E3 2015 Final Recap – Strike Vector Ex, Ace of Arenas, and The Banner Saga 2!

Ragequit Corporation

 
Strike Vector Ex Xbox One Demo

 
I have a tendency to get a bit long winded outlining the nuances of why a game sticks out in the ever crowding gaming market. That’s not going to be the case with Strike Vector Ex. They deliver one thing in a simple to understand package, and sit back while your adrenaline levels shoot into your skull so fast it gives you whiplash.

You know a game is fast when even the stock PR images they send you get blurred.

 
For those aware of this cult classic, you’re not time traveling. Yup this is Strike Vector that launched under the radar on Steam for PC last year, albut with some slight modifications and improvements. Though there wasn’t a ton to improve on, other than getting a large enough population into the game to improve matchmaking for better ping. With its pending console launch, and the game optimized for one specific layout of hardware, I doubt this is going to be an issue for long.

The cries for AI have been hard tenfold, as Strike Vector Ex introduces a fully voice narrated story mode with multiple missions to buzz through at lightning speeds. While I may be new to Strike Vector, I’m certainly new to flight simulations, and can say that even the low level story AI put up an impressive fight. An encounter with a boss that led me on a movie quality cat and mouse chase through a twisted construction site had me scratching my head as I wondered if there wasn’t someone behind the curtain playing a joke on me. Best of all, these quality AI can join online to fill queues should not enough players be on to get matches going.

 
If the world was more perfectly filled with like minded people like me, this game would be a shining star of the esports scene. As well as I fumbled my way through the first two missions of this game, the concept of two teams of eight top level FPS pros duking it out in objective based team death matches in Strike Vector Ex is unreal! This is a result of their combination of precision controls, skill based railgun fire that makes every hit landed a real treat, and, most importantly, the ability to nearly stop on a dime to constantly leave your bogie guessing. Though if we’re talking perfect worlds, I’d put all the players in rumbling replicas of their ships on stage to jostle them around the entire time for fun. Sadly the Xbox controller wasn’t providing feedback from the explosions during the demo, and I strongly recommended they get this implemented before launch.

But enough talk. Why talk? When I can show! Below is my unedited playsession captured with my spyglasses. Little warning as things get a bit shaky. As steady as I normally am while wearing my recording glasses, this game had me jumping, ducking, and weaving like one of those Star Fox dads. If you can handle a little bit of rocky motion though, jump in and see Strike Vector Ex for yourself!

Continue to Ace of Arenas