My interest in multiplayer only games seems to have increased along with my access to stable, fast Internet. Way back when I first started out trying to play Team Fortress Classic on my 56K modem I’d find myself struggling, unable to compete with the low ping bastards who could react before I could. Sure the high ping only servers helped somewhat but it was clear that the experience was far below that when I was on LAN with friends or at a big convention. Now that I can have a similar experience from home I’ve found myself enjoying these kinds of games more and more but I’ve also got great respect for games that can make an online only game enjoyable with high latency. Strike Vector is one such game which manages to accomplish this which is admirable, especially because it feels like that was unintentional.
Strike Vector has no single-player campaign or any story to speak of, it’s simply an online only multiplayer game where you’ll play the same familiar game modes (deathmatch, capture the flag, point domination, etc.) you’ve played in many other FPSs, except this time you’re in a ship called a Vector. Your ship has 2 primary modes of operation: Jet mode where you’ll fly fast in one direction and stationary mode which transforms your Vector into a highly accurate gunning platform to take down your enemies. Both modes have their uses and you’ll need to use both if you want to succeed in any of the game modes.
Like most fast paced games Strike Vector’s visuals are a little light on, favouring simplicity for most things so that the game runs smoothly at all times. This isn’t to say it’s a dull looking game, the screenshot below is a testament to how good it can look, but you’re not going to spend a lot of time gawking at the vast scenery unless you like getting sniped repeatedly. The range of different environments you’ll play in too adds tremendously to Strike Vector’s replayability as they range from wide open spaces where attacks can come from anywhere to tight corridors that force you into head on head battles. Indeed this was probably what sold me on Strike Vector initially as the videos of the gameplay coupled with the better than average visuals piqued my interest.
The combat in Strike Vector is extremely fast paced with almost instant respawn times that ensures you’re never out of action for long. The game modes are what you’d expect from any run of the mill FPS which have then been reworked for 3D space combat. There’s also elements of Quake and Unreal Tournament blended allowing you to pick up buffs that will dramatically alter combat in your favour. Couple this with a customization system that encompasses your gaming archetype (sniper, rusher, etc.) as well as the look of your Vector and you’ve got a recipe for a game with quite a bit of depth to it, one that invites you to adapt to the situation at hand by trying new things out.
Unlike similar titles however Strike Vector gives you access to all the available weapons, modifiers and special abilities from the first game you play. For a game like Strike Vector I think this is to it’s benefit as it gives you a level playing field, allowing new users to experiment with various combinations to see what works for them. It also helps that the build of whoever blows you up is shown to you on the death screen so you can duplicate it if you think it’s overpowered. Whilst I don’t believe any one particular build is completely broken there are combinations that are simply just not worth pursuing (swarm missiles and the LMG to an extent) as there are other, similar weapons which do a better job.
What’s not unlocked for you however is the ability to customize the look of your ship. It won’t take you long to unlock a bevy of additional decals, parts and all sorts of other things that you can use to change the look of your ship something which will likely drive many to play for hours on end. Chassis parts, the bits that actually make up your ship, come by less often however and it’ll likely take you a while to unlock a fully different ship model. Still mixed parts don’t look horrible together (as my ship above shows) so it’s not a big deal. It would be nice to have a progression indicator to see what I’d be unlocking next though as I wasn’t able to find any indication of what was coming when.
So the game is solid however there’s just one nagging issue that’s likely to kill the game for anyone looking to buy it: no one else is playing it. Now this could be due to me be an Australian playing at Australian times but I’ve never seen more than 20 people online at any one time. Sure that might be enough to keep a game or two going but they’re usually on the USA servers where my ping is a staggering 200+. As I alluded to earlier Strike Vector manages to handle this somewhat well due to its design (homing rockets are a godsend) but there were many times when a server depopulated leaving just me and another player duking it out. That might be fun for some but when one of you is on 50 ping and the other 200 it becomes an exercise in frustration. This is even after the recent 50% sale which you’d expect to have increase numbers significantly.
Strike Vector is a great take on the traditional multiplayer FPS, combining elements from all the classics and presenting them in a new format that’s quick to pick up but incredibly difficult to master. The initial level playing field and very latency forgiving mechanics make Strike Vector fun to play even when you’re at the end of a high ping connection. However the lack of a large enough player base is likely to be its downfall as it’s nigh on impossible to find a game in your region and you’ll often find yourself being one of a handful of players on the server once the map changes. It’s a game I can see a bunch of friends having a lot of fun with but past that Strike Vector is going to need a lot more players to make it worthwhile.
Rating: 8/10
Strike Vector is available on PC right now for $12.49 (for the next 15 hours). Total play time was approximately 3 hours.
