delay from emulation it’s a perfect port. Looks and sounds great. Monday is always an interesting day brainstorming what I can come up with next 🤔
@@ShmupJunkie I keep forgetting about the mini's. I just found a local NEC DUO but it's a JAPANESE version, so no go. £400.00. Definitely gonna need to save my pennies as a USA version is going to be a lot pricier than that it seems. Gonna look in a few months. Looking forward to the next creation.
King Lizzard's Game Lounge wouldn’t you prefer the Japanese version? CD games are not region protected so you can play any region on any duo. Only the hucard games are protected. I love my white Duo R I use it for all my gaming. The white Duo R units are the best you can get. The original Duo have more leaking cap issues.
@@ShmupJunkie I didn't realise it was region free. The DUO R I saw that claimed to be a Japanese model was BLACK though and made by NEC? Or are they misadvertising?
King Lizzard's Game Lounge All the Duo R I’ve ever seen are white. The original base Duo is black. The import has purple highlights like the button to open the cd tray. If it’s black and purple it’s a Duo but they are likely mistaken calling it an R. It’s the same unit they play all the games. But the R has some fixes and improved components. It’s like a newer revision Xbox same unit but where they improve the fans and heat dissipation etc.
What a fantastic game! Your channel inspired me to spend some proper time on this game. Just managed to 1cc it on normal. First time in any shooter for me :)
Awesome! Did you play the Turbo version or Sega? It's definitely easier on the SegaCD, but if you finished it on the Turbo it's a nice first accomplishment congratulations. The final stage really turns it up and isn't easy until you memorize some sections. It's an amazing game to play through the first time I'm glad you got to enjoy it. They don't make soundtracks like that any more.
@@ShmupJunkie I played it on the PC Engine Mini. Yeah that the final stage is quite brutal. Thank god the final three bosses after that are a walk in the park with fully powered-up earth armor.
Started playing Blazing Lasers now. Trying to save-state my way through all the stages first, but the game feels a lot tougher.
@@TheArcadeMonarch Earth armor for life 🤟 that’s all I ever use now. Blazing Lazers is an old favorite but yes it gets tougher. First few levels should be no sweat but then it’s go time. It’s on the easier side of vertical shmups but it’s not a walk in the park. The big thing is take advantage of the golden lives! Get as many as you can early on so you can respawn when you die later. There is also a trick where if you don’t fire at all on the first boss and let it just go away after a while, the game will give you a ton of golden lives and bombs that will help get through the game. 😎
@@ShmupJunkie Going to try that tip 😊, Thanks!
great video bro, cheers
Thanks! My very first ever comparison video I had done.
Hot fire! My first exposure to LoT was the video tape! I sent away for it, and still have it somewhere in my collection. But, I was a Sega CD guy, and couldn't afford a Duo, so I just wishfully dreamt of someday playing the game, and the others on the system. I was surprised to find the Sega CD port at an EB in the mall, and especially surprised because I had passed it by a couple times, because of the TERRIBLE box art! When I realized what I'd missed, I snatched it up and was stoked to finally get to play LoT. Cut ahead a few years, and I finally got hold of a Duo and the orginal LoT, and was surprised by the differences - all of them you mentioned here. So, I have a soft spot for the Sega CD version, but have really come to appreciate the Duo original over the years, especially as it's more available.
Great vid!
I don't know if this has been mentioned, but I believe there might be a bit of a mistake in this video. The song you said was missing in the SEGA CD version, is there. From what I recall (and I might be wrong on this, but I checked some playthroughs that backed up my memories), the Turbo and SEGA-CD versions switched a couple of songs. The song that's played during the Bosque stage on the SEGA-CD, is played during the final stage on the Turbo. And the song that's played on the final stage of the SEGA-CD, is played during the Bosque stage on the Turbo.
It's totally a mistake. It was my first time playing the SegaCD version and I missed that they simply swapped them around. Unfortunately unlike a web wiki, once it's up and done it's too late to change, so since it's minor I just left it alone.
