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Thunderbirds
FAQ/Walkthrough
By: Dark Vortex (Quan Jin)
[email protected]
Version 1.0
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This guide may be found on the following sites:
[
http://www.gamefaqs.com]--------------------------------------------[GameFAQs]
[
http://www.gamespot.com]--------------------------------------------[GameSpot]
[
http://faqs.ign.com]------------------------------------------------[IGN FAQs]
[
http://www.neoseeker.com]------------------------------------------[Neoseeker]
[
http://www.dlh.net]--------------------------------------[Dirty Little Helper]
[
http://www.cheats.de]----------------------------------------------[Cheats.de]
[
http://www.supercheats.com]--------------------------------------[SuperCheats]
[
http://www.honestgamers.com]------------------------------------[HonestGamers]
This guide is copyright (c)2008 Quan Jin
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--- Table of Contents ---
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1. Introduction...............................................[1000]
2. FAQ........................................................[2000]
3. Controls...................................................[3000]
4. Walkthrough................................................[4000]
5. Power-Ups..................................................[5000]
6. Version History............................................[6000]
7. Legal Disclaimers..........................................[7000]
8. Credits and Closing........................................[8000]
To find a section quickly, press Ctrl-F and type in either the name
of the section along with its content number (ie. 1., 2., 3., etc.)
OR you can use the codes on the far right. Simply type in the
brackets with the code number to get a jump.
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--- 1. Introduction --- [1000]
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Thunderbirds is a shoot 'em up game based on the popular TV series of the same
name. Taking the role of five skilled pilots, each with their own unique
Thunderbird, it will be your job to stop the evil (The) Hood from carrying out
his diabolical designs.
This guide provides a walkthrough spanning the entire game. I hope you find it
helpful.
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--- 2. FAQ --- [2000]
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+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
[Q] Is it possible to achieve game over status?
[A] Although Thunderbirds does not utilize a lives system, you do
have a set amount of time. Every time you are destroyed, it takes
three days to repair that particular craft. You have 60 days
total to complete the campaign. Note that completing a stage
costs 1 day.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
[Q] Why do I keep getting destroyed for no apparent reason in the
volcano mission?
[A] You're being torn apart by the rocky terrain. Shoot the terrain
to clear a path through.
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--- 3. Controls --- [3000]
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##
##
_____##_____________________________
| |
| _ |
| _| |_ ,----------- B Button
,--------|_ _| _| _ |
| | |_| == == |_| |_|------ A Button
Control Pad | | | |
|________________|____|______________|
,--' `--.
| |
Select Button Start Button
Control Pad
-----------
~ Moves your vehicle.
~ Select menu items.
Select Button
-------------
~ Unused.
Start Button
------------
~ Makes selections on the menu.
~ Pause.
B Button
--------
~ Confirm.
~ Switch direction of Orbiters.
A Button
--------
~ Confirm.
~ Fire weapon.
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--- 4. Walkthrough --- [4000]
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The gameplay in Thunderbirds isn't completely linear. After each mission, you
will be allowed to undertake any available missions. For example, at the very
beginning of the game, you will be allowed to pick from three locations on the
map. After completing various missions, more and more dots will appear.
It should be noted that although there is no life count per se, you do have
a set amount of time to complete the campaign. Every time you are destroyed
in battle, it takes three days to repair your ship. If you are unable to stop
Hood within 60 days, it's game over for you, buddy.
North America
=============
Stage #1: Hood's Base
---------------------
Craft: Thunderbird 1 (Scott)
The mission starts you off over a body of water. The first enemies encountered
will consist of some slow bombers. Those will shoot at you quite slowly so
they should not pose much of a threat. Because they take a few hits to
destroy though, do your best to avoid crashing into them. About three bombers
in, you will encounter a red one - destroy this one to attain an Energy
powerup.
Around this point, a line of four fighter jets will fly in at an angle. Either
destroy them or evade them. Once you pass the bomber squadron, three lines of
four fighter jets will cut through the middle. Position your Thunderbird in
the middle and fire at them as they pass through. After eliminating those, you
will have reached land.
