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The following FAQ was written by Zr-RIfle
(Rigel Di Scala) And posted here with his permission.
DO NOT Take any portion
of this FAQ without his expressed permission.
Author: Zr-RIfle (Rigel Di Scala)
E-Mail: rigeldi@tin.it
ICQ : 22203857
Strider FAQ Version 1.2 - 1999, March 4 (HTML Edit by Michael Varley)
- Stage 1 - Kafazu
- Stage 2 - Siberia
- Stage 3 - The Balrog Flying Fortress
- Stage 4 - Amazon
- Stage 5 - The Third Moon
- Amiga Conversion
- Genesis Conversion
- Nintendo/Famicom Version
- Master System Conversion
- Commodore C64 Conversion
- PC
The Naomi/Dreamcast Version - The Real Strider 2
What is Strider?
----------------------------
Strider was an Arcade Action
Platform Game released as coin-op (System 16)
in 1989 by CapCom, and later converted for a wide range of consoles
and home-
computers.
About this FAQ
----------------------------
I wrote this FAQ with only
one idea in mind : for it to be the most
complete resource of info on this legendary game. Since there are increasing
rumors on a future re-release of this game I thought that this FAQ
could appeal
not only to hardened retrogamers, but also to the new generation
of gamers.
All the material contained
in this FAQ, except the quotations from the
Genesis instruction booklet, is my copyright. This FAQ cannot be modified
in any
way without my permission. If you want to put this FAQ on your site,
you must
ask me first. If you have a Strider FanSite you can HTML edit
this FAQ freely,
as long as you credit me. I hate disclaimers too, but I wrote
this FAQ for fun,
and I'd hate to see people earning money from it.
All this info was gathered
through uncountable gaming sessions, the Amiga
and Megadrive instruction booklets and an old Arcade walk through
published in
1989 by the Commodore User magazine.
Historical Overview
-------------------------------------------
Strider was released as Coin-Op
in 1989, a period in which the 8-bit
market was still live 'n' kickin' and hungry for Arcade-to-Home conversions.
The
licensee was sold to U.S Gold, which added the title to it's line-up
of
conversions (which included many other CapCom titles such as Area 88
and Dynasty
Wars). The game was thus converted for Amstrad CPC, C-64, Atari ST
and Amiga
systems by a French internal development team called Tiertex. These
conversions
were shabby looking and lacked the original feeling of the Coin-Op,
the only
exception being the Amiga version, which however was still eons away
from being
'arcade-perfect'. Curiously, the game sold very well and the A-500
version
received positive reviews from the press. In the meanwhile, Sega needed
a
killer-app for it's new-born 16-bit system, the Genesis/Megadrive.
In 1990, the
game was released for Sega's 8 and 16 bit consoles. The Master System
version
was well written considering the limitations of this machine, but the
Genesis
version was absolutely stunning. It was a nearly pixel-perfect copy
of the
Arcade Version, and well represented the capabilities of the
16-bit system on
which it run. Strider was a smash hit and greatly contributed to the
popularity
of the Genesis. A Pc-Engine version also exists, called 'Super-Strider',
but I
have never seen it. There is also a Pc-Dos version of the game, also
from U.S
Gold, but I doubt that anyone will find it interesting, since it runs
only in
MCGA.
Amazingly, considering CapCom's
'sequel-swarm' policy of these days, a
second chapter of this brilliant game was never released ... or was
it?
In 1992, Tiertex coded the
so called Strider 2 for 8-16 bit home
computers, and US Gold later released a Genesis version. The game featured
a new
plot, new character abilities ( Strider could transform himself in
an awkward
Gear kinda thing, and branded a laser pistol) and new levels. This
sequel can be
described with one word: horrible. Tiertex did a messy job and the
game was
snubbed even by the most hardened fans. US Gold dropped the license
and Strider
was left to oblivion.
