(Photo Courtesy of Capcom)Long known for its quick 2-D action and busy environments, the "Strider" series has a long and interesting history in gaming, originating in arcades in 1989. The hero, Hiryu, almost always had one goal in those games: to destroy the evil Grand Master and foil his plots for world domination, all while hacking robots, soldiers and robot gorillas to shreds.
After disappearing in 1993, Hiryu's return in the popular Capcom fighter "Marvel vs. Capcom" generated enough interest to give him a new game in 1999, "Strider 2." The game found its way to the PlayStation One a year later, and even came with the original "Strider" on a separate disc.
On Oct. 7, the cult classic made it to Sony's PlayStation Store for download as a PS One Classic, meaning that PlayStation 3, Vita and even PSP owners can dive into a game that has always been fun to play.
"Strider 2" continues the escapades of Hiryu, a member of the Strider clan on a mission to kill the Grand Master who, yet again, strives to eliminate the blah, blah, blah — let's go kill stuff.
You'll pardon the interruption above, but the game'sstorytime is pretty light except for a few subtitled cutscenes. There is, of course, the loose understanding that each of the five levels spread across the world has something to do with the Master's plans, but that's the most you'll get.Ultimately, "Strider 2" is about running right, hacking robots to bits and gaining a high score.
It's more fun thanit sounds. The levels are varied, with a wide variety of traps to dodge and baddies to fight, coupled with great bosses that always entertain. A scene in the Antarctic has youclinging to a helicopter to take you up a mountainside as you attack enemies. Another has you fighting a band of triplet martial artists on top of flying cars above Hong Kong.One thing to note, though, is that the game always feels fast — as if stopping is out of the question. This constant motion doesn't detract from the game; it's why it's so fun to play.
The controls are responsive and precise, which shouldn't allow for many slips as you jump from place to place. The graphics of "Strider 2" are surprisingly colorful and bright, save for a few drab environments. It doesn't go fullscreen on the Vita (like other PSOne Classics), but that can be rectified through the options menu.
What will probably turn a lot of folks away is the easiness of the game. With infinite continues and full health on resurrection, you can breeze through it in under an hour. Aside from unlocking a new character and an infinite power-up mode, there's not much to do after playing through everything.
Thankfully, you've got the original "Strider," which should make the $5.99 a little easier to plunk down. It's a lot of fun to play and see where the series got its start, but it is a slower game than "Strider 2." That said, the same varieties apply, with a multitude of different baddies and bosses that round out something that takes itself less seriously than its younger brother.Example: a military council combines themselves to form a sickle-wielding snake monster. And that's just in the first level.
"Strider 2" is a constant burst of fast hack-and-slash fun, and keeps things pleasantly mixed up to stave off monotony.While it isn't as extensive as similarly priced games on the PlayStation Store, remember thatyou are getting two games in one package with the original "Strider." The length of the games, though, make this a little more suitable for quick spurts on the go rather than a full play. Either way, if you're starving for something to do on your Vita, "Strider 2" can definitely fit the bill.
Reach the reporter at Damion.Julien-Rohman@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @legendpenguin
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