Strider (arcade game)
Encyclopedia
Strider, released in Japan
as is a 1989
side-scrolling platform game
released for the CP System arcade
hardware by Capcom
. It became one of Capcom's early hits before Street Fighter II
, revered for its innovative gameplay and multilingual voice clips during cutscenes (presented in English
, Japanese
, Mandarin
, Russian
and Spanish
).
Strider is set in a dystopia
n future in the year 2048, where a mysterious dictator known as the "Grandmaster" rules over the world. Hiryu
, the youngest ever Super A Ranked member of a organization of high-tech ninja
-like agents known as the "Striders", is alone tasked with the Grandmaster's assassination. Hiryu begins his mission by infiltrating the Grandmaster's capital at the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic.
The controls of Strider consist of an eight-way joystick and two action buttons for attacking and jumping. The player controls Hiryu himself, whose main weapon is a tonfa
-like plasma sword known as "Cypher". He can perform numerous acrobatic feats depending on the joystick/button combination used. Pressing the jump button while Hiryu is standing still will cause him to do a regular vertical jump, while pressing the jump button while pushing the joystick left or right will enable him to do a cartwheel jump. Hiryu can also slide under or through certain obstacles and enemies by first crouching down and then pressing the jump button. As well as his sliding move both jumps can also be used to destroy weaker opponents. Hiryu is able to latch onto certain platforms, and climb across walls and ceilings using a metallic hook. While running down a sloped surface, Hiryu can gain enough momentum to allow him to do a longer cartwheel jump than usual.
Numerous power-ups can be obtained from item capsules carried by certain enemies. These includes an extension to Hiryu's attack range that lasts for one hundred slashes, two types of health aids (represented by the kanji
used to write Hiryu's name: 飛 and 飛竜), a max health extension (represented by the kanji 竜, the second character in Hiryu's name), an extra life, and a power-up that not only makes Hiryu invulnerable to attack but also increases his own attack abilities via shadow images of himself for 30 seconds. Hiryu can also summon robotic companions known as "options" that help him fight enemies. These consist of a mushroom
-like droid, a saber-toothed tiger
, and a hawk
.
The game has five stages: the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (called "St. Petersburgh" during the arcade game's attract sequence), the Siberian Wilderness, the Aerial Battleship Ballog, the Amazonian Jungle, and the Grandmaster's lair itself, the Third Moon. Each of the stages is divided into a number of smaller sections, each with their own time limit. The player has a three-point health gauge (which can be increased to five points with the health extensions. Hiryu will lose a life when either his health gauge is fully depleted, by moving him off the screen entirely (like falling into a bottomless pit) or when the games timer reaches zero. It's Game Over
when all of Hiryu's lives are lost, but the player can be given the opportunity to continue.
, which also included the Strider Hiryu manga
by Moto Kikaku's Tatsumi Wada that was published in Kodansha
's Comic Computique anthology in Japan, as well as the NES version of Strider. Kouichi Yotsui, director of the coin-op Strider (who is credited as Isuke in the game), was chosen for his experience with the CP System hardware while working as a background designer on Ghouls 'n Ghosts
. The three projects were developed independently of each other.
, Amstrad CPC
, Atari ST
, Commodore 64
, DOS
, and ZX Spectrum
were published by U.S. Gold
and developed by Tiertex in 1989. The U.S. Gold versions has the order of the third and fourth stages swapped (the order of the cut-scenes were kept the same, causing a continuity error), and the final battle with the Grandmaster missing (the last stages ends with the battle against the giant robot gorilla Mecha Pong). As a result, the ending was changed to reveal that the events of the game were a simulation that the player was going through. All five versions featured downgraded graphics, less music and missing enemies compared to the arcade version. Additionally, the controls were modified so that the game would be compatible with one-button joystick controllers. Despite these changes and the overall inferior gameplay, all of the U.S. Gold releases received high review scores by computer game magazines of the time.
. It is a very close reproduction of the arcade original, with minimal changes.
