Nuclear Strike

"A decent follow up to Soviet Strike"

Nuclear Strike is a fairly decent game. It is solely based around an abundant array of military missions. These missions will decided the fate of the world and the fate of billions of people that dwell in it. The player must furnish a high concentration of patience and maintain focus. The missions demand these qualities. If the player is not up to par, that strange sensation you'll be feeling in the seat of your pants, will be a nuke up your *ss.

The story line basically consists of a special operations team assigned to hunt down an extremely psychotic madman that leads a well financed terrorist organization that has the ability to use nuclear weapons at their discretion. Your job is to destroy this madman's army and to eliminate his threat of launching a nuclear World War III. Your main team consist of a Commanding Officer which directs the action of the your team, a beautiful cover up media agent who disguises the incidents that occur with false news reports, and a very intelligent computer hacker. As the game progresses you encounter and acquire extraordinary allies who will aid you in completing various important missions. All these characters have incredible personalities, you'll grow to like to them, even the deranged madman.

Nuclear Strike's game play is satisfactory. It fairly resembles its counterpart Soviet Strike. Although this game is fun, at times the player will feel frustrated and agitated with the controls. The various military vehicles each have a different feel to them. For example, a fast agile super Apache attack helicopter that moves briskly will be a joy to control, compared to a slow, unforgiving, under-equipped Huey helicopter that you'll hate controlling. Like it or not, this adds realism to the game which in turn creates a window of learning time. The button layouts are fairly decent and require some time to get use to. For an average gamer, it would take roughly an hour to fully recognize the specific functions for each button. Menus can sometimes be a hassle. They are somewhat complicated at times which may irritate an impatient gamer. If your patient enough and frequently play the game, then it will be a breeze to play.

Nuclear Strike's graphics definitely need to be reworked. Not to say that they are completely disgusting, but needs a few touch-ups here and there. There is slow down when you encounter a heavily populated area. Vehicles in the game look like their real life counterparts. Apparently, there are few pop-ups in the game. The 15 polygonal vehicles have superb paint jobs and look exceptionally well. The terrain and battlefields are disgusting. The colors and textures or almost hardly noticeable. Thus, making it ugly and bland. The people in the game look so tiny they appear to be disfigured and mutilated. You can't see any of their facial expressions. As a matter of fact, you can't distinguish their facial features at all. Though the real time graphics need a do over, the FMV intro and mission briefings are incredible. They are a joy to watch.

The audio in Nuclear Strike is unpleasant. You might as well turn down the volume of the TV and put on some of your favorite music on the stereo. The music does not fit the pace of the game and almost seems like music for kids. Sound effects are decent. Computer bleeps, machine guns firing, rockets shooting of the missile rack, they all sound authentic but you'll tire of them quickly. Speech is clear and straightforward. Thus, making mission briefings easily understood and obtained.

Fans of Soviet Strike should check this game out. Many deep, detailed, multi-objective missions should keep you busy. Nuclear Strike has a great story line, but needs some work in some areas. A fairly decent game overall. I suggest this game be rented before a final decision on whether to buy it or not.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99