RTTP Strider (NES)

[NeoZeedeater]

I recall first playing NES Strider on a demo unit in 1989 at Fred Meyer (a store chain in the Pacific Northwest of the US), most likely in the summer as that was typically when I visited the States. It may not have been as awesome as the arcade game with the same name but it left a good enough impression to buy a used copy when I found it cheaper. After beating the game and selling it some time in the early '90s, I just never got around to playing all the way through it again. I was going to with the Capcom GBA compilation but something about the emulation quality turned me off.

EGM review:

Anyway, it was long overdue and I had fun revisiting it. It's not quite as difficult for me now but it's mostly the same game I remember, an action-adventure take on the Strider formula, non-linear but not enough that you would easily get lost. The Blue Dragon base still looks bad ass, the attacks are satisfying, and there's a variety of locations. My opinions on it are mostly the same as back then: it's a quality game but has some polish issues that prevent it from being among the top Capcom and/or NES games of the era. Some movement can be kind of janky, especially the wall jumps. It was interesting finding out years later that the game only came out on NES in North America. The Japanese release was cancelled.

What do you think about NES Strider?

 

[PixelKnight]

I think this only released in NA, I didn’t even realise it existed.

 

[WestEgg]

I’ve watched a few Let’s Plays of Strider but haven’t tried it myself. Wish I had more personal thoughts to contribute but that’s a very descriptive overview as is that made for a good read.

 

[NeoZeedeater]

I think this only released in NA, I didn’t even realise it existed.

Even its re-release (Capcom Classics Mini Mix for GBA) was exclusive to NA, for some reason.

 

[Josh5890]

Great write up!

I've never played the NES version, but I do have experience with the Genesis version. I'm glad that Capcom has continued to use the IP as the years have gone on.

 

[NeoZeedeater]

Great write up!

I've never played the NES version, but I do have experience with the Genesis version. I'm glad that Capcom has continued to use the IP as the years have gone on.

The Genesis version is awesome. I still have the Japanese MD version I bought in 1990. It was interesting finding out years later that Western releases were slightly censored. They removed the "All sons of old gods, die!" line spoken by the last boss.