Awesome upload! Had this game way back on the Sega CD but never played the Turbo version until recently on the TG16 mini, loved the sound track and noticed it was a bit different and that's what lead me here, while I do like the Turbo version a little more honestly you can't go wrong with either, the sound track along with Guilty Gear are among my all time favorite of all time
It's one of the few games I still have and kept from back then, simply to have an play in my CD player and car over the years. I just couldn't let it go.
The 4th Doctor Who doctor vs Slash debating 😂 Great vid Ilya!
David Medina Man I haven’t seen that far into Dr Who now I need to go see what you’re talking about 😂
@@ShmupJunkie look up Tom Baker
David Medina just did 😆
Un canal simplemente GENIAL!!
Subtitulos en Español por favor!!!
¡Gracias! Intentaré agregar subtítulos para los videos pronto para que puedas disfrutarlos más
@@ShmupJunkie muchas Gracias!!, sera un Gusto volver a ver tus Videos,la verdad los Shmups me encantan!!
I had played the Mega CD years ago and I was amazed but not really hooked. It felt like you could get away with it even playing badly, as long as you shopped wisely. Then I play the Turbo version this year courtesy of the CoreGrafx Mini (my only way of accessing this game, I'm a total PC Engine noob, has been a blast so far..) and, wow, I wasn''t playing nothing but Lords of Thunder for days, just practicing and getting good. Good side effect: I ended up loosening the admittedly stiff dpad to a decent level :D
Amerigo Costa Yes that’s a good analogy. It looks and sounds great on the megacd but the gameplay is very forgiving. You can play pretty poorly and still get through like it’s a starter shmup. But it also takes away that fun factor. It sounds like you are enjoying the mini version a lot 👍🏻. Keep at it once you get decent it’s not a hard game to run without any continues. At least until the final level which ramps up the difficulty another notch. But a full shield helps a lot to make some mistakes and still get through.
Just seen thunder on wii u store and wondered what’s happening as never played it on SEGA CD or even seen a turbografx . Great review think I’ll pull the trigger before it’s gone for $7 that’s a bargain for a arse kicking look forward to watching more of your vids 👍
Game is killer. Definitely can't go wrong and the turbo version on the store is the best version to play. Enjoy it!
Love the channel I found it by accident. I loved shmups back in the day and I loved lords of thunder. I remember back in the day when you could put turbo CD's in your CD player, (remember doing play track one) and I remember copying it to cassette tape as a kid to listen to in my walkman on the bus ride to school and kids would ask what music is that from?
I kept my original games of Lords of Thunder, Ys and DraculaX for that reason. So I can still play them in my CD player even years after I didn't have a working Duo anymore. The music was amazing.
Hi! Really love your videos and location full of retro video goodness 😍 What kind of screen do you have for your retro console? It seems a lcd but with a great "retro-feeling" 🤩🤩
I have two different screens I play on. An old CRT and just a newer LCD by Vizio P series that has a very low input lag. The reason it looks good on the LCD is because I am using an OSSC. There is now a newer product called a Retrotink 5X that will do the same thing but easier to use. If you want your older games to look beautiful on a modern TV I can highly recommend either one of these.
Great video as always. I prefer TurboGrafx version looking at your video.
MOXIE channel Thanks bud. Glad you enjoyed it. The Turbo original is definitely something special.
@@ShmupJunkie yes. Too bad it miss some graphics animation present on segacd.but still wonderful
Great vid by the way! Question. Is it just me, or does the collection of power ups / coins also seem secondary on the Sega CD? I don't hear them when I'm collecting them unless I stop shooting, while on the Turbo, I hear the collection sound, shooting sound and music all at the same time. Love it!
You’re correct, the sounds do get muffled together a bit on the sega port for the gems. Overall the sound effects are more muted to not interfere with the music vs the turbo port where they can be quite loud. It’s a bit inconsistent where you just don’t hear every pickup. I wanted to see if you’d heard of the dark city productions remix for Lords and Gate of Thunder on turbo. For the $30 or so I can’t recommend it enough. It’s basically the same game but the music is remastered and audio levels adjusted. The music is more prominent and still sounds amazing, and the sound effects are all there but don’t overwhelm the music at all. Once I played it it’s the version I stick to now and prefer. You can really crank the sound without the effects getting overwhelming.
