Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf
From Sega Retro
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Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Sega Master System, Sega Game Gear | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Publisher: Electronic Arts (US/EU) Electronic Arts Victor (JP) Domark | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Developer: Electronic Arts The Kremlin Tiertex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distributor: Tengen (US) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sound driver: custom (Brian Schmidt) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Genre: Shooting[1][2], Simulation[1], Action[3] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of players: 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Official in-game languages: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf, called Desert Strike: Wangan Sakusen (デザートストライク 湾岸作戦) in Japan and better known simply as Desert Strike, is an isometric-projection shoot-em-up by Electronic Arts released for the Sega Mega Drive in 1992, and subsequently ported to other platforms. It is the first game in EA's so-called Strike series of isometric shoot-em-ups.
Contents
Story
A terrorist named General Kilbaba violently takes over a small Arab emirate and plans a major nuclear strike, to which the president of the United States orders a helicopter (A Super Apache as named in game) team in the Special Forces (US Marine Corps in the Master System version) to intervene. You are in control of one such helicopter.
Gameplay
Missions are mostly intertwined with each other. For example blowing up a radar station will in return make you harder for enemies to hit you. Failing one of missions usually results in game over.
You are also given co-pilot that will assist you with your mission. These pilots have varying degrees of skills with marksmanship and winch control. Reading their dossiers will usually give you a rough idea about their skill levels. 5th pilot Valdez is missing and can be found in first mission. He is near the north-western part of the map nearby a crashed F-14.
Your helicopter has limited ammo and fuel. It also has limited armor. Without ammo, you can attack enemies. If fuel depletes, your helicopter will eventually crash and you will lose life. If armor reaches zero you will also lose a life. Ammo and fuel can be recovered by acquiring ammo boxes or fuel drums respectively with your winch. Armor can be recovered two ways : either find an Armor Repair (very, very rare. In later levels map don't even show their locations) or by rescuing people and dropping them off near a friendly landing zone. Each rescued person will increase the armor by 100 points. Be careful though as power ups can be destroyed and prisoners can be killed. Each level also has extra lives but these are, again, very difficult to find.
You are required to return to your home base (usually the frigate you take off from at the beginning of each level) when you complete or fail the level. There are total of 3 lives. Losing all of them will end the game.
Game contains 5 levels with different missions, with some of them having time limits.
Desert Strike also has a password system.
Mega Drive
Each of the game's four levels is a separate mission with different objectives. To complete the objectives, you are given ammunition of varying power levels (shot by pressing (Hellfires and Jink),
(Hydras), or
(Guns), listed in order of decreasing power). Though the game uses an isometric projection, the control behaves more like a full 3D game, where using
and
rotates your chopper,
moves you forward in t he direction you're facing, and
moves you backward. Hitting
allows you to access a map, a summary of the mission, and mission status.
Master System
Due to limitation of buttons on Master System's control pad, control scheme is somewhat different than Mega Drive version. Pressing both and
fire Hellfire, while holding down
is need for strafing. Pause button is the status screen.
History
Development
According to Desert Strike's original design document (dated 1990-06-18), the game was originally titled Beirut Breakout, being based on the then-ongoing Lebanese Civil War[13] . It was later advertised as Apache AHX: Desert Madman.
Release
Desert Strike's similarities with the Gulf War caused controversy at the time of release, thought to be glorifying Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Reportedly some Gulf War veterans in the US openly burned copies of the Mega Drive game in public in protest[14].
Versions
Localised names
Language | Localised Name | English Translation |
---|---|---|
English | Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf | Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf |
English (US) | Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf | Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf |
Japanese | Desert Strike: Wangan Sakusen (デザートストライク 湾岸作戦) |
Production credits
Mega Drive version
- By Mike Posehn (implying he is the creator)
- Programming: Mike Posehn
- Game Design: Mike Posehn, John Manley
- Art: Paul Vernon, Gary Martin, Amy Hennig
- Sound and Music: Rob Hubbard, Brian Schmidt
- Technical Director: Carl Mey
- Producer: Richard Robbins
- Source:
- In-game credits (title screen roll)
Master System version
- Published Under License by: Domark Software Limited
- Desert Strike is a Trademark of Electronic Arts
- Desert Strike Presented by: The Kremlin
- Programmed by: Michael A Carr (The Magi)
- Graphic Artists: Matthew Hicks, Mike Adams
- Music Composed by: Andy Taylor
- Sound Effects by: Michael A Carr
- Original Game by: Mike Posehn, Paul Vernon and John Manley
- Copyright 1992 Electronic Arts
- All Rights Reserved
Magazine articles
- Main article: Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
- Main article: Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf/Promotional material.
