Of course, most of you hardcore gamers just want to know if Strider 2 lives up to its brilliant predecessor. My answer would be a resounding absolutely. As a matter of fact, you could just stop reading this altogether and go buy it without feeling the tiniest bit of apprehension, but don't do that just yet, as I haven't explained why I think Strider 2 surpasses its predecessor in every way possible. Right off the bat, we have superior graphics. Sure, the PlayStation probably isn't the best platform to handle Strider 2. I'm sure many Capcom fans, once they've seen Strider 2 in action, will undoubtedly wonder why Capcom chose to make the game for the now-ancient Sony PlayStation, the console notorious for its two-dimensional handicaps, when Sega's Dreamcast could do a much better job. However, given the development time, we would have been in for a much longer wait, if Capcom had actually taken that route, and, let's face it, an entire decade was already long enough for most of us. Just remember, the graphics in Strider 2 accomplish what the development team set out to do and then some, so why whine over what could have been done when you should be too busy enjoying one of the greatest arcade action titles ever conceived to even care.

  The real surprise is the style of graphics that Capcom has chosen for this title. Numerous two-dimensional sprites scale (albeit with a bit of pixelation) and move about on fairly picturesque polygonal backdrops. A variety of enemies fill each level and challenge Hiryu's progress every step of the way. Bosses are also littered across each stage and some prove to be quite tough at times. The animation in Strider 2 is fairly astounding for a PlayStation game; I seem to recall hearing a wheeze come out of the little gray console. Unfortunately, that leads us to the one problem with Strider 2's graphical flair: slowdown. Yes, the dreaded slowdown seems to occur at some of the most inopportune times, such as when you've just engaged a Boost and have begun hacking away at a large screen-filling monster. While quite understandable, this can be an annoyance, though it doesn't happen very often. However, it is Strider 2's gameplay that truly makes it a shining example of a classic to be remembered for years to come. It's quite simple; you control Strider Hiryu, a man on a mission to destroy Grand Master, an evil tyrant who controls a majority of the world of the future.

  Strider Hiryu has many special moves in his arsenal, most of which make great use of his light sword, known as Cypher. Strider, of course, has the ability to walk, dash, jump, et cetera, but he can also grapple his way up walls, jump while grappling, double jump, somersault, slide, slash and "savage slash", which I like to refer to as "berserk". Of course, I'm not going to leave out the most fun of all these moves: Boost. When you have a Boost capsule, you can press Circle to initiate an accelerated mode of attacking. During this mode, a timer bar (below Hiryu's health) will slowly run down. As this meter is running down, your slashes unleash several extremely powerful, enemy-seeking bursts of energy. All of these moves can and must be mastered if one wishes to be a true Strider pro. Players will likely find themselves rushing through five huge levels, all the while flattening anything that gets in their way. After all, that's Strider 2 in a nutshell. Sound effects and music are great, with music tracks reminiscent of the original that just beg to be turned up. Strider Hiryu and the other major characters still speak in the same fashion they did in the Japanese version: in Japanese. Striving to keep Strider 2 as authentic to its arcade version as possible, Capcom elected not to change the voice-acting or even add subtitles. The result is an unchanged sound and vocal experience from the original Japanese arcade cabinet. Another factor of Strider 2 that makes you want to play it is its challenging nature. Being an arcade title, Strider 2 is one game you will want to play over and over again.

  You can even challenge your friends to beat your high scores. Many have claimed that Strider 2 isn't difficult enough, citing the game's unlimited continues, but I have a very simple solution. Just try making it through Strider 2 without using any continues or even with only one vitality point; it's not as easy as it sounds. Once you've done all that, try doing it once again, but with the difficulty cranked to the hilt. Thanks to the options menu, you can change all of the game's challenge factors to suit you. Strider 2 is best described as a fast-paced, two-dimensional, challenging, arcade-style action platformer that you'll want to play through many times, a title that younger players will hone their skills on and older players will find to be a fresh mix of challenge and nostalgia. Of course, there are a couple bonuses to uncover in Strider 2, which I'll leave you to find, and the biggest bonus of all: an arcade-authentic version of the original Strider on the game's second disc. If you have to own at least one action game for the PlayStation, Strider 2 gets my vote of confidence, as the title is, without any doubt, one of the best action games currently available on any system. Here's hoping another sequel is in the works. I just hope and pray that it doesn't take Capcom another ten years to develop the next title worthy of the Strider name.
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