@@ShmupJunkie Very cool didn’t know about them. I checked out the site says they don’t allow orders for another month or so, but thanks for the info and keep up the vids bud!
Thank you for this video. I appreciated the comparison and recommendation to play this game. What a miss back in the day for me. Of course funds not being unlimited I was not able to pick this up and lost some interest in shmups. However I just started playing the sega cd version and I really like it. I am not the best at shooters and it takes me some tries to get far. But man the music is fantastic. I believe you mentioned some of the people behind thunder force 3 may have made this game. I mention this because it does feel like it with the stage select, etc. Anyways, keep up the good work.
Yes you’re right. The same main devs behind the TF3 also made Gate and Lords of Thunder on the pc engine. Incredible games. Really glad you’re enjoying Lords no matter which version you play. It really has to be experienced so take your time and have fun with it. The music is insane.
@@ShmupJunkie Yea I like the Sega version better - I can hear the music lol. And it is easier for me - the Turbo version just destroys me.
good job mate!
Ronald kuijten Thanks! Even if my accent or Ozzy was pretty terrible haha.
Shmup Junkie no i loved it 😅
Been meaning to leave a comment since I watched it this morning 😅 another amazing video man. Loved how you broke everything down. I can agree with you and say that because of the difficulty issue the Turbo won this battle 👏🏼👏🏼
Bruno L Thx dude. 👍🏻 But the really question is... how did you like my accent? 😂
@@ShmupJunkie I'm sure sir Bobbus would be proud mate 😆 He's probably watching the video while drinking some tea and eating some crumpets 😜
Bruno L Bobbus will unfollow me for this blasphemous accent 😂. It’s not even British lol
About the difficulty. Didn't the Sega cd version have "Normal" and "Hard" difficulty option?
I am fine with normal as I am not a pro. But, if I need challenge then I could certainly choose"Hard" difficulty in options to make it at par with Turbo graphics version. Isn't it? Would that make the Sega version the definitive version as I like Sega approach to music. What are your views on that? And I didn't see you mention that in your review.
Yes the Sega version does have harder modes. The main reason I didn’t prefer the sega version isn’t so much the difficulty but the way it feels to play. The mechanics are different because of the way you are hit and the weapon/sword balance. It requires a very different strategy to play that I didn’t find as interesting. It’s mostly centered on spamming your sword attack well because it’s so powerful. But that’s just my preference don’t let that sway you from playing the segacd version if you want. It’s still a fun game you’ll enjoy. Also if you mainly prefer the sega music, there is a patch out there that actually plays the Turbo version with the sega cd tracks!
@@ShmupJunkie I'm surprised there's not the other way around. That is, a patch to play the Mega CD version with the Turbo CD tracks. Or there is one?
@@WeskerSega why the heck would I want to though? The Sega CD version has the better arrangements hands down.
I recall the intro package to get TurboDuo. I wanted one but only knew one guy who had it. He also had sega cd so he must've had a lot of $$$. The duo looked really cool.
Got this working finally, it's great.
Sweet! I remember you were trying to get it working. Good deal
@@ShmupJunkie yeah I was using a dodgy bio or something. Gonna give that and Gates Thunder a proper play tomorrow. Cheers.
You still have your original copy from Gamedude!! That's radical! So much love for this game. I had both back in the day but always preferred the Turbo version by far. What an awesome breakdown of both. Really enjoyed it man. Gaaarrraahooohhraaaarrr!!! 😂😂
Thanks man! It's crazy that store is still around too 30 years later, even if it's a shadow of it's former self. It was a staple in the area back then. Glad you enjoyed the vid I was stoked how it came out too. I think my death scream was far better than my terrible fake accent 😅
@@ShmupJunkie I was a Game Dude maniac back in the day. I first went in 89 or 90 but the late 90s to early 2000s were ridiculous. It was practically my 2nd home 😂. I really did enjoy your vid man. Have been enjoying all of them!
Excelente video. Amo fuertemente este juego.
It took me only one second to like this video.
My very first ever comparison video! Had to start off with a banger.
Great in depth feature. Now about Ozzies brummie / Birmingham accent. A tricky one to pin down even for us brits!
