Desert Strike Game Gear

Description

Desert Strike Game Gear

Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf is a shoot ’em up video game released by Electronic Arts (EA) in March 1992 for the Sega Genesis. The game was released on several other formats such as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, including a much upgraded version for the Amiga home computer. The game was inspired by the Gulf War and depicts a conflict between an insane Middle Eastern dictator, General Kilbaba, and the United States. The player controls an Apache helicopter (depicted with the tail assembly of a Comanche) and attempts to destroy enemy weapons and installations, rescue hostages and capture enemy personnel, while managing supplies of fuel and ammunition.

Desert Strike Game Gear

Lead designer Mike Posehn had no video game experience prior to developing Desert Strike. Inspired by Chop lifter, he aimed to create a nonlinear game with smoothly animated vehicles. Posehn developed a camera system with momentum to mimic realistic helicopter movements. Three-dimensional (3D) modelling was used to generate the vehicle sprites, which were later touched up on the pixel level with colour.

Desert Strike Game Gear

Desert Strike was a commercial success: it was a chart-topping best seller and at the time Electronics Arts’ highest selling game. The game also received a favourable critical response, with several magazines awarding scores of over 90%. Reviewers praised the game’s enjoyability, mix of action and strategy, graphics and sound. There was some controversy regarding the game’s subject matter, with commentators criticising it as in poor taste due to the proximity of its release to the recently ended Gulf War.

Another great retro game available at Escapist Gamer – Fantastic Dizzy (Game Gear)