Thunder Ceptor

Thunder Ceptor
250px Arcade flyer
Developer(s)	Namco
Publisher(s)	Namco
Platforms	Arcade
Release date(s)
Genre(s)	3D shooter
Mode(s)	Single player
Cabinet	Upright and sit-down
Arcade system	Namco Thunder Ceptor
CPU	1x Motorola 68000 @ 12.288 MHz, 2x Motorola M65C02 @ 2.048 MHz, 1x Hitachi HD63701 @ 1.536 MHz
Sound	1x Yamaha YM2151 @ 3.57958 MHz, 1x Namco CUS30 @ 96 kHz, 1x DAC
Display	Horizontal orientation, Raster, 272 × 224 resolution

Thunder Ceptor (サンダーセプター, Sandā Seputā) is a 3D shooter arcade game that was released by Namco in 1986. It usurped both Libble Rabble and Toy Pop (the latter of which was released earlier in 1986) as the company's most powerful 8-bit arcade games, was the first game from them to use an analogue (360-degree) joystick, and a 3-D sequel named 3-D Thunder Ceptor II (also known as just Thunder Ceptor II) was released towards the end of the year. In 2011, Namco retconned both games in their "U.G.S.F" universe.

Gameplay

The player must take control of the eponymous Thunder Ceptor, a hyper-way fighter ship developed by the Federal Troops, which is equipped with a rapid-fire zapper cannon, and rocket artillery napalm bombs – it can possess up to five of these bombs at a time, and they will be replenished at the end of each command. It also has a radar (which is displayed in the centre of the screen), and its progress ("WAY") is displayed up at the top of the screen, along with its energy ("POWER") and its bomb ("ARMS"). Its condition is also displayed in the top-left corner of the screen (usually with an image of its blueprints), but shall change to say "CAUTION" or "ENERGY EMPTY" when a formation attack is heading towards it (much like the Condition Indicator in Namco's own Bosconian) or it is reduced to four bars of power.

External links

• Thunder Ceptor at the Killer List of Videogames
• Thunder Ceptor at the Arcade History database