Physical scans
Mega Drive version
Sega Retro Average | ||||||
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Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination |
86 |
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Based on 35 reviews |
Master System version
Sega Retro Average | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination |
90 |
---|---|
Based on 9 reviews |
Game Gear version
Sega Retro Average | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination |
79 |
---|---|
Based on 7 reviews |
Technical information
ROM dump status
System | Hash | Size | Build Date | Source | Comments | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
✔ |
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1MB | 1992-03 | Cartridge (US/EU) | ||||||||||
✔ |
|
1MB | 1993-04 | Cartridge (JP/KR) | ||||||||||
? |
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512kB | Cartridge (EU) | |||||||||||
? |
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512kB | Cartridge (EU) | |||||||||||
? |
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512kB | Cartridge (US) |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 File:Desertstrike md jp cover.jpg
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive/software_l.html (Wayback Machine: 2020-07-02 23:21)
- ↑ File:DesertStrike GG EU Box Back.jpg
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 GamePro, "March 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 46
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Sega Power, "March 1992" (UK; 1992-02-06), page 11
- ↑ Mean Machines, "February 1992" (UK; 1992-01-27), page 21
- ↑ Computer & Video Games, "July 1992" (UK; 1992-06-15), page 30
- ↑ GamesMaster, "October 1996" (UK; 1996-08-29), page 11
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Mean Machines Sega, "December 1993" (UK; 1993-10-xx), page 104
- ↑ Sega Force Mega, "January 1994" (UK; 1993-12-16), page 71
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 GamePro, "January 1994" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 206
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Sega Pro, "Xmas Special 1993" (UK; 1993-12-02), page 60
- ↑ [Retro Gamer issue #45 Retro Gamer issue #45]
- ↑ [CU Amiga, 1993-04 CU Amiga, 1993-04]
- ↑ ACE, "April 1992" (UK; 1992-03-08), page 42-47 (42)
- ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "May 1993" (JP; 1993-04-08), page 22 (24)
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 83 (85)
- ↑ Consoles +, "Mars 1992" (FR; 1992-0x-xx), page 100-103 (100)
- ↑ Computer & Video Games, "March 1992" (UK; 1992-02-15), page 22/23 (22)
- ↑ Computer + Video Giochi, "Aprile 1992" (IT; 1992-xx-xx), page 74/75 (74)
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "April 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 26
- ↑ Game Mania, "May 1993" (UK; 1993-xx-xx), page 80
- ↑ GamePro, "March 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 44 (46)
- ↑ Game Power, "Giugno 1992" (IT; 1992-xx-xx), page 28-30 (30)
- ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Julio 1992" (ES; 1992-xx-xx), page 46-49 (46)
- ↑ Joypad, "Mars 1992" (FR; 1992-0x-xx), page 94-96 (94)
- ↑ Joystick, "Février 1992" (FR; 1992-0x-xx), page 120/121 (120)
- ↑ Mega, "January 1993" (UK; 1992-12-17), page 81
- ↑ MegaTech, "March 1992" (UK; 1992-02-20), page 18-21 (18)
- ↑ Mean Machines, "February 1992" (UK; 1992-01-27), page 18-21 (18)
- ↑ Player One, "Mai 1992" (FR; 1992-05-10), page 62/63 (62)
- ↑ Sega Force, "April 1992" (UK; 1992-03-19), page 62/63 (62)
- ↑ Sega Power, "April 1992" (UK; 1992-03-05), page 16-19 (16)
- ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1992" (UK; 1992-03-19), page 60/61 (60)
- ↑ Supergame, "Junho 1992" (BR; 1992-06-xx), page 34/35 (34)
- ↑ Supersonic, "Mai/Juin 1992" (FR; 1992-xx-xx), page 4
- ↑ Video Games, "6/92" (DE; 1992-05-29), page 45 (43)
- ↑ Consoles +, "Janvier 1994" (FR; 1994-xx-xx), page 144 (124)
- ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "December 1993" (UK; 1993-10-xx), page 104/105 (104)
- ↑ Player One, "Janvier 1994" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 114
- ↑ Sega Magazine, "February 1994" (UK; 1994-01-10), page 109 (110)
- ↑ Sega Force Mega, "January 1994" (UK; 1993-12-16), page 70/71 (70)
- ↑ Sega Master Force, "December 1993" (UK; 1993-11-11), page 26/27 (26)
- ↑ Sega Power, "December 1993" (UK; 1993-11-xx), page 106-108 (106)
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "December 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 55
- ↑ Joypad, "Février 1994" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 115
- ↑ Player One, "Février 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 116
- ↑ Sonic Mag: B.D. & Jeux-Video!, "Mai 1994" (FR; 1994-04-15), page 38
- ↑ Video Games, "4/94" (DE; 1994-03-23), page 112
Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf | |
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