Last year, I was roaming
an Arcade center of Milan and I happened to drop
an eye on the newly released Marvel Vs Capcom Heroes, (yet) another
two-
dimensional beat 'em up in the Street Fighter 2 fashion. What nearly
made me
scream in amazement was one of its characters: Strider Hiryu, the original
hero
of the long forgotten Arcade Hit. Since CapCom is now releasing chapters
of it's
'Collection' containing remastered versions of blockbusters such as
'Commando'
and '1943', chances are that, commemorating the decennial of the game,
a
remastered version of Strider will be published this year, and maybe
even the so
long awaited 'official sequel'.
Where can I find Strider?
--------------------------------------------
Umm... well, considering
the numerous conversions of the game, finding
Strider shouldn't be that hard. The drawback is that only the Genesis
version is
worth playing, so you'll have to retrieve the original cart. Some retail
store
dealing in used software is the best place to try your luck. If it's
the Coin-Op
version you're looking for, I doubt you will find an Arcade Machine
running
Strider nowadays.
Else, you could rely on
emulation. Callus and MaMe both support Strider
(check out the gamelist.txt included in the download package of the
relative
emulators). 8 bit computer and console emulators should run the relative
conversions perfectly, so will KGen98 and Genecyst run the Genesis
Cart. ROM.
I have no news on the Pc
Engine Emulation, nor I have seen Strider running
on the Nomad (Sega's 16-bit hand-held).
Check out the conversion
list further in this FAQ.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: You MUST
own the original software or cartridges, or
else you will have to remove the ROMs within 24 hours!
Why is Strider so good?
--------------------------------------------
Strider is a cult-game. I
could write a whole essay on how good this game
is, but the best way to describe is 'fast', 'furious' and 'addictive'.
Strider
is , put simply, a platform-game. What made it stand out from the crowd
was it's
unique design : an original setting (check out Kafazu in the first
stage) ; an
eerie atmosphere ; really bizarre monsters (such as the Russian Ministers
who
join together to form the Urobolos monster at the end of level 1) ;
a cool hero
with a cool weapon who could do all sorts of cool things (heh!) ; blablabla.
It
features a fabulous dynamic soundtrack. I never particularly liked
platform
games (except Turrican, that is), and so you can realize how strange
it is for
me to declare that Strider is the best game I EVER played. Strider
never bores
the player thanks to the absolutely brilliant level-design, which is
unique in
its sheer perfection. This game cannot be described, it must be played
to be
believed.
The Plot
-----------------------------------------------
(as reported from the Genesis Instruction Booklet)
' By the year 1998, a series of
disasters that had plagued the world came to
a long-awaited end. The future of the Earth remained uncertain. People
realized
the desperate situation they were in, and began to use the energy they
had once
saved for fighting each other to help the poor and the homeless. Gradually,
through the efforts of a great many caring (sic!) human beings, the
standard of
living rose to a tolerable level.
A few years later, in a
small Eastern European nation called Kafazu,
unusual activity was reported by a rancher. He said that he had seen
several
"red dots" move across the sky and disappear behind a mountain. They
made no
sound at all, he said. Three days after the sighting, though, creatures
that no
one had ever seen before surfaced in the capital city. they leveled
the capital
in a matter of days! Nothing remained but the rubble of demolished
buildings and
the occasional desperate cry of someone trapped beneath them...
The creatures marched across
the entire European continent, doing the same
kind of damage they had in Kafazu. Not long after, North and South
America met
the same fate. Just weeks after the beings had first exposed themselves,
5
entire continents had been completely wiped out! Any survivors were
taken and
used as slaves. Their lives had become a horrible nightmare from which
they
might never awaken...
The wicked mind behind the
devastation was Meio, the Grand Master who
studied the life patterns of Earth's inhabitants from his home on a
distant
nebula. His ultimate plan was to rule the world from a space station
he had
built between the Earth and its lone moon. The " Third Moon"
would serve as his
control and planning center.
