LD Game Special Part 1: Thunder Storm, the Masterpiece Created by Data East

If the term 'LD game' rings a bell, you are definitely an old-timer😁. An LD game is a video game that used a LaserDisc for video display, and in 1983, when it was developed, it could display images and videos of a caliber that was off the charts. Even in arcades filled with the latest gaming equipment, these visuals stood out, and by the following year, 1984, they created a massive sensation. Unfortunately, however, LD games declined in a very short period and vanished like a fleeting flower of the era. Still, for the young gamers who saw an LD game for the first time in an arcade, the shock must be burned into their memories.
This time, I will write about the experience of Thunder Storm, which can be declared the greatest masterpiece in LD game history, from the perspective of an elementary school 'Naikon' (computer-less) boy.

1. Encounter at an MSX event, the shock of Thunder Storm

Due to the Captain System communication fee incident at the end of 1984 that I mentioned last time, my New Year's money was confiscated in full, making my purchase of an MSX even more distant. The only thing that could heal the heart of a 'Naikon' boy was MSX events. At an event in Takadanobaba, which I reached after an hour of cycling, I encountered an incredible game. It was the legendary LD game 'Thunder Storm.' The shock was indescribable, but first, please take a look at the video. This footage is from the arcade version, but the MSX version has the same visuals, with the cockpit area simplified, making it easier to play. The opening is a must-see!😍

When the upbeat synthesizer sound rings out, a crimson combat helicopter reminiscent of the Char Custom Blue Thunder flies freely through the pitch-black skyscrapers, wreaking havoc. Should I describe the impact of this sense of speed and exhilaration as a combination of After Burner II and Night Striker? And to think, it's running on an MSX! Even now, I get goosebumps when I watch the opening.
When the play ended, my hands gripping the joystick were soaking wet. In any case, it was the first time I had ever been this excited by a game.

Due to their nature, LD games were limited to large arcade cabinets. However, it was extremely dangerous for elementary school students in the 80s to frequent arcades. Schools strictly forbade it, and an insidious snitch system was encouraged, so it wasn't rare to be dragged out and humiliated during morning assembly. Is this North Korea?! 🤣
In 1983, when the serialization of the game kids' bible, 'Game Center Arashi,' ended, the ways for elementary school students to obtain information about arcades became extremely limited, such as through feature articles in magazines like Micom BASIC Magazine.
That's why my first attempt at an arcade was around the end of that year, when I went to meet Reika-chan from Time Gal, whom I had fallen in love with at first sight in BASIC Magazine. That's exactly why the shock I received from this game was so great. I have previously posted about my experiences and materials regarding Time Gal.

Speaking of early summer 1985, it was a time when even Super Mario hadn't been released yet. In a world where games were commonly thought of as just 'piko-piko' beeps, I couldn't even imagine Thunder Storm, which utilized anime visuals that were incredible even by today's standards. Back then, there was so little information that I actually thought if the MSX put its mind to it, it could produce games like this. 😁

😆 'There's a game on the MSX that's even better than the Mobile Suit Gundam anime!'

However, when I reported this to everyone at school the next day, there wasn't a single friend who believed me; no one could imagine such a game. Then, the brilliant FM7-kun, who would become my lifelong frenemy, said:

😒 'Even the FM7 version of Mobile Suit Gundam didn't have anime scenes. It's impossible on a low-spec PC like the MSX.'

When I explained it like this, the class broke into a chorus of 'Liar!' I went home crying (I'm exaggerating a little 😁).

🧛‍♂️How could I possibly let this grudge go unavenged?

Unable to contain my anger, I massaged my grandmother's shoulders, got some pocket money, and dashed to the bookstore to buy the special MSX issue of Login. The highlight of this special issue was an LD game feature. When I brought it to school the next day, the attitude of my gaming friends changed completely.

😲 'Whoa! I've never seen a game like this!'

🤩 'The MSX is way better than the Famicom, isn't it?'

The classroom was filled with excitement. Even FM7-kun, the doctor's son who was a bit well-off, started saying:

😏 'Maybe I should buy an MSX too.'

What a bandwagoner! As he urged me, 'How much is it anyway?', he flipped the page... and everyone went silent on the advertisement page. In the end, I was barely able to play any MSX LD games, but I still clearly remember the shock and excitement of that time.

I found a scene of playing the MSX version of Thunder Storm in a VHD introductory demo disc. I wonder how many people were actually able to put this full set together? This is an excerpt from 'Ikkei & Yasuha's The VHD World.' The singer Yasuha, daughter of the first Hayashiya Sanpei, makes an appearance.