More fighter jets will appear, but the bigger threats will be the tanks on the
ground. Avoid flying directly in the line of their guns. Their shells move
very quickly and can be tough to avoid. The best way to deal with the tanks
would be to fire at them just after they've let out a stream of shells. Past
that point, you will encounter some turrets on the cliffs. Try to eliminate
these quickly because they will quickly clutter up the screen with bullets if
left standing.
More tanks and fighter jets will appear as you go along. Avoid sitting in one
spot for too long because you'll be lit up by incoming enemies. Eventually,
you will come to a red turret - blast it apart for a Life pick-up. Up ahead
are two more turrets. The next area is full of more turrets atop raised
platforms. The bulky bombers will appear here as well, rendering navigation
a huge chore. To avoid collisions with the bombers, destroy the turrets on
the platforms to clear openings for your Thunderbird to travel through. Pay
close attention to the red turrets because the first two will net you Energy
upgrades. The third one you encounter will give up an Orbiter upgrade.
Once you have passed this area, you will come to a waterfall defended by six
turrets. All of them are tougher to destroy than the other ones you've just
encountered, requiring more hits to eliminate. Move your craft back and forth
across the bottom of the screen to avoid the stream of bullets. While you're
doing that, just let your weapon loose. As you progressively destroy more and
more turrets, the battle will get that much easier. Annihilating the
installation will finish the mission.
Stage #2
--------
Craft: Thunderbird 1 (Scott)
This stage is more fast-paced than the last, so get your trigger finger pumped
up. The first enemy you will encounter is a small, lightish-blue (almost
green) vessel that attempts to collide with you. The other enemy is slightly
larger and will do the same, albeit at a much slower pace. The key here is to
keep moving and destroy the enemy fighters as they're in the process of
launching themselves at you. Keep your eyes peeled for two red-tinted enemies.
One will yield an Energy upgrade and the other will yield an Orbiter upgrade.
Stage #3: Energy Transmitter
----------------------------
Craft: Thunderbird 3 (Alan)
The twitching silver objects cannot be destroyed. They will hurt you if you
fly into them though, so navigate through them as best you can. The bigger
threats are the orange ships that will attempt to collide with you. Don't let
your guard down because they are quick and random.
Eventually, you will reach the installation. Note the extending barrel on the
right that is dispensing mines. These mines can be destroyed, unlike the
stationary ones at the beginning of the stage. Destroy the barrel to prevent
them from functioning. Further ahead is another barrel (red-tinted) that'll
yield an Energy upgrade. Beyond that is an semi-directional turret that will
launch three streams of bullets at a time. Shoot the red spot to destroy
these.
Beyond that are a few more of those mine-dispensing barrels. Navigate the
skinny path and take out the two at the exit. You will again come to some
turrets. Eliminate these as you come across them. At the end, you will be
forced to follow the extremely skinny path up the left side. This path is
strewn with mine-dispensers and turrets. Do not worry so much about destroying
every single object; rather, only take out the turrets and barrels that
directly threaten you. At the end of the wall is a red mine-dispensing barrel.
This one will give up a Life pickup (don't risk it if you don't need the
life).
Finally, the way opens up again, giving you more room to navigate. The next
red-tinted barrel will let out an Orbiter upgrade. The turrets up ahead block
the path. You cannot travel through the iron wall, meaning that in order to
proceed, the turrets on each coil must be destroyed to clear a way. After
that, you'll arrive at a line of about eight mine-dispensers. Clear out the
mines as they appear and then eliminate the dispensers.
Having gotten past that point, you will come to the final segment of the
stage. On the far wall are four openings sputtering mines. To destroy them,
you will need to deal a lot of hits. This is an easy battle because the
openings don't move. Simply position yourself directly below one of the two
middle openings and fire away. You will be out of danger because the mines
that approach will be destroyed in your line of fire. Repeat the process with
the other middle opening to destroy it as well. Lastly, eliminate the outlying
openings.
The Indian Ocean
================
Stage #1: Hood's Ship
---------------------
Craft: Thunderbird 2 (Virgil)
You will first pass over the docks, which are defended heavily by turrets.
