The CD add-on for the TurboGrafx came and went with barely a whimper in the States, but there were still some quality titles released, with the most notable probably being this shooter, an excellent game that still holds up well to this day.

You know the drill: power-up your ship and kill as many baddies as possible. Games like this don't really need that much plot, especially with graphics like these, which are among the best the TG produced and hold up well aginst its' more powerful contemporaries.

The soundtrack had to be compressed to fit in a download suited for the VC, but you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference. Gate of Thunder clearly showed how important the sonic design was to shooting games, and raised the bar for years to come.

There are a couple of small compaints, though. It is still a very tough game; it'll probably take you some time just to clear the first level. Also, the power-up selection is a bit sparse (though you do get some cool drone fighters that are extremely helpful). But overall, if you're a shooter fan, it doesn't get much better on the VC than this.