Strike series
Encyclopedia
Strike is the common name of a series of video games created by Mike Posehn, John Patrick Manley and Tony Barnes released between 1991 and 1997 by Electronic Arts
for a number of video game systems. The games are multi-directional shooters shown from an isometric
perspective. In the game, the player controls a helicopter
(although in the following titles some levels require the player to successfully control other vehicles such as a hovercraft
, an F-117 Nighthawk
, a motorcycle
and even on foot). The series is composed of five games, and was very popular during the 16-bit era.
The last two games released on the PlayStation featured live-action cut-scenes that reflected and explained events in the game.
or a similar type - equipped with three ammunition
types, limited fuel and armor. While there are refits for ammo, fuel & armor scattered around the map, armor is more easily repaired by rescuing and delivering POWs
, allied soldiers or other passengers to a landing point. If either armor or fuel reach zero, the aircraft crashes and a life is lost.
Levels are composed of several missions that can be completed in any order but it is often better to complete them sequentially, as completing an earlier mission will make later ones easier. This is because the objectives of later missions are usually protected by a "Danger Zone" which gives enemies in the area increased weapon range, firepower & damage as well as additional armor. A "Danger Zone" can be removed by the destruction of a radar or powerplant, often the objective of an earlier mission. Later levels will often present only one mission that must be completed to reveal the next one. Missions can range from destruction of enemy targets, rescuing a MIA
soldier who carries vital information, protecting friendly troops, capturing or eliminating an enemy leader, or delivery of friendlies or cargo to a drop zone. Between each level cut-scenes developing the story take place.
There are several kinds of enemies, from foot soldiers armed with nothing more than a rifle to powerful Anti-aircraft artillery
and enemy helicopters. Generally the player has no backup, and must deal with the opponents on his own, though both Soviet Strike and Nuclear Strike incorporate missions involving large amounts of allies.
The player can lose a game in several ways; by losing all their lives or through action that makes a mission impossible to complete, called a SNAFU
. A SNAFU
can be caused by destroying a mission critical object, killing someone who was to be captured or rescued, killing too many friendlies, allowing an objective to leave the battlefield, failing to protect a friendly target from being captured or destroyed, destroying your home base or landing zones, or waiting too long to complete a mission objective. After a SNAFU
, the player must return to their home base and the level restarts from the beginning. In Soviet Strike & Nuclear Strike, if a player fails to return they are warned to return to base and after three warnings, STRIKE shuts down the players vehicle and the level will be restarted.
The series was militaristic in nature, with each enemy sprite having a corresponding information section in the pause menu, relating details of the real world weapon (or a fictionalised version, in the case of non-existent weapons, such as the Mohican helicopter from Urban Strike). The next generation titles, Soviet Strike and Nuclear Strike, featured plots based heavily on present day geopolitics
, such as the instability of post-USSR states, or tensions at the DMZ
between North and South Korea
. However, in contrast, the games often displayed a quirky sense of humour, featuring numerous appearances by Elvis and even Santa Claus
, as well as wisecracks from the player character in the earlier games (in Urban Strike, the player's character, on being told the villain is an evil genius
, comments: 'Great, another evil genius. Why can't I ever fight an evil idiot?') Although ostensibly serious in nature, the games were often quite tongue-in-cheek
in their execution.
In a fictional 2001, a millionaire media mogal, former presidential candidate, and fanatic cult leader named H. R. Malone plans on toppling the government using a super weapon he is constructing, and the player must deal with this threat. It soon turns out, however, that the villain is really Carlos Ortega, the drug lord who was thought dead after Jungle Strike.
Like Jungle Strike, Urban Strike starts on a completely different setting than the name suggests, this time all over the North American continent (beginning in Hawaii). The biggest new feature were on-foot missions, where the player was required to leave the helicopter at certain points and enter internal environments armed with a rifle and missile launcher.
and the PlayStation
.
The game is the first in the series to be set in a somewhat different set of circumstances, where the player is a Commander
within a covert military organization called "STRIKE" rather than a United States Army
special unit.