Justin Cherriman oh man tell me about it. I tried at first but then just dropped it and went for something Aussie mixed with Irish. The stutter is impossible haha. Bit off more than I could chew but at least it was a train wreck kind of funny lol.
since i don't own a turbo cd or the turbo mini i had to download a couple of turbo games including lot from the wii u eshop. god damn is the music badass. the music is something that Johnny Laurence himself will be proud of and get his students to play to get pumped for a karate tornament
Hell yeah it is. Even after my Duo didn't work I kept this game and never sold it, just so I could keep listening to the music in the car haha.
@@ShmupJunkie ive been getting into turbo game more recently its like rediscovering a lost childhood. But to get games legaly is hard and expensive and its hard to get a mini consel in tje cheap. I wish konami could just put turbo games on all digital stores so that way i dont have to try to find what stores or collection has them.
@@QuetzalToon005 It’s extremely expensive with some of the games. Even though I collect many of them too, I still just use my flash cart to play all the other games I don’t. It’s convenient and works great. And you are still using real hardware if you choose.
@@ShmupJunkie i get the whole purist mindset i mean i went as far as buying a neo geo cabinet with 4 games for just $300, but i wish these games were accessible on digital stores so if anyone wants to play them they can legally buy them. i wish that konami can release a turbo collection the same way snk & data east is doing with the their games
Going through the files on the Sega CD version, the original track that plays on the turbo version of the last level is actually on the disc. There is exactly one matching song on Sega for every turbo version. I know because I did the song replacement hack.
I realized this too later after I made the video. They swapped the forest stage with the final stage on SegaCD, so they are both in there but swapped out. Go figure. Think they were trying to save the most badass track for the final level.
Having owned both versions, this is a matchup I am qualified to comment on. When it comes to Lords of Thunder for TurboGrafx Super CD vs Lords of Thunder for Sega CD the winner is...Gate of Thunder. It was pretty awesome getting that same VHS tape in the mail, though. I watched it way more than the Donkey Kong Country video with the Killer Instinct sneak peak at the end. None of this compares to Bonk talking to me in ooga booga every time I played Gate of Thunder, however.
Lol, you know I won't disagree with you. Aside from the music being epic (not that gate isn't too), I agree Gate of Thunder is a more fundamentally sound shooter overall and a better game. It was a shame Gate got passed up on the mini as it's a classic. Despite being a thunder force clone if you want to call it that, it was a damn good one about on par with those games.
@@ShmupJunkie It was a somewhat surprising omission. Legendary Axe was probably the really odd omission (from an American standpoint). I think they made up for it by including titles I wasn’t expecting. I still haven’t bought it yet. I’m stubbornly waiting for a similar compilation to arrive on Switch. The way I feel about the mini-consoles is that if I wanted a stack of my old game consoles, I would still have all of my old game consoles. 😂
@@robertrada6040 To be fair these days just a single Mister is perfect to play most near flawlessly and on a crt no less with the analog out if desired. Aside from it’s one downside of being too technical for many to set up. I’ve been using mine a lot. The analogue products have been plug n play and great but they’re too hard to get and again you end up with a stack of consoles. At least the Mister one box does it all. I’m going to do a shmups on mister video one of these days soon and try showing it’s not nearly as hard to set up as many think. For those that may want to use one.
4 hours in and I still don't know what the blue balls that appear when you kill enemies (blue and red crystal). What are these blue balls and what do they do? Also how do you gain more power during play? How do you increase the red and yellow bar above during the levels? These infos are not even in the manual.
Do you think the shmup library on Sega/Mega CD is worth looking into? I used to have Silpheed and liked it, but that's long ago. Thinking of a Terrainion Mega SD, but it's kinda expensive...would like to play Lords Of Thunder though, even if it's the worse version.
Jan-Niklas Hoffmann I don’t know if there are enough shmups on the CD to justify the MegaSD, but it does have a few really good ones that I got it for. Bari-Arm, Aleste, and Keio Flying Squadron are all very cool and worth playing. Keio is pricey and hard to get otherwise. Sol Feace is one more. It also has an English Snstcher which I always wanted to play. So can’t say if it’s worth it for those alone if you already have an Everdrive, but it was the only way I could play them. I was thinking a video specifically on Sega CD shooters would be fun as they’re more obscure. But if you only want to play Lords a turbo mini would be way cheaper for $99 let alone all the other dozen plus amazing shmups on there.
