Strider 2 (1999 video game)

Did You Know?

• A Capcom artist known as Harumaru redesigned the character for Strider 2, inspired by American comics such as DC Comics, Mike Mignola, Simon Bisley, and Spawn by Todd McFarlane.
• Hiryu's redesign for this game first appeared in the 1998 crossover fighting game Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes.
• The arcade version runs on the Sony ZN-2 board.

Gameplay

Strider 2 uses 2D character sprites over 3D backgrounds, while its gameplay remains similar to the 2D side-scrolling original. The controls are an eight-way joystick and three action buttons. Strider Hiryu can walk, jump, crouch, slide, climb walls and ceilings, dash by pushing the joystick left or right twice, double jump, and perform a backward somersault jump while sliding. While climbing a wall, a thrust jump is done by holding the joystick away from the wall and pressing Jump. A mid-air Savage Slash technique is executed by pressing the joystick down and up in mid-air. The Boost button, if the player has at least one Boost item, activates a mode that lets Hiryu shoot Plasma Waves with his sword until the Boost gauge depletes. Power-up items include health replenishments and extensions, a cypher extension, and additional boosts. Point items based on other Capcom games, such as the Yashichi and Sakichi symbols from Vulgus and zenny coins from Black Tiger and Forgotten Worlds, increase the player's score. The coin-op version has five missions; the first three can be played in any order and are set in Hong Kong, Germany, and Antarctica. The final two stages take place on the Flying Battleship Balrog and the space station Third Moon.

Home version

The PlayStation port was released in 2000 as a 2-disc set, with the second disc containing a direct port of the original Strider arcade game. Finishing both games and saving achievements on the same memory card unlocks a secret level in Strider 2: Mission 00, a waterfall stage. Completing all missions unlocks the former Strider Hien as a playable character; completing the game with Hien unlocks unlimited Boost use in the menu.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Strider 2 as the fifth most-successful arcade game of the month in its March 1, 2000 issue. The PlayStation version received average reviews according to Metacritic. GameSpot called it a deliberate throwback to the arcade-dominant 80s. IGN described it as a must-have package for fans of arcade-style action games. Famitsu gave it a score of 30 out of 40.