Hands-On Preview: NERF N-Strike

Think of NERF N-Strike as E-rated training wheels (“rails,” actually, since it’s a rail-shooter) for more mature first-person shooters. Aimed at 8-12 year old boys, the game features a squad of robot-recruited teens equipped with the foam arrow guns we all grew up with. In fact, the peripheral pistol doubles as both a functioning NERF gun and Wiimote cradling game controller.

In addition to the single player campaign, where Bob the robot picks up Shane after an impressive arcade performance to train for Elite Striker-hood, up to four players can play 24 events (not only rail shooting, but also Galaga-esque wave destruction and Boom Blox-type games) with 25 different blasters (12 of which are actual Hasbro designs, with 13 originals created with Hasbro’s approval.)

I played as Komodo (an Asian-looking kid) in a couple different events. It seems like rapid-firing is the most useful capability, since whether you’re shooting at rolling spheres or flying robots, it’s always good to shoot as many little NERF missiles as possible. To me, the sniping blaster just felt slow, but I’m sure there must be an event where you’ll need more precision and less frenzy.

NERF N-Strike ships November 4th and will retail (on the toy shelf!) for $59.99, including a dual-purpose blaster, with separate blaster peripherals going for $14.99 a piece. They really nailed the art style for the demographic–that sort of pseudo-anime kids action cartoon look–and I can definitely see the “aggressive, but not really violent” (no kids ever shoot other kids) gameplay being really fun for boys whose parents won’t let them buy Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles just yet.