Gaming Target - Xbox: Strident

Written by Leigh Culpin on April 12, 2002

First Impressions: Who wants Strident? I do. I do.

WW3 is coming to the Xbox, and it's the first war I've ever looked forward to. Strident actually takes place after the third World War, where resources are depleted, along with the patience of the ruling powers. Fighting continues, and the UN creates an elite group to deal with the ongoing enemy problem Ц FIST. You are a member of one of these groups, which got Уlost,Ф and you have information about a combat cyborg research facility. Only trouble is, the bad guys don't want anyone else having that information.

Strident acts like a combination of an RPG, shooter, and fighter all rolled into one. You can gracefully enter hand-to-hand combat with a variety of enemies, pummeling them with your razor-sharp reflexes and lightning-quick moves, or you can carry a weapon or two at the cost of some speed and maneuverability. In fact, there are currently 3 different fighting styles planned Ц open-handed (Punches, kicks, holds etc), single-handed (Pistols and whatnot) and two-handed (the big toys, though what they are has yet to be seen). The idea behind this system is that you can choose your playing style and stick to it throughout the game, without having to change too much to fit the level flow. You can also manipulate the enemies around you, using them as shields and even jumping platforms.

In addition to the already complex fighting system, you can equip yourself with a variety of power suits Ц essentially there's the small and light; medium and slightly weightier; and large with the greatest mass of all. You can collect more power suits and weapons as you progress throughout the game, and while this obviously has an RPG aspect to it, the real evidence of this lies in the pre-mission areas Ц you can customize your armor, armament, and perhaps more importantly, your teammates. Perhaps the most promising feature of the game is the ability to have AI controlled squad mates on certain missions, and while you'll always be the main source of action, you can send them on search-and-destroy missions, stealth missions or just off to create a distraction for you.

Currently 20 missions are planned, each varying in style Ц escape, infiltration, assault and naturally escort missions are all planned level types, with pre-mission briefings in production to heighten your mission preparedness. You can also build your character stats as you progress through the game, allowing you to decide more firmly upon your preferred combat style. This feature alone should add a lot of replay to the game, which is good, considering no mentions of multiplayer have yet been announced.