Keep your eyes peeled for a red turret that'll give up an Energy upgrade.
Watch out for the tanks below. These are tough to destroy because their weapon
is quick and difficult to avoid. Only risk flying directly in their sights
just after they've fired off a volley. Lines of four fighter jets each will
also pass over the docks. Further in, you will encounter a red-tinted tank.
Destroy it for an Orbiter upgrade.
Past the docks, you will again begin flying over the ocean. Destroy the
bombers as they appear, and eliminate the red one for an Energy upgrade. As
you're fighting these, groups of four fighter jets each will begin flying in
at an angle. Destroy these bogeys as they appear. You'll soon reach two ships,
which are defended by turrets. After that, you will pass over more docks,
defended by even more turrets. Luckily for you, there are no tanks this time.
Keep an eye out for a red turret positioned on one of the docked ships.
Destroying it will yield a Life pickup. After passing a few more ships, you
will, once again, be on the open sea.
Stage #2
--------
Craft: Thunderbird 2 (Virgil)
Some mosquito boats will attempt to engage you. These puny ships are easily
destroyed with a single shot each. The last one you encounter will give up an
Energy upgrade. A little bit past that is a red turret on a gunship, which
will also yield an Energy upgrade. The next segment of the stage consists of
a bunch of turrets positioned on the various gunships. Keep your eyes peeled
for any more red-tinted turrets. You will pick up an Orbiter upgrade and a
Life pick-up along the way.
Stage #3: Undersea
------------------
Craft: Thunderbird 4 (Gordon)
Shoot the giant fish that move in. They will be subsequently be assisted by
stingrays (with the ability to fire at you, no less) and crabs. One of the
crabs, you'll notice, will be red. Shoot it to discover an Orbiter upgrade.
Just beyond that, a red-tinted fish will also appear, yielding an Energy
upgrade. Around this area, be very careful not to steer your vessel into the
wall to avoid taking damage.
The squids (same color as the fish) will attempt to collide with you. They are
easily killed though so they should not pose any threat. Be wary of the
giant shelled creatures as well - they are capable of firing off three shots
at once. These things are not easy to kill either, so don't hesitate to just
ignore them if they don't pose any immediate threat as they enter. After you
manage to get through a large group of these shelled creatures, the stage will
have been completed.
Stage #4: Radiation Leak
------------------------
Craft: Thunderbird 4 (Gordon)
Wow, pretty nice place, huh? Anyway, first of all, avoid crashing into the
walls for obvious reasons. Watch the lines of crabs that appear from the side
of the screen. If you position yourself in the middle, you can easily kill all
of them as they pass through. When the giant fish appear, shoot the red one
for an Orbiter upgrade.
Watch the turrets on the sides and destroy them at any instance you can. You
will encounter some more shelled creatures (that let out three shots at once).
It's very important that you do your best to eliminate the turrets as you go
along because they can potentially clutter the screen with their weapons. As
you proceed, watch the screen for any red sea monsters that appear. You should
snag an Energy upgrade or two as you pass.
Watch the shelled bastards and destroy them if they create too much trouble.
Otherwise, just focus your fire on the outlying turrets. Beyond this area are
some huge purple sea monsters that'll hurl some sort of purple goo at you.
Their size, however, is obviously no indication of their strength because
they are easily killed with a few shots.
This part is the most difficult because, for some stupid reason, your vessel
starts to speed up. It's not the sea monsters that pose the biggest threat in
this situation. Rather, the dangerous walls, yes those dangerous walls will be
the end of you if you aren't quick. Stay toward the middle and move left and
right to avoid the walls. Manage to survive this portion and you are pretty
much set. Two red fish at the end will give you a Life pick-up and Energy
upgrade.
Lastly, you will have to fight the boss. It's similar to those other sea
monsters you fought before except, this time, it's yellow. Again, dodge the
purple goo and shoot it like any other sea monster. If you just stay at the
bottom and sweep left and right, you should not take any damage at all.
Asia
====
Stage #1: Active Volcano
------------------------
Craft: Thunderbird 1 (Scott)
You will be greeted by some flying fireballs from the volcanos. Although you
can just destroy the rocks, it'd be easier just moving out of the way. Also,
don't fly into the volcanos when they are erupting; that's just common sense.
