Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf
1992 · Shooter · Genesis
Overview
Desert Strike (1992) is Mike Posehn's isometric helicopter shooter for the Mega Drive, in which a lone Apache flies four missions against an invading general. It was EA's best-selling game at the time.
Deep Dive
General Kilbaba invades a Persian Gulf emirate, and a single modified AH-64 Apache is sent to stop him across four missions. The isometric, scrolling levels ask the player to destroy weapons and installations, rescue hostages and capture personnel, while managing armour, fuel and ammunition. Its weapons trade quantity for power.
Developer Story
Mike Posehn led design and programming, with John Manley helping write it and Brian Schmidt and Rob Hubbard composing. Posehn built a momentum-based camera, and the vehicle sprites began as 3D models. EA released it in March 1992 and later converted it to the SNES, Amiga, Atari Lynx, MS-DOS and other systems.
Did You Know?
- It began as Beirut Breakout, set in the Lebanese Civil War.
- Critics called its Gulf War subject matter in poor taste.
- Its sequels were Jungle Strike, Urban Strike, Soviet Strike and Nuclear Strike.
Sources & further reading
- Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf — Wikipedia
