Strider

Strider is a re-imagining of a classic 1980s arcade game of the same name, in which a hero fights against overwhelming odds to achieve his goal of destroying a dictator. The game's target audience is a group of seasoned gamers who overwhelmingly expressed interest in seeing what the game would look like on an updated platform. To that end, it succeeds. In its own right, it's little more than a typical side-scrolling action game. There's a requisite number of challenges and an expected level of difficulty once players get deep enough into the game, but at the end of the day it's just a lot of running, jumping, and attacking without much else to take advantage of the powerful console's capabilities.

The one area where the game excels is in its stunning visual presentation. Ultimately, it doesn't take itself too seriously, and neither should anyone interested in buying or playing it. It simply fits the bill as a fun, fast-paced, hack-and-slash experience.