Eventually, some firebirds will make their entry. Keep an eye out for the one
that's a bright red (this will distinguish the upgrade firebirds from the
regular ones) and destroy it for an Energy upgrade. As you are taking those
out, some more fireball will be spewed all over the place.
The next group of firebirds will have a red one following it. Shoot it for
another Energy upgrade. As you pass over the lava field, carefully avoid or
shoot through the fireballs. Two lines of firebirds will appear from behind
with the last one holding an Orbiter upgrade. When the fireballs begin flying
again, keep an eye out for a flashing red one. If you manage to destroy that
one, you'll be rewarded with a Life pick-up. After one final line of
firebirds, you'll be flying onwards toward victory.
Stage #2
--------
Craft: Thunderbird 1 (Scott)
As you pass over the lava field, a huge number of firebirds will begin to fly
in and swarm around you. Because the monsters here blend in with the lava,
picking them out and avoiding them will be harder than it should be. Luckily,
the firebirds don't directly attack you. Rather, they just swarm around you.
A few of them will drop upgrades, including an Energy upgrade and a Life pick-
up. Once you're past the lava field though, the stage is as good as done.
Stage #3: Unstable Crust
------------------------
Craft: Firefly (Gordon)
If you wanted to know, the Firefly is basically a construction dozer fitted
with a giant flamethrower. As you move up, some stone flyers will launch
themselves at you. Either avoid them or destroy them as they fly through the
air. Watch the firebirds flying in as well and destroy the bright red one for
an Energy upgrade. As you're moving, watch the holes on the ground spewing
lava and steer clear of these.
Because you're on the ground, avoid running yourself into walls. A bit further
ahead, you'll find another red firebird that'll drop an Energy upgrade. Watch
the fireballs flying through the air and evade them the best you can. A bunch
of stone flyers will appear and continue to attempt to collide with you. Up
ahead, a hill will split the path into three. Pick any of them and traverse
the terrain. Watch the firebirds that fly in and destroy the red one for an
Orbiter upgrade.
The next segment is kind of tough because the path is skinny. With the
fireballs flying through the air and all, the lack of mobility can prove to be
a disaster. A circle of firebirds will also appear - destroy the bright red
one for a Life pick-up. The final portion of the stage consists of a few stone
flyers lined up ready to throw themselves at you. Put them in their place as
you pass by.
Stage #4: Underground Mutations
-------------------------------
Craft: Thunderbird 2 (Alan)
When you reach the rocky terrain, fire your weapon to clear a path through the
rock. If you don't, then you'll take damage. The purple mutated monsters will
lob purple goo at you. Kill them quickly. Beyond them, some crab-like
creatures will move in from the side. They can fire from their mouths, so
steer clear of there. Destroy the second for an Energy upgrade.
The next two bright red crab things will give you another Energy upgrade and
an Orbiter upgrade. You will soon come to an area where you'll have to fire
your weapon to clear a path. The purple worms here are twitchy and won't
necessarily attempt to attack you. However, be prepared to destroy them if
they get too close. The bright red worms are not worth going out of the way
to kill. Use your weapons at this point primarily to clear a path through the
rock. Fire as quickly as possible and don't let yourself get crushed.
At the end is the boss, which consists of five purple blossoms spewing purple
goo. Easiest way to eliminate it would be position yourself at the bottom of
the screen directly below the middle blossom. The goo won't be able to touch
you, so you can essentially fire upon the blossom with impunity. Once the
middle is defeated, repeat the process with the outlying blossoms. Eliminate
all of them to finish the mission.
Final Mission
=============
Final Stage
-----------
Craft: Thunderbird 3 (Alan)
Dodge the asteroids (which are, oddly enough, blue). The second large one can
be destroyed for an Orbiter upgrade. The enemies to follow consist of Hood's
various fighters. The first will just spin around and random dart around the
screen, not really paying attention to your vessel. Watch out for the floating
turrets. A bit past that, you'll be forced to deal with some more flying
asteroids. Just before you enter the actual space station, a large
battlecruiser will attempt to take you down. Avoid moving your ship right in
front of it when it fires because its weapon is very difficult to avoid
(similar to the tanks of previous stages).