News reports told of the
sheer annihilation of 80% of the living things on
the planet. The report was picked up by the inhabitants of a small
island called
Moralos, somewhere in the South seas. Moralos was the secret training
center for
the Striders, the last defenders of justice on the Earth. Hiryu, the
youngest
man ever to achieve the rank of A-class Strider, was assigned the incredible
task of getting through and stopping Grand Master Meio from carrying
out his
plans. You can help Hiryu - guide him from the city of Kafazu, through
un
charted regions of Siberia and the Amazon, and finally to the "Third
Moon" space
station and the final showdown with Meio! '
Is this the real plot? Was
the 'real' plot censored? Let's check out some
incongruities.
The official story line
tells us that the city we visit in the first level
is Kafazu, a small Eastern European country. However, in the glider
intro
sequence, we see 'Kazakhstan CCP' written in Russian, which is a nation
in
central Asia. Kafazu seems under some kinda '1984 like' communist dictatorship,
and in 1989, the year in which Strider was released, Kazakhstan was
part of the
USSR. Kazakhstan's capital city is Almaty and it's population is mainly
muslim,
and Kafazu has a large concentration of mosques. Russian soldiers wear
a
futuristic version of the Red Army uniform, and their leader (whom
we can call
the prime minister since he signals the other politicians to transform
into the
Urobolos monster) incredibly resembles Gorbachev! Furthermore, one
of the tunes
we listen to in the first level is named 'Mosque the Cold Hearted'.
Who was
Meio? Was CapCom concerned about the political 'incorrectness' of the
first
version of the plot, and later changed it? Why is Meio only referred
to as the
'Master' in the mid-level cut scenes? Who was the 'Master' really?
This is, however, only my
personal Fan-Fiction. These questions will
probably never be answered.
Game Objectives
-------------------------------------------
(as reported from the Genesis Instruction Booklet)
' You must guide Strider Hiryu
through 4 Stages that are filled with men,
machines and monsters who are helping Grand Master Meio to carry out
his
sinister scheme. Your goal is to reach the "Third Moon", the space
station where
Meio waits. It is there that the final showdown will take place! '
Strider is made up of 5 relatively
big levels: (1) Kafazu, (2) Siberia,
(3) 'Balrog' Flying Fortress (called 'Ballog' in the G. I. Booklet),
(4) Amazon,
(5) Third Moon. No secret or bonus stages exist. Upon completing a
level you
will see a brief cut scene that will unveil the plot, and anticipate
some
characters. When you complete the fifth level you will be taken to
the final
showdown between Strider and Meio.
Character Overview
------------------------------------------
As a Strider, Hiryu wields
a powerful plasma sword : Falchion. Coupled
with his extraordinary acrobatic skills, he is both agile and deadly.
He does
not have any long-range weapon, though. This means you will have to
get near
your opponent to kill him. On the plus side, Falchion shreds to pieces
anything
that blocks its way. If an enemy foolishly comes in range, he is a
definitive
goner : hasta la vista.
The Control System
------------------------------------------
The arcade supports the basic two button system.
Stick:
*up*
- standing : no action
- hanging : crawl up on the ledge you were hanging on
- climbing : climbs up
*down* - standing :
squats
- hanging : drop off from the ledge
- climbing : climbs down
*left*-*right* - standing - hanging : moves in the relative direction
*button A* : slashes opponents with the plasma sword Falchion
*button B*
- standing : jumps
- hanging : jumps on the ledge you were hanging on
- squatting : activates the razors on Striders shoes and makes
him slide in the direction he is facing. Useful when passing through
tight spots
and to kill masses of weak enemies.
Special Moves:
*left*+*button B* then *button
A* : cartwheel jump while slashing.
*if you fall on top of a
weak enemy the razors will automaticaly activate
and slash the opponent*
Hiryu's Energy
--------------------------------
Hiryu is a resistant kind
of bloke. Any type of damage always hacks off
only one unit of energy from his health bar, and every life comes with
three (3)
units of energy (Coin-Op settings). He can replenish his health bar
with the
following power-ups, and stretch it to contain 5 units of energy.
*Hi*
- Replenishes an empty energy unit. If you are already at
maximum health (ex. 3/3 or 5/5) you will not receive any benefit.
*Ryu*
- Stretches your health bar one filled health block larger.
Replenishes 1 lost energy unit if already at maximum (5).
