Strider Hiryu 1&2 is a game collection that brings Capcom's classic and
soon-to-be-classic arcade games to the Sony Playstation. Included on the
2-disc set is the original 1989 Strider Hiryu arcade game, better known
in the Western World simply as Strider, and it's true sequel, the 1999
arcade game Strider Hiryu 2 (aka. Strider 2). Both games contain
features not found on the arcade releases, and are pixel-perfect
translations of the original games. Unfortunately, the NES' excellent
pseudo-sequel, simply titled Strider, is not found on the discs.
Strider Hiryu 1&2 is a perfect game set for Strider fans, as well as
those who have not played the games before. Adjustable difficulty levels
and infinite continues make both games easily playable by beginners, and
the kinetic, fast-paced action makes for very exciting games.
This faq is a brief look at the games Strider 1&2, and is by no means
meant to be complete and thourough. The games themselves are easy enough
to beat in a single sitting, so I have focused on the moves, secrets,
and history of the games. Also, this faq is the result of a free day at
work after playing the games for a few hours the night before, so it may
contain some very minor errors; I do not have the games to work off of,
and in some cases, my memory may be off. If I do choose to update this
(although this may very well be the only release), I'll correct any
errors that may lie within.
Finally, although the games are actually named Strider Hiryu and Strider
Hiryu 2, I will also refer to them as Strider 1 and Strider 2 to clear
up any confusion about what I'm talking about. Also, Strider Returns and
the NES version of Strider will be called Strider Returns and NES
Strider, respectively.
The Capcom game series known simply as Strider began its life in the
arcades in the year 1989. A unique sword-swinging platformer, Strider
Hiryu (Strider in the Western world) combined a high-tech setting with
killer design and acrobatic gameplay to win over the hearts of fans
around the world. Unfortunately, the arcade release found only cult
success, and proved to be quite rare, even a few scant years after its
release. Luckily, the game was to be brought to home consoles. With
early home translations by U.S. Gold, Strider spread to home computers
including the Amiga, the PC (DOS), and the Commodore 64. Unfortunately,
the conversions were shoddy at best.
Late in 1989, Capcom took the Strider world & theme and combined them
with more of an adventure feel, creating a brand new game for the
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). One of the most loved games for the
system, it was also one of the more popular, and gave many fans
(including myself) their first look at the series. The NES Strider
featured a level select, which provided the ability to return to
previous areas. This was an integral part of the game, as many sections
of levels were inaccessable the first time through due to items that
were not yet available. While the game has a horrible translation, and
is not true to the arcade feel of the original game, the NES Strider was
successful in many different ways. It remains, in my opinion, one of the
two best games in the series.
In 1990, Sega chose to bring the game to their home consoles, including
their budding Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) 16-bit system. Although the 8-
bit Master System (Mark III) conversion wasn't the best, the Genesis
version was practically arcade perfect. The first 8-meg cart on the
market, Strider continued in the tradition of excellent arcade-to-home
ports by Sega, and fans yearning for the original arcade version could
now be happy.
After the Genesis/SMS releases, not much was heard of Strider for a few
years. A PC-Engine Super CD (TurboGrafx-16/TurboDuo in North America)
version was released in Japan at some point along the line, although the
release is incredibly hard to come by (and very expensive when it is
found), even in Akihabara, Tokyo's notorious electronics mecca. It can
be assumed that, like the Genesis/MD version before it, PCE Strider is
arcade perfect, or very near. U.S. Gold, the company that originally
ported the game to home computer, still having some sort of license for
the series hacked together a 'sequel' called Strider Returns: Journey
into Darkness. Released for the Sega Genesis and Game Gear, as well as
the Amiga home computer, the game is laughable at best, and is by far
the worst game in the series. Needless to say, this was the last that
was heard of Strider for many years...
Fast forward to 1998, and Capcom has all but forsaken platformers for a
plethora of versus fighting games. After their successful Marvel vs.
Street Fighter game (the sequel to their successful X-Men vs. Street
Fighter game), Capcom one-ups the roster to include not only Street
Fighter characters, but characters from the entire Capcom line-up.
Amongst other almost forgotten faces (including Captain Commando),
Strider Hiryu appeared, and quickly became one of the most popular
characters in the game (not to mention one of the most powerful). After
re-discovering Hiryu, and then re-discovering his previous games, fans
clamoured for a new Strider game. Luckily, Capcom acknowledged this, and
Strider 2 was shown for the first time as a System 12 (Playstation
compatible board) arcade title at Capcom's 1999 E3 booth. Although only
part of one level was playable (the beginning of level that turned out
to be Mission 02), the game was incredibly impressive, featuring a much
faster, and kinetic, pace than the original. Using 3D backgrounds in a
2D world (basically a 2D game with fancy backgrounds) and anime-styled
characters, the game was a sleeper hit at the show. After many delays,
Capcom unleashed Strider Hiryu 2 in Japanese arcades on December 24,
1999. Soon after, it was announced that the game would be ported to the
Sony Playstation, and as a bonus would include the original game on a
second disc. Eventually titled Strider Hiryu 1&2, the double disc set
hit Japanese stores on February 24, 2000 for 6800 yen (suggested
retail).
