For those of you that don't know I posted a blog a while back where I stated that I would be doing game reviews for the PSone from my collection of old games that I still had.  (link to blog here: http://gameinformer.com/blogs/members/b/blackheartwolf_blog/archive/2009/11/16/breaking-out-the-ps1-games.aspx )  This is the second of my blogs and I will be reviewing Nuclear Strike this time around (The first game I reviewed was Rainbow Six: http://gameinformer.com/blogs/members/b/blackheartwolf_blog/archive/2009/11/30/psone-game-reviews-tom-clancy-s-rainbow-six.aspx )  I hope you enjoy a look back at some of the classic games that Made (or nearly unmade) Sony as we know them.

What's more fun that causing mass chaos everywhere you go with a suped up apache?  How about being able to trade that suped up apache for a Hovercraft, Harrier, Tank, or Huey.  That is what makes Nuclear Strike, the sequel to EA's Soviet Strike so much fun. 

Now the game has a story so it's not you just mindlessly going around killing terrorists with your super apache, in fact you are doing it for a reason.  A former CIA/KGB operative has stolen a nuclear weapon and is now trying to pawn it off to various terrorist leaders around the globe.  You are part of an elite unit tracking him down and trying to recover the nuke, and to do this you have to blow up everything in your path. 

I have to say for it being an old PSone title (the game came out in 1997) it holds up very well.  The game feels fresh and rewarding as well as being a challenge to play.  As you would expect it has an old school feel to it in that there are no checkpoints in the level.  In order to win you have to clear the entire level in one sitting, with the levels averaging 30 minutes.  With five levels to play the game is fairly short but learning each level and figuring out the best way to do them is where the real time is taken up. 

As far as the difficulty goes, it's much like a classic platformer in the fact that nothing ever changes as far as AI and everything else go.  It's all about following a set standard of rules and adhering to them.  For enemies that are able to kill you quicker, use your missles, for those that are easier stick to your guns.  Learn to strafe and take out radar dishes and you'll be just fine. 

The game's soundtrack is there, but is nothing overly impressive.  Often times you'll have various backround noises (the sounds of a jungle or the ocean) but no music unless it is as key points in the game.  The sounds for the guns, missles, and rockets are all fine and I have no complaints about them but the best part of the game has to be the mini cutscenes that they have.

Much like Command and Conquer the series has mini cutscenes that are all live action with many of them being very very cheesy, but taken aside and looked at objectively they do add to the experience.  I actually found myself being drawn in to the story the more times the commander and the data ops specialist (even in his rediculous swinging chair) came on screen to brief me about what was going on. 

Overall it's a fun game that can last for hours without getting old.  There are many many ways to complete the missions given to you and I haven't even had the pleasure of figuring them all out.  Sometimes two hours just isn't enough though, but you can be sure I'll be popping this game back into my PS3 if/when I get bored of my other games.

Gameplay 9/10 - Smooth easy controls even without the sticks and a very easy layout make the game fun.  Add to that a variety of vehicles and different ways to do each mission and you have an experience that is all but addictive

Visuals 8/10 - The explosives are what you would expect from a PSone title, but overall the game is very smooth and runs well.  No problems with slowdown or anything of that sort even when I was under seige from missle launchers on every direction.  The only thing I can complain about is not seeing where I am getting shot from while my health continuously drops. 

Sound 7.5/10 - Everything has a unique sound to it from your guns and missles to the enemy copters and boats.  The explosions sound good, but as was with visuals more sounds to know when you are getting hit would be appriciated.

Replay Value 9/10 - With multiple ways of doing each mission, as well as the fun of mindlessly blowing stuff up the game has a surprisingly high replay value.  Just going through the first mission and killing everything was enough to keep me entertained for over an hour.

Overall 8.5/10