NEC Avenue's Strider Hiryu is a port of the coin-op for the PC Engine. This port is infamous for its protracted development, as it was originally announced as a HuCard for the PC Engine SuperGrafx in 1990 before undergoing various format changes, ultimately being released as a CD-ROM game for the Arcade Card add-on in late 1994. Its most noticeable changes are new animated cutscenes, arranged Red Book-quality soundtrack, and an optional bonus mission between the first and second stages, set in a desert. Otherwise, the game plays similar to the coin-op. The new cutscenes appear to have inspired the later Strider 2, as both games use similar wireframe maps for their stage introductions.
The new cutscenes flesh out more of the story. Most cutscenes are still shots of the characters, but a few are animated. Some shots are animated through layering and scaling, while others are animated traditionally.
The cutscenes strengthen plot continuity between stages. Hiryu communicates with the Striders through a satellite link which provides mission objectives, used mostly as a way to tie stages together. The Amazon stage introduction, for example, reveals that Meio's threat is actually a hologram projected from the Amazonian jungle; and the stage completion cutscene shows a shuttle being launched from the South American base to the Third Moon, which explains Hiryu's arrival on the orbital station. A female Navigator was introduced in order to handle Hiryu's communications with the Striders Base, providing him with mission intel and objectives during most cutscenes.
The other notable change to the backstory can be seen in the stated origin of the Striders: here called a secret organization created by the United Nations to deal specifically with the Grandmaster's attack.
This port is a mostly faithful, expanded version of the arcade game. It contains a new stage, animated cutscenes and Redbook Audio tracks for stage music and cutscenes.
CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
01:11 - Stage 1
04:49 - Stage 2
08:13 - Stage 3
12:30 - Stage 4
16:19 - Stage 5
18:55 - Stage 6
25:46 - Ending
15 авг 2024