❷ The History of LD Game Evolution and Its Peak, Thunder Storm

LD games are a general term for games that basically use LaserDisc footage for the background of a computer game.
The concept of using live-action footage in games can be traced back to the 1974 shooting game 'Wild Gunman' by Nintendo, which was the original version of the game later ported to the Famicom, and the 1982 game 'The Driver' produced by Kansai Seiki Seisakusho, a manufacturer of electro-mechanical games. However, because these used film for video playback, the equipment was large and maintenance was complex, so they were not widely distributed.

The 1974 arcade game "Wild Gunman" was apparently developed by the legendary Gunpei Yokoi. It is a large cabinet consisting of a light gun connected to a 16mm projection screen.
The internal structure features two projectors installed in the front, with a mechanism that switches the projected image when certain conditions are met. The object in the back is a screen, not a CRT monitor. The hit detection sensor is located in the gun itself; if the gun can catch the flash that appears on the screen after the trigger is pulled and the scene switches, it is registered as a hit. This mechanic is the same as the light gun for the Famicom, so it could be considered the ancestor of the "Light Gun Series."
The gameplay involves shooting when the enemy's eyes flash. If the player's reaction is fast, the video changes to show the shot gunman falling; if the player misses, runs out of time, or fires too early, the video shows the enemy gunman drawing his weapon and firing, followed by a victory pose. This "enemy's eyes flash" gimmick was also carried over to the Famicom version.

By the way, the game's footage was shot around Kyoto and at the now-defunct Nara Dreamland, using local, unknown extras. I wonder where they scouted these foreigners? 😁

Surprisingly, this is a live-action video type of "Wild Gunman" filmed in 2011. As expected from the home of American Westerns, the player looks the part. Since 1974 is long before the 1978 release of Space Invaders, it must have had quite an impact. I would have loved to play it too.

Actually, while I was following overseas sites regarding this Wild Gunman, I found out thatthere was a live-action strip-tease shooting game called "Fascination" that Gunpei Yokoi is said to have prototyped😳

According to Gunpei Yokoi:

"I knew that only male reporters would come to the Wild Gunman presentation, so I thought about whether I could achieve great success with an unusual production that would captivate them. That's when I came up with 'Fascination'."
"In this game, a young woman is dancing to music. The video stops when the woman shows the buttons on her clothes. If you hit the target, the video resumes, and you can see her clothes falling off. If you could land perfect shots in a row, it was even possible to see the young woman completely naked (laughs). As you can imagine, this game was a huge success and became more popular than 'Wild Gunman'!"
"Actually, I didn't intend to sell it because it used a much more complex and delicate mechanism than 'Wild Gunman'. When I installed a few prototypes in Shinjuku, as you know, it was a great success."
"I wanted to welcome a young Swedish woman as a model and have her participate in the filming. The filming was wonderful, and she was truly beautiful! Since CG didn't exist at the time, the challenge of making the video interactive was especially fun."

This is said to be an excerpt from the 1996 publication "Gunpei Yokoi Game Museum".

I'm not entirely sure how much of this is true, but if it did exist, it might be the only risqué work among Nintendo's games. It is said that prototypes were installed in Shinjuku, so if anyone has ever seen one, please leave a comment 😁

The 1982 release "The Driver" by Kansai Seiki Seisakusho might be better known by the headline "Chase that red car." If my memory serves me correctly, I saw it at an arcade in Korakuen.
The content involves chasing a red car driving in front of you, and the success or failure of your driving is indicated by lamps and panels. The video was apparently filmed by Toei, and it still looks impressive even today.

Because these works use film for video playback, the branching of the video had to be done mechanically, which is why they are often classified as electro-mechanical games. In contrast, LD games, which took advantage of the LaserDisc's ability to instantly access any desired point, appeared in 1983.

Dragon's Lair is often called the first LD game in history, but in reality, Sega's "Astron Belt," which was shipped in Japan in April 1983, is said to be the first LD game ever. However, the background footage for the game was repurposed from "Message from Space" and "Space Sheriff Gavan."

On the other hand, the biggest feature of Dragon's Lair, which became an early hit among LD games, was that it did not use any existing footage, and Don Bluth, who had worked as an animation director at Disney and elsewhere, was involved in the animation production. The smooth movement, comparable to Disney animated films, was groundbreaking, and it still has a dedicated fan base today.
Due to the nature of LD games, there are many situations where you die instantly, but because those scenes were individual videos rather than reused footage, a unique way of enjoying LD games was born: "enjoying the death scenes." This lineage was later inherited by games like Time Gal.

