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July 27, 2000 Originally released in arcades more than 10 years ago, Strider was considered one of the greatest arcade games of its time. It had the perfect blend fast arcade-style action, amazing control, unparalleled level design and addictive gameplay -- making it the perfect 50p crunching arcade game. And while the game was undeniably a huge success on the arcade front, Strider made its biggest splash on Sega's 16-bit console, the Sega MEGADRIVE (not having to spend all those 50ps probably helped). It's been a long time coming, but a sequel to the original Strider has finally been brought to a home videogame console in the form of Strider 2. However, this PlayStation game from Capcom not only brings home the sequel to the arcade and Genesis classic, but also brings home the arcade original on a second disc, giving arcade action fans an incredible bang for the buck. Gameplay In an era where all of the classic 2D game series, such as Mario, Contra, Mega Man, Sonic, and Castlevania, have been given complete 3D facelifts, it's nice to see that Capcom has decided to keep the old-school 2D play mechanics of the original in Strider 2. The original Strider gained its legendary status because of its tight control, imaginative level-design and tremendous play mechanics. As soon as the player boots up the sequel, they'll immediately feel all warm and fuzzy inside, because Strider 2 brings all of that back and more. In addition to having all of his original movies like his attacks with his plasma sword, the game's protagonist, Strider Hiryu, has a few new ones. He can now perform double-jumps and more powered-up attacks. The double-jumps, alone, add greatly to the game's already impressive play mechanics. The levels in Strider 2 are also ingeniously designed and include many cool aspects where Strider will have to climb walls, traverse ceilings, and deal with rooms with reverse gravitational fields. The only real difference between Strider 2 and the original, aside from the new moves and improved character animation is that the game's backgrounds are comprised of 3D polygonal objects. It's essentially a 2D-platforming game with 3D backgrounds, much like Namco's Klonoa or Crystal Dynamics' Pandemonium titles. On the whole, the game's graphics won't really impress anyone. However, they do feature some nice lighting effects, colorful backgrounds, and huge polygonal boss characters. Strider 2's only downfall is that it's really short. While it's true that the original wasn't too long, either, it stands out more in Strider 2 because the game's not quite as challenging. On the default settings, the life bar starts out almost twice as long as it was in the first game and when you combine that with the unlimited continues (where the player restarts the game at the exact spot that he dies), the game's really a breeze to play through. Most players will have no problem beating the game in less than an hour in his or her very first play through on the default settings. The first game is much more difficult on the whole and provides a greater challenge to the game player. In Strider 2's defense, the player does have the option of decreasing the life bar and increasing the game's difficulty setting to make it harder. Furthermore, the game is extremely high on the fun factor scale and has an enormous amount of replay value. While it can be beaten in less than an hour, there are plenty of hidden secrets and boRead full review
Verified purchase: No
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