Strider probably requires no introduction at this point, given how often Capcom's acrobatic side-scroller comes up in Giant Bomb content, especially when @gvaranini is around. Strider was a 1989 hit in the Arcades before being brought to a whole bunch of home consoles. The non-linear NES version is the only truly divergent one; the others, like the Genesis and this PC Engine CD-ROM2 version, try to be as close to the original Arcade game as possible. Obviously, the CD-ROM format makes that a bit easier in some way, but then there's only so much the TurboGrafx-CD's tech could squeeze out regardless of the vast amount of storage space that CDs offer. If anything, the PC Engine CD-ROM2 port is probably less technologically sophisticated than the Genesis version.
The reason for Strider Hiryu's inclusion, beyond me wanting to play more Strider, is that it was a title in the "Arcade Card" range for the Turbo-CD. The system actually saw two RAM expansions in its lifetime; the first, the "Super CD-ROM Card", was required for most games produced after 1992, which was when the TurboDuo launched with its improved internal RAM. Anyone with an older PC Engine CD/Turbo-CD had to purchase a new system card with additional RAM to play these new TurboDuo-focused games. The Arcade Card came a little later, and was meant to provide enough additional RAM to allow near-perfect Arcade conversions. It's a bit of a cheeky lie, since the core TurboGrafx-CD processors and graphics cards couldn't hope to keep up with the Arcade games of the early 90s, but that extra boost of RAM (and having the redbook music and voice samples of the CD format) still helped a little. There's more to cover too, but we'll get into it with the screenshots.
Here You Go Again With the Strider Talk
Now I get a good look at the bad guy, I suspect I know where Amped 3 found their villain.These are the Striders, who fight to keep the world free of villainy. Except for that one guy who joined up to get a free laser sword.I didn't quite capture this right, but Hiryu flashes across the screen and cuts Robey in twain. Mission over?Welcome to Strider Hiryu! "Strider Hiryu" is what the game is called in Japan region. It's just Strider here, but they usually leave the Hiryu kanji in the title screen. (Hiryu means Flying Dragon, if you're wondering. There's one in Final Fantasy IV, if I recall.)So this is the other reason I wanted to show off Strider today. The PC Engine CD-ROM port took a long time coming, almost five years after the original Arcade game, but they did manage to squeeze in an additional stage entirely exclusive to this version. What's cool is that the game lets you decide whether or not to add the new stage in, in case you wanted to make the Arcade experience more "genuine".This is Russia, the first stage. Hiryu swoops in shortly after this shot on his robo-hangglider.This thing. I'm not sure why it needs a lamp at the front seeing as the entire fortress is lit up with its spotlights, but maybe they just needed to put something there for ballast.Hiryu's main weapon is his Cipher (i.e. plasma sword) which is also called a Falchion. I think that might be the name of his particular Cipher. Maybe it's like how you give your gun a name? "Falchion" is better than "Charlene" at least.This is the other thing Strider's mostly known for: mid-air handstands. Strider's acrobatics is what helped to set it apart from the crowd, as Hiryu can literally hold onto any solid surface. It even pops up in boss fights, as we'll see momentarily.In addition to his Falchion, Strider can find these little robot friends. They mostly follow along and add to his firepower, occasionally hitting enemies outside of the Falchion's range (one of Strider's bigger issues is that you can't attack up or down easily).Man, I just love that anyone can do this. I'd be rolling down this incline face-first in his position.Flat-top mocks us in Japanese before starting this stage's mid-boss fight. I don't know what he says, but it's probably Russian (via Japanese) for "Go home and be a family man!".Of course, once the shirt comes off and the battle begins, it's over almost instantly. The Falchion can do an absurd amount of damage because of how quickly Hiryu is able to swing it. The trick with most boss fights is getting close enough to use it.We get napalmed after blondie bites it, but there's a little gap here to hide from it. It's one of those cases where playing the game before really helps.I just find Strider effortlessly cool, even today. I can't even imagine how badass this seemed in 1989. They can't hit you from up there, but you've got ample room to find a way up.It's easy to miss, but another one of Strider's robotic