*HiRyu* - All empty energy
units in the health bar are replenished.
These power ups appear as
the chinese ideogram equivalent of these
syllables.
Other Power-Ups
--------------------------------
All Power Ups appear in Power
Up canisters, which can be found left around
on a level or are carried by Flying Mosquemen (see Enemy List).
A slash from
Hiryu's sword will open them up and reveal their content.
- Normal PUs
*400*
- 400 points ( does anyone care about the Hi-Score anymore
?)
*200*
- 200 points
*Image of a Sword*
- Extends Falchion's range almost twice. For
really devastating blows!
*Gold Image of Hiryu*
- Gives Hiryu Invulnerability.
*S.D. Hiryu*
- Gives you one life
- RoboPod PUs
*Dipodal Saucer* - Obtaining
this power up will summon a robotical ally
which will hover around you, and a green energy unit in your health
bar will
turn red. When you move, the robot will charge into any foe you encounter.
If
you are damaged and this energy unit is lost, you will also lose the
Saucer.
Pressing *button A* will release a heat-seeking electric bolt from
the robot. A
maximum of two bots can be kept. This will also trigger the appearance
of
RoboPanther Pod.
*Terapodal RoboPanther* -
If your health bar contains two red units ( only if.
you have two Saucers) you can pick up this handy Power Up. The two
Saucers will
disappear and a RoboPanther will be summoned, thus turning the red
units into
yellow. The RoboPanther follows Hiryu and heads off to attack any target
in
range. The RoboPanther is a good ally since it can destroy instantly
anything it
attacks, the drawback is that it doesn't last long and if you lose
one of your
yellow energy units you will also lose the RoboPanther.
*Robot Hawk* - Nothing to
tell your friends about. This Robot doesn't do
much, it only hovers over Hiryu and damages any enemies so dumb to
cross its
path. The advantages are that it doesn't color any energy unit, so
you can
damage yourself as much as you want and it will stay by your side,
only to
disappear after a dozen seconds.
Scoring Bonuses
---------------------------------
When you complete a level, you get bonus points:
Upon clearing Stage
1: 5.000 points
2: 8.000 points
3: 10.000 points
4: 20.000 points
5: 30.000 points
Enemy List
-------------------------------------------
* - marks bosses. IMPORTANT NOTE: these tips only work for the Coin-Op/Genesis
Versions. Only some may work on other versions.
Russian Soldiers
- These fellas ain't much, and they
are easily
scared off by Strider. Walking towards them will cause them to panic
and run
away, often falling into crevasses. If, however, you turn your back
towards them
(how unpolite!) they will charge towards you. Watch out, cause some
of them seem
to remember that they wield a machine gun. Cannon Fodder.
Rascals
- Cybernetic Idiots. They hop towards
you and
are too slow to put up a serious fight. Anyway, in the heat of the
battle, you
might stumble into one of these guys, so keep an eye on them.
Flying Mosquemen
- Annoying. But some of them carry
a Power-Up.
Kill'em all, let God sort 'em out.
* Strobaya, the Muscle Man -
This madman basically rolls around trying to
get hold on you. If you got a Saucer he will be easily fragged, if
not just keep
hacking away at him. Be sure to get your head covered as soon as he
dies, since
the ceiling will start burning and collapsing.
RoboSpiders
- These monsters can stomp you, fire
their mortars
and sustain quite a few blows before exploding.
Novo
- This is a multi-laser cannon pod.
As soon as it
activates you must get real close to it and start pressing the attack
button as
fast as you can. Its laser rays bounce on the ceiling and eventually
will hit
you, so you must be quick. The white bars represent its energy, and
there are
six of them.
Russian Gunner -
As soon as the floor collapses after beating Novo
just slash him. In this level he is in a disadvantaged position, and
can't fire
upwards.
Red Russian Soldiers
- Ah yes! They come in all flavors!
These
seem balder than their green comrades, but bite the dust more
or less in the
same way.
* Urobolos, the Iron Ruler-
After the amusing sequence, and as soon as
this monster heads towards you, jump over it's head and land on it's
back. The
head is the only vulnerable part of it's body, so keep slashing it.
