Year: 2000
Platform: PlayStation
Publisher: Capcom
Genre: Platform adventure
Compatibility: Will not play on a modified console
Rating: ***

Strider Hiryu returns in this sequel to Capcom's 1989 arcade classic, "Strider." Unfortunately, it checks to see if you have a mod chip installed, and terminates execution if you do. This puts Capcom at the top of my shit list. I shelled out a lot of money so that I can buy and play games from Japan, and then I hand my money over to Capcom for an American version of a game that they won't allow me to play. Bastards. But not all is lost - the game comes with a bonus disc that contains the original "Strider" which doesn't perform the mod chip check. It's a faithful port that's still as much fun to play today as it was ten years ago. As an assassin named Strider Hiryu, you fight your way through an army of human and cybernetic foes in order to kill some super villain. Excellent graphics and slick gameplay make this a timeless arcade classic. Unfortunately, to add insult to injury, a manufacturing screw-up mislabeled the game discs, so "Strider" is actually on the "Strider 2" disc and vice versa. Bad Capcom.