On the other hand, a drawback of LD games was that while the original LD footage itself was beautiful, the difference between it and the video game screens of the time was so great that it felt unnatural when composited.
For example, M.A.C.H. 3, which Taito imported and sold from the US in 1984, was an ambitious shooting game that used LD video for the background.
It used authentic aerial photography taken by professionals, and it was reportedly the most popular of the 16 types of arcade laser games released in the US in 1983. They also put effort into promotion, and it is said that they emphasized the realism of the work by signing a contract with Steve Ritchie, a fighter ace who had shot down five MiG-21s during the Vietnam War, to promote the game.

If you choose a fighter plane, it becomes a 3D shooter reminiscent of After Burner II, and if you choose a bomber, it becomes a typical Xevious-style vertical shooter. However, as you can see if you watch the video, the background and the game are completely disconnected, making it feel very unnatural. Perhaps because of this, it doesn't seem to have become very popular in Japan.

Also, US vs. THEM, which was not released in Japan, is an ambitious work where you can play three types of shooting games: vertical, horizontal, and 3D, but this also has a level of perfection that makes you smile wryly because the background and the game are disconnected in every scene😅
Furthermore, a cheesy mini-drama like "Aliens have attacked! Save the Earth!" is inserted into each scene, andthe grandmother and young woman screaming when they discover the UFO look like a sketch from Drifters, which is hilarious🤣If it had been imported to Japan, it would have become a legendary "baka-ge" (stupid game). The opening is a must-see!

In contrast, Thunder Storm limited the video game images to just the cockpit area and the targeting reticle, and drew everything else, including not only enemy planes but also explosion scenes, into the LD images. This placed a heavy burden on the animation production side, but it increased the immersion in the game and allowed players to obtain the exhilaration that is the key to shooting games. It is stated in magazine commentary that the production side at Data East planned this intentionally.
Also, by setting the player's craft to a combat helicopter instead of a fighter plane, it created a unique behavior of moving in all directions and a sense of speed, which was another feature. I think the scene of the vertical ascent after blowing up the final base, which is also in the opening, is the prime example of this.

Also, while Dragon's Lair followed the lineage of Disney, the pinnacle of American animation,Thunder Storm, on the other hand, was created by gathering the top-class creators of the Japanese animation world at the time.Thunder Storm, which made full use of the precise mechanics and spectacular explosion scenes that are the true essence of Japanese animation, was perhaps the forerunner of the fusion of Japanese anime and games that would later become commonplace. I will explain this in detail in the next chapter.

❸ The Miracle of the Birth of Thunder Storm

Thunder Storm was developed as a completely original LD game by Data East, without using any existing anime footage. The developer was Mr. Yoshihisa Kishimoto, the real-life 'Nekketsu Koha Kunio-kun'.
Although it is stated that Toei Animation was in charge of the anime parts, it seems that it was actually created mainly by Studio Z5, which brought together up-and-coming animators of the time.

With over 50,000 cels, it has about five times the volume of a standard 30-minute TV anime, boasting quality that even surpasses theatrical anime. Everything about it was on a different scale: a one-year production period, over 500 staff members in total, a production cost of 100 million yen, and a soundtrack by the rock band TAO, who were active in the early 1980s.

Hideki Takayama of the Space Battleship Yamato series was appointed as chief director, and Hajime Kamegaki, who is still active on the front lines today, served as mechanical designer and animation director.Furthermore, it is incredibly luxurious that each of the 10 stages had its key animation handled by a different top-tier animator. Talented animators were able to fully demonstrate their drawing skills. I'd like to introduce a computer magazine that explained this in detail along with valuable storyboards.

The opening key animation was handled by Yoshinobu Aobachi, who worked on the key animation for the original Gundam and illustrations for Gundam novels.Surprisingly, he moved to Tokyo dreaming of becoming a boxer before entering the world of anime. That scene where the combat helicopter rises against the backdrop of the sunset is legendary, isn't it?

Stage 1: The key animation for New York, which symbolizes this game, was handled by director Hajime Kamegaki.
Starting from the Statue of Liberty, after a thrilling run weaving through the buildings, the vertical ascent to the DECO building via hovering allows you to fully enjoy the movement of the combat helicopter.

Stage 2: The key animation for the Grand Canyon was handled by Yoshitaka Yashima.His representative works include serving as animation director for Digimon Adventure and others.

