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Strikers 1945 II |
Saturn - Psikyo - Shooter - N/A |
| If I had money, aside from ending the trafficking of slaves and aiding in the fight against world hunger, I would buy every gamer whose collection consists of little outside Grand Theft Auto and the odd Final Fantasy an import ready Sega Saturn and a copy of Strikers 1945 II. |
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| Not that the experience Strikers provides is necessarily that much better than what one gets from those aforementioned titles, it’s radically different. All of Psikyo’s shooters, but the Strikers among them in particular are the most pared down within a genre that is basic by nature. There is no chaining or intricate score system of any kind – only you, your artillery and a legion of fabulously rendered multi tiered bosses and oncoming enemy fighters. There is nothing cerebral about the Strikers experience. It’s something you play with your gut. And if you’ve never played a game with your stomach before it’s worth checking out for that reason alone. |
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| Set in a fictional post WWII past, you are offered the option of piloting any one of six aircraft of the era, refitted with homing lasers and energy cannons wherever deemed necessary. In grand Psikyo tradition, the first four stages proceed in random order with the difficulty being notched up as you move along, enhancing replayability by quite a bit. Things don’t get tear inducing until level five when not only is the challenge increased by the inclusion of ridiculously large sub bosses and an overall increase in the amount of hostile **** on screen but from this point on, every continue you use puts you right back at the start of the level. As if not leaving itself open to the abuse (and subsequent bitching) of people riding infinite credits, Psikyo vows to put hair on your chest and make a man of you yet. |
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| If you’ve never played a shooter before, Strikers is the ideal place to start. There’s nothing gimmicky – just pure, unadulterated twitch gameplay. Successfully weaving your way through a ridiculous amount of shrapnel while deftly laying waste to an entire enemy army – with your stomach, no less – might make a believer of you yet. |
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Rating |
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8.0 |
 ++ Great explosions and weapon effects - Mild slowdown |
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8.5 |
 + Decent effects and the soundtrack is memorable |
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9.5 |
 ++ The mold from which all shooters are made |
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7.5 |
 ++ Fantastic enemy boss designs that only get better as the game progresses + Beautiful scrolling backgrounds - Sprites and ideas recycled from previous Psikyo efforts |
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9.0 |
 + Incredible challenge |
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9.0 |
 ++ It's not new. It's not innovative. It's awesome. |
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