. It was advertised as one of the first 8-Megabit cartridges for the system. This version was also re-released for the Wii
Virtual Console
in Japan on November 15, 2011.
version).
exclusively in North America
a few months after the arcade version's release. This version was produced alongside the arcade game but follows the plot of Moto Kikaku
's tie-in manga. A Famicom version of the same game was planned in Japan, but cancelled.
produced a PC Engine
version of Strider Hiryu, which was released exclusively in Japan on September 22, . The PC Engine version was released as a CD-ROM
² title which requires the Arcade Card expansion. The PC Engine port features an all-new desert stage that was not in the arcade version, as well as newly recorded cut-scenes, music and dialogue, with Japanese voice actor Kaneto Shiozawa
as the voice of Hiryu and Kōji Totani
as the Grand Master. The PC Engine version is notable for its long development process, having been planned in various formats, including the ill-fated SuperGrafx
at one point.
version of Strider was produced by Capcom
, which was first released in as a second disc which came packaged with the PlayStation version of Strider 2
. The North American release has the Strider and Strider 2 game code pressed onto the wrong disc (so to play Strider you actually need to insert the Strider 2 disc). This version was reissued separately in Japan on October 24, as part of the Capcom Game Books series, which included an extended manual and strategy guide for the game.
for the PlayStation Portable
and Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2 for PlayStation 2
and Xbox
.
Upon its release, EGM
was impressed with the Genesis port, devoting portions of three separate issues to it awarding it with Genesis Game of the Year
1990 and winner of their best graphics category. Brett Alan Weiss of All Media Guide
called the Genesis port "a nice effort and a lot of fun for someone who likes to travel through a dark future Earth killing everything in his/her path with a giant sword", while also noting that "it does get a little repetitious [sic] using the same weapon over and over. Even so, this is an exciting game."
and Tiertex produced a Strider sequel in Europe titled Strider II
(released in North America as Journey From Darkness: Strider Returns) for various computer platforms, as well as the Mega Drive, Game Gear, and Master System. This European-produced sequel was unreleased in Japan. Capcom later produced another sequel, unrelated to the Tiertex-produced Strider Returns, titled Strider 2
, which was released for the arcades and the PlayStation
in .
Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes
, which was followed by Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes
in . Hiryu has also made appearances in other Capcom-produced games such as SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash
, Namco X Capcom
and Adventure Quiz: Capcom World 2
. Hiryu was one of the characters intended to appear in the unreleased 3D fighting game Capcom Fighting All-Stars
.
Hiryu's latest outing was in the 2011 crossover
fighting game
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
which marked his characters official 3D debut. This game is also notable as being the first where he is voiced in English.
for Mitchell Corporation
in . Yotsui considers that game, titled Cannon-Dancer in Japan and Osman
in the West, a "self-parody" of his work on Strider.
Moon Diver
is a 2011 Square Enix
game that shares some of the same gameplay elements and even credit from Strider producer Kouichi Yotsui.
rapper Tinchy Stryder
named himself partially after Strider, which he often played as a boy.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as is a 1989
1989 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* October 3, Brøderbund releases the Prince of Persia game, the first in a series of games, noted for its advancements in animation....
side-scrolling platform game
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
released for the CP System arcade
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
hardware by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
. It became one of Capcom's early hits before Street Fighter II
Street Fighter II
is a competitive fighting game originally released for the arcades in . It is the arcade sequel to the original Street Fighter released in and was Capcom's fourteenth title that ran on the CP System arcade hardware...
, revered for its innovative gameplay and multilingual voice clips during cutscenes (presented in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, Mandarin
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
).
Plot
Strider is set in a dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
n future in the year 2048, where a mysterious dictator known as the "Grandmaster" rules over the world. Hiryu
Strider Hiryu
is a fictional character jointly owned by Capcom and Moto Kikaku.Although primarily known as a game character, Hiryu debuted in 1988 as the protagonist of a manga published exclusively in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten...
, the youngest ever Super A Ranked member of a organization of high-tech ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
-like agents known as the "Striders", is alone tasked with the Grandmaster's assassination. Hiryu begins his mission by infiltrating the Grandmaster's capital at the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic.
Gameplay
The controls of Strider consist of an eight-way joystick and two action buttons for attacking and jumping. The player controls Hiryu himself, whose main weapon is a tonfa
Tonfa
The tonfa , also known as tong fa or tuifa, is an Okinawan weapon. It is a stick with a handle, and is about 15-20 inches long. It was traditionally made from red oak and wielded in pairs...