There are a few turrets along the side of the station wall. Eventually, you
will arrive at a split in the path. I'd opt for the right path myself because
there are less turrets (though more walls to break through). Note the metal
bars that retract to block off the path. In order to get through those, you
have to shoot through them. You only need an opening large enough to slip
through, so don't overdo that. Focus on clearing out as many turrets as
possible to avoid getting too caught up in enemy fire. Consider setting your
Orbitals to fire to the side to help assist in destroying the turrets.
Take caution at the end because there will be two turrets on the far wall.
The next segment is extremely difficult to get by. There will be metal bars,
one after the other, closing in front of you. Keep your weapon firing to
break through the bars just as you pass them. At the fork, just keep going
up the middle, blasting through metal bars and turrets as you pass.
Eventually, you'll have to face another one of those battlecruisers. This one
will drop a Life pick-up when it's defeated.
At the next fork, pick either path. Like before, you'll need to contend with
turrets and closing bars. Set your Orbiters to fire to your side to facilitate
the process. At the end, destroy the fighters and then engage the boss.
This quirky vessel can only move horizontally and vertically. It's armed with
a single laser in its front, which it will continually use. It'll follow you
wherever you go but it's movements are slow and predictable. Since it can only
fire forward, you can easily avoid its laser. Destroy it to complete the
stage... and the game!
Congratulations on your victory.
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--- 5. Power-Ups --- [5000]
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Certain enemies in Thunderbirds are tinted with a red shade. This signifies
that the particular enemy is carrying a power-up that can be picked up if you
destroy it.
[-----------------------------------------------------------------------------]
"O" Power-Up ~
=----------=
Orbiter power-ups will give you an additional Orbital that will fly
by your side to assist in combat. The maximum amount of Orbitals
that can be fitted on a Thunderbird is two. Once different
directions are acquired, the Orbitals canchange their position to
better suit the battle.
"E" Power-Up ~
=----------=
Energy power-ups will upgrade your ship's weaponry. Any ship's
weapons can be upgraded a maximum of two times. After this point,
any further power-ups collected won't have any effect.
"L" Power-Up ~
=----------=
Life power-ups replenish one circle of health.
Orbital Directional Power-Up ~
=--------------------------=
These rare power-ups are only found at the ends of the major levels.
They are marked by arrows that signify the position you can place
your Orbitals in once you collect them.
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--- 6. Version History --- [6000]
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Version 1.0 -- Guide is complete. 27 KB
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--- 7. Legal Disclaimers --- [7000]
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This FAQ is the property of its author, Quan Jin. All rights reserved.
Any stealing, selling for profit or altering of this document without the
author's expressed consent is strictly prohibited. You may download this file
for personal and private use only.
Thunderbirds is a registered trademark of Activision. The author (Quan Jin)
is not affiliated with Activision in any way or form. All other trademarks are
the property of their respective owners.
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--- 8. Credits and Closing --- [8000]
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That's it for the guide. Thanks for reading.
[-----------------------------------------------------------------------------]
GameFAQs - I've been writing for this site for a good number of years now.
Don't plan on quitting anytime soon.
The FCSB - They didn't help too much but what can I say, where would I be
without a few of them? Major props to these great board members who
are also prized FAQ writers.
- All outside sources which have contributed to the making of this guide in
some form have been cited in this section. Any sources that have provided any
information at all are listed in the credits. I am not taking credit for the
work of others and I hope they do the same. Not providing the proper credit is
plagiarism and it's against the law.
===============================================================================
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/ __ \____ ______/ /__ | | / /___ _____/ /____ _ __
/ / / / __ `/ ___/ //_/ | | / / __ \/ ___/ __/ _ \| |/_/
/ /_/ / /_/ / / / ,< | |/ / /_/ / / / /_/ __/> <
/_____/\__,_/_/ /_/|_| |___/\____/_/ \__/\___/_/|_|
-=Game On Forever=-
