Final Verdict - Give It A Shot
Well not much to say for this week's game review, This game has been sitting on my back burner for a while now but we finally found some time to jump into it. A classic franchise is reborn with improved graphics and an all new story-line to appeal to a new generation of gamers as well as placate the die-hard fans. So without further adieu lets start on our path as ninjas....
Strider is a side-scrolling platform game developed by Double Helix Games and Capcom's Osaka studio. It was released in February 2014 for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Windows. The player control the series' main character, Strider Hiryu. The environment is freely explorable in search for weapons and items. Strider Hiryu's main weapon is his Cypher, a plasma weapon that can take several properties. Upgrades for the Cypher can be obtained by exploring the various levels throughout the game. In 2009, a Strider reboot was in development by Grin. However, due to financial difficulties that bankrupted the company, the game was cancelled. Development of the 2014 game was made possible thanks to the series' popularity especially in thanks to Capcom's surveys and forums.
What’s Good:
Story-line: The game is considered a retelling of the first arcade Strider game with elements from the NES console game. So its nice to see the attention to nostalgia.
Graphics: Double Helix has done a phenomenal job in bringing the futuristic ninja into the modern day by upgrading the visuals while maintaining the two-dimension plane.
Game Mechanics: Robust game design with a wide variety of attacks, powerups and level interaction.
Replay value: Just enough replay value can be found in the various hidden areas of levels and added concept art rewards hidden through out levels for the die hard fans.
Soundtrack: The game's soundtrack features multiple homages to classic Strider themes but with several modifications. The sound quality is also meant to resemble the music from the original games.
What’s Bad:
Game Mechanics: They have utilized what I like to refer as the A.I. reload mechanic where if you go off screen the enemies you already cleared are reloaded and you have to fight them again. This deters you from actively wanting to explore a level for fear of dying.
What Should Have Been Added:
Pretty good for a standard 2-D side scrolling game but I feel the combo system was a bit lacking in depth.
Final Thoughts:
Solid reboot of the series no doubt; long time Strider fans will appreciate the nostalgia. The game certainly retains much of the appeal of the original games. From the reloading enemies, to the random A.I. difficulty spikes; the game is sure to bring a tear to your eye. Feel free to check out our game-play with commentary videos...
