Dec 29, 2008 -- 9:22PM, NeoKaiser wrote:

Besides there are many games like that in 3-D like the Devil May Cry series, Shinobi, Ninja Gaiden, Onimusha and the 3-D Castlevanias. The idea is over used already.

Strider is tonally different from all of those. The games you mentioned are dark and foreboding. Strider is bright, colorful, and fun, with lots of sci-fi action. If you get the game's tone right, it won't feel like any of the series you mentioned.

Dec 29, 2008 -- 9:22PM, NeoKaiser wrote:

On the other hand 3-d graphics with 2-D gameplay like Bionic Commando Rearmed could do better. I know that Strider is remembered by it's gameplay on the arcades but i don't see why it can also have the option of picking stages, entering rooms and collect items like key cards etc. to open doors and stuff like that. It would be better than tedious over repetitive gameplay.

On that note, I wouldn't mind seeing the NES Strider remade, ReArmed-style.  Especially considering the game was barely playable, due to collision detection that made the Triangle Jump nearly impossible to pull off. Upgrade the graphics, augment the story with elements culled from the manga, include the scene where Mariya gets killed, and you get Strider: ReCyphered.

Dec 29, 2008 -- 9:22PM, NeoKaiser wrote:

If I remember well Strider 2 at least let you shose the first missions. The PS version of Strider 2 was very easy because of the unlimited continues.

Well, yes, Strider 2 did let you choose the first missions. And yes, Strider 2 also seemed easier than it actually was, because the continues let you proceed on from the spot where you died, instead of sending you back to the beginning of the scene. In fact, when it was released, Strider 2 was the Superman Returns of the Strider series, in that it pretty much split the fanbase down the middle. On the one hand, you had people who said, "Hey, this is actually a lot like the first game. And it isn't Strider Returns." And they were happy.

On the other hand, you had people who said, "Man, this sucks. Infinite continues? Disjointed level design? '2000 years ago'? Pfft." And they were pissed. I know for a fact that one webmaster of a prominent Strider fansite was so disappointed with Strider 2 that he swore off the series forever and abandoned his site completely. (And there weren't that many. Still aren't.)

So, y'know, it's important to make sure a Strider 3 has that magic Seth was talking about. All the little elements mixed together in just the right amounts, so it feels like the game we played in the arcades and fell in love with mid-way through the second level. I know you'd like to pull in more influence from the NES game, but the tradeoff is that you'd lose much of the arcade game's energy by introducing those nonlinear elements. Which is more important: recapturing the adrenaline rush that is Strider, or increasing playability by adding RPG elements?

I lean towards the former, personally.

Dec 30, 2008 -- 1:01AM, Chain Chomp wrote:

I would like Strider 3 to have Strider 2's style of play.

That would be awesome. Imagine Strider 2 with huge, hi-res, Odin Sphere-style sprites. Or full 3D renders on a 2D plane, like ReArmed or Little Big Planet.

Dec 30, 2008 -- 1:01AM, Chain Chomp wrote:

There's no need to jump on the 3-D bandwagon, especially for a game that defined the 2-D platforming genre.  If I want to go around slashing a sword in 3-D, I'll play DMC.

I don't think of it as "jumping on a bandwagon". If they'd released a 3D Strider 3 for the PSone, that would've been bandwagon-jumping.  Now, though... 3D is the established format. Using a 3D structure in a platformer is perfectly justifiable.

And saying a 3D Strider is unnecessary because we have the DMC games is kind of like saying the new Bionic Commando is unnecessary because we have the Spider-Man games. I don't remember DMC featuring gravity reversals. Or slide tackles. Or cartwheel jumps. Or the ability to cling and crawl on any surface. I'm convinced that a 3D Strider would not only distinguish itself from Shinobi, DMC, Ninja Gaiden, and Prince of Persia, but that it would also push the 3D action platformer in new directions.

I'll say it again. Regardless of whether it's 2D or 3D, the most important thing is to preserve the pacing by creating a device that keeps the player moving forward. I can think of several different ways to do this. Shinobi did it by timing the stages and penalizing the player if he took too long. Prince of Persia: Warrior Within did it with Dahaka chases. And, of course, the CPS-1 Strider did it by nearly overwhelming you with enemies and locking off sections as you cleared them, making backtracking impossible. This particular method would translate well into 3D, I think, and it could avoid diminishing replayability by the inclusion of Strider 2's level select map, tweaked to allow players to re-enter levels and re-explore them.