Upon the fall of the Soviet Union
, the world is suddenly threatened by a fictional former chairman of the KGB
referred to as "Uri Vatsiznov," alias
"The Shadowman". The villain gathers a large military force to attempt to start a nuclear war, capturing various territories along the former Communist Bloc, and setting up various military installations. The player must free these territories and destroy the increasingly dangerous enemy weapons across five stages, ending with a climactic encounter with the villain in Moscow
as he takes control of the May Day Parade and attempts to assassinate president Boris Yeltsin
and the entire Russian cabinet, whilst at the same time launching nuclear weapons from the heart of the Kremlin
.
This is the first Strike game to feature cinematic cut-scenes, introducing new characters such as General Earle (who leads the organization), "Hack" (who provides technical analysis), Andrea Grey (a STRIKE commando who doubles as a news reporter coordinating cover-ups of STRIKE involvements) and Nick Arnold, your co-pilot - who seems to get into more trouble than he stops. Some of the cut-scenes have an innuendo about the murder of President John F. Kennedy
, hinting that he was killed by the military-industrial complex.
This is also the first game in the series to feature actual music whilst the player is flying a mission, rather than just at the end of a mission.
.
An ex-CIA
operative named Colonel LeMonde (played by Bo Hopkins
) has stolen a nuclear warhead. It is up to the player to find the warhead before LeMonde uses it for nefarious purposes. Among the locations visited is the Demilitarized Zone
between North and South Korea
. The playable vehicles include the Super Apache helicopter, a Vietnam War
-era UH-1 "Huey"
gunship, a Harrier
ground attack fighter, a fictional V/STOL variant of the A-10 Thunderbolt II
ground attack fighter, tanks, a hovercraft, and more. Nuclear Strike also brought the RAH-66 Comanche
back; this time it had a wing-tip system setup, unlike in Jungle Strike.
New features include an on-screen radar and a playback option to replay previous mission cut-scenes. It features several new characters as well as many returning from Soviet Strike, General Earl, "Hack", Andrea Grey, and a brief appearance by Nick Arnold (Found KIA in objective 2 of the first mission). The game also features two new characters: Southeast Asian rebel Naja and Australian mercenary Harding Cash.
The N64 version of the game is more of a condensed version of the game rather than a direct port, with missions being rearranged and shorter; this was due to technical limitations of the N64 (notably the inability to play movies) versus the PlayStation, as well as series co-Director Tony Barnes' return to lead the design and implementation of the N64 version.
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
for a number of video game systems. The games are multi-directional shooters shown from an isometric
Isometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
perspective. In the game, the player controls a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
(although in the following titles some levels require the player to successfully control other vehicles such as a hovercraft
Hovercraft
A hovercraft is a craft capable of traveling over surfaces while supported by a cushion of slow moving, high-pressure air which is ejected against the surface below and contained within a "skirt." Although supported by air, a hovercraft is not considered an aircraft.Hovercraft are used throughout...
, an F-117 Nighthawk
F-117 Nighthawk
The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was a single-seat, twin-engine stealth ground-attack aircraft formerly operated by the United States Air Force . The F-117A's first flight was in 1981, and it achieved initial operating capability status in October 1983...
, a motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
and even on foot). The series is composed of five games, and was very popular during the 16-bit era.
The last two games released on the PlayStation featured live-action cut-scenes that reflected and explained events in the game.
Overview
The player controls a helicopter - an AH-64 ApacheAH-64 Apache
The Boeing AH-64 Apache is a four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement, and a tandem cockpit for a two-man crew. The Apache was developed as Model 77 by Hughes Helicopters for the United States Army's Advanced Attack Helicopter program to replace the...
or a similar type - equipped with three ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
types, limited fuel and armor. While there are refits for ammo, fuel & armor scattered around the map, armor is more easily repaired by rescuing and delivering POWs
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, allied soldiers or other passengers to a landing point. If either armor or fuel reach zero, the aircraft crashes and a life is lost.
