Absolutely amazing game. For its time, Strife was underappreciated for just how big it is, not even considering the fact that it had two endings to make it even bigger. Side note. When I was younger, I actually built am exact replica of the "hub city" in the game out of Lego. Man I wish I had pictures of it. It took up an entire oak table and was massive true to scale.
Good review. I think Strife is still a pretty awesome game. It really kicks it into high gear once you and the Front storm the Castle. I wish that we could've gotten a game of this style with Doom or Heretic/Hexen. We kind of did with Wolfenstein, with the 2009 game and arguably Youngblood to a certain extent, but I imagine what they could do with the other series. I'm glad to have this on my Nintendo Switch alongside Duke Nukem 3D, Ion Fury, Turok, and the Doom series. Now we just need Blood: Fresh Supply and Shadow Warrior Classic Redux to join the Switch, and the 90s FPS remaster collection can be complete.
Hell yeah. It’s awesome having these shooters on the switch. I’m surprised devolved hasn’t put shadow warrior classic on there yet. Seems like a no brainer. More likely than blood. I think 3dr is supposed to be putting out kingpin, sin, and triad out…..at some point
I picked up this one and Project Warlock (another game you recommended) for my Switch on Black Friday Great video bro! Didn't know about Rogue software and their relation with iD Software
I wasn't aware of it either until I put this review together. They straight up ousted the head of their studio and made their own, kinda crazy 😂 I hope you enjoy the game though and Project Warlock! Thank you for the comment.
I just discovered your channel. Love the videos. I really like the combination of video essay and game review while placing these games in the context of their release. Keep up the great work.
Looking for a review on the Switch version of Strife. Your review felt very solid. Checked out some other vids of yours and you have great solid content!
4:27 Interesting enough, the soft shadows are a new feature added in the ported remaster of the game (Strife: Verteran Edition which I guess it's on the Switch too). Back in the days in DOS they didn't exist. From what I've heard from the dev team, they'd have to use their own tools to build shadowmaps from lights positioned by themselves. Because the original Doom sector light wasn't based on light sources but the level designer manually change shade levels. And there are walls with textured lights or things that logically should emit light like torches, etc.. but those weren't having the information. So, in Strifer remaster the designer went again and added light sources to places that should naturally have and prebuild the extra shadowmaps and blended them with the regular textures. I wish someone would do something similar with classic Doom.
I played Strife back in the days when it was first released on PC, also one of the games that I managed to finish, seeing it coming to the Switch is very nostalgic, though personally I would love to see Hexen make it way to the Switch as well~
I think I liked this one just a little more than you did, but it came out at a time when I was especially desperate for an immersive sim on Switch. What really surprised me was how many NPC interactions you came across that I didn’t in my play-through.
10:29 Oh, lets not even forget that one turret close to the end of the game, in one of the factory zones where its just floating in mid air, because its attached to the SKY
Awesome video! Your review is pretty spot on. I bought it as soon as it arrived on Switch but I do regret it big time as it wasn't up to par with the other classic fps I own on the Switch in terms of gameplay :/ r.i.p. 8 bucks. I think I got around halfway, really don't feel like finishing it 😂
I dream that more "boomer shooters" like DUSK and Prodeus could arrive to the Switch, for the most part i think they would run pretty well and would be awesome to play them on the go. Despite its minor flaws I really enjoyed Ion Fury. Good Review.
What do you mean Boomer Shooter? It was generation X for the most part that developed and played the games!!!! In fact John Romero is 56. Yes he's a generation X man!!!
That about sums it up. I think if you are really into 90's pc shooters, you will be able to get some enjoyment out of it. I played it for the first time last year and I think it's a really neat game, but I grew up playing old-school fps games, so I can appreciate this game's design as somewhat of a historical curiosity. I think most players won't be able to get past the cheesy art and strictly B-tier Doom-clone gameplay. I would certainly place Strife well above schlock like Rise of the Triad, Killing Time, or Redneck Rampage, but it fails to meet the quality bar set by games like Doom, Dark Forces, Duke Nukem 3D, or even Hexen. That doesn't mean it's not worth a try, especially on sale, but this didn't make a huge splash when it came out for a reason. It's an ambitious-but-flawed 7/10 from 25 years ago... mileage may vary.
I only played strife on gzdoom source port a couple of years ago and not when it was released like I did with the rest of them. I really like what they did with the engine. But yes, it was a little bit blunt. But thanks to it we got a lot of great rpg shooters and insane mods of doom/clones which kick ass. The only sin I had with strife is not replaying it enough. But exhausted me.