little buddies is this crow. Useful for those floating drones, since they can hover over your head and be a mischief.I don't have anything to say about this pic other than I somehow captured Hiryu's "haters gonna hate" walk perfectly.These things are common enough in some Strider games: computers that just sit there and need destroying, but spit out lasers and other projectiles that make it harder to reach them.Richard Dreyfus doesn't like our intrusion, so he does what any reasonable soldier would do.Which is merge with the rest of Russian congress to form a giant centipede robot with a hammer and sickle. The literal dictionary definition of the word "perestroika".Anyway, this is one of those bosses that tries to chase you around but is far too cumbersome for its own good. If you run up here, it eventually stops chasing you and circles back around. You can then actually leap on its back and start pummeling the head with your Falchion.I don't know if these little Stage Cleared screens are in the Arcade version, but man is it satisfying to see your opponent just completely smashed to pieces like this.The goon in charge somehow lives, and presumably screams something in Japanese about how the next boss will getcha. It's also a bit more apparent now that he's not human, what with the giant hole in his cranium.Here it is, the bonus stage. It fits in between Hiryu's Mission to Moscow and the Arcade game's Stage 2, which is in Siberia. Seems a bit of a stretch to assume Hiryu would go to Moscow, then some desert presumably in Africa somewhere, and then back to Russia again. But hey, when you shoehorn in a stage, it's going to mess with continuity a little bit.The desert stage isn't all that bad, for an insert. For instance, it establishes early on that you don't want to be on the sand for too long because of all these giant sandworms.If you can't walk without rhythm, then the best thing to do is simply not touch the ground.Ed Harris mocks you for a little while once you make your way up this hill.And then he starts to spin around and does this. It's very peculiar. Turns out he's secretly this giant antlion. What is it with me and antlions recently? He'll pull you down and there's no easy way to attack him here without getting hurt yourself (and you have a very minimal health bar).However, and apropos of nothing, he'll occasionally leap right out of his hole to let you unload on him for a little while. It's certainly courteous of him.Perhaps a little too courteous, even.I like the attention to detail they gave this stage. This four-point star logo appears a lot on other stages. It'd be an easy detail to miss.Remember that weird part of The Rock where Sean Connery has to recall a memorized sequence past all these completely incongruous flame traps while inside a vent? Dunno why I just thought of it.This guy just drives right at you as soon as you drop down this cliff. I have no idea how he expects to stop that thing before he hits the wall. At any rate I just jumped over it and took out the gunner.This smug dick mocks you, like every other boss, before leaping into his tank. At least it's not some weird bug robot this time.The tank looks intimidating, and has various means to attack you but......standing at the bottom right negates all of them. Neither turret can turn around to hit you, and the missiles it fires overhead always stop short of that side of the screen. Most vehicles have their blindspots, I guess.Apparently unscathed, dude tells us that there's an even bigger tank in Hiryu's future. "You thought I was compensating for something, bucko?"We also get mocked by the big bad too. Is he supposed to be a warlock? I'll admit that I forget a lot of the Strider lore.Big Bad Grand Master also introduces a guy that any Strider fan should recognize. Solo is a very persistent cybernetic bounty hunter that shows up in every Strider game. He's usually flying a lot too, which is why I tend to think of him as this series' Ridley.Anyway, now that Stage 2 (well, 3) begins proper and I have a pack of Siberian wolves running at me, might be time to call it a day. The rest of Strider is pretty much the same as the Arcade port, weird gravity rooms and all.
That's Strider Hiryu for the PC Engine CD-ROM2. Possibly due to how late it came out in the system's life cycle, it was never ported to the US TurboGrafx-CD. A shame, because it doesn't seem like a particularly bad port, and gives fans of the series that extra level to play with. Then again, they'd probably be happier with the Genesis home version all told.
Still, at least the soundtrack's pretty good. Thanks for checking in (it's been a hell of a day around here) and shout outs once again to Game Cop.