Although no formal announcement has been made, the game is expected to
be released in North America at some point in 2000. While I am unaware
of N.American arcade version of Strider 2, the Asian arcade version is
totally in English, so the port would be a relatively painless one.
Also, as the release of Strider Hiryu 1&2 has stirred more interest in
both print and online sources, Capcom would be rather daft not to
release the title in other regions.
While the original Strider was limited in moves, Strider 2 has a great
deal of them, making for very fast paced and exciting gameplay. As the
game features buttong remapping, the buttons will be referred to as they
are labeled in the options screen: Attack, Jump, Slide (nee Sliding),
and Boost. This section is by no means complete, but should give you an
idea of what the Striders are capable of. As mentioned before, this is
done by memory, so mistakes may be contained within.
- Move techniques:
Pressing left or right twice quickly in succession will cause Strider to
dash in the direction pressed. Continue holding the button to keep
Strider running. As you run, you are able to attack with the cipher
without slowing down. Jumping is also possible.
Holding down will make Strider crouch. Attacking is possible from this
lower position. Pressing the Jump button while crouched will cause
Strider to Slide.
- Attack techniques:
The options menue contains an option called Rapid. Turning rapid on will
allow Strider to attack continuously by holding the Attack button.
Attacking is possible while jumping, running, climbing, hanging,
falling, walking, and standing still.
Attacking while the boost is activated will give Strider not only a more
powerful attack, but will allow him to make cipher slashes into
projectile attacks. Boosts are activated by pressing the Boost button.
You must have a 'B' symbol under the Strider's name to do this. Boosts
last for a limited amount of time.
- Jump techniques:
Jumping towards a wall or ceiling will cause Strider to take out his
scythe and grab ahold of the wall/ceiling with it. This causes you to
hang onto surfaces. Moving left/right/up/down is possible while
hanging/climbing, as is attacking.
Jumping while hanging allows you to climb a wall more quickly.
If you are hanging on a wall and jump while pressing away from the wall,
Strider will use his legs to boost away from the wall, making for a very
fast jump that covers a large distance.
While hanging on certain surfaces, pressing up on the d-pad will allow
Strider to vault himself up and onto whatever he was hanging on.
Pressing the Jump button while jumping/falling will allow Strider to do
a double jump, giving him more distance. This also allows you to change
directions in the air.
Jumping while dashing covers more distance than a normal jump.
- - - Strider Hiryu - - - - - - - - - -
The main charcter of the game, Strider Hiryu brandishes a cipher named
Falchion as his main weapon. The Falchion boasts three levels of attack,
each covering a greater range than the previous level. Falchion is very
very fast, although it is not as powerful as other ciphers. Being a
sword, Falchion can be used as much and as quickly as the player can
press the buttons.
- - - Strider Hien - - - - - - - - - -
Available after completing the game once (see the below secrets section
for more details) Hien is a physically stronger character than Hiryu,
although he does have his down points. Instead of using a single cipher
like Hiryu, Hien uses twin ciphers. Unlike Hiryu's Falchion, Hien's
ciphers are thrown like boomerangs, and automatically return to him
after slicing through the air. However, since he only has two ciphers,
this leaves him defenseless after both have been thrown. The increased
attack power over Falchion makes up for this, however. Hien's moves the
same as Hiryu, and their speed is evenly matched.
As per the norm with home video games these days, Strider Hiryu 1&2
contains a few secrets to boost replay value. While not as extensive in
the secrets department as other home ports, Strider Hiryu 1&2 has enough
to keep the Strider fan happy.
One secret that I have not figured out yet is the Secret section of the
score: I have never gotten any points in this section on any of the six
Missions. This includes when I've found many hidden items, so I'm
assuming that deals with secret areas of the stages.
- - - disc 1: Strider 1 - - - - - - - - - -
Clear the entire game once to open up Stage Select & Player Set Up in
options screen.
Player Set Up
Color:
TYPE 1 - Blue/Red & Silver Highlights (normal)
TYPE 2 - Red/Blue & Orange Highlights
TYPE 3 - Yellow/Lt. Green & White Highlights
TYPE 4 - Green/Blue & Purple Highlights
TYPE 5 - Purple/Lt. Purple & Pink Highlights
TYPE 6 - White/Lt. Blue & Blue Highlights
TYPE 7 - Black/Grey & Aqua Highlights
Highlights include [gauntlets, belt, stripes on boots, end
of cipher]: first color, ['HI' kanji on chest, sash]: second
color
Life:
3, 4, or 5 blocks
Cipher:
Normal or Power Up
Stage Select - ON / OFF
- - - disc 2: Strider 2 - - - - - - - - - -
Clear the game once with Hiryu to gain Strider Hien as a playable
character.