@@ShmupJunkie thanks, I will wait with the Mega SD then. Your videos have convinced me that PC Engine and Saturn rule, so those are next in line...the MVS/Supergun combo looked so cool that I couldn't resist, I hope I won't be disappointed. Now I need to save a bit because it was expensive and a spontaneous purchase ..
Mega-CD/Sega-CD had the best Final Fight soundtrack. The only exclusive shooter I know of off the top of my head was Keio and I would take the shooter library on Saturn and PC-Engine over Keio any day. Inevitably most of the best Saturn shooters will end up on Switch.
Still has my copy on the duo that I bought straight from TTI/tzd (before they started pushing photocopied copies of covers for their games (my dungeon explorer 2, from tzd, came with a B&W cover sheet 😞)
Back on track, nice to see the actual differences between the games besides the 20+ years of people claiming just the audio is different.
godashram I wonder if that B&W version is even more rare? It sucked then but now it’s a piece of history. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one like that. Yeah not a ton of great comparisons out there it had to be done. It was fun to break down the levels a bit for the changes. Not to nitpick but just never saw anything out there that did it.
@Shmup Junkie I doubt it... Seems like tzd had disc stock but not manuals/packaging and to save money they just sent them out like that... I heard of a few later cd games released by tzd had a similar variants. It was probably just to help with stock reduction
Take it from a brit, the Ozzy impersonation was kinda grating...
but its ok 👍 I've heard alot worse lol, all good fun.
Great comparison video.
hahaha, oh I'll bet. I am terrible at them but figured what the hell. It was fun screwing around.
@@ShmupJunkie you got the mannerisms spot on, I just couldn't figure out if the accent was English, Aussie or Welsh lol 😆
OH CRAP GAME DUDE HAHAHAH
I used to go by that place all the time back in the 90's! I'm on the east coast now but I still have several games with that silver GD sticker on there!
So you were from LA too then I take it? That's pretty cool. It was a good store back in the day, definitely a shadow of it's former self now. But that fact it's still there at all is crazy.
@@ShmupJunkie yes sir, L.A. born and raised. Moved east in 2006. It was an awesome place in the 90's but started to change even back then. Sad to hear that it sounds like it only got worse, but I'm not too surprised they are still there. There's still a niche for small stores that deal in imports and retro games. We have a few cool ones in VA too, like Video Game Heaven.
Fun side note... I still have my Sega CD Lords of Thunder and I got that from Game Dude!!
@@bca5251 we’re LoThunda brothers then 😅, I wasn’t kind to the sega port back in the day but those were pricklier times haha. I moved out of LA proper long ago into nicer burbs. That traffic and crowds isn’t for me anymore after living there long enough. Now I have nice weather and am just over an hour from the mountains to get away.
@@ShmupJunkie right on man, definitely glad to be out of the city as well. You got a good channel here man, and a great collection!
You were right...this game is WAYYYYY easier on the Sega CD
No kidding right. After playing the original it’s night and day.
The scrolling backgrounds on Genesis are nice, but I just can't get past that trademark Sega color dithering. Color on PCE has always been a standout for me, and this game does not disappoint.
For whatever reason, the dithering didn't bug me as much on Genesis games, but the PC Engine definitely had a smoother look. It's crazy how many colors it had for such an early console and it's potential.
I am daft...what are suicide bullets? They keep going after they hit you?
No worries it's just an odd term. It's when every enemy you kill releases one, or many additional bullets at you. So in addition to them simply shooting more, every enemy that dies creates an additional bullet. The larger enemies in this game can create several of them as they die making it more difficult.
TBGFX16 definitely an underrated system indeed
Fair stuff. I m a SEGA fanboy but When I ve played the original one on PE-CD thats it. a pity Gates fo Thunder dint d show up in Sega CD too...
Damn, I miss my PC Engine duo, and Samsung GX-TV! what a great era for gaming. Samsung, should make a flatscreen tv version of the old GX! BTW, Masamune Shiroh (appleseed/ghost in the shell) did the cover art for Lords of Thunder.