-like plasma sword known as "Cypher". He can perform numerous acrobatic feats depending on the joystick/button combination used. Pressing the jump button while Hiryu is standing still will cause him to do a regular vertical jump, while pressing the jump button while pushing the joystick left or right will enable him to do a cartwheel jump. Hiryu can also slide under or through certain obstacles and enemies by first crouching down and then pressing the jump button. As well as his sliding move both jumps can also be used to destroy weaker opponents. Hiryu is able to latch onto certain platforms, and climb across walls and ceilings using a metallic hook. While running down a sloped surface, Hiryu can gain enough momentum to allow him to do a longer cartwheel jump than usual.
Numerous power-ups can be obtained from item capsules carried by certain enemies. These includes an extension to Hiryu's attack range that lasts for one hundred slashes, two types of health aids (represented by the kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
used to write Hiryu's name: 飛 and 飛竜), a max health extension (represented by the kanji 竜, the second character in Hiryu's name), an extra life, and a power-up that not only makes Hiryu invulnerable to attack but also increases his own attack abilities via shadow images of himself for 30 seconds. Hiryu can also summon robotic companions known as "options" that help him fight enemies. These consist of a mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
-like droid, a saber-toothed tiger
Saber-toothed cat
Saber-toothed cat or Sabre-toothed cat refers to the extinct subfamilies of Machairodontinae , Barbourofelidae , and Nimravidae as well as two families related to marsupials that were found worldwide from the Eocene Epoch to the end of the Pleistocene Epoch ,...
, and a hawk
Hawk
The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
.
The game has five stages: the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (called "St. Petersburgh" during the arcade game's attract sequence), the Siberian Wilderness, the Aerial Battleship Ballog, the Amazonian Jungle, and the Grandmaster's lair itself, the Third Moon. Each of the stages is divided into a number of smaller sections, each with their own time limit. The player has a three-point health gauge (which can be increased to five points with the health extensions. Hiryu will lose a life when either his health gauge is fully depleted, by moving him off the screen entirely (like falling into a bottomless pit) or when the games timer reaches zero. It's Game Over
Game over
Game Over is a message in video games which signals that the game has ended, often due to a negative outcome - although the phrase sometimes follows the end credits after successful completion of a game...
when all of Hiryu's lives are lost, but the player can be given the opportunity to continue.
Development
The arcade version of Strider was part of a three-way project conceived in a collaboration between Capcom and Hiroshi Motomiya's manga studio Moto KikakuMoto Kikaku
is a group of Japanese manga artists, founded by Hiroshi Motomiya . They're best known in the West for the Strider Hiryu manga , which was developed as a tie-in to Capcom's video game hit Strider...
, which also included the Strider Hiryu manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
by Moto Kikaku's Tatsumi Wada that was published in Kodansha
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
's Comic Computique anthology in Japan, as well as the NES version of Strider. Kouichi Yotsui, director of the coin-op Strider (who is credited as Isuke in the game), was chosen for his experience with the CP System hardware while working as a background designer on Ghouls 'n Ghosts
Ghouls 'n Ghosts
is a platform game/run and gun developed by Capcom and released as an arcade game in 1988, and subsequently ported to a number of other platforms. It is the sequel to Ghosts'n Goblins and the second game in the Ghosts'n Goblins series.-Gameplay:...
. The three projects were developed independently of each other.
U.S. Gold versions
Versions of Strider for AmigaAmiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
, and ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
were published by U.S. Gold
U.S. Gold
U.S. Gold was a British video game publisher and developer from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s, producing numerous titles on a variety of 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit platforms.-History:...
and developed by Tiertex in 1989. The U.S. Gold versions has the order of the third and fourth stages swapped (the order of the cut-scenes were kept the same, causing a continuity error), and the final battle with the Grandmaster missing (the last stages ends with the battle against the giant robot gorilla Mecha Pong). As a result, the ending was changed to reveal that the events of the game were a simulation that the player was going through. All five versions featured downgraded graphics, less music and missing enemies compared to the arcade version. Additionally, the controls were modified so that the game would be compatible with one-button joystick controllers. Despite these changes and the overall inferior gameplay, all of the U.S. Gold releases received high review scores by computer game magazines of the time.
X68000
Capcom separately produced a version for the X68000 computer in , releasing it exclusively in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It is a very close reproduction of the arcade original, with minimal changes.
Mega Drive/Genesis
Sega produced their home version of Strider for the Mega Drive/Genesis, which was released in Japan on September 29, , with subsequent releases in North America and the PAL regionPAL region
The PAL region is a television publication territory which covers most of Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and most of Western Europe...