At title screen, press start and select Start Game - you'll then be
able to pick from Strider Hiryu (left option) or Strider Hien (right
option). Hien has a range cipher and is more powerful, but as he can
only throw two ciphers at a time, he is at a disadvantage when both
are in the air. With Strider Hien, you cannot select your stage, but
must play through the stages in order. The only real difference in
Strider Hiryu's and Hien's games is that on Mission 05 with Hien,
you fight a 'dark' version of Hien instead of the normal one.
Clear the game once with Hien to open the infinite boost option on the
option screen.
Boost:
[infinite] / OFF
- - - Strider 1&2 - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Clear both Stider 1 and Strider 2 at least once to gain access to stage
00 (Waterfall stage) in Strider 2.
After clearing both games once and saving both games to the same
memory card, boot up Strider 2. Instead of the normal title screen,
you'll get some Japanese writing that is of the same sort as when
you save/load a game. From there, select the left option ('hai', or
yes) twice to save the new stage under your current memory card
file. Once that is done, you will be able to select Mission 00 from
the beginning of Strider Hiryu's game (instead of Missions 01-03
being available, Missions 00-03 will be).
As per the norm with Japanese games, Strider 1&2 has merchandising to go
along with it. Upon purchasing the game as selected retailers, a Strider
Hiryu (1) poster was given away. There are also at least 2 different
promotional posters, with one being the cover image and the other being
a full-body shot of Hiryu looking cool. Also worth mentioning was the
thin arcade poster that was available to arcade operators upon
purchasing the Strider 2 arcade game; this poster features the Strider 2
logo with Hiryu perched on top of a thin rock.
The Strider 2 Original Soundtrack (OST) is currently available on single
CD, with a retail price of approx. 2100 Japanese yen.
Although not formally announced, a Strider 1&2 guidebook is sure to be
released in the coming months.
- - - release info - - - - - - - - - - - -
this is not meant to be a complete Strider release list, but only a
Strider 1&2/Strider 2 release list.
Title: Strider Hiryu 1&2
System: Sony Playstation CD-ROM
Company: Capcom Co., Ltd.
Released: February 24, 2000
Format: 2 CD-ROMs
Region: NTSC-J
Price: 6800 Japanese yen (suggested retail)
Prod.Num: SLPS 02620~02621
Includes: 2 game discs, 1 double-sided instruction manual, spine card,
warrantee card, & spine card, all in a normal Playstation 2-
CD jewel case.
Title: Strider Hiryu 2
System: System 12 arcade board
Company: Capcom Co., Ltd.
Released: December 24, 1999
Format: double PCB
Region: Japan
Price: 168,800 Japanese yen (approx.)
Includes: 2 PCBs, manual (System 12 board sold separately)
Title: Strider Hiryu 2 Secret File
System: System 12 arcade board/Strider Hiryu 2 PCB
Company: Capcom Co., Ltd.
Format: (mini-)PCB
Region: Japan
Price: 4,000 yen (approx.)
Includes: (mini-)PCB, manual
Notes: unknown function. a small plug-in PCB that need the original
board to function. Manual is very, very cool, featuring a
Strider 2 Lego theme.
Title: Strider 2
System: System 12 arcade board
Company: Capcom
Released: early 2000?
Format: double PCB
Region: Asia
Price: ~US$1500?
Includes: 2 PCBs, manual (System 12 board sold separately)
ver.0.01 25feb00
First version. Written (for the most part) in one sitting. Possibly
the only version. Includes Secrets, History, Controls.
- - - credits - - - - - - - - - - -
Various Strider fan pages on the internet for pieces of the history of
Strider, including:
- Strider Heaven
(http://www.angelfire.com/ny/striderheaven/index.html)
- The Blue Dragon: Strider HQ
(http://geocities.com/TimesSquare/Portal/7091/)
- Strider Otaku
(http://users.ticnet.com/strider/)
- Moralos Island
(http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/8274/)
The Strider (Strider 1 arcade) FAQ by Zr-RIfle (Rigel Di Scala) as
something to check my own work to.
Capcom Co., Ltd., including the Capcom Japan (www.capcom.co.jp) and
Capcom Asia web sites.
- - - legal - - - - - - - - - - - -
Strider, Strider Hiryu, Strider Hien, Falchion, and all other related
names/trademarks are copyright/trademarked Capcom Co., Ltd. Strider
Returns: Journey into Darkness is copyright U.S.Gold. Playstation is
copyright Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
This document is copyright J.T.Kauffman 1999 and cannot be reproduced
for profit in any form. It can be freely distributed over the internet
as long as it is unaltered and is only distributed on free (i.e. non-
subscription) sites. If you do choose to post this document on your
site, please email me to let me know.
