Strife (PC) (1996) (Rogue Entertainment) (1/2)

"Strife" features the most upgraded and advanced version of the Doom engine ever released. Extensive and often fully voiced dialogue adds greatly to the game's immersiveness and atmosphere, and this is one of those very few FPS games in which you might actually end up caring about the storyline (which includes a few neat plot twists along the way) and what happens to the main characters.

The game's levels are structured around a safe hub area with shops where weapons, ammo and other upgrades can be bought (unlike Doom, this game includes a real inventory) and where the player interacts with various NPCs inbetween missions. The levels themselves are huge, complex and often quite challenging (especially on higher difficulty settings).

Later FPS titles such as "Deus Ex" and "System Shock 2" may have taken the adventure and roleplaying elements signicantly further, but "Strife" was to my knowledge the only FPS released during the Doom/Quake era to offer anything more nuanced than non-stop action, and it's still great fun to play today.

Note: The ZDoom engine (which adds higher resolutions and more modern mouse support) to the game was used while recording this video.


More info on the game is available from;
http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/strife

The latest ZDoom version can be found at;
http://zdoom.org/

Part 1-3 of svKaiser's walkthrough can be found here;
http://uk.youtube.com/svKaiser

Category:

Gaming

Tags:

• Strife
• Rogue
• id
• Doom
• FPS

[SteelCanine]

Notice how your a chick and when youu go to a wall or something that doesnt open, you hear a guy saying, Nope.

FAIL

[Demiath]

@SteelCanine You're not playing a female character in this game.

[ravenshines]

how do you get the words to appear when the guy talks? all i hear is the voice...

[Demiath]

It's been a while since I played it, but isn't there a Subtitles On/Off switch somewhere in the Options menu?

[themaniacboy]

woow a girl ?

probably one of the first FPS games that gives you the opportunity to play as a women

[Demiath]

You don't actually play as a girl (the voice belongs to your sidekick). Still, a female character in an important active role in an early FPS is definitely unique, so I get your point...

[KarntheHellknight]

Strife was amazing. This makes me want to run through it again.

[GreenChancellorTheII]

I remember the first time I finished this game... I think I was seven :P

That freaky ass face decaying picture always scared the sh*t out of me.

[HoneydewHuey]

This looks pretty good, thanks!  The level design seems really good.

[10samm10]

Mix Doom's gunplay with light RPG elements, good story and complex map design with exploration.

[Auroraaaaaaaaaaa]

@SteelCanine Maybe the character is transsexual?

[Kijinn]

@VTS1337

Ah, right. Though, I don't think retailers were responsible for the bad sales of SS2 (and SS1 sold quite ok, for a title of the mid-90s). I once read a pretty long article about the production process of SS2. Things got really complicated due to lack of budget and it seems like a miracle the game got teleased at all. I think the game didn't get the advertisement it would have needed.

[VTS1337]

@Kijinn no, not lack of originality, the complete opposite. System Shock, and SS2 were loved by critics, but sold badly because it just wasn't....normal. Like Strife.

I didn't make myself clear there. :P

A lot of gamers respect SS/SS2, but retailers probably didn't like it because they couldn't shove it on on their stupid sections. SS/SS2, (expecially SS2) were hybrids in genre and gameplay, and retailers probably didn't like it.

[Kijinn]

@VTS1337

Now you confuse me, I'm afraid.

You think System Shock suffered from a lack of originality?

Can't see how I would agree with that. Both parts seemed like a refreshing break from the FPS mainstream to me. Even the dimmed down unofficial sequel BioShock was a game experience nicely close to SS2 (despite its simpleness).

There was much room for improvements, though.

[cubeface21]

I recently played through this again. Such a good game. Insanely innovative for the time.

[VTS1337]

@Kijinn Yeah, System Shock was a victim of that too

[Kijinn]

@VTS1337

Yah, I did too.

Especially when most other FPSs never try to break up the retardedly repetitive gameplay of this genre. Like it's forbidden to mix genres or to do anything original.

[VTS1337]

@Kijinn Yeah, you are right, sadly. Combining sci-fi/Doom weapons/objects (such as the 'reactor core') with a 'medival' setting just didn't work

The RPG-style gameplay I adored though