Jeremy Parish

Segaiden 69: Power Strike (Patreon)

Published:

2025-01-15 13:23:45

Imported:

2026-06

Tags:

Compile aleste sega segaiden

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Content

Segaiden is back! Provided you subscribe to the Sega Challenge newsletter, that is. The rest of you are out of luck, because this episode is not available at retail in the U.S. That's right, this episode tackles the stunning Compile shooter Power Strike, which some weirdos (read: everyone but the Sega of America marketing people who named it Power Strike and made it available only through mail order) call Aleste. Whatever your chosen nomenclature, the fact remains that this game rules.

A couple of quick caveats: first, I did in fact use an infinite lives cheat in this episode. And, secondly, I noticed only this morning that this episode shows up as being about three minutes longer than it should because a stray video element got stuck at the end of the editing timeline. There is nothing beyond the 15-minute mark! You can safely stop watching then!

Files

Previews only

Aleste is more: Power Strike | Segaiden 069

Talk about hiding your light under a bushel. Power Strike finally brings Compile's trademark vertical shooting style to Master System, leapfrogging the design of Zanac for NES, and Sega of America celebrates this powerfully impressive work by the Master System's most reliable external developer by... making it a mail-order game exclusively offered in a single issue of the company's newsletter. Friends, that is what you call A Choice. Power Strike (that's Aleste, if you're nasty) merits discussion of more than just its tortured release. It's a great-looking game that runs smoothly on Master System despite throwing a ton of stuff around the screen at all times (though not SO smoothly that you can't hammer the attack buttons and cause some helpful slowdown to kick in), and it continues iterating on Compile's beloved eight-option secondary weapon mechanics previously seen in Gulkave and Zanac. Oh, and it's very difficult, which is why I recorded this episode with an infinite lives cheat active. I figured you'd want to see footage beyond the second stage. Production notes: Learn more about the Master System's history by preordering The NES Era Vol. III: NES and the Peak of 8-Bit, a comprehensive photographic atlas of every console game released for NES and its competitors—including the Intellivision—at the height of their power, from January 1988 through the advent of 16-bit systems in August 1989. Take a deep dive into the prehistory of NES with this limited-edition oversized (12x12"!) photo book: https://limitedrungames.com/products/the-nes-era-vol-3-hardcover Video Works is funded via Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/gamespite) — support the show and get access to every episode up to two weeks in advance of its YouTube debut! Plus, exclusive podcasts, eBooks, and more! Master System footage captured from U.S. carts running through a cart adapter on Japanese Master System hardware, Analogue Nt Mini, and MiSTer (thanks to MiSTerAddOns). Video upscaled to 4K with RetroTink 4K. RGB cables courtesy of StoneAgeGamer.com and Allie Bellrose.