Strayfire

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs

GAME DESIGNER:Kurt Miller
GAME DEVELOPER:Gradient Studios
GAME PUBLISHER:Gradient Studios
Copyright 2002, Gradient Studios

Strayfire is a very fun, very good looking shareware vertical shooter powered by OpenGL and DirectX. The combination of jaw-dropping graphics and fast-and-furious gameplay makes Strayfire one of the most visually pleasing shooters to come along in a long time.

Lets start with the obvious: Strayfire is a very good looking game. Great backdrops, outstanding special effects (especially for weapons), rocking techno soundtrack, and very nice 3D models for enemy ships make Strayfire a very immersive experience. There are also a nice gameplay variety that set it apart from similar games: your ship can use shields to deflect incoming fire or attack enemies, and you must also avoid obstacles in some levels in addition to shooting everything that moves.

In addition to attention to detail, Strayfire is a very polished product that boasts better production value than many full-priced games. You can customize all the control keys and even customize in-game MP3 music the ability to play the game with your own MP3 playlist is one of the great, but generally ignore, features that I hope will be included in more games.

The only gripe I have about the game is that the registered version contains only four levels, although admittedly they are quite large. If you enjoy great shooters, though, Strayfire wont disappoint. Highly recommended!