Strike Suit Zero: Directors Cut takes on what was already a half decent game on PC and has tweaked and changed several aspects for its console release as Xbox’s first ID@Xbox title. The developers have improved sound, graphics, missions and gameplay to tailor Strike Suit Zero for the Xbox One but does it all work out in the end or are we left with a game that works on PC but not on a console?
What is Strike Suit Zero (SSZ) I hear you ask? Well SSZ is a game completely based within space, think Star Wars Battlefront’s space battles and you won’t be far off. In Strike Suit Zero you are thrusted into an interstellar war in the battle for a future failing Earth. A pretty simplistic concept on the face of it as you go through the missions aiming to complete the several missions set by command, the sad thing about this is that all the missions are seemingly the same; the whole game screams of repetitive and bland ideas and it’s not much change from mission to mission which is a shame.
But the game does have its plus points, the in game art is fantastic and you can see a clear difference between the PC version and the Xbox One, graphics are superb in places, but lacks a finishing touch on certain aspects such as debris of ships you destroy. The sound is impeccable and the soundtrack produced by award winner Paul Ruskay adds to the whole experience that Strike Suit Zero gives you.
The game engine gives the player a true feeling of freedom, you are in complete control and the game mechanics reflect on that. The developers, ‘Born Ready Games’; have done an excellent job of this and have made the game an enjoyable experience and a challenge but once you get past that initial challenge there is little to make you want to pick the game back up.
One of the main aspects of the game is the flux engine allowing the player to transform their space craft into another giving complete control over weapons and movement in another style. This is essentially one of the only good thrilling options within Strike Suit Zero. Backdrops do look extravagant and are well designed but they do not change and are static which is a shame as they seem underdeveloped.
The sad thing about Strike Zero is that it is basically predictable there is nothing away from the dogfights that makes you go wow in surprise, everything is sort of laid on from the off and nothing new is available to order from the menu. If this is an attempt to push some DLC at a later date they may have already blown it but there are no indications that point that way which for me is a shame because there is something lacking within Strike Suit Zero.
For Xbox’s first ID@Xbox, a new front launched by Microsoft to show the Xbox One’s developer power, Strike Suit Zero has some depth to it. Within strike suit zero: directors cut you have a full campaign of 13 missions mainly aimed at protecting an objective or destroying one and another set of 5 campaign missions set at recreating parts of the story after the campaign. All in all 18 missions for £15.99 is not great value for money in my eyes, the replay ability is not very high, once you complete the missions there is little to make you want to go back and play them again.
The medal scoring system and the local leader boards can be the main well of replay ability going back and improving on your scores in the missions already completed which can seem a little laboured having done it myself. They don’t really offer any sort of different way to complete the missions which is the biggest let down of the game. Arguably this game is one to pick up during a sale as it doesn’t represent a 16 quid price tag for me.
As you can see from the gameplay below the game doesn’t really offer anything new throughout the 12 mins I have put up, this really epitomises the rest of the game I’m afraid, which leaves a sense of disappointment when you come away from playing.
For what is essentially an arcade game rebranded as the ID@Xbox games, strike suit zero possesses some redeeming features and is certainly a step above majority of arcade titles that we have seen on the Xbox 360, which gives you a sense of things to come. Thanks to Xbox for sending me the code to play ID@Xbox’s first game, I’m excited at the next instalment if this is only the start.
