One of the obvious risks of announcing a game years before it’s ready for release, is your screenshots and vids could end up inspiring rival projects. Although Cleared Hot’s relatively high profile and lengthy gestation may not be the sole reason the Desert Strike-alike sector is now buzzing like the airspace over a freshly deposited summer cowpat, it’s difficult to believe it’s a complete coincidence.
Viewed from afar, Cleared Hot looks to have sufficient character, polish, and tactility to see off potential thunder stealers. The fact that Cfinger is currently conducting small-scale public playtests suggests it will reach the market ahead of at least three of its four rivals, too.
The competitor that could beat CH to the marketplace is Reflex Unit: Strike Ops. Scheduled for a Q1 launch, RUSO will have no trouble diverting if its demo is any guide.
A spacious map, a choice of three repairable/rearmable/refuelable steeds, and a variety of tasks that can be tackled in any order, ensure the trial absorbs.
Of all of the upcoming Strike-alikes, I think pixelated Cobra Strike has my favourite aesthetic and cast of helis. Developer somasolo is promising miniature Cobras, Apaches, Hueys, Black Hawks, Scorpions, Comanches, each with “unique flight characteristics”. The soft, fluid way the Cobra manoeuvres in the gif on the Steam page is certainly encouraging.
AH-64s appear to do all the hell-raising in the decidedly dun Strike Force Damocles. I like the sound of “Use terrain to avoid detection and enemy fire” and “Use precision weapons to take out high value targets from a distance” but can’t help wishing the latter feature list entry had “and to avoid collateral damage” tagged on the end. A Strike-alike that modelled target observation and identification and imposed harsh penalties for wanton destruction and civilian casualties, would be quite something.
Dynamic weather should help Call to Strike stand out in the coming Strike stampede. Troublesome wind, fog, and dust are surprisingly rare combat complicators in this soon-to-be-crowded subgenre.
And yet not a mention that the television series Blue Thunder has been back on British screens on RewindTV.
None of these seem to allow you to actually fly from inside the cockpit which make them no-sales for me.
They are top down arcade shooters like the classic Desert Strike/Jungle Strike/Urban Strike on Genesis/Megadrive in the 90. Cockpit isn’t the point here.
That’s fine. It just means I have zero interest in it.