. It was advertised as one of the first 8-Megabit cartridges for the system. This version was also re-released for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
in Japan on November 15, 2011.
Master System
Sega also released a Master System version of Strider in North America and Europe in , which was separately developed by Tiertex and was in fact a conversion of their previous AmigaAmiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
version).
NES
Strider was released for the NESNintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
exclusively in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
a few months after the arcade version's release. This version was produced alongside the arcade game but follows the plot of Moto Kikaku
Moto Kikaku
is a group of Japanese manga artists, founded by Hiroshi Motomiya . They're best known in the West for the Strider Hiryu manga , which was developed as a tie-in to Capcom's video game hit Strider...
's tie-in manga. A Famicom version of the same game was planned in Japan, but cancelled.
PC Engine
NEC AvenueNEC
, a Japanese multinational IT company, has its headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. NEC, part of the Sumitomo Group, provides information technology and network solutions to business enterprises, communications services providers and government....
produced a PC Engine
TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
version of Strider Hiryu, which was released exclusively in Japan on September 22, . The PC Engine version was released as a CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
² title which requires the Arcade Card expansion. The PC Engine port features an all-new desert stage that was not in the arcade version, as well as newly recorded cut-scenes, music and dialogue, with Japanese voice actor Kaneto Shiozawa
Kaneto Shiozawa
Kaneto Shiozawa , real name was a Japanese voice actor from Tokyo affiliated with Aoni Production. He had a distinctive cold, calm voice which usually typecast him in roles as villains or anti-heroes....
as the voice of Hiryu and Kōji Totani
Koji Totani
was a veteran seiyū born in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Totani worked at Aoni Production. His nickname was "Totani-chan". On February 6, 2006, at the age of 57, he died from acute heart failure...
as the Grand Master. The PC Engine version is notable for its long development process, having been planned in various formats, including the ill-fated SuperGrafx
SuperGrafx
The SuperGrafx video game console is an upgraded version of NEC's popular PC Engine system. At first it was known as the PC-Engine 2—which was purported to be a true 16-bit system with improved graphics and audio capabilities, not expected to see release until 1990...
at one point.
PlayStation
A PlayStationPlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
version of Strider was produced by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
, which was first released in as a second disc which came packaged with the PlayStation version of Strider 2
Strider 2
Strider 2, released in Japan as , is Capcom's 1999 sequel to the original Strider. The game is actually the second sequel to Strider produced, following the U.S. Gold-produced Strider Returns released in , a game with which Capcom was not directly involved...
. The North American release has the Strider and Strider 2 game code pressed onto the wrong disc (so to play Strider you actually need to insert the Strider 2 disc). This version was reissued separately in Japan on October 24, as part of the Capcom Game Books series, which included an extended manual and strategy guide for the game.
Capcom Classics Collection
The original arcade version was also rereleased in as a title included in the video game compilations Capcom Classics Collection: RemixedCapcom Classics Collection
Capcom Classics Collection is a compilation of arcade games released by Capcom for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox on September 27, 2005. It was developed by Digital Eclipse Software . A second volume, Capcom Classics Collection Vol...
for the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
and Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2 for PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
.
Reception
Strider is fondly remembered, having spawned numerous fansites and retrospectives. In 2010, UGO.com included Strider in their list of the 25 video games that need sequels.Upon its release, EGM
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
was impressed with the Genesis port, devoting portions of three separate issues to it awarding it with Genesis Game of the Year
Game of the Year
Game of the Year is a title awarded by various magazines, websites, and shows to a deserving game. Many are only for PC or console video games...
1990 and winner of their best graphics category. Brett Alan Weiss of All Media Guide
All Media Guide
All Media Guide , is the company which owns and maintains Allmusic, Allgame and Allmovie. AMG was founded in 1990 by popular-culture archivist Michael Erlewine....
called the Genesis port "a nice effort and a lot of fun for someone who likes to travel through a dark future Earth killing everything in his/her path with a giant sword", while also noting that "it does get a little repetitious [sic] using the same weapon over and over. Even so, this is an exciting game."
Sequels
Under license from Capcom USA, U.S. GoldU.S. Gold
U.S. Gold was a British video game publisher and developer from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s, producing numerous titles on a variety of 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit platforms.-History:...
and Tiertex produced a Strider sequel in Europe titled Strider II
Strider Returns
Strider II , is a side-scrolling platform game published by U.S. Gold and originally released for various computer platforms in . It is a European-developed sequel to Capcoms arcade game Strider, which U.S...
