Strider Returns: Journey from Darkness

Strider 2 is surprisingly better on the Game Gear than on the Genesis. This game plays very well, has enormous levels to explore, and of course...terrible enemies. Sometimes it was difficult to know where to go. Some levels seemed pointless, like the ability to shoot shurikens at the enemies. The sounds need a little work, but not much. Strider 2 would make a good addition to any action player's collection.

Surprisingly, I find this version a bit better than its 16-Bit counterpart. The animation, by Game Gear standards, is fantastic with very little choppiness. The graphics are highly detailed as well. Strider 2 is very playable and offers some great looking and very involving levels. Some of the areas are pretty complex but never over-frustrating. The screen is very blurry at times because the game moves so fast, but I've seen worse.

Quality has taken a severe drop in this one compared to the Genesis version. I've seen better graphics and heard better sound from other Game Gear titles. The only thing that has remained constant is the game play, which wasn't much to start with. It is very annoying when you're hit and get knocked back half a screen. I became very frustrated and I found myself wanting to throw the system to the floor.

The graphics in this sequel took a big nose dive from the 16-Bit version. You'd expect some loss of quality, but this game isn't too appealing. The level scenes look very redundant and get boring fast. Also, the game play suffers from the lagging jumps and flying fall backs when you get hit. It takes a while to get the hang of this and it may not be worth it. The game would have benefited from more power-ups and detail.

As a major fan of the first game, I was eagerly awaiting this one. Strider Returns seems to be a longer game, and the music is above average. A lot of voice is also used. The main problem facing this cart, is the fact that the animation is choppy. It seems that a lot of the frames are just ported over from the original, and pieced together sloppily. If that could be fixed, it would be a worthy sequel to the original Strider.

This sequel just doesn't seem to do justice to the original Strider. The graphics are pretty bland and the animation is just way too choppy for a game like this. The music is nothing to write home about, either. Just what is good here? The levels are quite long, but I wish there were more enemies on the screen at one time (too much dead space). The game isn't completely horrible, I just had higher hopes for the sequel.

Coming off the very successful Strider game a few years ago, I expected the sequel to blow away the first game. Unfortunately, this cart contains few of the elements that made the first one so good. The control has tapered severely, and the graphic quality has also decreased. The only thing that is good in this game is the huge amount of digitized voices - and that's not saying much. I'd pass on it.

The first Strider, and the arcade classic that it stemmed from, were loaded with wall-climbing and swording techniques. As a sequel I expected this game to exceed the original...sorry, it doesn't. Sure the sounds are cool, but the graphics took a bit of a drop and the game play doesn't seem as sharp as it should be. The leaps are a bit hard to control and it doesn't quite have the pizzazz of the original.