There's a short list of video games I never shut up about since joining social media, and Electronic Arts' Strike series is one of them. The SHUMP genre may be one that has not seen a true revival the way brawlers have, but the beauty is, it's a play style that never gets old. Desert Strike remains a transformative experience that holds up well. Uh, except the not too subtle similarities to the Gulf War, that doesn't age. And people think there weren't politics in old video games. Rush'n Attack would like to have a word...

Created by Mike Poeshn, who took great inspiration from Dan Gorlin's classic Choplifter, Desert Strike was revolutionary for its attention to detail, gameplay, difficulty, and strategy. It saw releases on DOS, the Amiga, and later a Super Nintendo port. Piloting an AH-64 Apache helicopter, you cleared various missions, ranging from POW and hostage rescues to sabotaging bioweapons research labs. The physics of manning the chopper and are adequately done through the isometric view Desert Strike takes advantage of, making this one of the first 3D style shooters on the market. I suppose Zaxxon, as it predates this, but that's a more linear style.

Unlike most shoot'em ups, Desert Strike sports a more meticulous pace, assessing the situation and planning your path accordingly. It is a sharp contrast to the more traditional SHMUP nature of frantic bullet hell. Before the advent of the twin stick shooter, this was one of the style's more progressive variations, especially for a game taking a more simulation approach. 

Strike's controls may take some time getting used to, but they're very solid and responsive. You have limited ammo, armor, and fuel, so Strike is a tough game to muscle through on brute force alone. A lot of the anti-air enemies will pick you apart, so maneuvering around to avoid fire while also landing in some shots becomes so satisfying. This was the period before corrective and auto-aim features. Missions can take a good while, but you don't want to spend too much time on the map. Try to plan the shortest route possible, and bounce. I have actually finished missions, but was unable to find enough fuel to make it back to the craft carrier.

The visual style remains slick, as far as I'm concerned. While the game takes place in the arrid (and noticeably unnamed) sand dunes, little gets lost in the graphics, and there's no slowdown. This is another game where I actually prefer the Genny over the Super Nintendo version, it gives a grittier feel.

If I have any knock against Desert Strike, there's no HUD. Any information you may need, be it where your fuel gauge or ammunitions are, it's in the pause menu. In a way, I suppose this adds an extra degree of challenge, as you have to be abreast to your resources. And to be fair, it gives the experience a more simulated experience, so this certainly is a "style of at the time". A compass would've been nice. Explosions are satisfying, taking my mind back to MS-DOS style game effects. 

Desert Strike is a solid pillar of 1990's-era game design. For a piece of software that feels like it should only excel on PC, it's incredibly intuitive on a Genesis controller. Chopper simulation action games should be more of a thing, that's mostly why it makes me happy to see an homage to Desert Strike in Megacopter: Blades of the Goddess. This is an underrepresented medium.