Strike Vector EX scratches a particular itch that I’ve had for almost a year. After last fall’s Star Wars Battlefront, I became incredibly addicted to the Fighter Squadron game mode. Something about flying combat sorties in zero-G, turning on a dime, and blasting enemies out of the sky like they were helpless flies really ignited something in me. And then I moved on, yet still I yearned for that kind of aerial combat. There was a void in my life. And thanks to developer Ragequit, that void has been filled. They came through with a solid flight-shooter that has satisfied my craving and given me more things to shoot out of the sky.
Strike Vector EX is a hybrid of sorts. Players take command of a ship, called a Vector, that can also serve as a hovering — and lumbering — mech of sorts. With the tap of the L2 button that lumbering marvel of technology converts to a lightning-fast ship, capable of making sharp turns, dodges, and of course, go on some serious offensive. And what the game does best is that it allows you to switch between the two modes without any delay, which makes combat a fiercely competitive event, in either the solo campaign or the tight multiplayer mode.
In campaign, the story revolves around a young pilot named Marv, who, on his first mission in a Vector, gets sucked into a major conflict between two warring sides. The heroes and villains in the conflict are never cut and dry — and neither is Marv’s allegiance. Through the game’s five chapters and 15 missions, Marv blows up a bunch of ships, has some incredible aerial duels, and turns friends into enemies and vice versa with the same ease as converting a Vector from mech to fighter.
Each level has a recorded completion time feature, so replaying for better times to rank on the worldwide leaderboards gives Strike Vector EX some replayablity. I know I spent a good amount of time making sure that my times in each mission were better than my buddies, and the drive to best him kept me going again and again.
The story works to get the player ready for the true meat and potatoes of Strike Vector EX and that’s the multiplayer mode. The story is forgettable and the voice acting is a level of bad reserved for B-movies from the 1980s, but when the player exits (or finishes) the campaign and boots up multiplayer, all is forgiven.
Multiplayer in Strike Vector EX borrows from the usual school of online shooters. Six different game modes are available, like team deathmatch — here called Squad Battle, Demolition, Bounty Hunter, Battle (just a massive free-for-all of kill or be killed), Capture The Flag, and King of the Hill. Up to 12 players are sorted into factions and the fun begins. Kills earn XP which levels up the player and some really cool Vector upgrades can be used to customize the ship. Like most good multiplayer shooters, putting the time in brings results, and soon, even the most novice pilot can become a master of the sky.
Strike Vector EX uses the Unreal 4 engine and the graphics are pretty stunning, especially running at 1080p/60fps. Zooming through mining platforms and low-orbit space stations playing cat and mouse with your enemy is thrilling in every way, and lining up the perfect shot and watching them splash out is very satisfying. Players can also customize their vectors with various weapons and perks, and accessories and colors. My Vector is pretty badass, and if you ever get shot down by the best looking Vector in the game, it was probably me.
While the voice acting is terrible, the in-game music is very well done. It has a Hans Zimmer, Top Gun-like feel, with a hint of a classic western theme — which ties into the campaign story. And when playing multiplayer over and over, the music you hear becomes as issue, as bad music can ruin the enjoyment of the mode — and the game.
Strike Vector EX also has a skirmish mode, which allows players to revisit any of the campaign’s 15 levels to play, with no rewards in XP or Kebs (the in-game currency, which is used to purchase upgrades and cosmetic enhancements to the Vector), and times and other stats aren’t recorded.
Strike Vector EX is a solid, sometimes fantastic aerial shooter that really takes air combat to new level. The campaign is solid and serves its purpose to train players for multiplayer, and the multiplayer serves as the mode that will keep players coming back time and again. With a solid control scheme and amazing graphics, this is a game that needs to be played to fully understand the speed and precision that Ragequit has put on display here. And when I’m comparing a game to something like Star Wars Battlefront, there is no better compliment that I can give.
Strike Vector EX is available now the PlayStation 4 via the PlayStation Store for a discounted price of $10.49 for a limited time. This review is based off a review code provided by the publisher.
