Strider - videogame classics

[Daniel Thomas]

My latest addition to my 'videogame classics' series is out the door, and it's the Genesis port of Strider. As always, you can find the review on my homepage, and my thanks for all your kind support.

What are your favorite memories of Strider? Which version do you prefer? And did that 'triangle jump' in the NES version make you want to throw your controller out the window?

Here's an excerpt:


When I remember Strider, I always think of the Sega Genesis version. When I have the option of firing up MAME and playing the arcade, I still reach for the home cartridge. Why is that, you ask? For me, it simply comes down to the music. The home version offers some of the best music of its era, searing chords, haunting melodies. There’s a certain sound to the Genesis that is fully unique, and you hear that in this game, especially in the extra songs unique to the cartridge. And, it must be said, I find Strider Hiryuu’s constant yelling to be annoying. I’m glad Sega cut it out. There, I’ve said it.

[v1rich]

I loved it when I was younger but now I have it again and I am stuck pretty early. I don't know what to do. NES version.

[Graham Mitchell]

I love all versions of Strider that I've played, which doesn't include the Genesis "Journey into Darkness" apparent pukefest that everybody complains about.

The NES version has really cool music and overall art--the animation and on-screen tracking of objects is a little bizarre, and the dialogue...ugh. But if you just accept all that it's a great game. (BTW--accomplishing the triangle jump is really similar to the same maneuver in Super Metroid, just without the animation telling you that Hiryu is primed up to perform the jump...if you can get good at it with Super Metroid, you can figure it out on NES Strider.)

I bought Strider 2 for the PS1 when it came out, and after having the actual arcade version of Strider in my close proximity, I could compare it with the Genesis version I had so many years before. I am really impressed with how close that Genesis port was to the Arcade version. But what is this "constant yelling" you're referring to? Most of the in-game sounds in the coin-op version appear in the Genny port. Is it that wierd machine-like whine you hear every time you fall or bump in to a wall at an awkward angle? That is annoying, but it is in the Genesis game on full frickin' volume.

[Dire 51]

In the arcade game, Hiryu shouts every time he swings his Cypher. I'm trying to remember whether it was cut out of the U.S. version or not. I know that in the Mega Drive game, the shouting was there, but was cut from the Genesis release.

Speaking of omitted sound effects, both the arcade and Mega Drive Strider have Meio's voice clip "All sons of old gods die!". This was omitted from the Genesis version.

Oh, and Strider Returns is pure garbage, a true insult to the Strider name.

[Graham Mitchell]

The "sons of old Gods" narration is present in the PS1 reissue. I love that thing. :D

Don't remember about the cypher-swing yell, though, and I don't have time to check!

[rbudrick]

I definitely crapped myself when I saw the arcade game on the Genesis...I couldn't believthey pulled it off so well....it felt very futuristsic to own a genesis! The arcade game ate way too many of my quarters. I remember feeling very upset the Supgrafx port never happenned...the screen shots looked better than any version yet!

The NES game also holds a very special place in my heart..that game was awesome and truly deserved a sequel...it's a shame it never happenned.

-Rob

[suppafly]

This game was great...a little difficult too dont you all think?

[pookninja]

i remember when strider first came out for genesis back in the day.it was the first 8 meg genesis game i believe,i always thought the level where you are running downhill the snowy mountain fighting enemys and then jumping over to the other side,i remember thinking,graphics dont get any better then this.great game.

[suppafly]

i remember when strider first came out for genesis back in the day.it was the first 8 meg genesis game i believe,i always thought the level where you are running downhill the snowy mountain fighting enemys and then jumping over to the other side,i remember thinking,graphics dont get any better then this.great game.

That was the second leve. This game was the Game of The Year on EGM too

[Daniel Thomas]

i remember when strider first came out for genesis back in the day.it was the first 8 meg genesis game i believe,i always thought the level where you are running downhill the snowy mountain fighting enemys and then jumping over to the other side,i remember thinking,graphics dont get any better then this.great game.

Yeah, I made the same point myself. It was something to see when it was new.

