Welcome to World Zero - Reviews for the hardcore gamer

For all intents and purposes, I've tried my hardest to write up the best damn Strider 2 review ever. One revision after the other, I've started up three entirely different drafts, only to scrap them all completely. They all came out formulaic, dull, and were lacking direction to the point of irrelevancy. So why stress so much over a single review in the first place, about a six-year old game most have never even heard of? I'm just going to wipe the slate clean, and get right to the point this time. Have you ever played a game so gratifying, that you just had to dedicate your time to mastering the game's intricacies? Strider 2 is such a game, and is the exact opposite of all the lukewarm reception it received upon its release in 2000. Most reviewers jumped on the bandwagon, and deemed the game so shallow that it couldn't drown a baby. They were especially disdainful towards what is by far the most trivial of the game's problems; the continue system. Unlike most arcade-to-console ports, unlimited credits were given firsthand, to help aid the player throughout the duration of the game. Due to this fact, reviewers were led to believe that the notion of playing with unlimited credits would not only make the game ridiculously easy, but render the gameplay itself broken.

It was implied that not even a fraction of skill was ever necessary. The player could simply button-mash his way through the stages no matter how terrible he played, since he could always continue from the exact point where he died. Yeah, really insightful stuff, guys... Seriously, who in their right mind is going to exhibit such ridiculous logic? These reviewers are going to deem the game a mediocrity because they're the ones constantly hitting the continue button like a bunch of lobotomized monkeys? Just because there are unlimited continues doesn't mean they're integral to the gameplay itself. The game never forces the player to use them at all, because they're strictly optional. It may have been Capcom's mistake to not leave a feature like that as an unlockable, but it's not their fault that people would rather abuse it than play the game the legitimate way. If these "reviewers" earnestly believe they can blow through the game's entirety in such a half-hearted way, then as far as I'm concerned, they haven't played the game at all. Rest assured, Strider 2 is nothing more than a victim of reductive fallacies. That is the reason why I feel all the more obligated to write the review this game rightfully deserves.

The first positive thing that comes to mind is just how well Strider 2 holds up after all these years. You may be very surprised soon after you fire this thing up. It's one of the few PSone games that doesn't look like a pixilated mess today. If you're playing it on the PS2, you can smooth out the textures so the game doesn't look as grainy. This feature makes the fusion of character sprites and polygonal backgrounds seem far more pleasing to the eyes. Spread across five colorful side-scrolling stages, the game is absolutely rife with quality. I wouldn't want to spoil it all for you, but I will say this much: Strider 2 stays true to its coin-op roots as it takes you on a relentlessly paced adventure you won't soon forget. You'll gain much of an appreciation for how much was put into the robust level designs, as well as the amount of character sprites, whose animations are as distinct as they are dynamic. With that said, Strider Hiryu looks every bit as awesome as he plays. He's one of the most cunning and versatile characters ever, bar none. He may retain all his moves from the original game, but he can execute them far more rapidly than before. I swear, that for the first time in a video game, I actually felt like I was in control of a character right out of an anime. Everything about him just feels so agile and empowering. He can climb walls and scamper across ceilings more effortlessly this time around. His slide maneuver also makes a welcome return, upping the ante with a new backwards somersault that can be performed right afterwards. As for his fighting prowess, Hiryu attacks his foes with such blinding speed that you never actually see him swing his cypher back and forth. Crazy.

In addition to Hiryu's classic move set, the sequel also provides some major improvements, such as a much-needed dash technique and double-jump. Unlike the original game, you also have some trajectory over where you want him to land after a jump. Because of this, the gameplay may not feel as methodical as before, but it helps make for more spatial combat. Hiryu's also picked up a couple of wicked moves. The hassou jump (an air-dash that pushes you right off a wall you're clinging onto) is very helpful whenever you're trying to nab a power-up that's seemingly out of reach, but it also has its practical uses. If you're feeling like a badass, you can ascend those adjacent walls like a ricocheting bullet (eat your heart out, Hayabusa). The last of Hiryu's new additions is the savage slash (or the midare-giri slash, for purists). It's a special move that suspends him in the air momentarily as he unleashes a whole flurry of slashes upon a poor soul looking for a death wish. Now, the only thing missing here happens to be Hiryu's nifty bipedal robots from the original game. They may no longer be at his disposal, but I wouldn't consider that such a big loss. I mean, just look at who you're playing as. Who needs camaraderie when you're a bona fide ninja?

