Urban Strike
| Urban Strike | |
|---|---|
| Studio | Foley Hi-Tech Systems Granite Bay Software |
| Publisher |
Electronic Arts THQ (Game Gear) Black Pearl Software (Game Boy) |
| Senior Developer | John Manley Antonio Barnes Mike Posehn |
| composer | Don Veca |
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
1994 |
| platform | Mega Drive , SNES , Game Gear , Game Boy |
| genre | Shoot 'em up |
| Game mode | Single player |
| control | Game controller |
| medium | Cartridge |
| language | English German |
Urban Strike is a shoot 'em up from Electronic Arts . It was released in 1994 for the Mega Drive and later ported to Super Nintendo , Game Gear and the Game Boy . It is the third title in the Strike series, after Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf and Jungle Strike .
action
Urban Strike is set in 2001 (Mega Drive) and 2006 (SNES / Game Gear / Game Boy). The media mogul and failed presidential candidate HR Malone is creating social tensions with an aggressive public campaign denouncing crime and corruption in America. Thanks to his charisma, he was able to win many followers with this message.
Agent Ego, spy of the fictional secret organization Strike CORE and co-pilot of the player in the predecessor Jungle Strike , has meanwhile managed to infiltrate Malone's organization. In a report to his superiors, he reports on plans to build a super weapon with which the US government is to be destabilized. Important components for this are to be collected in Hawaii. As Ego's cover is blown, however, he falls victim to a car bomb attack ordered by Malone.
The first mission leads to Hawaii, where the player prevents the theft of huge mirrors by Malone's men and saves a plastic surgeon from contract killers. The surgeon reports years ago treating a terribly deformed man in Washington DC who later turned out to be Malone. He recently found out that his patient at the time was Carlos Ortega, one of the two opponents from Jungle Strike believed to be dead . Ortega therefore ordered its removal.
After further missions in Mexico and San Francisco , Malone still manages to complete his super weapon and fire it at New York City, causing huge destruction and chaos. The player is tasked with containing the damage and rescuing civilians. When Malone fires his weapon two more times, Strike CORE is able to locate the launch site near Las Vegas . The player infiltrates the facility and tries to arrest Malone. He tries to kill the player with an explosive vest, but is thrust into his own super weapon, which is detonated and destroyed along with the terrorist.
Gameplay
| role | actor |
|---|---|
| HR Malone / Carlos Ortega | Jamie Poolos |
| Special agent ego | Antonio Barnes |
| The Commander | Mark West |
| Bravo | Wilfredo J. Aguilar |
| Legal | Jill Fishbein |
| Long haul | Mark Douglas |
| Stinger | Asuko Matsumoto |
| Freeperson | Sam Freeman |
| Cossack | Peter Dimaria |
| Newguy | Eric Newhouse |
| Outback | James Flaharty |
| Generic copilot | David Neubecker |
| The High-5 Pilot | David Sze |
Urban Strike is a shoot 'em up in which the player controls a helicopter and combines action-oriented play with strategy. It retains the core mechanics of its predecessors and expands them to include new deployment vehicles and scenarios. The locations are scattered across the North American continent, starting in Hawaii via Mexico, San Francisco, New York and finally Las Vegas.
The game is shown in an isometric overview perspective. The main combat helicopter used is called the Mohican and is designed for speed and combat. The Blackhawke is bigger and heavier and designed for larger evacuation missions. It can be flown in the first two levels. The experimental Ground Assault Vehicle (GAV) can be found and used in the third game level. A new play function compared to its predecessors are the floor inserts on foot. In some places the player is required to leave the helicopter and enter buildings armed with a rifle and a rocket launcher.
Each level consists of several missions, mainly the destruction of enemy units and buildings, the rescuing of hostages and prisoners or the arrest of enemy units. The Mohican is armed with a machine gun, Hydra and Hellfire missiles. The stronger the weapon, the less ammunition the helicopter carries with it, so that the player has to carefully consider the correct use of the weapon systems.
The helicopter still has limited fuel and armor. The latter is reduced, for example, by enemy fire, the player has to dodge opponents to avoid damage. If the armor or fuel is used up, the helicopter is considered destroyed and the player loses a life. Power-ups distributed throughout the level can restore fuel, weapon supplies and armor. In some places people can be picked up who then have to be brought to a landing zone. At the end of each level, the player receives a number of points for fulfilling the intended objectives; the total number of points can be used to measure and compare the players' success.
reception
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The game received good ratings in the Mega Drive version, although the minor innovations compared to its predecessors were criticized.
"Compared to Desert Strike or Jungle Strike, which for the time was able to come up with innovative play elements, Urban Strike clearly takes the shorter one. Sure, the graphics were pimped up a bit and some new vehicles were built in, but ultimately the gameplay stayed the same. That's why the fun rating is a little lower than that of the predecessor, because Electronic Arts titles are also gnawing at the ravages of time. "
The SNES version was particularly noticeable because of technical problems.
“How does 'super' on the Mega Drive become 'works like that' for Super Nintendo? Quite simply: the playability suffered greatly during implementation. The graphics jerk pathetically as soon as an enemy comes into the picture, and your mobility is severely restricted by the presence of other animated objects. [...] Maybe EA shouldn't have just handed over the implementation to THQ. In any case, the chopper does not look like professional work with its jerking, massive graphic errors and other bugs. "
Web links
- Urban Strike at MobyGames (English)