Stage 3: The sea scene key animation was handled by Hajime Kamegaki.
Just when you think the final boss is a battleship after defeating cruisers and submarines, an aircraft carrier appears at the end. What kind of terrorists are they?! 🤣 The series of spectacular explosion scenes is the true essence of Studio Z5, which follows in the footsteps of the legendary animator Yoshinori Kanada.

Stage 4: The original drawings for Easter Island were handled by Tomonori Kogawa.
His representative work is the movie 'The Ideon: Be Invoked,' for which he handled almost all of the animation himself. By the way, the music is by Koichi Sugiyama, it's the best! 😍

Stage 5: The original drawings for the mid-boss forest fortress were handled by Masamitsu Sasaki.
His representative works include 'Arcadia of My Youth: Endless Orbit SSX' and 'Perman'.

Stage 6: The original drawings for Rome were handled by Takeshi Shirato.His representative works include storyboards for 'Space Battleship Yamato' and direction and animation supervision for 'Kinnikuman'.
Starting from the ruins of Bombay, you go through Rome and Vatican City to a great air battle above St. Peter's Square. You can go on a rampage with stages set in World Heritage sites like Roman temples, Cesta Castle, and the island of Elba. They must have been drawn based on incredible reference materials.

Stage 7: The original drawings for the Himalayas were handled by Hideyuki Motohashi, a partner of director Kazunori Komura.'Six God Combination Godmars,' for which he served as character designer and animation supervisor, is a monumental work that caused a massive increase in female anime fans.

Stage 8: The original drawings for the jungle were handled by Takeshi Shirato.

Stage 9: The original drawings for the oil field base were handled by Joji Oshima.His representative works include 'Galactic Drifter Vifam' and the 'Transformers' series.

The original drawings for Stage 10, the terrorist headquarters, were handled by Nam-Yeol Baek.His representative works include Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water.
The final scene follows the tradition of "Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato: Warriors of Love," perhaps? You charge into the heart of the enemy. The catharsis of slipping through consecutive shielding shutters and escaping with a vertical climb after destroying the final fortress is the best!
Huh? Have I ever cleared it? Oh, come on, I was just watching from behind a skilled player whose name I didn't even know at the arcade. 😅 Being able to experience the excitement that even the gallery could feel was one of the good things about LD games.
In writing this post, I realized once again that Thunder Storm was created by a vast number of people compared to regular games. I want to thank everyone involved for creating such a wonderful game. 🙇

❹ What the LD games, which were a fleeting spark, left behind

How was it? I originally intended to write a brief summary about LD games. However, as I was writing, the excitement of Thunder Storm came back to me, and as usual, it ended up being a huge amount. Sorry about that. 🙇
Thunder Storm is undoubtedly a masterpiece among the arcade games of 1984-1985, which were full of great titles, and it seems its income and sales performance were also good. I thought that if high-quality LD games like this and Time Gal were mass-produced, the LD game boom might have lasted a little longer. However, after researching the production process this time, I realized that was absolutely impossible. Thunder Storm was a miraculous masterpiece that was an exception. Road Blaster, which Data East developed as a sequel in August 1985, was also a masterpiece, but despite exceeding the previous work with over 100,000 cels, it unfortunately did not reach the level of Thunder Storm.

LD games declined rapidly after 1985, and combined with the fact that frequent breakdowns were unavoidable due to their structure, they had completely disappeared from arcades by around 1988 in my experience.
However, that lineage was later inherited by the large-capacity digital games that began with the PC Engine's CD-ROM² released in 1988, and today, game direction that makes full use of video footage has become the norm.

Also, the "one-hit death" taste that was a running joke in "Dragon's Lair" can be considered the ancestor of QTEs (Quick Time Events). I'm sure I'm not the only one who was reminded of LD games when playing 1996's "Dynamite Cop."Currently, QTEs are evaluated as the "fusion of gameplay and film," and that may be the goal that LD games were aiming for.Thinking about it that way, perhaps the role played by LD games was significant.

For gamers of my generation, LD games seem to have symbolized the cutting edge of the era.Since their prime was short-lived, I think only a limited number of people actually played them on the original hardware, which is exactly why I wanted to leave a record of the experience.
The idea that such LD games could be played on the MSX was like a dream. Next time, I would like to write about how a certain original LD game released for the MSX had a huge influence on later gaming culture. Thank you very much for staying with me until the end this time as well.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Cyborg MSX