Strike (video game series)

Strike is the common name of a series of video games created by Mike Posehn released originally between 1991 and 1997 by Electronic Arts for a number of systems, but most notably for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis where the first three titles were released with great success. In the game, the player controls a helicopter (although in the following titles some levels require the player to successfully control other vehicles such as a Hovercraft, a Stealth bomber, a Motorcycle and even on foot). The series are composed by five games, and despite their high popularity during the 16-bit era no plans for a revival exist.

Overview

The game is very simplistic in its nature. The player controls a helicopter equipped with three ammunition types, and limited fuel and defense capacity. While there are refits for all items scattered around the map, armor is more easily repaired by capturing and delivering POWs or allied soldiers to a drop point. If either armor or fuel reach zero, the aircraft crashes and a life is lost.

Levels are composed of several missions that must be completed sequentially, as the defenses of more advanced objectives are much stronger. A typical level starts by requiring the player to rescue a MIA soldier who carries information, then destroy a radar or power facility, followed by disabling the defenses that were serviced by the target of the previous mission, then capturing an enemy general for additional information and finally destroying another building. Between the levels, cut-scenes with the story developing take place.

There are several kinds of enemies, from foot soldiers armed with nothing more than a handgun to powerful Anti-aircraft artillery and enemy helicopters. Each enemy has its own damage per round and firing speed capacities, and the player must balance their ammo, fuel, the target's ability and decide if it's better to deploy a powerful missile (such as a Hellfire in Desert Strike) to destroy an opponent, or save them and use the chain gun or weaker missiles to disable it. Other than the occasional (usually useless) soldier, the player has no backup, and must deal with the opponents on his own.

The player can lose a game in several ways; by losing all lives, destroying the main drop point, killing an important person (allied or enemy) or failing to complete a mission in a specified time.

Games in the series

Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf

File:DesertStrike.jpg

Firing a missile at a Radar dish in Desert Strike

Released originally in 1992 for the Amiga, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Master System and SNES, and later (1994) for DOS Personal Computers. It was also released for most portable platforms; the Atari Lynx was the first, in 1993, followed by the Game Gear (1994), Game Boy (1995) and finally Game Boy Advance versions, the final in 2002.

The story follows the player, a AH-64 Apache pilot in a conflict inspired by the Gulf War. A year after the Gulf War, General Kilbaba takes over a small Arab Emirate and plans to start World War III, and the player must open way for ground troops by disabling most of his defense and offense, and finally take on the "Madman" himself.

Jungle Strike

This time, the player is at the controls of a RAH-66 Comanche in a crusade against the son of General Kilbaba, who allies with a notable drug baron to take his revenge on the United States.

Although called Jungle Strike, the first mission is played in Washington D.C., where the player must protect the presidential motorcade from terrorists infiltrated into the city. Later in the game, the player is also able to drive a hovercraft, a motorcycle and a stolen F-117 Nighthawk. In a double ending, the player returns to Washington to be decorated by Bill Clinton (who is actually credited in the ending sequence), and must deal with the threat inside the city for a second time.

Released originally for the Mega Drive/Genesis and the SNES in 1993, it was later ported to the Amiga (1994) and finally DOS, Game Gear and Game Boy in 1995.

Urban Strike

The final 2D title, it was released in 1994 for the Mega Drive/Genesis, one year later for SNES and the Game Gear, and finally in 1995 for the Game Boy.

In a fictional 2001, a millionaire, former presidential candidate and fanatic cult leader named H. R. Malone plans on toppling the government using a super weapon being constructed, and the player must deal with the threat again. It soon turns out, however, that the villain is really Carlos Ortega, who was thought to be dead after Jungle Strike.

Like Jungle Strike, Urban Strike starts on a completely different setting than the name suggests, this time in Hawaii. The biggest new feature were foot missions, where the player was required to actually drop at certain points and proceed without the helicopter from there.

Soviet Strike

Released in 1996 for the Sega Saturn and the Sony Playstation.

Set after Desert Strike and before Urban Strike. (whether it occurs before or after Jungle Strike is unknown)

Upon the fall of the Soviet Union, an ex-KGB leader, known only as "The Shadowman", gathers a large military force to attempt to start a nuclear war, capturing various territories along the former communist bloc, and setting up various military installations.

The player this time must free these territories and destroy the increasingly more dangerous weapons across five stages, ending with a climatic encounter with the villain in Moscow as he takes control of the May Day Parade and attempts to assassinate president Boris Yeltsin and the entire Russian cabinet, whilst at the same time launching nuclear weapons from the heart of the Kremlin.

This is the first Strike game to feature cinematic cut-scenes, introducing new characters such as General Earle, "Hack", Andrea Grey and Nick Arnold, your co-pilot - who seems to get into more trouble than he stops.

Nuclear Strike

Released in 1997 for the Sony Playstation and Personal computers, and in 1999 for the Nintendo 64.

An ex-CIA operative named Colonel LeMonde has stolen a nuclear warhead. It is up to the player to find the warhead before LeMonde uses it for nefarious purposes. Among the locations visited is the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. The playable vehicles include the Apache helicopter, a Harrier jet, tanks, and a hovercraft.

The game's plot ends on a cliffhanger, with LeMonde not yet apprehended. The final cutscene includes a trailer for the next game in the series, 'Future Strike' including shots of a mech robot called 'Warrior'. To date this game has not been released in any format and the plot remains incomplete.

External links

• MobyGames series page