@@Gruntvc that would be cool, but it took so much time and money to get to this point. I feel it's going to be a while if we ever see a port of any kind
@Big Iron, Shame it took fans to make this while Valve gave us that God awful Half Life Source version. Not putting down the devs of Black Mesa btw. It took them years to get to this point. One of the few gamesI happily bought in EA. Tend to avoid EA games on Steam. Be nice to play Black Mesa alongside the Orange Box on Xbox. I hope they remake Opposing Force next lol.
Hows everyone doing? Anybody brave enough to step back on the scale after thanksgiving? I had a good time putting Strife through its paces, this is a game I've had in my GOG libary for years, picking at it here and there but never really giving it a full play through. I'm pretty critical of it in this video but at the end of the day this is a really valuable and unique fps, far ahead of its time. What did you guys think of it? Anybody playing this right now? Let me know in the comments. Timecodes 00:00 Intro 00:41 - Doom Clone or early immersive sim? 1:53 - Strife narrative 3:24 - Strife presentation 4:29 - Voice action and audio 5:50 - Strife Nintendo Switch specifics 6:31 - Strife gameplay 7:59 - Level design 10:06 - Strife enemies 11:25 - Strife weapons 14:21 - Conclusion
12:37 Also, the grenades have a stupidly steep arc, AND they dont even come out of the middle of your screen, which means even if your crosshair is on an enemy, and you're standing still, next to a wall, they could touch the wall and stop mid air.
Hmm, I think I'd rather play Outlaws by Lucasarts, the actual one btw. Not too many Wild West FPS games, plus the soundtrack was great. Now if they port: Halo CE, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Red Faction, AVP 2, and Half Life 1 plus its expansions to Switch and consoles? Heaven on Earth.
Halo would be so cool on the Switch. LAN parties with everyone playing on their own Switch? Magic. I have to imagine its been discussed between Nintendo and Microsoft. I still need to play Outlaws. I'm a fan of old school Lucasarts but that one slipped by me so its always had a certain mystique.
@KIRK COLLECTS, They got Halo on Steam. Who knows, they might bring it to Switch. They did port Cuphead and Microsoft owns that one. Outlaws is available on Steam, maybe GOG too? Just a fun little FPS. Besides Outlaws, I can only recall: Dead Man's Hand, the Call of Juarez games, and that PS2/Xbox one where you play as a Cowboy bitten by a Vampire lol.
Darkwatch! That game is pretty fun lol Yeah not a ton of western fps's, mostly third person games. I remember GUN on ps2. Kind of a precursor to red dead redemption.
@KIRK COLLECTS, That's the one. Name literally came back to me an hour after my comment lol. Too bad the dev got sent to the CoD mines like Ravensoft. Gun on Xbox 360 was fun, but the original Red Dead Revolver was fun too. Any chance ya might review the Bloodrayne games? The 1st two recently got updates that make them easily playable on modern pcs. No achievements though... Freedom Fighters is another gem from that generation too.
I like boomer shooters, and i mostly liked this too, but god damnit the factory sucks BALLZ Nothing but high tier enemies who hitscan the crap out of me instantly as soon as i enter their field of view, they take a lot to bring down, and ammo starts to run low quick Also the bosses suck
Absolutely amazing game. For its time, Strife was underappreciated for just how big it is, not even considering the fact that it had two endings to make it even bigger.
Side note. When I was younger, I actually built am exact replica of the "hub city" in the game out of Lego. Man I wish I had pictures of it. It took up an entire oak table and was massive true to scale.
Good review. I think Strife is still a pretty awesome game. It really kicks it into high gear once you and the Front storm the Castle. I wish that we could've gotten a game of this style with Doom or Heretic/Hexen. We kind of did with Wolfenstein, with the 2009 game and arguably Youngblood to a certain extent, but I imagine what they could do with the other series. I'm glad to have this on my Nintendo Switch alongside Duke Nukem 3D, Ion Fury, Turok, and the Doom series.
Now we just need Blood: Fresh Supply and Shadow Warrior Classic Redux to join the Switch, and the 90s FPS remaster collection can be complete.
Hell yeah. It’s awesome having these shooters on the switch. I’m surprised devolved hasn’t put shadow warrior classic on there yet. Seems like a no brainer. More likely than blood.
I think 3dr is supposed to be putting out kingpin, sin, and triad out…..at some point
The 90s fps remaster collection isn’t complete without Heretic and Hexen. I’d also throw Redneck Rampage in there too.
@Reallife315 From your lips to the developers ears.
I picked up this one and Project Warlock (another game you recommended) for my Switch on Black Friday
Great video bro! Didn't know about Rogue software and their relation with iD Software
I wasn't aware of it either until I put this review together. They straight up ousted the head of their studio and made their own, kinda crazy 😂
I hope you enjoy the game though and Project Warlock! Thank you for the comment.
