Major Stryker
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| Major Stryker | |
|---|---|
| File:Major Stryker Cover.jpg Cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Apogee Software |
| Publisher(s) | Apogee Software |
| Platform(s) | DOS |
| Release | January 15, 1993 |
| Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Major Stryker is a 2D vertical scrolling shooter game written for DOS by Apogee Software. Its working title was "Strike Force" and was released in January 1993.[1] It was re-released in 2014 on Steam with support for Windows and macOS.
Plot
After a third world war, ending with only eight years of peace, Earth is attacked by the alien Kretons. Major Harrison Stryker, a WWIII veteran, goes on a mission to wipe out the Kreton military installations on the three elemental planets within their galaxy.
Gameplay
There are three difficulty levels, each of which has drastically different levels of powerups, enemies, and enemy fire.
Powerups available include laser powerups (boxes marked "00," "01," etc.,) which affect the pattern and number of shots fired, speedups, holding patterns which stop the screen and release a fleet of enemies, Zap Bombs which cause screenwide explosions and extra lives. Hostages can also be rescued by ramming into the capsules they are contained in.
A player with upgraded firepower is lowered to single shots upon being hit. A player with basic firepower instantly loses a life. Being crushed by a wall also loses a life regardless of firepower. Three different types of shields exist: Two side shields that protect the jet left and right until it is damaged, two temporary small wave shields that rotate around the jet and a temporary invincibility orb shield.
At the end of each level, the player is awarded additional points on the percentage of enemies destroyed and the percentage of hostages rescued.
Development
The game was originally distributed as shareware. It consists of three episodes, with only the first episode distributed as shareware, and the rest available commercially. The three episodes play on a Lava Planet, an Arctic Planet and a Desert Planet. The game was re-released as freeware on March 14, 2006.
The game features PC Speaker and Sound Blaster sounds, and the AdLib music is similar in style to Bobby Prince's other songs. The game uses EGA graphics and draws three backgrounds ("triple-parallax scrolling").[2]
The only named characters are the eponymous hero and Fleet Admiral Yoshira, a very attractive, often flirtatious woman who briefs the character between levels, and seems to be in love with him as well.
References
- ^ Apogee Software December 1991 Catalog
- ^ http://www.mobygames.com/images/covers/l/191014-major-stryker-dos-back-cover.jpg
External links
- Official Webpage and download
- Major Stryker at MobyGames
- music from Major Stryker Album -- live re-recording
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