October 13, 2000 - Factor 5, the company behind Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (N64), has begun development on Thornado, a 3D shooter much in the vein of Metroid and Contra -- and it's on its way to Nintendo's next-generation console: Gamecube.
Thornado is reportedly a super-fast shooting game that combines 3D action with a little bit of exploration as you defend Earth from an invading alien force. The game will feature two selectable characters, a man and a woman, and futuristic polygon environments that range from Earth to outer space. While Factor 5 isn't releasing any details, we do know that the game's title refers to the player's ability to use wind-based weapons that can literally blow enemies and obstacles out of the way. Factor 5 opted to change the name after it was unable to reach an agreement with Rainbow Arts/Soft Gold, the European publisher that still owns the rights to the Turrican (Amiga/SNES) name.
Recently at the 2000 Spaceworld Show in Tokyo, Japan, IGNcube was given the opportunity to get an advance peek at what kind of experience we can expect from Thornado on Gamecube. Like the LucasArts/Factor 5 developed Star Wars Rogue Gamecube title, the brief Thornado demo we were treated to was all running in real-time on the console's powerful hardware. In it the game's main character, a quasi-futuristic bloke with blonde hair and a trench-coat, ran swiftly across a bridge as an explosion of Independence Day proportions sent cars flying in every direction behind him. The level of detail on the character was simply amazing, from the super-high polygon model itself to the way he moved with a spectacularly realistic fluidity -- trench coat flapping and each finger on his hands individually animated. Meanwhile, the environment he explored was gargantuan -- a bridge seemingly modeled to scale and a grand depth of view with no pop up or slowdown.
While we didn't see his powers demonstrated, we're told that the main character -- "Thor" -- is capable of using wind-based weaponry and a very cool grappling hook system a la Bionic Commando.
Still, what we did see was all very impressive. Our only complaint was that the demo was over too quickly -- roughly 15 seconds in length. It wrapped up with a particularly evil looking alien monster lashing out at the camera, so we've got a good idea of what to expect from Thornado: big guns, futuristic environments and lots of grotesquely alien beings to shoot at. Sounds good to us.
No publisher has been named for the title yet, but after seeing the impressive demo in action we're sure Factor 5 will have no trouble whatsoever picking one up.
Outlook
When this game finally shows itself, Nintendo enthusiasts will be blown away. It's that simple.
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