(released in North America as Journey From Darkness: Strider Returns) for various computer platforms, as well as the Mega Drive, Game Gear, and Master System. This European-produced sequel was unreleased in Japan. Capcom later produced another sequel, unrelated to the Tiertex-produced Strider Returns, titled Strider 2
Strider 2
Strider 2, released in Japan as , is Capcom's 1999 sequel to the original Strider. The game is actually the second sequel to Strider produced, following the U.S. Gold-produced Strider Returns released in , a game with which Capcom was not directly involved...
, which was released for the arcades and the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
in .
Other appearances
The character of Strider Hiryu also appears in the fighting gameFighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes
Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes
is the fifth Marvel Comics-licensed fighting game by Capcom and the third game in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. In contrast to X-Men vs. Street Fighter and Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, the game features characters from numerous Capcom franchises such as Mega Man and Strider, rather than...
, which was followed by Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes
Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes
is a fighting game, developed and published by Capcom. It is the fourth game in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. With the fourth installment of this series, Capcom simplified the controls to make the gameplay more accessible for casual players. The button configuration was trimmed down to 4 main...
in . Hiryu has also made appearances in other Capcom-produced games such as SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash
SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash
SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash is a series of SNK Playmore games between 1999 and 2006 for hand-held consoles.This game has a CCG theme, spun off from the popular series of fighting games by SNK and Capcom, and also including references to many other kinds of games from both companies. The...
, Namco X Capcom
Namco x Capcom
is an action RPG/tactical RPG hybrid game for the PlayStation 2 console, developed by Monolith Soft and featuring characters from games produced by companies Namco and Capcom.- Storyline :...
and Adventure Quiz: Capcom World 2
Capcom World 2
is a quiz game released in exclusively in Japan by Capcom in as a coin-operated video game. It was the 20th game released by Capcom for their CP System hardware, as well as Capcom's fifth quiz game for the arcade...
. Hiryu was one of the characters intended to appear in the unreleased 3D fighting game Capcom Fighting All-Stars
Capcom Fighting All-Stars
Capcom Fighting All-Stars: Code Holder was a 3D fighting game planned for the arcade and PlayStation 2 that was to be developed by Capcom. Like KOF: Maximum Impact, it was designed to translate a 2D fighting game series into 3D. This was done previously in the Street Fighter EX series, which...
.
Hiryu's latest outing was in the 2011 crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom. It is an updated version of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. After the events of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami disrupted the development schedule for downloadable content for the original game, the additional content was made into a...
which marked his characters official 3D debut. This game is also notable as being the first where he is voiced in English.
Related games
Strider director Kouichi Yotsui left Capcom soon after its release. He later designed an unofficial, coin-operated sequelOsman (arcade game)
Osman, released in Japan as , is a side-scrolling action platforming game produced by Mitchell Corp. that was released exclusively as a coin-operated arcade game in...
for Mitchell Corporation
Mitchell Corporation
Mitchell Corporation is a Japanese video game developer based in the Suginami ward of Tokyo. Roy Ozaki serves as president, and Koichi Niida serves as vice-president. The company was originally established on February 1, 1960 as an import/export business by the father of Roy Ozaki...
in . Yotsui considers that game, titled Cannon-Dancer in Japan and Osman
Osman (arcade game)
Osman, released in Japan as , is a side-scrolling action platforming game produced by Mitchell Corp. that was released exclusively as a coin-operated arcade game in...
in the West, a "self-parody" of his work on Strider.
Moon Diver
Moon Diver
, formerly known as Necromachina, is a side-scrolling platforming video game developed by feelplus and published by Square Enix. It was released for the PSN on March 29, 2011, and the Xbox Live Arcade on May 4, 2011....
is a 2011 Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
game that shares some of the same gameplay elements and even credit from Strider producer Kouichi Yotsui.
Miscellaneous
The BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
rapper Tinchy Stryder
Tinchy Stryder
Kwasi Danquah III , better known by his pseudonyms Tinchy Stryder and Star In The Hood, is a Ghanaian British recording artist, music executive, A&R executive, and businessman...
named himself partially after Strider, which he often played as a boy.
External links
- Strider for Genesis at GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
- Light Sword Cypher Mainframe 4.0
- Complete Strider video (Genesis) on archive.org
- Hardcore Gaming 101: Strider