Well, I'm certainly praising the game a lot, aren't I? But even I can't say Strider 2 isn't without its flaws. If there's one major problem I can't ignore, it's the sputtering framerate that rears its ugly head when a lot of action occurs onscreen. It becomes especially unsteady whenever you use boosts (power-ups that enable Hiryu to launch spectral projectiles), which practically turns the game into a virtual slideshow. It also causes some segments in the game to be a lot more frustrating than they have to be. Mission 5, for example, can be pure evil at times if you don't know the stage like the back of your hand. The level design for the stage itself is excellent, but precise timing is crucial to your success since it's filled to the brim with enemies and obstacles. Consequently, the chaotic nature of this stage hampers the intricate movement you once had due to all the frequent framerate drops. It's enough of a setback to throw off the responsiveness of your controller, delaying your actions for seconds at a time. Capcom's not entirely at fault here, however. Understandably, this is a port of an arcade game that's pushing the very limits of inferior hardware. It's a real shame that the game wasn't ported to a more capable system like the Dreamcast (I wouldn't settle for that Bleem! bullshit, though). Otherwise, this problem could have been curbed down greatly, if not completely done away with. In any case, there's no real way to rectify these framerate issues, and you'll have to grow accustomed to the segments where they become most evident. Nevertheless, it's a small price to pay for gaming nirvana.

If there's one important thing that developers have been trying to teach throughout the years, it's the fact that a game can only give back as much as the commitment you're willing to put into it. The developers hand the paint and canvas over to you, the player. It's up to you to make something you can enjoy. If you've been seeking out the true meaning of replay value, then prepare to be enlightened. Is a game truly over when you finish it? Of course not, that's when it finally begins! Strider 2 can be finished in 25 minutes tops, but I can guarantee that you won't stand a ghost of a chance at conquering the game without utilizing every move to their fullest. I'd play to see how far I could go without dying, improving my overall rank in the process. I'd explore every nook and cranny throughout the stages, finding as many hidden score icons as I could. I'd experiment with a different order of stages each time, just to see how varied and difficult the game could become. There was so much for me to discover, and I kept pushing my limits. I almost had the game down to a science after being compelled to play through it so many times. The experience really benefited from the game's ideal length. Minor unlockables aside, I kept coming back because of my love for the game. That's what it should always boil down to, right?

As an esoteric icon doomed to obscurity, Strider Hiryu (originated from a manga, believe it or not) was never given that golden opportunity to flourish beyond his conception in 1988. To this day, he has starred in no less than three different games. He also made a very notable cameo in Marvel Vs. Capcom, which was arguably the highest peak of his popularity. Most people -- including me -- didn't even know of his existence until playing the game for their first time. Any other traces of his existence remain lost in the tattered pages of gaming history, better known as those fossilized issues of Nintendo Power and GameFan you left out in the boondocks. While Capcom may never find the motivation to make another installment, perhaps it's for the best. They aren't exactly known for giving more of their unsung franchises the high-profile treatment, and dedicated fans would hate to see Strider's good name reduced to a shadow of its former self. It really is unfortunate, because a next-generation appearance by Hiryu is about as likely to happen as Sega releasing Shenmue III. But while it's hard not to feel disenchanted, I couldn't have asked for a better send-off for this ninja.

To end this review on a higher note, I've gone so far as to include a video of myself playing through Strider 2. On a single credit, the highest difficulty setting, and without ever resorting to boost power-ups. No other game has ever inspired me to do anything like this before. It was worth all my dedicated time and effort. With that said, I'd like to think I've succeeded in sending an important message. Strider 2 isn't an outstanding game because it's one of the last bastions of 2-D gaming, or any of that jazz. It's because the game manages to be as exciting as the back of the jewel case claims it to be, plain and simple. I wanted to invalidate all the negative slack given to Strider 2 in the past, and I think I've finally proven their ignorance by showing everyone why Strider 2 truly is one of the greatest games of all time. Sometimes you have to search for the truth in all things, and within Strider 2 lies a phenomenal experience that is every bit as kinetic as the hero himself.

Rianu's Strider 2 one-credit video (100 MB).

Rating	The rating scale in detail
8.0	+ Animations flow like water most of the time; Hiryu's acrobatic movements steal the show. + 2D characters and 3D backgrounds mesh seamlessly throughout the detailed stages. -- The more extravagant effects are too much for the system to handle; the framerate can be horrendous at times.
7.4	+ No matter how many times you hear them, Hiryu's battle cries and cypher-slashing sound bits never seem to get old. +/- While there are several themes that really stand out, the overall soundtrack pales in comparison to the original Strider.
9.2	++ Ninja multi-tasking at its finest; a genuine action-platformer that begs for mastery. + Some of the most solid and responsive control to be found on a 2D plane... -- That is, when the game doesn't slow down to a crawl, limiting the player's proficiency.
9.0	+ Capcom takes the original game's backdrops, and amplifies them with a more colorful flair. + Lavishly drawn artwork accompanies cut-scenes, as well as intermissions between stages. ++ Strider Hiryu is one of the coolest character designs ever committed to paper.
9.4	+/- Strider Hien is a worthy unlockable character, while the secret stage is disappointingly average. + Non-linear structure; a scaling difficulty and enemy randomizer provide opportunities to experiment with the stage order. ++ Working to beat the game on a single credit will prove to be one of the most rewarding moments of your gaming career.
9.2	++ It doesn't aspire to be a jack of all trades, but a master of one. Go experience this game now.