Levels are composed of several missions that can be completed in any order but it is often better to complete them sequentially, as completing an earlier mission will make later ones easier. This is because the objectives of later missions are usually protected by a "Danger Zone" which gives enemies in the area increased weapon range, firepower & damage as well as additional armor. A "Danger Zone" can be removed by the destruction of a radar or powerplant, often the objective of an earlier mission. Later levels will often present only one mission that must be completed to reveal the next one. Missions can range from destruction of enemy targets, rescuing a MIA
Missing in action
Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...
soldier who carries vital information, protecting friendly troops, capturing or eliminating an enemy leader, or delivery of friendlies or cargo to a drop zone. Between each level cut-scenes developing the story take place.
There are several kinds of enemies, from foot soldiers armed with nothing more than a rifle to powerful Anti-aircraft artillery
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
and enemy helicopters. Generally the player has no backup, and must deal with the opponents on his own, though both Soviet Strike and Nuclear Strike incorporate missions involving large amounts of allies.
The player can lose a game in several ways; by losing all their lives or through action that makes a mission impossible to complete, called a SNAFU
SNAFU
SNAFU is an acronym that stands for situation normal: all fucked up. It is sometimes bowdlerized to all fouled up or similar. In simple terms, it means that the normal situation is in a bad state, as it always is, therefore nothing unexpected. It is usually used in jest, or as a sign of frustration...
. A SNAFU
SNAFU
SNAFU is an acronym that stands for situation normal: all fucked up. It is sometimes bowdlerized to all fouled up or similar. In simple terms, it means that the normal situation is in a bad state, as it always is, therefore nothing unexpected. It is usually used in jest, or as a sign of frustration...
can be caused by destroying a mission critical object, killing someone who was to be captured or rescued, killing too many friendlies, allowing an objective to leave the battlefield, failing to protect a friendly target from being captured or destroyed, destroying your home base or landing zones, or waiting too long to complete a mission objective. After a SNAFU
SNAFU
SNAFU is an acronym that stands for situation normal: all fucked up. It is sometimes bowdlerized to all fouled up or similar. In simple terms, it means that the normal situation is in a bad state, as it always is, therefore nothing unexpected. It is usually used in jest, or as a sign of frustration...
, the player must return to their home base and the level restarts from the beginning. In Soviet Strike & Nuclear Strike, if a player fails to return they are warned to return to base and after three warnings, STRIKE shuts down the players vehicle and the level will be restarted.
The series was militaristic in nature, with each enemy sprite having a corresponding information section in the pause menu, relating details of the real world weapon (or a fictionalised version, in the case of non-existent weapons, such as the Mohican helicopter from Urban Strike). The next generation titles, Soviet Strike and Nuclear Strike, featured plots based heavily on present day geopolitics
Geopolitics
Geopolitics, from Greek Γη and Πολιτική in broad terms, is a theory that describes the relation between politics and territory whether on local or international scale....
, such as the instability of post-USSR states, or tensions at the DMZ
Korean Demilitarized Zone
The Korean Demilitarized Zone is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula roughly in half, crossing the 38th parallel on an angle, with the west end of the DMZ lying south of the parallel and...
between North and South Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. However, in contrast, the games often displayed a quirky sense of humour, featuring numerous appearances by Elvis and even Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
, as well as wisecracks from the player character in the earlier games (in Urban Strike, the player's character, on being told the villain is an evil genius
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
, comments: 'Great, another evil genius. Why can't I ever fight an evil idiot?') Although ostensibly serious in nature, the games were often quite tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
in their execution.
Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf
The final 2D title, it was released in 1994 for the Mega Drive/Genesis, one year later for SNES and the Game Gear, and finally in 1996 for the Game Boy.In a fictional 2001, a millionaire media mogal, former presidential candidate, and fanatic cult leader named H. R. Malone plans on toppling the government using a super weapon he is constructing, and the player must deal with this threat. It soon turns out, however, that the villain is really Carlos Ortega, the drug lord who was thought dead after Jungle Strike.
Like Jungle Strike, Urban Strike starts on a completely different setting than the name suggests, this time all over the North American continent (beginning in Hawaii). The biggest new feature were on-foot missions, where the player was required to leave the helicopter at certain points and enter internal environments armed with a rifle and missile launcher.
