Night Striker

Versions were released for the Sega Mega-CD in 1993, Sony PlayStation in 1995, and Sega Saturn (as Night Striker S) in 1996. A version was released on the Taito Memories II Gekan compilation for the PlayStation 2 in 2007. Striker received mixed reviews, and the Mega-CD version in particular was heavily criticized, primarily due to poor graphics. The music was composed by Taito's Zuntata sound team, and has been released separately. Striker GEAR, a sequel developed and published by M2 for the Nintendo Switch and PC, is scheduled to be released in 2025.

• Title — Night Striker • Developer — Taito • Publisher — Taito • Director — Kenji Kaido • Producer — Tohru Sugawara • Composer — Masahiko Takaki • Platforms — Arcade, Mega CD, Saturn, PlayStation • Released — ArcadeOctober 1989Mega CD'Saturn14 June 1996PlayStation28 July 1995 • Genre — Shoot 'em up • Modes — Single-player • Arcade System — Taito Z System

The game is set in a futuristic city in 2049. A terrorist organisation has kidnapped Doctor Masker Lindberry and his daughter. The United Nations Special Service Agency has dispatched their agents to investigate, but to no avail. Its leader is leading a task force (code named Night Striker) using armoured vehicles to rescue them and destroy the organisation.

• Illustration — A typical game in progress The player controls the car and shoots enemies encountered during the stage. Enemies and bosses include helicopters, aeroplanes, lorries, robotic spiders, and boulders. The car can be manoeuvred in a similar manner to Space Harrier and can be moved around the screen. There are 21 stages, although the player only needs to complete six to complete the game. Stages' themes include, factories, tunnels, and city themes such as centres, suburbs, and streets. Certain stages contain obstacles such as barriers which must be manoeuvred around. At the end of each stage, there is a boss, and after its defeat, the player is presented with a choice of route, like Out Run. The car's "armour" refers to its shield capability; the car can absorb a certain number of hits before being destroyed. Defeating a boss gives the shield the capacity to withstand another hit. If the shield has run out and the car is hit, the game is over. In certain final stages, the car transforms: depending on the stage, it can become vehicles such as a motorbike or a robot. The game features different endings depending on which route is taken. The Mega CD version features an arranged soundtrack, and the Saturn version a bonus mode with six levels exclusive to this version.

The soundtrack was composed by Zuntata, and released on the Night Striker Complete Album on 21 May 1993 in Japan by Pony Canyon and Scitron. A similar album was released by Pony Canyon on 19 November the same year. The soundtrack was released on iTunes on 2 July 2008, and certain tracks were released on vinyl on Zuntata's Arcade Classics Volume One album.