If you have
at least a Saucer, chances are that it kills Urobolos before you even
touch
Falchion.
Wolves
- They represent a menace only because
they generally
attack in packs, and from both sides. Face them and they will stand
still,
growling. Run away from them and they will attack you.
* Mecha Pon
- Incredibily easy to defeat. Just
walk towards him
and keep slashing his stomach. He will crumble to bits before he even
tries to
attack. Be sure to run away as soon as this happens though, 'cause
his head
explodes after a few seconds.
* Solo
- This guy has some awesome firepower,
but he seems
too dumb to use it. When you use Falchion, the bloke activates his
afterburners
and avoids it. Just lure him near you, jump and hit him mercilessly.
When you
land, just wait for him to return, then jump towards him again and
keep
slashing. Do this a couple of times and he's dead meat. Don't let him
land,
though. If you do he will fire his bazooka which is a real pain to
avoid.
Dipodal Mechanoids
- Just get behind them. They attack
by leaning
towards you, and never ever move from their position. Just hack'em
from a
comfortable position.
* Kuniang M.A. Team
- The Kuniangs are a group of three
female athletes
that can hit you by compressing air into a blade, using the sheer power
of their
legs ! With this useful tip, however, they are easy to beat : just
squat on the
sloped part of the main ledge, just before the gunner pod (which you
should have
just destroyed, triggering the appearance of the Team) and above the
main rotor,
and keep pressing the attack button to hack those gymnasts away...free
from
harm! It's off to the next level once you kill the Shuttle's pilot,
a simple
green Russian Soldier (try scaring him instead, you will see him jump
off panic-
stricken!)
Stage 3 - The Balrog Flying Fortress
Turrets - Small business. Just squat and swing!
Robo Swarm
- Tough enemies. The only way to escape
undamaged is
to 1) run, 2) stop, squat, swing as fast as you can. With a bit of
luck you
should be able to destroy all of them without damage.
Main Cannon
- Stop as soon as you see it, kneel
down and slide
under the cannon. The blast will miss you. Stay down and one slash
will make it
explode, revealing the inner part of the ship.
Balrog Seamen
- They carry a mortar, which is a slow
and weak
weapon. Wait until they fire, then slide to avoid the shot and to kill
them at
the same time. Multitasking Rules!
Frog Robot
- The registered version of the bipodal
Mechanoid.
You must climb up as fast as you can through the vertical tunnel /
squashing
machine. Then slide behind it before it lands. If you succeed, you
will be able
to destroy both the Robo Swarm and the Frog Robot, which will be facing
in the
wrong direction. Remember to destroy any rocket that it manages to
fire.
* Anti-Grav. Unit -
The only way to get a chance of damaging this foe
is to get caught by it's gravitational field. The only safe way to
do this is to
destroy the atom-like satellites first. Head straight to the leftmost
part of
the room and squat there. When the Unit will hover near you, its grav.
force
won't be able to get hold on you, while the satellites will be vulnerable.
Once
you destroyed the majority of these you can try your luck at destroying
the main
core. If your energy is not at it's maximum, get the energy power-up
at the
center of the room. If you are at full health, leave the canister untouched.
When the unit comes near, jump and begin hacking away at the unit.
After a few
spins you will be thrown to the floor, losing an energy unit. Get the
energy
power-up if you didn't before and try again. This time you should be
able to
give it the deathblow. As soon as the Unit explodes, the room will
start to go
on fire. Since the Grav. Unit maintained Barlog in the air, the huge
fortress
will start plunging to the ground like a 'sack of potatoes', as we
say here in
Italy. Run through the newly opened hole in the floor at full speed,
in order to
be prepared for the jump ahead.
* Capt. Beard, Jr
- Jump on the heli right away. If you
slash
him he will jump with pain, preventing him from using the whip. Bye,
bye Balrog.
Amazonesses
- As many foes in this game, they represent
a threat
only when they swarm you. Avoid their axes and watch out for the infamous
'reverse bug' (See the Conversion Section later in this FAQ).