Really? I had no idea about the artwork that's awesome. No wonder it looks so good. Thanks for that bit of info as I'd never seen it written out anywhere before. Learn something new every day.
Also I was a turbohead back in the day too. I lost all my game stuff before PC engine got popular when the retro gaming scene took off. I owned the stuff back in the 90s when no one knew or cared. I got most of it from turbo zone direct and flea markets. I had quite a collection. But I wasn't collecting it just to collect. I played all those games so they wouldn't be worth much now cause they were well used. But I had a lot of the saught after games. There were a lot more I wish I had gotten when I had the chance. But as a teen in middle school I didn't have the cash to drop at the time. And I wasn't thinking about making a collection. I bought the games I thought I would like playing. And then emulation came around. I got to see a lot of games that were never released in the US. Also after my duo died it was the only way to play the cd games I had. I was literally using magic engine to play my scd games on PC cause that was the only way I could play them. And there are a lot of emulators now. But you gotta give credit to magic engine. It was the first that worked accurately and also could also run the cd games. I couldn't afford to buy a new turbo duo so for a while magic engine was my turbo duo. I got my original one from TZD for around 300 because I traded in my tg16 with the memory expansion that plugged in the back expansion port. So I got a 50 dollar discount. And that was in the 90s. So if you want to talk about turbo nerds. I think my credentials are in order. I had the original hardware. And after I couldn't access that I started emulating. Now that is the only way to play the games unless you have 10 thousand dollars to actually buy the stuff.
This one in my top 5 game soundtracks
This brought me back to summer 1993! I think someone may have already noted this factoid, but Masamune Shirow created the original cover art for the TurboDuo release. The art itself wouldn’t reappear in any format until his Intron Depot 2: BLADES book of collected works. Compare the Duo cover art with the painfully generic Sega CD box art; CLEAR ADVANTAGE: TURBODUO
I actually did not know that artwork fact until very recently when someone else mentioned it. I always just knew it was bad ass. Without a doubt the cover blows the US Sega release away. But the Mega CD actually uses the same art. So it’s again a matter of some marketing geniuses in the west taking an amazing Japanese cover and ruining it lol.
@@ShmupJunkie lol many thanks for the reply! BTW you should be able to find Shirow’s intron depot collection on the cheap as it was localized by Dark Horse for the US release. That way you can see the full cover art blown up to full size without any of the text/title overlays. This is just a guess regarding the Sega CD US release but it’s likely the publisher passed on the Shirow cover because it would have likely meant cutting another check to the artist for the reproduction.
@@tankorrsmash I do at least have the turbo force issue with it on the cover which is pretty rad too. But thank you for that I had no idea. I’ll definitely look it up as if I can get just the image somewhere I would. Thanks again!
is it just the video or do the Sega CD enemies not flash when you hit them? Thats a pretty big deal
Thanks for the video. To me turbografx16 is the best system .
Ddao Dao Any time I’m glad you enjoyed it. You know how I feel about it 😃
Super hyper amazing game, super, hyper amazing comparisson, i agree in everything u say, great video, please do a silpheed sega cd vs comparisson video.
Great game. Both look good. Luckily I got my hands on a TurboGFX mini so I will be playing that version. & I still go to Game Dude once in a while just to look at the cool stuff they got there & maybe buy a retro game, but now a days most retro stuff is too expensive. I used to buy old gaming magz there too. Anyway another great vídeo, thanks 👍
I haven't been to that Gamedude in ages, but I did stop by a few years ago. A shell of it's former self compared to how it used to be... it was a phenomenal place to trade in and get new games, as well as find older classics. Most likely they are just picked clean now and sold most of the good stuff. But I still plan to stop by again when I am in the area to see how it's doing. It won't be around forever.
Just what I was looking for! An expert opinion from a bonefide junkie!
You found it! 😬 And I hope it answered all your questions and then some.
Turbo is the way to go but Sega CD is more of an enjoyable experience due to the difficulty, at least for me. One of my favorite shooters along with the awesome and amazing OST.