Still loving this channel. I think this is your bestvid yet. Really enjoy your analytical style and articulation
Thank you! I'm really glad you enjoyed it 😁
Excellent review, thanks for covering Strife on Switch :)
You're welcome! Thank you for watching.
I’ve always found the audio compression on old DOS games such as these nostalgic. I think it would lose some of its charm if it were updated.
I think I have to agree with you here
I loved this game as a kid, and I’m shocked and pleased it came to the switch. I thought nobody played this obscure game but me!
I just discovered your channel. Love the videos. I really like the combination of video essay and game review while placing these games in the context of their release. Keep up the great work.
Looking for a review on the Switch version of Strife. Your review felt very solid. Checked out some other vids of yours and you have great solid content!
4:27 Interesting enough, the soft shadows are a new feature added in the ported remaster of the game (Strife: Verteran Edition which I guess it's on the Switch too). Back in the days in DOS they didn't exist. From what I've heard from the dev team, they'd have to use their own tools to build shadowmaps from lights positioned by themselves. Because the original Doom sector light wasn't based on light sources but the level designer manually change shade levels. And there are walls with textured lights or things that logically should emit light like torches, etc.. but those weren't having the information. So, in Strifer remaster the designer went again and added light sources to places that should naturally have and prebuild the extra shadowmaps and blended them with the regular textures. I wish someone would do something similar with classic Doom.
Yass love the review, love this channel oan yersel!!
Excellent Review! It will be awesome if do this type of Review more!
More reviews of Switch ports you mean? I plan on it!
@@KIRKCOLLECTS Yup! And Also More Fps Games!
This game is bad ass even by today's standards. Definitely way ahead of it's time.
I played Strife back in the days when it was first released on PC, also one of the games that I managed to finish, seeing it coming to the Switch is very nostalgic, though personally I would love to see Hexen make it way to the Switch as well~
~
I think I liked this one just a little more than you did, but it came out at a time when I was especially desperate for an immersive sim on Switch. What really surprised me was how many NPC interactions you came across that I didn’t in my play-through.
10:29 Oh, lets not even forget that one turret close to the end of the game, in one of the factory zones where its just floating in mid air, because its attached to the SKY
I love this channel
This channel loves you too.
@@KIRKCOLLECTS hell yeah
Awesome video! Your review is pretty spot on. I bought it as soon as it arrived on Switch but I do regret it big time as it wasn't up to par with the other classic fps I own on the Switch in terms of gameplay :/ r.i.p. 8 bucks. I think I got around halfway, really don't feel like finishing it 😂
We need FEAR 1 on Switch. FPS nirvana...
Very much looking forward to picking the physical version up from limited run games.
Great review 👍
I dream that more "boomer shooters" like DUSK and Prodeus could arrive to the Switch, for the most part i think they would run pretty well and would be awesome to play them on the go. Despite its minor flaws I really enjoyed Ion Fury. Good Review.
Oh man I feel like DUSK could be any week now. They had that delay back in October but it seemed like they were close to having it finished.
I come from the future with good news.
What do you mean Boomer Shooter? It was generation X for the most part that developed and played the games!!!! In fact John Romero is 56. Yes he's a generation X man!!!
That about sums it up. I think if you are really into 90's pc shooters, you will be able to get some enjoyment out of it. I played it for the first time last year and I think it's a really neat game, but I grew up playing old-school fps games, so I can appreciate this game's design as somewhat of a historical curiosity. I think most players won't be able to get past the cheesy art and strictly B-tier Doom-clone gameplay. I would certainly place Strife well above schlock like Rise of the Triad, Killing Time, or Redneck Rampage, but it fails to meet the quality bar set by games like Doom, Dark Forces, Duke Nukem 3D, or even Hexen. That doesn't mean it's not worth a try, especially on sale, but this didn't make a huge splash when it came out for a reason. It's an ambitious-but-flawed 7/10 from 25 years ago... mileage may vary.
I only played strife on gzdoom source port a couple of years ago and not when it was released like I did with the rest of them. I really like what they did with the engine. But yes, it was a little bit blunt. But thanks to it we got a lot of great rpg shooters and insane mods of doom/clones which kick ass.
The only sin I had with strife is not replaying it enough. But exhausted me.
Black Mesa 1.5, I can't strongly recommend enough.
Yeah I saw they updated it! I can't wait to make that vid. I want to tackle the whole series in 2021.
@@KIRKCOLLECTS That is something I'll be hype for.
Man, I wish the full release of Black Mesa would get a console port.
Consoles haven't gotten a port of Half Life 1 since the PS2 one.
@@Gruntvc that would be cool, but it took so much time and money to get to this point. I feel it's going to be a while if we ever see a port of any kind
@Big Iron, Shame it took fans to make this while Valve gave us that God awful Half Life Source version.
