The secret to this game that most people overlooked was the side buttons. The trigger and the thumb button on top of the joystick fired a constant stream, sure. But the SIDE buttons would lock onto targets if you moved in the direction of a target while hitting them. And if you had a friend pressing the side buttons while you were working both the joystick and it's buttons, you could lay down some serious firepower faster that just holding the trigger, and more accurately thanks to homing shots. I ran an arcade that had this game and was constantly playing it, to the point where finishing with all my shields was no longer a challenge. Oh, and if you stay on the ground your points go up much faster.
Not bad for 1989 I'd love to know how many concepts were borrowed from this for later games or if game was just an excellent mashup of concepts from earlier games. Kind of reminds me of a mix between Outrun and After Burner.
Well Taito had already done Chase HQ in 1988, the year before Night Striker. They followed up Night Striker with two more games in the Chase HQ series in addition to the super awesome Aqua Jack@@Dogeathotdog1
This game used to be in the local arcade I used to visit frequently as a kid. I didn't play it that much (wasn't very good at it), but for some reason it stuck in my memory. I don't know why but i had a mild compulsion to see it again. Well, after a detailed internet search I found a forum post by someone who (much to my surprise) had the exact same inclination. Therefore, I finally found it. The levels are a lot shorter than I remember, and certainly old memories aren't quite so pixelated (though I like the graphics here, quite good, especially the backgrounds). A nice trip down memory lane back to more innocent times.
I remember when I was a kid, at the local arcade that was in our mall had this game, you sat inside it The outside of the cabinet slightly resembled to DeLorean so I used to pretend it was because the car in the game also flew, Good memories and write down the line of arcade games was the Back to the Future of pinball machine. The '90s were the best!
Well done! At first glance, it looks like a combination of Taito's CHASE HQ and AQUAJACK. The vehicle design reminds me of OUTRUN 2019 for the Sega Genesis. The large oval enemy firebolts remind me of SPACE HARRIER, too.
Taito release so many great games, I enjoy of playing them - mostly BUBBLE BOBBLE 😺👍. And this game looks cool - it kinda reminds me of Sega's GALAXY FORCE and SPACE HARRIER. 😺👍🕹️
Normally I'm not too big on multiple endings in video games _(especially arcade ones),_ but dammit seeing the multiple ways the player ship changes in each final stage was quite a pleasant surprise :3 That said that Transformer form in Route P might be the worst for how much it obstructs your view. Like shit dude I can barely see the incoming pillars XDXDXDXD
“Motal Combat”? Sounds like an interesting concept :P. Still, this reminds me of the Atari “Star Wars” games where you had to scale and steer through tight spots and navigate against the Empire. Nice play-through.
Which ending is the canon/"true" ending? I'm putting my chips on the stage Q one. OR is it possible ALL the endings are canon? Every ending being the outcome of a different police officer on the same mission! That's how one knew to go after the laser gun, using the information by the rescued doctor!
I dunno, despite being two years older, it kinda looks like "Thunderblade at home" visually. Seems like it might be a more fun action packed game with more variation though.
Well the arcade version will be included on the Egret II mini and the other 9 games will be announced on August 24. I bet Taito will allow gamers to use the cyberstick or create a new flight stick.
Make a better world, throw the junk out. Strike n blast off the true evil, Volta Redonda Supremacy. The eternal fight for who is right. #uzzirulez #truewarriorpride
The gameplay was great...the yoke was TERRIBLE. Not because yokes in games aren't good, but because unlike Afterburner and Space Harrier, the yoke for the cabinet had ZERO force feedback, which meant you were always banging the yoke into the cabinet. That sound itself drowned out the music and sfx.
![Night Striker Longplay (Arcade) [4K] [All Routes]](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