Pirahna
- Incredible as it may seem, these
fish are
harmless. They just stick to Hiryu...and that's it. Just move
left and right to
shake them off.
Triceratops
- You can kill them, but it pays if
you don't...if
you knock off the riding Amazoness, you can take this dino for a test
drive.
Useful if you don't want to fall in crevasses and take a dip in the
Amazon
river.
Pteranodons - Watch yar head! A slash deals 'em the deathblow.
Brontosaurus
- Enormous, harmless beasts. Take a
stroll on
their back. The last one puts you in a strategical position for the
last battle.
* Lago, the Mecha T-Rex- If
you managed to cling to the vine, then it's
kids work: crouch on the edge of it and just aim at the head. If you
are on the
ground, then things are a bit more complicated. Lago uses two types
of attacks :
the steel claw and the fire breath. Position yourself near him. He
attacks
always using this pattern : slow claw slash - fire breath - fast claw
slash -
forward/backward jump. What you do is wait for the first attack, jump
upward
avoiding the slow claw slash, hit the head, fall back down and slide
back before
he attacks using the fast claw slash. Repeat until definitive extinction
of this
species. Ignore the Falchion power-up behind the monster, it is useless
against
this boss and you would probably be squashed before you find out why.
Russian Gunner -
This guy finally found out how to use his machine-
gun! Withstand a single blow, then, while you are temporarily invulnerable,
jump
on the ledge and kill him.
* Meio
- No particular tactics are effective.
Just find a
place where you think he will stand still and hit him, hard! Ah...and
keep those
continues handy.
Secrets
--------------------------------------------
The 1-Up dilemma :
this power up appears only once during the whole game.
How come?
The Panda
: In the missile silo, after you destroyed the Main
Cannon, go down, then head left instead of right. You will meet some
missile
shells stored on different ledges. Slash all of them. The leftmost
will contain
a Panda, which will give you some extra score.
Conversion Overview
---------------------------------------------
* - represents a poor conversion
; ** - represents a conversion worth
checking out ; *** - represents a good conversion ;
C64
- Conversion
by Tiertex - Published by US Gold : *
Amstrad -
Conversion by Tiertex - Published by US Gold : *
Amiga -
Conversion by Tiertex - Published by US Gold : **
Master System - Conversion
by Sega - Published by Sega
: *
Genesis -
Conversion by Sega - Published by Sega
: ***
Pc-Engine -
Conversion by NecAvenue-Published by Nec :
**(?)
Pc-Dos MCGA -
Conversion by Tiertex - Published by US Gold : *
Nes
-
Conversion by ??? - Published by ???
: **
Playstation (?) -
Conversion by ??? - Published by ???
: (?)
Naomi-Dreamcast-
Strider 2
- Under Development :
(?)
The Amiga Conversion
---------------------------------------------
This was the first home version
of Strider that I played. Provides a
certain degree of fun, but is no way comparable to the original Arcade
version,
which is a real pity, since the Amiga could clearly handle it. The
most awkward
thing about this version is the ending sequence. You do not face Meio
at the
end, only the Mechanical T-Rex at the end of the "Third Moon". When
you defeat
this last foe, a series of recycled images from the cut scenes are
shown, telling
you that all this havoc was only a proving ground for the 'real' battle.
Then
you are thrown back in the first level. Up to this point it seems much
like
Ghouls 'n' Ghosts, so you happily (?) work through the game again.
At the end,
still no sign of Meio. Upon defeating the T-Rex for the second time,
guess what?
The ending sequence is THE SAME!
Graphically, the game is
ridiculous. The action takes place in about half
the screen, the rest being filled up with useless score energy panels
and a
crappy image of Falchion. The RoboPanther and the Hawk Robot Power-up
is
missing. The levels have been radically changed in the conformation.
No dynamic
music, only the edited versions of the 'Raid!' and 'Roaring'
themes.
Disappointing to say the
least.
The Genesis Conversion
---------------------------------------------
The only 'real' conversion.