However, I must stress that this exploration must not be mandatory. It should not be like the NES Strider, forcing you to replay Kazakh four times before you could actually get all the way through the level and fight the boss. It should, instead, be more like the re-exploration in Mega Man X, allowing you to earn worthwhile, but unnecessary, benefits (e.g. the X armor upgrades). If the player wants to go back and find those benefits, fine. If not, they can beat the game by just blasting through in one go. This would preserve the energy or "magic" of the game in-level, while also adding replayability.

Dec 29, 2008 -- 12:56PM, s-kill wrote:

I can't comment on any potential roadblocks, but I think Strider has enough juice to merit a next-gen sequel. Here's a question for you guys though: Could a Strider in 3D recapture that same magic? Would it have to invent new magic? I'd love to see the giant mechanical Ape, or the politburo that turns into a giant robotic centipede w/sickle in 3d, but a lot of the best mechanics of the fights were very 2d-centric. I can already think of cool ways you could recreate that in 3d, but what do you think as Strider fans? best, Seth

Make it 2.5 D like street fighter or 3d until boss battles. Doesn't matter, billions will by it anyway.

Dec 30, 2008 -- 5:21PM, Heaven wrote:

ok all this STRIDER 3 talk is making me go nuts.... MAKE IT HAPPEN CAPCOM or I migth lose my mind

You're not the only one, man.

Dec 30, 2008 -- 5:39PM, Chen Li Cha wrote:

Make it 2.5 D like street fighter or 3d until boss battles. Doesn't matter, billions will by it anyway.

Will they? Strider 2 was 2.5D and barely attracted any attention. I thought it was awesome (and still have my PSone copy), but that didn't make it sell more. Was that due to the newness of the 3D platformer, you think? Were people not interested in Strider 2 because the polygon craze made 2D platformers seem old hat? Or was it due to the quality of the game itself?

Dec 31, 2008 -- 3:00AM, Chain Chomp wrote:

Strider is best left as a 2-D game. Worst case scenario with making a 2-D Strider game, is to have another great Strider 2-D title. Putting the gameplay into 3-D takes away from the all-important feel, control, and responsiveness.

Why? Why does it have to be 2D? You've played Strider Returns, right? And the NES version? Making a 2D Strider doesn't guarantee greatness.

Making a 3D installment could sacrifice feel, control, and responsiveness... but it doesn't necessarily have to. You just have to be careful with how you design the game.

Anyone here play Prince of Persia: Two Thrones? Remember the last part of the endboss fight against the Vizier/Zurvan? Lots of fragmented platforms floating in midair, forcing you to navigate a twisting, ascending pathway so you can get close enough to strike a killing blow? That's probably the best example of how Strider could preserve its feel. Granted, Hiryu doesn't do parkour, but that is still an incredibly Strider-like sequence. And it's done in 3D. Imagine an entire game done like that. It could be just as visceral as a 2D game, if designed right.

Dec 29, 2008 -- 12:56PM, s-kill wrote:

I can't comment on any potential roadblocks, but I think Strider has enough juice to merit a next-gen sequel. Here's a question for you guys though: Could a Strider in 3D recapture that same magic? Would it have to invent new magic? I'd love to see the giant mechanical Ape, or the politburo that turns into a giant robotic centipede w/sickle in 3d, but a lot of the best mechanics of the fights were very 2d-centric. I can already think of cool ways you could recreate that in 3d, but what do you think as Strider fans? best, Seth

As stated above. 3d graphics on a 2d plane is the best bet. Wall jumps on 3d planes are a pain due to camera angles. I liked the way where the level was 3d but the gameplay was still 2d and you just moved with the level. It still looked like you're moving in a 3d world.

Which reminds me, there needs to be tons of wall jumping in a new Strider game. It is a great feeling to climb around a level using jumps. Imagine a score attack just for wall jumps/climbing lol (see how high/far you can get). Or just a score attack in general for the game itself similar to MM9. Just don't make it as hard lol, hah, who do I think I'm speaking too.  There will probably be some Ultra Hard score attack mode.

I liked Strider because it was fairly easy and you could just breeze through without thinking too much.