Soviet Strike
Released in 1996 for the Sega SaturnSega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
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...
.
The game is the first in the series to be set in a somewhat different set of circumstances, where the player is a Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
within a covert military organization called "STRIKE" rather than a United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
special unit.
Upon the fall of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, the world is suddenly threatened by a fictional former chairman of the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
referred to as "Uri Vatsiznov," alias
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"The Shadowman". The villain gathers a large military force to attempt to start a nuclear war, capturing various territories along the former Communist Bloc, and setting up various military installations. The player must free these territories and destroy the increasingly dangerous enemy weapons across five stages, ending with a climactic encounter with the villain in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
as he takes control of the May Day Parade and attempts to assassinate president Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
and the entire Russian cabinet, whilst at the same time launching nuclear weapons from the heart of the Kremlin
Moscow Kremlin
The Moscow Kremlin , sometimes referred to as simply The Kremlin, is a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River , Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square and the Alexander Garden...
.
This is the first Strike game to feature cinematic cut-scenes, introducing new characters such as General Earle (who leads the organization), "Hack" (who provides technical analysis), Andrea Grey (a STRIKE commando who doubles as a news reporter coordinating cover-ups of STRIKE involvements) and Nick Arnold, your co-pilot - who seems to get into more trouble than he stops. Some of the cut-scenes have an innuendo about the murder of President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, hinting that he was killed by the military-industrial complex.
This is also the first game in the series to feature actual music whilst the player is flying a mission, rather than just at the end of a mission.
Nuclear Strike
Released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and personal computers, and in 1999 for the Nintendo 64Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
.
An ex-CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
operative named Colonel LeMonde (played by Bo Hopkins
Bo Hopkins
Bo Hopkins is an American actor.-Career:Hopkins has appeared in more than one hundred film and television roles in a career of more than forty years, including The Bridge at Remagen, The Wild Bunch, The Getaway, American Graffiti, White Lightning, Radioland Murders, The Killer Elite, Midnight...
) has stolen a nuclear warhead. It is up to the player to find the warhead before LeMonde uses it for nefarious purposes. Among the locations visited is the Demilitarized Zone
Demilitarized zone
In military terms, a demilitarized zone is an area, usually the frontier or boundary between two or more military powers , where military activity is not permitted, usually by peace treaty, armistice, or other bilateral or multilateral agreement...
between North and South Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. The playable vehicles include the Super Apache helicopter, a Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
-era UH-1 "Huey"
UH-1 Iroquois
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois is a military helicopter powered by a single, turboshaft engine, with a two-bladed main rotor and tail rotor. The helicopter was developed by Bell Helicopter to meet the United States Army's requirement for a medical evacuation and utility helicopter in 1952, and first flew...
gunship, a Harrier
Harrier Jump Jet
The Harrier, informally referred to as the Jump Jet, is a family of British-designed military jet aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing operations...
ground attack fighter, a fictional V/STOL variant of the A-10 Thunderbolt II
A-10 Thunderbolt II
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
ground attack fighter, tanks, a hovercraft, and more. Nuclear Strike also brought the RAH-66 Comanche
RAH-66 Comanche
The Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche was an advanced five-blade armed reconnaissance and attack helicopter designed for the United States Army. The RAH-66 program was canceled in 2004, before mass production began, after nearly $7 billion was spent on the program.During the early 1980s, the U.S...
back; this time it had a wing-tip system setup, unlike in Jungle Strike.
New features include an on-screen radar and a playback option to replay previous mission cut-scenes. It features several new characters as well as many returning from Soviet Strike, General Earl, "Hack", Andrea Grey, and a brief appearance by Nick Arnold (Found KIA in objective 2 of the first mission). The game also features two new characters: Southeast Asian rebel Naja and Australian mercenary Harding Cash.
The N64 version of the game is more of a condensed version of the game rather than a direct port, with missions being rearranged and shorter; this was due to technical limitations of the N64 (notably the inability to play movies) versus the PlayStation, as well as series co-Director Tony Barnes' return to lead the design and implementation of the N64 version.