SegaSaturnSNK That’s a good point that I also kind of brought up. The Sega version seemed like they made it more accessible for a larger audience and doesn’t beat you over the head right away. That soundtrack is awesome no matter which system. 👌🔥
You are the best
Not a fan of the dithered graphics on the Sega, it wasn’t done to “look sharper” it was done due to compromise due to its lack of ability to display more than 61 color on screen simultaneous vs the Duo which did 482. That’s why there’s the disparity.
Also the seizure effect when your character is hit is dumb af on Sega, it’s missing the sound effect and I agree on the music, the Duo version makes you want to kick ass, the Sega makes me want to drink hot tea and eat crumpets 😆
LMAO yeah I had to be fair on the music as while I also prefer the original tracks, really can't fault them there. They're well recorded and still sound great and know some others that prefer them. I did my best to separate nostalgia from reality and see it neutrally and both recordings are great. I almost gave it to the Duo because they dropped the ball on that final stage music, otherwise it was well done. Tea and Crumpets is what I need after playing a round on Super mode haha
Problem is I wanted more ports! I'd love to see this killer game on the Super Nintendo or Playstation1.
At least it got some new life on the Virtual Console if I remember right. But yeah would be nice to get a Switch PCE Shmups Classics collection with Lords, Gate, Soldier Blade, etc. can you imagine?
Rewatching this and i just had a question... i know the og Turbo version is from my boys at Red, but trying to see who did the sega CD port and all i come up with is Hudson themselves... is that accurate? i could imagine Hudson just trying to do a quick conversion to make some extra cash, and i dont think they made much for the platform other than Space Adventure Cobra, and might not have been masters at it yet... to follow up though, as far as early music goes, that first track is better on the turbo in my opinion but the second is better on the sega... but then again i agree most of the sound effects seem better all around on the turbo as well as those missing graphical elements.. thats what made me wonder who actually developed it... Red tends to not miss much, and would later make a ton of cash working with sega on the first few Sakura Wars games...
I don’t think Hudson themselves ported it and most likely just published. According to the wiki a company called Eleven may have been doing the port but I’m just not familiar with them. All in all I think the port isn’t bad at all especially in terms of visuals and of course the music. They went through the trouble of redoing the tracks. The graphical differences are more nitpicky than anything even if some details are missing. It’s the gameplay where it all falls apart for me and just doesn’t play nearly as well. Which gives me the impression they were trying to tone it down and make it easier like often happens, but muck up the core gameplay in the process. At least that was my impression.
@@ShmupJunkie thanks.. i knew based on what i found it wasnt red, im not saying anything your saying is wrong, ive only played the turbo version, i just had a feeling Red wouldnt have left out so many details if they made the port themselves (from what ive seen- i guess anyone can mess up, hell their og versions of Tempo wasnt as good as the saturn one) ... thats why i was curious to find out the sega port's story... kinda like denpa ports of sega games or ving ports of taito games...im not familiar with Eleven by name, ill check out their history... anyway thanks and great job man..
i dont know i remember hearing the final level music the sega cd if you put it in a cd player but i have my real sega cd disc in storage and have not used it in a long time. i have winds of thunder on the duo
I was wrong here the sega cd version does have that music too. It’s swapped with the bosque stage so it plays there instead of the final level. But it does have all the music too. It was my first time playing the sega port so I missed they swapped it around 🤦♂️
@@ShmupJunkie i think they made a mistake and coded it wrong and must of typed in another track to play. or they did it on purpose i dont know.
@@SodaGumX My guess is they saved the best for last. That bosque stage music is iconic. But we will never know for sure.
never got to play a turbo, didn't even know they existed back then must not have been popular in northern canada looks great though that music is definitely more aggressive
It was hard to get in most states as well. I was lucky enough to grow up in Los Angeles so it was one of the early test markets. I had access to it alll, but many others around the US didn't either.
Going in blind, I'd go with the Turbo because it's the original and Sega's is the port. Ultimately, there's simply just more "Thunder" present in the TG-CD version. This is an all-time classic but I have to admit that I prefer Gate of Thunder just slightly.
One of my favorite games ever, at least the turbo version. It's one of those, along with MUSHA, that I pop in just to listen to the soundtrack.
