Striker (video game)
Striker is a soccer video game series first released by Rage Software in 1992. Later also for the Commodore Amiga, Amiga CD32, Atari ST, PC, Mega Drive/Genesis, and Super NES. It was bundled in one of the Amiga 1200 launch packs. It was one of the first soccer games to feature a 3D viewpoint, after Simulmondo's "I Play 3D Soccer". In 1993 it was released in Japan by Coconuts Japan for the Super Famicom as , while the French Super NES version of "Striker" is known as Eric Cantona Football Challenge, playing on the popularity of  French forward Eric Cantona, while the North American Super NES release of "Striker" was known as . The Mega Drive and Game Gear versions were branded as "Sega Sports Striker". They were published by SEGA and developed by Rage Software in 1994 and released in 1995. Critical reaction. The game received a mixed reaction from the gaming press, with some condemning and others praising its extreme speed. For example, CU Amiga Magazine awarded the game 94% in its June 1992 issue along with the CU Amiga Screenstar award while German magazine Amiga Joker awards the game 64% in the September 1992  edition. By 1995, Striker sold 700,000 copies. Ports/Sequels. A sequel, "World Cup Striker" (known in North America as "Elite Soccer"), was released for the Super NES in 1994. It was basically a repackaged version of "Striker", but slightly better. It was published in Japan by Coconuts Japan and in Europe by Elite. A Game Boy game developed by Denton Designs was also released at the same time, in Europe it was released as "Soccer", in North America as "Elite Soccer" (both published by GameTek), and in Japan as "World Cup Striker" (published by Coconuts Japan and endorsed by Yasutaro  Matsuki). Also, "Striker Pro" was released in Europe and North America for the CD-i. In 1995, "Striker: World Cup Special" was released for the 3DO. A version of "Striker '95" was in development for the Atari Jaguar but never released. An entry in the "Striker" franchise was in the works for the Panasonic M2 but it never happened due to the system's cancellation. A year later "Striker '96" (known in Japan as "Striker: World Cup Premiere Stage") was released for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and MS-DOS. Striker '96 is known for being the first soccer game on  the original PlayStation. In 1999 "UEFA Striker", known in North America as "Striker Pro 2000", was released for the Dreamcast and PlayStation.