Not putting down the devs of Black Mesa btw. It took them years to get to this point. One of the few gamesI happily bought in EA. Tend to avoid EA games on Steam.
Be nice to play Black Mesa alongside the Orange Box on Xbox.
I hope they remake Opposing Force next lol.
Hows everyone doing? Anybody brave enough to step back on the scale after thanksgiving? I had a good time putting Strife through its paces, this is a game I've had in my GOG libary for years, picking at it here and there but never really giving it a full play through. I'm pretty critical of it in this video but at the end of the day this is a really valuable and unique fps, far ahead of its time. What did you guys think of it? Anybody playing this right now? Let me know in the comments.
Timecodes
00:00 Intro
00:41 - Doom Clone or early immersive sim?
1:53 - Strife narrative
3:24 - Strife presentation
4:29 - Voice action and audio
5:50 - Strife Nintendo Switch specifics
6:31 - Strife gameplay
7:59 - Level design
10:06 - Strife enemies
11:25 - Strife weapons
14:21 - Conclusion
Haven't played this but looks decent gameplay wise so will give it a go
Thanks for the vid ..
I play the amazing overhaul version on my smartphone ...it's an amazing game
I enjoyed the game well enough. It's DOOM as an action-adventure game. It has good variety of weapons, challenging enemies, & varied levels.
If it gets a physical release, especially on PS4 with trophies, I'd likely buy it.
Here from Civvie11's description in the beginning of his Alice video
Haha nice! Always happy to give context to Civvie's references.
12:37 Also, the grenades have a stupidly steep arc, AND they dont even come out of the middle of your screen, which means even if your crosshair is on an enemy, and you're standing still, next to a wall, they could touch the wall and stop mid air.
Favorite Game of All Time. Still have my big box copy.
this game (on dos pc ) single handedly make me love first person rpg's like well edlerscrolls.
0:53 There was Chex Quest and Hacx twitch and kill
The burning enemies look great. Fucking hilarious
Good review man. I STILL HATE THE SEWER LEVELS.
HATED that level lol
Civvie11's Sewer Count needed
Did the original version of strife have mouse look?
I like this game as much as doom.
Thank Yo
Not gunna lie…. I kinda like the compressed audio. It gives the game a bit more personality to me. 🤷🏾♀️🤷🏾♂️☺️
Amazing old game
Remember back in the day when the quality of a man was measured not by superficial vestigial assets, but by the size, and the squareness of his chin.
Physical version on limited run right now, $30.
Think this will be out on PS4 anytime?
I’m not sure, I hope Nightdive does release it on ps4 though along with m0re of their catalogue.
The woman's voice on the com reminds me of some narrated segments on other games like Talos Principle, The Witness, and Borderlands.
Maybe the graphics suffered so they could spend more time writing an actual story, getting decent voice actors and putting in all the RPG elements?
Skip to 2:00 to remove intros
6:30 Atleast it doesnt have texture filtering and bloom turned on
Would have been a massive yuck, they always look ugly as sin in old shooters
Hmm, I think I'd rather play Outlaws by Lucasarts, the actual one btw.
Not too many Wild West FPS games, plus the soundtrack was great.
Now if they port: Halo CE, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Red Faction, AVP 2, and Half Life 1 plus its expansions to Switch and consoles? Heaven on Earth.
Halo would be so cool on the Switch. LAN parties with everyone playing on their own Switch? Magic. I have to imagine its been discussed between Nintendo and Microsoft.
I still need to play Outlaws. I'm a fan of old school Lucasarts but that one slipped by me so its always had a certain mystique.
@KIRK COLLECTS, They got Halo on Steam. Who knows, they might bring it to Switch. They did port Cuphead and Microsoft owns that one.
Outlaws is available on Steam, maybe GOG too? Just a fun little FPS.
Besides Outlaws, I can only recall: Dead Man's Hand, the Call of Juarez games, and that PS2/Xbox one where you play as a Cowboy bitten by a Vampire lol.
Darkwatch! That game is pretty fun lol
Yeah not a ton of western fps's, mostly third person games. I remember GUN on ps2. Kind of a precursor to red dead redemption.
@KIRK COLLECTS, That's the one. Name literally came back to me an hour after my comment lol. Too bad the dev got sent to the CoD mines like Ravensoft.
Gun on Xbox 360 was fun, but the original Red Dead Revolver was fun too.
Any chance ya might review the Bloodrayne games? The 1st two recently got updates that make them easily playable on modern pcs. No achievements though...
Freedom Fighters is another gem from that generation too.
I like boomer shooters, and i mostly liked this too, but god damnit the factory sucks BALLZ
Nothing but high tier enemies who hitscan the crap out of me instantly as soon as i enter their field of view, they take a lot to bring down, and ammo starts to run low quick
Also the bosses suck