Striker (Mega Drive)

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Striker title.png

Striker (Mega Drive)
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Sega Game Gear
Publisher: Sega
Developer:
Genre: Sports

















Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Game Gear
EU
2551-50
For the Sega Saturn game, see Striker '96. For the Sega Mega Drive control page, see Striker Stereo Control Pad.

Striker (Mega Drive) is a Sega Mega Drive and Sega Game Gear football game. It was only released in Europe.

Confusingly it is the fourth game by Rage Software to use the Striker moniker - the original Striker was released for the Amiga in 1992 (later ported to the Amiga CD32 in 1994) and formed the basis for all Striker games to come. A second Striker was released for the Super Nintendo in 1993, being known as World Soccer '94: Road to Glory in North America, World Soccer in Japan and Eric Cantona Football Challenge in France, which was followed by World Cup Striker (released as Elite Soccer in North America) the next year. This fourth Striker was made exclusive to Sega systems as a spiritual sequel to Ultimate Soccer.

Gameplay

Striker takes influences from all prior football games released by Rage Software while also adding a list of features for itself. Of note is the multiple camera perspectives for the pitch and wide array of added features, including over 340 local and national teams (over five times the amount seen in Ultimate Soccer).

Due to a lack of FIFA (or other footballing body) licensing, local teams and players have falsified-but-recognisable names (for example, Newcastle becomes "Oldcastle").

Uniquely for the Mega Drive, Striker features multiple possible camera angles, an effect created on the Super NES through the use of its "mode 7" hardware graphics mode, but replicated here entirely in software while still retaining a 50FPS refresh rate (remembering the game was only released in PAL regions).

Striker also includes a hidden table football game.

History

Development

Sega Mega-CD and Sega 32X versions of the game were planned[1], but were never finished. Rage had plans to use the disc space to incorporate 200,000 football teams in the Mega-CD version[2] - a feat no football game developer has ever come close to matching. The 32X version was due for release in Spring 1995 and would have had "astounding" visual effects[3].

Magazine articles

Main article: Striker (Mega Drive)/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Physical scans

Mega Drive version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
76 №28, p44/45
78 №10, p13
27 №31, p88/89[4]
81 №53, p92/93
79 №66, p58
84 №43, p14/15
Sega Mega Drive
71
Based on
6 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
59
[5]
Digitiser (UK) PAL
84
[6]
GamesMaster (UK) PAL
76
[7]
Games World: The Magazine (UK) PAL
78
[8]
MAN!AC (DE) PAL
72
[9]
Mega (UK) PAL
72
[10]
Mega Force (FR) PAL
84
[11]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
27
[12]
Player One (FR) PAL
81
[13]
Play Time (DE)
55
[14]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
79
[15]
Sega Power (GR)
70
[16]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
84
[17]
Todo Sega (ES)
75
[18]
Top Consoles (FR)
50
[19]
Tricks 16 bit (RU)
84
[20]
Video Games (DE) PAL
82
[21]
Sega Mega Drive
71
Based on
17 reviews

Striker (Mega Drive)

Mega Drive, EU
Striker MD EU Box.jpg
Cover
Striker MD EU Cart.jpg
Cart

Game Gear version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
74 №45, p58
60 №56, p120
69 №71, p58
Sega Game Gear
68
Based on
3 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
Sega Game Gear
N/A
Based on
0 reviews

Striker (Mega Drive)

Game Gear, EU
Striker GG EU Box Front.jpg
Cover
Striker GG EU Cart.jpg
Cart

References