Just so you know, I am writing this when you are 1.5 years old (555 days to be exact). By the time you’re able to read this, you’ll have probably known that I like playing video games and I like playing them with friends, brothers, your mother, and most probably even you. I like sharing gaming experiences, and I actually enjoy playing games while someone is watching (ask Mommy how many times I forced her to watch me play). A lot of times these experiences get posted to Facebook, or Twitter, or Google+. By the time you’re reading this, though, Social Networking might have become obsolete (who knows?). And besides, they’re too cluttered with other posts such as check-ins, vacation photos, and many more.
So I decided to compile these gaming experiences into one blog, so that one day I get to share them with you, and so that as I play these games right now while you’re still a baby, I can play them as if I’m already showing them to a grown-up you.
In fact, I’ve taken the liberty to give you a temporary gaming nickname – Chlorine. Feel free to change it when you’re old enough.Reboots are risky. Most loyal fan bases hate most reboots, and more often than not, the reboot spends its lifetime being compared to the original.
Now don’t get me wrong, there have been successful reboots in the past, not just in the gaming industry. A few examples at the top of my head are the Battlestar Galactica TV series reboot/reimagining of 2003, the anime Kanon (2006 reboot), and the Nintendo game Punch Out!!
Yet another one to add to this list of awesome reboots is Strider, a reboot of the 1989 game of the same name.
A little disclaimer: I played the NES version of the original game for a short time, but never played the arcade version, which I think more closely resembles the reboot. Still, a quick YouTube search and you’ll immediately see the difference.
A few minutes of playing and you’ll feel the difference adrenaline.
According to Wikipedia, the 2014 Strider is eight times faster than the original game. I like games that test your reflexes, and this is a good example of how much fun, action-packed, and heart-raising these games can be.
You’ll start out moving awkwardly as you learn how Strider fights. As you gain new skills by defeating bosses, there will be moments where you dodge tens of bullets, slide under some minions, and unleash a deadly combo annihilating a huge robot, all in one motion. You’ll pause the game and say out loud, “how in the world did I do that?”
(Side note: I played this on a PS4 and really appreciated the ability to stop game play and save the last 15 minutes of video gameplay. It’s fun to watch the Strider boss fights over and over again – both to watch how awesome you’ve been, and to laugh at your silly, poor decisions).
Speaking of boss fights, the bosses are tricky. Like most action games, your first few attempts would be spent learning the boss’s moves and planning how to counter them. This is the easy part, though. Actually doing it is another question.
I spent over an hour in one of the early bosses with very simple moves. It required a lot of concentration – a mistimed blink of an eye, or a bit of day dreaming could lead to a game over.
As you gain more skills and moves, the bosses get complicated. Sometimes, you even get ganged up on by more than one:
By the way, the videos are of boss fights, which make it look like a fighting game (like Street Fighter or Tekken), but this is actually an action-adventure game, like umm, Double Dragon or Contra.
So, if you’re looking for an action adventure that’s truly action-packed, this is your game. Just get ready to sweat and even get frustrated at times during the harder parts. In a good way. :)
I’ll end with the usual lesson you can get from this game:
Look before you leap.
Analyze the situation, plan, and act accordingly. Now go boot up that old PS4 and have a blast!
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