Lords of Thunder (Mega CD / Sega CD review)

Developer: Hudson Soft, Eleven
Publisher: Sega of America
Released: 1995

Lords of Thunder is a side-scrolling shooter and the follow-up to Gate of Thunder (1992, TurboGrafx-CD).

+ Gives you the freedom to tackle the first six stages in any order, and the shop adds depth to bolster attack plans.

+ Stages are an absolute blast due to varied enemy patterns, environmental hazards, and tight corridors that test your nerve.

+ Melee attack is super handy for dishing out huge damage if you're willing to risk close-quarters combat.

+ Hard rock music enhances the gameplay and the adrenaline-fuelled tunes perfectly compliment the chaotic action.

+ Bosses are gigantic (with some taking up almost the entire screen height), and the graphics are spectacularly detailed.

- Lots of slowdown (particularly in the Auzal level) and the sprite flicker makes it tough to clock incoming projectiles.

- A couple of selectable weapons have questionable worth, and the sound effects can often drown out the music.