• Tag Archives Electronic Arts
  • Jungle Strike (Sega Genesis)

    Jungle Strike is a shooter released by Electronic Arts in 1993 for the Sega Genesis. It was ultimately ported to a number of other systems including the Super Nintendo, DOS, Amiga, CD32, Game Gear, Game Boy and PlayStation Portable. This game was the sequel to Desert Strike and was the second in a series of similar games.

    Jungle Strike, like its predecessor was a shooter played from an isometric overhead perspective. Like the rest of the games in the series, it was a bit slower and more strategic than other shooters. It has been described as being inspired by Choplifter and Matchbox toys though it reminds me a bit of Raid on Bungeling Bay. Game Play is very much like that of Desert Strike with the obvious difference of being set in the jungle (at least in part) instead of the desert.

    The antagonists consist of the son of the antagonist of the first game and a South American drug lord. Missions alternate between stopping terrorist attacks on various targets in Washington D.C. and attacking the drug lord’s forces, including his jungle fortress. Ultimately, you must stop nuclear bombs from blowing up the White House.

    The game was very good on just about every system it was released on and was especially good on the Genesis, Super Nintendo, Amiga and DOS (similar to the original). The DOS and Amiga versions were somewhat enhanced as compared to the Genesis original with the DOS CD-ROM version including an extra level as well as full motion video cut scenes. However, this game probably fits best on a console such as the Genesis and SNES. Essentially, if you liked Desert Strike then there is no reason you wouldn’t like this game or the subsequent sequels.

    There’s not much in the way of re-releases for this game. It showed up on a “retro” compilation called EA Replay for the PlayStation Portable in 2006. Other than that, there really aren’t any re-releases to speak of, however there were three more sequels including Urban Strike, Soviet Strike and Nuclear Strike. Future Strike was also planned but it evolved into Future Cop: LAPD. If you like shooters at all or have fond memories of games like Choplifter and Raid on Bungeling Bay then you should definitely give Jungle Strike and the other games in the series a try. Like I said above, it really feels best on one of the 16-bit consoles but it is good on any platform. You’ll have to track down an original or use emulation to try it though.

    Screen shots above are from the Sega Genesis version of the game.


  • Starflight (Sega Genesis)

    Source: Sega Force – Winter 1992 – – Starflight (Sega Genesis)



    Starflight was one of the first truly open world video games. It is a space exploration game (including combat and trading of course) with role-playing elements. Starflight was initially developed for the PC (DOS) in 1986 but was soon ported to the Commodore 64 (1989), Amiga (1989), Atari ST (1990), and Macintosh (1990). An updated version also appeared on the Genesis several years after the original in 1991.

    You as the player play the role of a starship captain exploring the galaxy. You can engage in combat and diplomacy, mine raw materials and perform other tasks. What you do is entirely up to you. As the game progresses, a larger plot becomes apparent involving an evil race of aliens blowing up stars and killing everybody.

    As captain of your own starship, you are responsible for maintaining and updating your ship as well as hiring your own crew. You can purchase weapons, armor, shields and of course fuel. You can also buy and sell minerals which is where mining comes into play. Your crew must also be trained to increase their skill which is another thing that costs money. This would be such a great game to remake with NFTs or at least on a blockchain with its own token.

    The Genesis version included all new graphics, various ship modifications and upgrades for the terrain to allow amphibious mining among other things. Instead of just a couple of available weapons available in the original game, the Genesis version many new weapons. There were also significant upgrades when it comes to Music and sound effects.

    Starflight had a sequel, Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula. In addition, Star Control and Star Control II are spiritual successors of sorts with some of the same developers. Starflight is definitely a classic worth playing made back when Electronic Arts lived up to its name. I don’t think it has been re-released so you will have to track down an original or use emulation. All of the versions are pretty similar with the Genesis version having some upgrades that probably make it the best choice. Starflight always felt like it should be a computer game vs. a console game but being released later, the Genesis version managed to make a number of modest improvements without really making anything worse.

    Screen shots and ads above are from the Sega Genesis version of the game. The ad is from the Winter 1992 issue of Sega Force magazine.


  • Starflight (Commodore 64)


    https://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/188887193574/abirdfulbox-the-thing-which-eases-my-depression



    Starflight was one of the first truly open world video games. It is a space exploration game (including combat and trading of course) with role-playing elements. Starflight was initially developed for the PC (DOS) in 1986 but was soon ported to the Commodore 64 (1989), Amiga (1989), Atari ST (1990), and Macintosh (1990). An updated version also appeared on the Genesis several years after the original in 1991.

    You as the player play the role of a starship captain exploring the galaxy. You can engage in combat and diplomacy, mine raw materials and perform other tasks. What you do is entirely up to you. As the game progresses, a larger plot becomes apparent involving an evil race of aliens blowing up stars and killing everybody.

    As captain of your own starship, you are responsible for maintaining and updating your ship as well as hiring your own crew. You can purchase weapons, armor, shields and of course fuel. You can also buy and sell minerals which is where mining comes into play. Your crew must also be trained to increase their skill which is another thing that costs money.

    Starflight has 270 star systems with a total of 800 planets so there is lots to explore. There are also 8 distinctive alien races to deal with or perhaps blow up.

    Starflight had a sequel, Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula. In addition, Star Control and Star Control II are spiritual successors of sorts with some of the same developers. Starflight is definitely a classic worth playing. I don’t think it has been re-released so you will have to track down an original or use emulation. All of the versions are pretty similar with the Genesis version having some minor upgrade (it’s also probably the easiest to find).

    Screen shots above are from the Commodore 64 version of the game.