Anyway, just wanted to point out, since I think you didn't mention it, that enemy placements and boss patterns also change significantly in the different difficulties, almost to the point of making them like a "black label" or remixed version. So yeah, bullet density increases, but it's more than that in the different difficulties, which is not something that most games did, especially in those days.
I wasn’t smart enough back then unfortunately to keep a lot of my favorite games. Lords and Ys were some of the only exceptions just to listen to the tracks. Just too good. One of my few originals.
You’re right I didn’t point it out other difficulty changes in this game besides the Super mode on Turbo since it’s just so cool. I’m slowly trying to add more details in each new comparison without going overboard and making the video too long. Also for my own sanity 😅. That’s a good point though not many games did that back then and it’s not something I ever really noticed.
@@ShmupJunkie Oh, don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the video, and all your other content. I personally could do without some of the skits, so you get straight to the point, but I understand most of the target audience probably doesn't agree (I'm an old foker). You also have some mad skills - I don't last very long in the super mode.
@@juancastro2176 yeah it’s just my thing to be silly and have fun with what I’m doing. But one thing I always do is post the chapter list in my pinned comment so it’s easy to just jump right to it and skip past anything else. I know some people appreciate it.
Super mode is hard period. I can’t just run the game that way. Especially the harder stages. I can play them a few times in a row or more and maybe get one good / lucky run in.
For the love of god, does anybody out there have a prepatched bin/cue of the Lords of Thunder Sega CD audio hack for the TG-16 game? I’ve only found the patch for it and the patching instructions result in an incompatible iso/cue/wav collection. I could rip a disc of this and run it in my duo, but I really try not to run CD-R’s in my duo to preserve its laser. I really wanna try this out on my PCE ODE.
I’m playing this on my Core grafx mini. When I played it for the first time I thought it had some kind of Rock Paper Scissors mechanic because of the different elements. But as far as I can tell it’s not a thing. I’ve been playing way to much Pokémon
Haha no not at all. Doesn’t matter really which armor you use where in terms of elements. Most of the time you choose your favorite and stick with it for the game like most ship choices.
Definitely the game with the coolest power metal soundtrack ever !!
“Keep playing out of your garage for your one junkie friend and the ugly sweater girl with the FUPA” 😆
That one fugly sweater girl with the Fupa was Timmy in a wig. I fear if I run out of ideas it may come to that 😂
you're very good mate
Why thank you. Not sure if you meant the video or the gameplay but I'll take it either way. 😅
@@ShmupJunkie both
I found the PC Engine version for Vita! The version is really much better! The strangest thing is the gems on Mega/Sega CD, they behave really funny...The Vita is great for shmups, I've been able to catch up on so many games I wouldn't have played elsewhere...I haven't played that many PC Engine games yet, but I can see where you love for the console comes from, they have a lot of personality and I'm surprised how good many of them look compared to Mega Drive.....
I'm kinda liking Aldynes a lot as well.....
Jan-Niklas Hoffmann oh cool! How are you playing it on Vita? Is it hacked running a pc engine emulator?
@@ShmupJunkie no, it's not hacked. All the games are originals from the Japanese PSN store. There all loads of PC Engine and PS1 smups there.
Jan-Niklas Hoffmann wow I didn’t even know the Vita had them all back then. That’s so cool. I’d have been all over it at the time had I known.
@@ShmupJunkie it's insane, really. Japanese Psn store has a fantastic has selection. All the PC Engine and PS1 classics are between 600-850 yen.
Who in the seven hells made the cover art for sega CD?
Same people that made most of the questionable cover art for US games at the time. The Japan and UK art remained close to the original.
That Super Hard Mode! Jeebus!
Help me Jeeebuuuus! lmao It's no joke that mode kicks my butt more often than not. It's not meant to be particularly reasonable.
The chick with the FUPA always puts it down though!
Turbo Duo version is best , no comparison.Regardless, amazing game!
I agree it’s best, but I had to do a comparison anyway 😅. I always heard the Sega port maligned and was surprised it wasn’t as bad as claimed. It’s really the gameplay where it felt apart the most.
@@ShmupJunkie yea I hear ya . The Sega Cd port isn’t bad definitely still a good game for Sega Cd. Great video!. Love these comparison videos.