The NES Strider was great, one of my favorite games for the NES. The only things that really rubbed me raw was the occassionally spotty collision detection and that stupid 'triangle jump' that you have to perform flawlessly.

EGM sure loved to heap praise on Strider, didn't they? I can remember what VG&CE said, but I'm sure they loved it as well.

[pookninja]

games like strider are what turn simple videogames into pieces of art.

[Sotenga]

STRIDER RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is all. :D

Eh, I'll elaborate... this game just has some of the most diverse environments I've ever seen, and I fell in love with it when I got to fight Mecha Pon, the freaking mechanical gorilla. Stage 3, the flying battleship Balrog, (a familiar name, I'm sure) is my favorite, simply because of its awesomeness and intense action... and the gravity-changing scene. The Genesis translation is almost dead-on to the arcade, but with the exception of the loading times, the Playstation version (which comes with Strider 2) is practically arcade perfect. And if you're looking for similar Strider goodness, check out Run Saber for the SNES. Lots of awesomeness in that game.

[Dire 51]

The "sons of old Gods" narration is present in the PS1 reissue. I love that thing. :D

Don't remember about the cypher-swing yell, though, and I don't have time to check!

I was so glad that Capcom FINALLY released the *actual* arcade game on a home system. I had both the Genesis and Mega Drive versions at the time, but I was still thrilled to have the arcade game... and Strider 2, of course. :D I remember hearing "All sons of old gods die!" when I first played through the PSX version, and I was happy that it wasn't removed.

I second Sotenga's Run Saber nomination. It could have easily been a Strider game, and it has a few Contra elements in it as well.

[Ed Oscuro]

Strange...don't recall the yelling in the arcade version; and if you swing it repeatedly you just hear it cutting the air.

I personally...do not like the Genesis version of Strider's music, at least not for the first level. Much better on the original system.

I have yet to play the thing on x68K, as my system and my copy of Strider are currently languishing in a box at my work x:P

[Graham Mitchell]

games like strider are what turn simple videogames into pieces of art.

Yup! Ya'll may think I'm snobbish, and truthfully, I don't play very many new games anymore, but I don't feel there's much that makes me feel this way anymore. I saw it a lot on the Dreamcast, but the only lasting PS2 game I've played is MGS2.

Contemporary games lack the suspension of disbelief that I experienced with games like Strider. Don't know why...maybe I'm just getting old; it's probably more related to the fact that I'm not totally impressed by 3-D. Just 'cuz a game's in 3-D, that doesn't excuse it for being unimaginative.

[Ed Oscuro]

Just 'cuz a game's in 3-D, that doesn't excuse it for being unimaginative.
Just 'cuz there's some boring games in 3-D doesn't excuse you from dismissing the whole genre with such a flippant remark LOL

That is - Prince of Persia and Crimson Sea aren't imaginative? ...

[Dire 51]

Strange...don't recall the yelling in the arcade version; and if you swing it repeatedly you just hear it cutting the air.

There's a good chance that Capcom took Hiryu's yelling out of the U.S. version... and since my Strider 2 disc has long since departed, I can't check. I can't check on MAME either... for some reason the sound won't play on the PC that I'm using.

[lendelin]

I don't know where this Strider enthusiasm for the NES version cames from in the last couple of years.

I played it back then and finished it, and I always thought of it as an average adventure game, a mildly good game at best. The controls are too touchy, the story isn't captivating, and it is way too easy. I beat it in two evenings.

Maybe it plays better (=modern) today, who knows. I should give it a try sometimes.

[Ed Oscuro]

Strange...don't recall the yelling in the arcade version; and if you swing it repeatedly you just hear it cutting the air.

There's a good chance that Capcom took Hiryu's yelling out of the U.S. version... and since my Strider 2 disc has long since departed, I can't check. I can't check on MAME either... for some reason the sound won't play on the PC that I'm using.
I'll MAME it sometime to see, but I don't remember it. I'll have to MAME both of 'em, I suppose.

[Dire 51]

I'll MAME it sometime to see, but I don't remember it. I'll have to MAME both of 'em, I suppose.

Hiryu's yelling is definitely in the Japanese version, I can tell you that much.