Only minor cuts to some animation frames, such
as the animated Falchion slash (which caused some 'pagans' to
mistake the sword
for a bed-sheet!), and the speech. Amusingly, both the Genesis and
the Coin-Op
version share the same bugs (if Strider gets hit by an ax while walking
on a
particular ledge on the 4th level, the controls are temporarily reversed).
The
ending sequence is different, now showing the "Third Moon" installation
crumbling and Strider hovering in space with his glider, while credits
scroll.
The Nintendo/Famicom Version
-----------------------------------------------------------
If still haven't checked
out this version yet. I only saw some
screen shots. It has different levels and a password code system. More
info in
the future updates.
The Master System Conversion
------------------------------------------------------------
Another poor quality 8-bit
conversion. The ROM dump is not even worth the
download.
Commodore C64 Conversion
-----------------------------------------------------------
A monochromatic, demential
Strider animated by, more or less, 5 or 6
animation frames wobbles off in a parodistic version of the original
levels.
From the same blokes who coded the Amiga version, what could you expect?
The PC Conversion
-------------------------------------
Another version I have yet
to see. I read a review of the game ( it was
rated something like 7/10) eight years ago. It only runs in the vetust
MCGA
mode, but I guess that even (WOW!) Hercules cards are supported. It
plays more
or less like the Amiga version (iow. poorly).
A Brief Overview of Strider 2 by US. Gold
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The plot is well worth a
laugh. Upon returning from Russia, Strider faces
a new threat for mankind. The female alien ambassador has been abducted
by other
aliens(?). He must rescue this gal and save intergalactic peace. Hahaha.
Let's
take a look at the Amiga version...
The game starts in a forest,
with the same edited Raid! theme running as
the background music. The first thing you notice is a thin white bar
under the
stats panel. Once you fill it up, by collecting the relative power-ups,
Strider
turns in a weird Gear-sort-of-thing. If you stand still and press the
fire
button, Strider puts away Falchion and starts firing his pistol. The
walking
animation frames have gone, our hero now runs through the battlefield.
No more
sloping platforms and no more RoboPods. The Amiga version is also filled
with
bugs: like unjustificated,abrupt transformations from Gear to human.
Ridiculous.
The Genesis version (renamed
Strider Returns) has the same appeal. The
plot is more or less similar (the ambassador is now Hiryu's girlfriend,
and is
kidnapped by the resurrected Meio). The young Strider now wields a
new -wave-
sword, which in no way is as cool as Falchion (that can be -phew!-
selected in
the options screen). As in the Amiga version, all the innovative level
design
has vanished, and the game becomes boring in no time.
Strider 2 was entirely developed
and produced by Tiertex, a US. Gold
internal development team who converted other CapCom arcade classics
such as LED
Storm and Last Duel.
The Naomi/Dreamcast Version - The Real Strider
2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------
Not out yet. No definitive news. Soon to be updated.
Credits
---------------------------------------------
I would like to thank...
* all the game FAQ writers
for the quality material they always provide
free for gamers worldwide. I am proud to be a new member of this community.
* CapCom for creating such a brilliant
game.
* Josh Fletcher for his excellent
Herzog Zwei FAQ. Being a true fan of
that game I loved reading his work.
* Anyone who will kindly provide
me this material : 1)The Dos-MCGA version
of the game 2)The ROM dump of the Pc-Engine version 3)Any Strider related
info
which does not appear in this FAQ. You will of course be mentioned
in the future
releases of this FAQ.
* My loving girlfriend, Valentina.
Where to get updated versions of this FAQ
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.gamefaqs.com - the main source for tips, cheats, codes and walkthroughs
for
any game !
www.angelfire.com\ny\striderarmy - the Internet Headquarters of the
Strider
Army.
www.ticnet.com\strider - a brilliant site dedicated only to Strider.
Has pics of
the upcoming Strider 2
Version History
-------------------------------------
[1.2] - Minor corrections.
- Added FAQ URLs
- Added info on the Master
System version
- Added Version History
[1.1] - The first published version of this FAQ
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Strider is a registered trademark of CapCom, 1989-1990.
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