Strike Vector EX

Strike Vector EX pulled on a lot of nostalgic heartstrings for me, and it was a refreshing experience.

Strike Vector EX delivers fun and frantic airborne mech combat action, and while it is only a short lived diversion in single player, it really shines in multiplayer. This one's packing a ton of customisation and an addictive core battle sensibility that will keep you engaged, and it represents a great alternative shooter to the likes of Call of Duty or Battlefield.

If you’ve been pining for an arcade flight combat game that will test your skills, Strike Vector EX is going to sit right with you. Controls are tight, though they do have a decent learning curve and a new way of thinking about an aerial combat game.

Anyone wanting a single player experience should probably wait for a sale, but everyone else would be well served snagging a copy as soon as possible.

I really like what Strike Vector EX does — the ships look great, it feels good to fly around in the world (when not hovering, anyway) and dogfighting games aren’t as common as they used to be. The developers are onto something good here, and I hope Ragequit continues on this track — maybe a sequel with a bigger focus on the campaign next time?

Strike Vector EX is a whole lot of fun to play with friends, but is held back by a few multiplayer issues and an entirely fruitless campaign. If you’re interested in immediately diving into multiplayer and murdering a bunch of people in cold blood using a giant robot, then this game is for you…just be prepared for the occasional headache when your buddies accidentally blow you into tiny pieces for the fourteenth time.

With easy to use controls, gorgeous levels and vectors, and a pleasantly challenging AI, Strike Vector EX has classic arcade shooter written all over it. I wasn’t particularly happy that customizing my vector was limited to online multiplayer, and the thin storyline with irrational character decisions was a bit of a letdown. Had more effort gone into the story and characters, this could easily have been a much more impressive title, and with multiplayer restricted to PS+ it just feels that much smaller for those not interested in buying the service.

Strike Vector EX is a small game with a lot of heart. While the campaign is sub-par and it doesn’t offer the depth or longevity or other titles, what’s there is fun, fast, and wild. Released at a discount price, this is definitely a game to rope one or two friends into buying with you so you can always have a wingman (or nemesis) on call on and seed some multiplayer action.

Strike Vector EX is a fast, complex and fun game with an interesting multiplayer mode. But somehow you feel that something is missing.

While it's not the next CoD, it's still a fun way to pass the time in between playing infantry-based shooters.