Let's Play Strife: Veteran Edition - Part 11 END: All For Nothing

Channel:

InfernalMonsoon

Subscribers:

249

Published on September 27, 2017 11:00:02 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHD8obAY7VQ

Game:

Strife (1996)

Category:

Let's Play

Duration: 31:47

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So... Strife. Where to begin? I am so conflicted with this game - on one hand I loved what it did for its time being the precursor that inspired games like Deus Ex and on the other it's a terrible mess that's so poorly balanced against the player that it stopped being fun and felt like a chore to play in the final third. Let's start with the positives, I want to say the game is pretty amazing and has a well-written story with crazy plot twists all over which were crazy and silly but thoroughly likable and it has some excellent combat and level design akin to shooters of its era.

However getting lost is never fun to me and while it was mostly my fault for missing obvious details - the final maze-like areas were a pain to me. I don't often feel that way for old school level design as games like Doom and Quake have a good ebb and flow to most of their levels and I feel like I'm constantly making progress whereas games like Duke 3D and Strife try to experiment with the formula and it doesn't gel with me.

Around the last third the game's design just ended up shitting the bed and ended up being the worst part of the game for me with very few supplies, an over abundance of cheap and unfair enemy placements thanks to the overuse of powerful hitscan enemies and that ending was the biggest "fuck you" moment I've seen in recent memory - getting the worst of the three endings. I always hear these kinds of games are much better in a second playthrough and I'm sure it is but it won't be a while yet before I give it another bash.

I REALLY want to recommend the game because the beginning and mid-way sections are incredibly enjoyable and fun but the last third was a trainwreck and a mess of terrible design decisions that almost undermines the experience for me. I would say no for the average gamer but I'll give it a cautious recommendation to FPS and RPG fans - I'm sure there would be plenty of people who might enjoy the game much more than I did. It's a very awesome game but I just wish it stayed the way from beginning to end.

I am playing the Veteran Edition of Strife, you can buy the game here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/317040/The_Original_Strife_Veteran_Edition/

Deus Ex before Deus Ex ever existed - Strife is an old school FPS/RPG hybrid mix kind of thingy set in a medieval sci-fi world! Very enjoyable combat and enemy encounters and does a great job of putting story and lore into a genre seen as dumb in the era it was released. My opinion on the game is VERY mixed - some parts I love it and other parts I utterly despise it but you'll just have to see why for yourself!

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