[Graham Mitchell]

Just 'cuz a game's in 3-D, that doesn't excuse it for being unimaginative.
Just 'cuz there's some boring games in 3-D doesn't excuse you from dismissing the whole genre with such a flippant remark LOL

That is - Prince of Persia and Crimson Sea aren't imaginative? ...

Haven't played them. I believe there are good contemporary games out there, it's just too expensive and time consuming for me to play them all and find all the gems. But both of these have been recommended to me in the past! I should play them if the time/finances permit.

[Ed Oscuro]

Haven't played them. I believe there are good contemporary games out there, it's just too expensive and time consuming for me to play them all and find all the gems. But both of these have been recommended to me in the past! I should play them if the time/finances permit.
Fair enough. I just like to keep a pleasant perspective about things. It does take a while for games to fall to an acceptable price, but I find that it's a rare current game that doesn't entertain as long or longer than the old ones did.

[Dr. Morbis]

Just 'cuz there's some boring games in 3-D doesn't excuse you from dismissing the whole genre with such a flippant remark
Is 3D actually a 'genre'? I think that's sad. 99% of the 3D games I've played have been either a FPS (a shooter where all you see is your weapon) or a FPJ (first person jumper where you can see your whole character). Is that all that 3D boils down to - one genre with two variations?

[Ed Oscuro]

Is 3D actually a 'genre'? I think that's sad. 99% of the 3D games I've played have been either a FPS (a shooter where all you see is your weapon) or a FPJ (first person jumper where you can see your whole character). Is that all that 3D boils down to - one genre with two variations?
Alright, you can definitely put me down for poor wording there :D

I wouldn't call it a genre, now that I think about it - more a display style. Of course these defininitions utterly fail when you bring along something like Dynamite Duke, Area 51, or Super Thunder Blade, for example, all of which are strictly speaking "2D games" but which have 3D elements to them. The whole issue seems to be that folks seem to think 3D games are disappated - really more a result of larger storage space which can be spread about somewhat.

Plus, there's a lot of third person games (I've seen "first person jumpers" where you can "see your whole character," outside of that mirror in Quake III's first level) which don't require jumping, and overall I think that polygon rendering has been kinder to naturally angular things - like houses and speeding cars - than it has to characters and trees, things lots of folks still prefer done in 2D art.

Nah, I don't intend to resurrect or give credence to the old "3D games suck because they're all dodgy polygon springboards" type argument. It's just a question of rendering, and if you ask me it's just as important to see what you can actually do in that game - i.e. does the game use 2D artwork for moving objects, yet sport a 3D physics model? Does the game look 3D but is really another terrain crawling RPG? The answers also don't mean much at all in deciding whether a game's good or not.

My apologies for the confusion :P

[Lord Contaminous]

They should make a new Strider for PS2, GCN and XBox. This time a 3-D version of the Metroid-esque gameplay on the NES Strider, Devil May Cry/Castlevania LoI-style.

I am curious about something in the arcade/Genesis versions of Strider though. What are those Amazons in Stage 4 saying? Is it some undecipherable war cry or something?

[Ed Oscuro]

I am curious about something in the arcade/Genesis versions of Strider though. What are those Amazons in Stage 4 saying? Is it some undecipherable war cry or something?
Gibberish; I haven't been able to figure out what they're saying in any of the versions I've played. Their speech in the Genesis version is very close to the arcade's, actually!

[kainemaxwell]

is this Strider for PSX a US release and what's it like? I'll 2nd Run Saber- one my first SNES games and loved it. :)

[Ed Oscuro]

is this Strider for PSX a US release and what's it like? I'll 2nd Run Saber- one my first SNES games and loved it. :)
Strider 2 is indeed a PSX game! Buy buy buy.

http://psx.ign.com/articles/164/164187p1.html?fromint=1

[Graham Mitchell]

"Ankaba dubble!" "Whokarethis!"

[Daniel Thomas]

Yeah, I'd like to see a new Strider on the current consoles, but it simply wouldn't work in 3D. It would have to be either fully 2D (like the original) or 2D with 3D backgrounds (like the sequel). I just don't think you could capture that sense of speed and tension if you were able to wander around virtual worlds.

Again, I'll say that NiGHTS is the gold standard for making contemporary platform games. That's the way you do it.

I'm flattered for all the attention; I should be writing reviews of less obscure games (uh, what's Panic?).

[lendelin]

is this Strider for PSX a US release and what's it like? I'll 2nd Run Saber- one my first SNES games and loved it. :)
Strider 2 is indeed a PSX game! Buy buy buy.

http://psx.ign.com/articles/164/164187p1.html?fromint=1

I second that. Strider 2 is a good game, 2D gameplay with some 3d impressions. Interesting game, very easy though. Unlimited continues ensure that you'll finish it guaranteed in one evening. Additionally, you get the original arcade version.

The labels of the two Strider games are reversed, btw. Strider the arcade version is actually Strider 2.

I still don't understand where this Strider enthusiasm (NES) comes from. :) The Genesis version is better by a class, it is an entertaining game wortwhile playing, but certainly nothing special. I saw the game once in a top 100 list, and I thought the videogame world turned upside down. :)

[Daniel Thomas]

I dunno. Maybe you had to be there to really appreciate Strider on the NES. It had a very distinct style back in 1989, the pacing was quick, the storyline was compelling (straight out of cliffhanger serials), and there was a lot of variety.

Capcom was one of the very best third-party NES developers, and their games were almost always good. Remember, this is when there were only TWO Mega Man games. These guys knew their stuff. Heck, I might just write a 'videogame classics' review of the 8-bit Strider one of these months.

[The Manimal]

STRIDER 2 is a great game! I like it more than the original. STRIDER 2 (PSX) comes with a second disc with the original STRIDER game).


STRIDER PSX = STRIDER GENESIS

though I am not sure which one is closer to the arcade version. They are both pretty close. the PSX version looks nicer. the NES version is a totally different game.

[Dire 51]

The PSX Strider is an emulation of the arcade game, just with some new options and those annoying load times.

[NE146]

I for one was totally in love with the arcade Strider. After all, it was pretty much near the peak of arcade graphics at the time... no question about it. The streak of the sword at it's highest power was the coolest :D

That being said as someone who was there from the start, and squinted real hard at every detail at the preview stage maps for the upcoming NES Strider before it's release, I had high hopes. It was obvious to me that it was going to be a different game much like NES Ninja Gaiden had been. But I was hoping that it'd at least have the real cool long sword in it :D Well.. I was in fact dissapointed with it. I mean it wasn't "bad"... but it just didn't try and take at least the coolest elements of the arcade game, and let's face it.. it just wasn't one of the NES's stronger titles even in and of itself. Ninja Gaiden on the other hand, although completely different from the arcade game was strong enough on it's own. Just my opinion of course.

After that I saw in a Jap magazine some preview screens for the 8meg Strider and it wasn't long after that the U.S. version came out. It still remains as one of the Genesis' strongest arcade ports continuing the awesomeness of Ghouls and Ghosts & Golden Axe, et. al. Good stuff. 8-)

mmmmmmmmm...... Striiider

[kainemaxwell]

Isn't the NES Strider like a new take on the game, considering the other versions were more action titles or ports of the arcade?

[Lord Contaminous]

I heard some bad stuff about the PC Engine CD version of Strider which I think requires the Arcade Card.

The only good thing I've heard about it is that it's basically another port of the Genesis/arcade version, except there's a PC Engine-exclusive desert stage.

[Dire 51]

Isn't the NES Strider like a new take on the game, considering the other versions were more action titles or ports of the arcade?

All they really share in common are the name, main character and basic gameplay, much like what happened with the NES versions of Bionic Commando and Rygar. The whole structure of the game was changed.

The NES Strider follows the story of the fairly obscure Strider manga. It was a one-shot released in Japan in the late '80s... oddly, Strider was never released for the Famicom. We got the reverse: we got the game, but no manga.

[Lord Contaminous]

oh snap!

North America = 1
Japan = ZIP!

[Dire 51]

We also got Monster Party, Legendary Wings and Contra Force, and they didn't.